Rusty Nuts Southern Cross

[XP@]

"3 KBers are due off the ferry at 1:00pm on SC rally.

Anyone want to join in for part of the ride? Jantar"

Anyone with a bike at work should go have a late lunch I reckon

Just back from the ferry, they were all looking far too healthy for a RN ride.

There was evidently 2 offs between the Kaikoura tunnels

total of 31 bikes on the ferry!

Pics in a few mins (when i work out how)

Edit: On second thoughts No piccies camera on phone is crap

[RiderInBlack]

Have only 4 horses to trim tomorrow so I'm taking "Roxanne" to work Will be finish well before 12noon. Anyone know what time Jantar and Co. are heading through AK tomorrow (Maybe I should Txt them hey ) as I could meet them around AK intsead of waiting for them up here (Jantar's plan was 4pm for Whangarei).

[LB]

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I don't go onto the site during the day from work, or else I would have been there with XP to greet the boys (and girls??) when they arrived in Wgtn off the ferry yesterday.

Sorry to hear about the ice and the offs. Hope riders are okay.

I do hope Blackbird's underwear is performing okay. I feel kind of responsible for his underwear as we had long very detailed email discussions about it. I gave him some advice before he bought it. I might just have to txt him to see how it's going.
PS: please don't anyone tell Hamish that I talk to guys that I've only met over the internet about underwear..
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[XP@]

PS: please don't anyone tell Hamish that I talk to guys that I've only met over the internet about underwear.

Urrrr I think he knows

[RiderInBlack]

Well finish the horses early Rode "Roxanne" to Kaiwaka to meet Mangell6, Blackbird & Jantar as they came up. They had left Tokoroa around 9am. @ 12:40 I received a Txt from Melcome to say they had just arrived in Wellsford and webre going to have lunch and refuel there. By 1:30 they hasd joined me @ Kaiwaka. Had decided to take them via RIB's Route (see map earlier in this thread) despite the roadworks down Mangakahia Rd, which we rode well (pays to had a guide who knows where they are ). On rejoining SH1 @ the Lake Omapere I decide to carry on riding with them to Awanui (just North on Kaitaia). Hey the weather was bloody excellant . Was sick of leading @ that stage and indicated for Mangell6 to pass me, which he didn't so I picked up my pace again with the 3 Cabalerros (sp?) tailing me Got to the Mangamuka Gorge and decided to enjoy the twisties there. Hey, I thought, they don't have to keep up with me if they don't want to, and I can always wait for them on the otherside. Well Mangell6 was not going to have a bar of that and was hounding me through the gorge Felt a right Nana when we pulled in to Awanui a little after 4pm and he aplogised for getting right up me butt in the gorge. He reconned that he was enjoying the twisties in the gorge so much that he just had to let his bike have a little more head Even though they said they were stuff by the time they reach Awanui, they still looked pretty spritely for 3 young bucks Melcome and Co. thanked me for taking them through RIB's Route. They had really enjoyed it. Glad they did and that I was lucky enough to be able to ride it with them. Hope the rest of the SC goes well for them (still a shit load of Km's to go for them yet).

By the way Melcome tells me they had got up @ fu*ken 4am in Chch yesterday and were on the road by 5am Bloody nut cases

Have a pic or two will load them as soon as I have edited them.

[RiderInBlack]

The 3 Cabalerros at Awanui

[Lee Rusty]

going have cleared Cape Reinga

There have a four "offs" but no serious injuries. Bikes can be rebuilt.

It is a very high number for one of our rides. Four of our more experianced riders as well.

East Cape tomorrow ....................

[James Deuce]

Thanks for the photos RIB and for the update Lee Rusty.

Latest message received 18:03 today:

"We are at Bombay having tea. Should make Ohope tonight.

[James Deuce]

This just in at 22:16:

"We have arrived at Ohope Top Ten. Highly recommended."

What a bunch of energiser bunnies!

[LB]

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Good to hear all is still (more or less) well. Thanks for the updates.
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[Blackbird]

Back in Tokoroa 5.15 pm. All bloody sore! Laid my 'bird down in the gravel at East Cape but only scratched one panel - just dented pride. Sunstrike was wicked most of the way home - scary. (Geoff)

Only 4 hours riding left to the finish, and what a great pair of guys I'm riding with. Mangell6 is awesome to follow through the twisty bits, and he just seems to be able to pick the perfect line every time. We are keeping up a fairly quick pace, but not hooning as some riders seem to be doing. Just covering the ground and leaving ourselves time to recover and refresh before the next section. (Malcolm - Jantar)

Being the baby of this group I wonder how I will be riding in a few years time. While the backside is sore, the muscles are also feeling it after the 160ks from East Cape - lovely twisties all the way there and back. I waved as I went past the Dangerous household and will attempt to organise a "Dangerous" ride to Chch with one express purpose - Actually visit the man at his house. I reckon fifty people would be a good start, or just those who have passed his place. Geoff wants to start a noew club - Sand rinding on Blackbirds, whose a starter then. (Mike - Mangell6)

[Hitcher]

In terms of exhaustion levels, I'd rather be riding the Southern Cross than fighting the forces of evil and darkness around the probable foot and mouth disease hoax...

[James Deuce]

Back in Tokoroa 5.15 pm. All bloody sore! Laid my 'bird down in the gravel at East Cape but only scratched one panel - just dented pride. Sunstrike was wicked most of the way home - scary. (Geoff)

Only 4 hours riding left to the finish, and what a great pair of guys I'm riding with. Mangell6 is awesome to follow through the twisty bits, and he just seems to be able to pick the perfect line every time. We are keeping up a fairly quick pace, but not hooning as some riders seem to be doing. Just covering the ground and leaving ourselves time to recover and refresh before the next section. (Malcolm - Jantar)

Being the baby of this group I wonder how I will be riding in a few years time. While the backside is sore, the muscles are also feeling it after the 160ks from East Cape - lovely twisties all the way there and back. I waved as I went past the Dangerous household and will attempt to organise a "Dangerous" ride to Chch with one express purpose - Actually visit the man at his house. I reckon fifty people would be a good start, or just those who have passed his place. Geoff wants to start a noew club - Sand rinding on Blackbirds, whose a starter then. (Mike - Mangell6)

Wahaay!

Got your text earlier Mike, but you guys posted before I got to a computer with the phone in hand.

Well done folks.

[mangell6]

We all made it yesterday just after twelve after leaving at 7:50am from Tokoroa. We were fortunate that there was NO frost and little fog. Was cold butt par for the course.

Lots of fun and rather pleased. I had the obligatory ale with the meal and left at 3pm arriving home at 7pm.

Felt rather good about the whole affair and am set for the next one in two years time.

Thanks for the encouragement and Blackbird will be creating a tall tales account of the event with assistance from Jantar and myself.

Just under 5,000km round trip from Upper Hutt, longest stretch - who cares!

Mike

[Blackbird]

What a privilege to ride with Mike and Malcolm - extremely sad to part company with them. We'll be putting together a combined ride report but in the meantime, here are a mere handful of the million piccies we took on the ride.

Geoff