2007 Grand Challenge - Tips

**Cary** · 10th October 2007, 20:47

Originally Posted by Anthrax

Got confirmation back in the mail. Start time 3:21pm.

Still think you should do it hard like me, who needs 1100cc.............

Never did like riding at night, in the rain

**Hitcher** · 10th October 2007, 21:15

The Hitchers are starters 31 and 32. Bring it on!

**shafty** · 10th October 2007, 21:48

A couple of things you can't change in life include the weather, and how tall you are.

My long held belief is that much of the Met Office ethos is "its better to predict BAD and get good, than the other way around" . In Sydney they used to say "There's a 82% chance of rain" - so if it does, they're right, and if it doesn't, guess what, they're right. Butt covering.

Does this sound a desperate theory?

We could always go to the pub? Or is that anxious talk from a 1st time Entrant?

**Warr** · 10th October 2007, 22:20

Originally Posted by shafty

A couple of things you can't change in life include the weather, and how tall you are.

My long held belief is that much of the Met Office ethos is "its better to predict BAD and get good, than the other way around" . In Sydney they used to say "There's a 82% chance of rain" - so if it does, they're right, and if it doesn't, guess what, they're right. Butt covering.

Does this sound a desperate theory?

We could always go to the pub? Or is that anxious talk from a 1st time Entrant?

Yes !!
But lets remember forecasting isn't a science.
I'm entry number 37 this year.

**warewolf** · 10th October 2007, 23:18

Ah, I think I fall into the veteran category for this ride. A few thoughts follow.

The biggest single point I can add is to maintain your normal routine as much as possible; second most is obvious, stay warm and dry.

Yes dehydration is something most riders (even those out for a day ride) don't manage properly. I normally ride with a camelbak for any ride longer than 1 hour. At the end of the day I'll be as alert as at the start, in contrast a lot of people are tapering off because they are tired and dehydrated - mostly the latter I reckon, as many I ride with are fitter than me.

Caffeine? I drink lots of coffee. When I don't drink coffee, I get caffeine withdrawal headaches. Not Good. So on a GC, I drink as much decent coffee as I please. If I'm working on a downed server, I'll drink coffee round the clock. A GC is no different - I'm working all night. Touring I tend to have V drinks and Ginger Beer (traditional anti-dehy drink) for morning and afternoon tea. Do the same on the GC. Don't sweat it; maintain your normal routine.

Food... yeah I stop at dinner time on Saturday and have dinner. Why wouldn't you? Duh. The coldest part of the trip is always 4am to 6am, so I generally stop at 6am (or the check point thereafter) for a breaky break: Yoghurt-coated museli bar, orange juice, espresso coffee. This keeps me off the road when the sun is lowest and shining in my eyes. If I feel like eating a hot pie, I do so; one GC I reckon I had a pie at every (of 7) check point. Any endurance event less than 48 hours you don't have to worry about diet or nutrition, just energy intake. Do whatever works for you and keeps you happy - mental health is equally important. Forget about the vitamins and minerals, but having said that, slow release foods are better than sugar and chocolate, and I know my body craves fresh fruit and veg, so I get into the salad sangers and sometimes the overpriced pre-cut fruit salad.

Training? Umm... never considered the idea of training for a night ride. I ride lots at night, and in the day, and in the gravel, blah blah blah I'm probably the wrong person to ask on that front. Got no idea what it's like to suddenly ride heaps, I do it all the time. Don't ride every day now since I work from home, but still think nothing of jumping on the bike after work and riding till midnight.

I wear padded cycling shorts. Tight-fitting sports boxer shorts are probably just as good - I use both but defer to the cycling shorts for the longer days. Change your body position before you get sore, on the 640 Adventure I have to move my arse 5-10mm on the seat every 10mins otherwise I get sore. On the Triumph Trophy, the GC isn't long enough for me to get sore... the Southern Cross is.

Warm/dry; I have a proper waterproof textile suit/boots/gloves, plus I have rubber overboots and this year have found XL rubber gloves that will go over my winter bike gloves (leather/waterproof/thermal) for extra warmth by keeping the leather dry and the wind off. Historically this weekend could be really wet. Rubber overboots, in fact anything non-porous, does wonders for keeping out the wind chill. Heated grips are a big plus. I've never resorted to a heated vest or heated gloves/socks/pants/jersey like the softcock IBA Americans tooling along boring motorways... OK I'm being rude but you get the drift, no need for overkill. Some kind of neck warmer is useful.

As Lee advises; if it is wet, and you don't like riding in the wet, slow down relax take it easy. Ditto when it is dark. Make up the time when it is fine dry and sunny. I ride with a mate who is considerably slower, but I treat it as a social ride. We take 23 hours; I'll wait for him on the straights after the twisty bits, then ride at my own pace through the corners, then wait for him to catch up again. We don't need no steekin' speeding tickets! Speed is totally not an issue.

Layer up with warm gear BEFORE the heat is sucked out of your body. You know the ambient temperature is dropping, deal to it before it is a problem. It is more efficient to maintain your body heat than build it up again. Take off all the excess warm gear at 9am Sun or whenever to feel liberated and back enjoying your surroundings; a good mental shift to help with those last handful of hours to get you home. With 200km to go I'm usually starting to feel down, knowing the fun is almost all over for another year.

Fuel stops, yeah the check points can get busy. Better to fuel elsewhere but don't sweat it. Time isn't that critical; some years I've filled at every check point, not a drama, just gets a bit tiresome. The Adventure I only filled 4 times en-route last year, could've cut it to 3 but I stress a bit about fuel - easy fix, carry plenty avoids the stress. Best range achieved last year was theoretically 570km to dry but I filled about every 375km average.

To my way of thinking, don't even think about taking a kip en-route. Yes, get off the bike, stretch, eat/drink do some calistenics whatever. Soon as you sleep you're on the back foot. Stopping for a sleep at home is a proven way to give up.

Oh, and trailer your bike to Turangi? mwahahahaha! Half the participants ride home afterwards on Sunday arvo. Ex-Auckland it is 2300km in 48 hours: Friday after COB to Sunday night when you get home. The middle 1600km is more intense but is not the only riding for the weekend. One of the reasons I've not done the Chatto Creek jobbie yet is that it is 900km from Nelson, so a 3400km weekend... gotta take an extra a day off work for that sucker.

**Cary** · 11th October 2007, 07:00

Originally Posted by warewolf

With 200km to go I'm usually starting to feel down, knowing the fun is almost all over for another year.

Your writeup made me feel better about attempting the 1000 for the first time, cheers. I woulda thought opposite about the above 200 to go thinking your almost home, guess i'll find out

The only time i've ridden at night in the last year(at least) was a Alk-Palmy-Alk trip as test ride to visit my hospitalised mum. My first priority is to finish, 2nd is within 24hrs.

**DougieNZ** · 11th October 2007, 07:16

Brilliant Post Colin...thanks

I did the Southern Cross this year, and am keen for my forst GC this weekend.

I haven't done any practice but, being a shift worker, I'm used to the being up in the middle of the night thing. One thing I did notice during the SC was the more night riding you did, then better it became... I am hoping the same will apply this weekend.

The weather forecast looks to be absolute rubbish, so it should make for interesting times!

Once again... thanks for sharing your experience!

Regards

**DougieNZ** · 11th October 2007, 07:21

Originally Posted by shafty

We could always go to the pub? Or is that anxious talk from a 1st time Entrant?

I would consider that Shafty... provided you promise to keep your clothes on this time....

**Blackbird** · 11th October 2007, 11:19

Originally Posted by Cary

Your writeup made me feel better about attempting the 1000 for the first time, cheers. I woulda thought opposite about the above 200 to go thinking your almost home, guess i'll find out

The only time i've ridden at night in the last year(at least) was a Alk-Palmy-Alk trip as test ride to visit my hospitalised mum. My first priority is to finish, 2nd is within 24hrs.

That is absolutely the right attitude and it will get you through

. I'm not sure I'm doing the right thing in posting it, but as the weather forecast is not that flash, I've attached the ride report of the '96 Grand Challenge which was the first one I did. The weather was pretty ugly that year and maybe the report which was written from the perspective of a newbie might help. The satisfaction of completing it, let alone within the 24 hours was almost indescribable. When you've finished this event, you realise that you don't have to prove anything to anyone ever again!

Best wishes all, and safe travelling!

Geoff

**Swoop** · 11th October 2007, 15:06

Originally Posted by warewolf

Yes dehydration is something most riders (even those out for a day ride) don't manage properly. I normally ride with a camelbak for any ride longer than 1 hour. At the end of the day I'll be as alert as at the start, in contrast a lot of people are tapering off because they are tired and dehydrated - mostly the latter I reckon, as many I ride with are fitter than me.

A basic rule of thumb for dehydration... "If you are not pissing, you are not drinking enough".

Best of luck to everyone on the GC!
Stay safe out there.

**banditrider** · 11th October 2007, 15:49

We're stuck with the weather no matter what it is - see y'all in Turangi!

**Cary** · 11th October 2007, 16:01

Thanks Geoff, I've been reading as many reviews as i can find to get an idea of whats involved, tips etc.

I'm a crap navigator so hope i don't get too lost.

Cary.

**banditrider** · 11th October 2007, 16:18

There's some write-ups of the ones I've done on my website if you're interested. Don't stress about getting lost - been there done that, all part of the fun...