In a time of less than 24 hours

**banditrider** · 16th October 2007, 09:53

Originally Posted by tri boy

Great write up TA.

You lot took the weather on, and completed an awesome task.
Once you get a chance to wind down from it, I would be interested to here of your perspective on Concentration, Fatigue, and the ability to stay Focussed on the Black strip. Did you find your mind "wandering" through the wee small hours, and did the rising sun boost your energy, or cause further frustration?
It seems to me that such an event would be of interest to sports shrinks.
Wearing a heart rate monitor, and various test equipment would give them some interesting feed back. I wonder if any endurance tests have been carried out on road riders. Just some random thoughts.

I definitely got a bit tired (and even felt a bit unwell) in the wee smalls. Not sure if it was the weather (and all the extra concentration required) or getting to know a new bike but I found that I got a lot more tired etc this time around.

The rising sun (well the slight lightening of the skies this year) definitely gives you a pick me up and you seem to snap out of it a bit and can go a bit harder. Also a decent break & something in the belly helps.

A bit of a mission this year but well worth it! Congrads to all finishers!

**TerminalAddict** · 16th October 2007, 09:59

Hey BR,
I just read your write up on blogspot. Sounds like you suffered a bit in the body eh?

Up-and-Go and No-Doz worked a treat for me.

19.5 hours, I'm stoked for my first time

**jrandom** · 16th October 2007, 10:04

Good shit man!

Gosh, I'm bummed that my bike wasn't ready and I didn't do the GC this year. SH12 and 16 etc are as close to a personal stomping ground as anything in the North Island gets for me.

What's the bet that next year the loop will go somewhere arcane that I've never even heard of...

**banditrider** · 16th October 2007, 10:16

Originally Posted by TerminalAddict

Hey BR,
I just read your write up on blogspot. Sounds like you suffered a bit in the body eh?

Up-and-Go and No-Doz worked a treat for me.

19.5 hours, I'm stoked for my first time

Yeah I did a bit. I reckon we were stopped for about 2.5 hours out of our 22 though. Not into taking the No-Doz etc - I reckon just have a breather. We just ended up doing it slowly but surely - you've got 24 hours after all. No sense splattering yourself and not making the finish. We usually cut it out in 19-21 hours.

Congrads on your first GC and your nice blog too!

**Taz** · 16th October 2007, 10:19

I found that I treated the ride just like any other. I didn't think too far ahead and the GPS made navigation a breeze. The only stimulants I took were a couple of cans of V. 2 neurofen at kaitaia. and sucked on a few barley sugars on the way round. Concentration levels were fine. I think working 12 hour shifts helped alot. I had high spirits the whole way round, enjoyed the ride immensely and found it real easy. I could have gone faster but what is the point? We finished with 5 hours to spare. I will be back. Bring it on.

Andy.

**Pancakes** · 16th October 2007, 10:58

Awesome write up and good shit everyone who did this!

**Taz** · 16th October 2007, 11:00

Originally Posted by Pancakes

Awesome write up and good shit everyone who did this!

I had a very good shit after the ride actually...... Hard to stop for a crap with that much gear on.

**warewolf** · 16th October 2007, 16:40

Originally Posted by tri boy

I would be interested to here of your perspective on Concentration, Fatigue, and the ability to stay Focussed on the Black strip. Did you find your mind "wandering" through the wee small hours, and did the rising sun boost your energy, or cause further frustration?

Can't speak for TA but I found that my concentration wasn't quite there at around 5-6am-ish. Just before and after sunrise, coming down towards Helensvegas. Basically as the riding got easier - straighter roads, daylight, less rain - I was starting to switch off.

Two things helped fix that: firstly put Clint640 (on the 250 Super Sherpa!

well done that man!) in front, so I was following rather than leading, ie changed my 'picture' or forward view for something different to focus on; secondly, got off the bike/stopped briefly a couple of times.

btw we saw the craziest thing on the 16 motorway on the Avondale bridges: came over the rise to see two cars nose-to-nose in the right hand lane, amid a huge cloud of tyre smoke!

The one facing forwards backed up, pulled into the middle lane and drove off. The other one waited till we got closer, then in front of us pulled a half-hearted u-turn that left his tail in the middle lane, where we'd moved to avoid him... had to move back!

**tri boy** · 16th October 2007, 16:50

Sunrise was always a dangerous time in the mines. finnishing a really hard night shit and working around big machinery that could squash you like a bug.
Safety reports always showed a high percentage of sunrise incidents. Something to do with relaxing at the end of shift, daydreaming about breakfast etc.
Didn't know Clint borrowed Rosies 250.

That man is dedicated to the cause.

**banditrider** · 16th October 2007, 16:53

Finished my wee tale: http://andrew.l.thomson.googlepages....grandchallenge

**Xaria** · 16th October 2007, 17:08

Awesome write up. Congratulations on the ride

**Zapf** · 16th October 2007, 20:29

Hay TA, congrats. You were doing very well for your 1st GC. My riding plans where to stop longer but less often, so I can use the tank range of the XX to my advantage. But still you finished ahead. I pulled into the camp around 11:45

I passed you guys to head up the Brynderwyns I think, as I found I had to be ultra smooth with the bird with all that wind gust... It must have been hard work on the Naked in the wind and higher speed rides.

After Wellsford I think it was the last time I saw you before reaching the finish. As I wasn't as confident with the bird in the tighter shiny stuff of 16 and 22..

In my GC this year I didn't stick with any group, but pretty much rode along and get tows from whoever was around. It was 'different' experience.

**BarBender** · 16th October 2007, 21:21

Great write up.
Enjoyed reading it.

**clint640** · 17th October 2007, 08:48

Here's my report, still a bit to go:

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=275752

Big thanks to warewolf for being 'mother goose' - following your sharp lines & flawless navigation through most of the ride made things a lot easier.

I stayed pretty sharp right through the night & early morn, I downed a can of V at about 4am in Whangarei, & a coffee at Bombay, that kept me going pretty well, I only started fading down past Te Kuiti & a powernap at Ohura perked me up again for the last 100 km

Cheers
Clint