A case of the pre-departure doubts

“Before my (GOTF) longer solo rides, the pre-departure doubts started to creep in about now. Have I trained enough? Can I actually do this? Is the route right? Were all those people who told me I was crazy actually right? Is the earth flat? That pesky pessimist that sits on one of my shoulders has been relentless in recent days, reminding me that I have a back seat driver on this ride so I better have more than a Plan A.

Fortunately, there hasn’t been too much time to give those doubts much oxygen. I have only had time to focus on preparation rather than engaging in hand wringing. That preparation has involved more than just sorting out the usual things related to a ride such as routes, gear, bike setup, etc. There is no point riding for a charity if nobody knows that you are doing it! Regular references to that aspect of the ride on this blog is just preaching to the converted so we have needed to find other ways of getting the word out to fresh eyes and ears.

Getting some coverage in the local Northland papers, The Northern Advocate and Northland Age, was a good start. The article gave us a good ‘plug.’ We saw the online version of the story and were delighted. However, we had not eyeballed the printed version until today when one of the RA’s gym acquaintances gave her a copy of The Advocate. It was fantastic that we got some front page exposure, but when our image was coupled with the lead story headline, the result was a little foreboding. I had to reassure Ruth that papers do not employ a Predictions Editor and that the Front Page Editor probably did not even think about the psychological impact that the combo of our picture and that headline could have on the confidence of budding adventurers.

We have also managed to organize two public addresses for the week before we leave and are hoping those may generate some good old word of mouth. We will also be a more frequent sight around town over the next few weeks, so all of these efforts will hopefully raise some awareness amongst locals. Once we get going, we will focus on how we do that in other regions, especially as we slowly pedal through them.

We recently popped along to a Bald Angels meeting to chat with volunteers about our proposed project. They were starting to organize their annual Christmas campaign (just one of their many efforts throughout a year). It was sad to hear that the number of children already on the Christmas list for 2024 was up on previous years. In their efforts of trying to give vulnerable kids hope over recent years, The Bald Angels have recorded annual connections with around 6,000 vulnerable children. While they acknowledge that sadly even this is not enough, they believe that they can make a difference for a child: if it’s emergency support by way of food and bedding, clothing, or Christmas memories, that’s helping for a bit. If it’s mentoring and supporting healthy social interaction, maybe they’re making a difference to their whole lives! Every little thing matters!

The Angels have also been recognized for their work mobilizing the community and its volunteer network to help with Cyclone Gabrielle recovery efforts in Northland and Gisborne. They were named joint winner of this year’s Mitre 10 New Zealand Community of the Year award. The award recognized New Zealanders who were “actively contributing to their communities, fostering positive and lasting impacts”.

These stories are a big motivator for us to take on the challenge of this ride. Life will be very different for us while on the road, but we know that at the end of it, we can slot back into a comfortable life. That is not an option for vulnerable children who face daunting challenges every day. As we share our stories of the joys and challenges we encounter on our journey, we hope that those tales, and the efforts of the volunteers trying to give so many kids hope, will motivate others to give-a-little. Every little donation will help power us over all of those hills, especially when the weather is not shining on us.

I am not sure that I should include this data as the RA may actually make an effort and read this post and ask me what the heck I am thinking? However, to give you an idea of what lies ahead for us – here we go:

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We are not yet on our training schedule. We decided to leave that for the last couple of weeks. One of the downsides of ageing is that we seem to lose our fitness quite quickly so it is best to build it up immediately before the ride and then have a slow but steady daily distance ease-in over the first week. Once we are into the daily ride routine we will be fine. So we are using these ‘not quite training’ weeks to tweak the bike setup (GOTF), get a little more time practising tandem handling (tight turns, loose gravel, strong winds, etc. – GOTF again), and start to put together a nourishment strategy (both of us). We have decided to plan our food options one week at a time so that we can study supply options in a little more detail. Trying to do that over a whole trip is a bit mind boggling and, we can only carry a few days food supplies. One of the other challenges of ageing is that retaining all of the information associated with such a long ride is challenging for our addled brains. I keep detailed notes but then have to remember where i saved them so it is a bit like the fitness, deal with it closer to the event.

This is the last of our pre-ride updates. Our next update will cover our first weeks itinerary and the lead up to the ‘green light’ on Saturday, 12 October. If you happen to live locally, we would love to see you at the Kerikeri Domain for our 10am pedal off – we will be there from around 9:30am.

We are hoping that spring arrives soon. After an unseasonably warm period in late August we seem to have been plunged back into the depths of winter. As I write, many of the roads and trails that we will be riding over are under piles of snow. We don’t carry chains!

While not our primary motivating factor, we are attempting sustainable travel. While this may not ‘spin your wheels’, should you be interested in finding out more about the impact that travel has on your carbon footprint visit the Carbon Neutral NZ Trust website for more tips and advice. Calculate your footprint – you may be shocked or surprised.