Some random Welly pics

These are some pics taken on recent rides, from the bike. Sorry for the poor descriptions, if I find out more info I'll post it. No-one at work had much of a clue either... and they call themselves locals.

Me on Salley Alley, Makara Peak. (Ok, I didn't quite get back on the bike before the self-timer went off, but the colours are cool...)

The trees have eyes. Makara.

Makara Beach, a desolate, windswept hamlet on the tip of the island.

Me shadowing Mike.

Looking towards the South Island from Makara Peak. The snow is disappearing pretty quickly. The wind up there was gale force on Monday, so Ridgeline was out of the question.

Scorching Bay, looking across to the Chocolate Fish Cafe, which is closing down at the end of the year...strange, it seems to do a booming trade.

A big building, I think it's on The Terrace.

And this is The Terrace, a cool street in the CBD.

In Civic Square behind the Library.

Me and Mini Me riding home from work, Shelley Bay.

Down on the Harbour foreshore, for sure.

The Marina, down by the Harbour.

Also at the Marina, taken from the Frank Kitts Bridge. The Michael Fowler Centre in background.

More big buildings, this time in Lambton Quay, CBD.

Te Papa Museum, I really must check it out sometime.

Coming and going. The Interislander on it's way to the South Island, more Aussies arriving over Lyall Bay.



Church on corner of Dixon and Willis Streets.

Metalwork at it's best, Michael Fowler Centre.

On Lambton Quay.

I really love my bikes, but...

I've never done this....

"A man has been placed on the sex offenders' register after being caught trying to have sex with a bicycle..."

Mike gets fixed up

He got the bug on his old beast, then got the go-ahead from his financial advisor, and now lil Mike has a shiny, tiny Langster to play with. In admirable fashion, he eschewed the freewheel and went straight to fixed, getting on the steep learning curve down the hills of Miramar.
Look, it's a mini me!
Pity he can't drink beer anymore (gluten intolerant), coz with his tatts and shaved head he makes a great poster boy for the fixed movement. I'll drink your share, mini me.

Ironed out

The Holy Grail of Ironman Triathlon, The Hawaii Ironman World Championships were held in Kona two weekends ago, and our former workmate Matt and our Avanti rep Greg made the trip to the lava fields, and came away with differing results.

Matty had a decent swim, exiting the water in 650th (out of 1700), then proceeded to put his formidable time-trialling skills to work, finishing the 180km bike leg in 65th! Then he fell apart on the run, from what I can make out of the results, fading back to 549th. But he had one of the best bike splits of the day, only minutes behind Tour de France legend Laurent Jalabert. What happened, Matt?

Greg, on the other hand, had a day to remember, smashing up his 45-49 age group in a time of 9h19m, taking the title of World Champ. He also finished 72nd outright, four places ahead of Jalabert. Awesome stuff, congrats Greg.

K-Man's Kanadian Krusade

The K Man and Mad Mick Jones headed over to terrorise the Canadians a few weeks ago and surprisingly came back with limbs and livers intact. I was sure Kedan would've been sporting a cast or bandages or a layering of mecurochrome, but I was sadly disappointed (relieved, I mean relieved). All I heard in the week after his return was "Whistler this, Whistler that, get a downhill bike, shuttles, sick, awesome" etc.... my standard answer, "not gonna happen". But he's over that idea now, and is talking a short-travel race bike to actually race on. From one end of the spectrum to the other. So unlike the K-Man! Looks and sounds like they had some good times in Canada though. I'll do my best to remember what the pics are, or just make it up.

The crew. Staying with the guys was the owner of Pace Cycles in the UK, who have just sold the suspension division to DT Swiss. Think that's him second from left.

The boys pose with a trail sign 'No Duff', in reference to K-Man's boss and owner of Gateshead Cycles Mick Duffey.

Jones says "See that? Not gonna do it!" I think he did it.

I think that's the K-Man under there. I just liked this photo for the dramatic background.

Whistler Village. Some houses and some mountains. The weather turned nasty the next day.

Which made for a great opportunity to throw snowballs at Jonesy.

Stacy Kohut. I'd read about him in mags and seen him on videos. His chair is pretty damn high-tech. He's also a pretty rad sit-skier.

Storm's a-comin! Another pic I just liked the look of, all brooding and threatening.

Jonny Lloyd, one of the guides, who is a bit of a gun on the bike, finishing 15th outright and 2nd in class in the Cheakamus Challenge, no mean feat.

Archie?(I forget) the trail dog. He loves to run and run and...

Like I'd never left...

....either Australia or NZ. My five weeks in Oz were most enjoyable, catching up with friends, family and animals (covers most of my friends). Johnny K's wedding was fun, as was Steve's 40th, but no fun was the funeral of Suze, my ex-boss's daughter, who unfortunately died way too young. Not the best way to catch up with my old workmates.

So I flew back to Wellington on Friday, and have been coughing and wheezing ever since. I was straight back into work on Saturday, not planned but I felt obliged to help out the guys as they were down on staff. Sunday dawned one of the most beautiful days ever, anywhere. I rode the Langster in knicks and a jersey, a far cry from the multiple layers required in the depths of winter. I picked up a new camera in the morning and put it to good use... most of these pics were taken from the bike, on the move.

This was the view which greeted me at the top of my street... fairly calm, and warm. Across Evans Bay is where I was heading.

Which is here... Shelley Bay Road. I caught this guy in front pretty quickly, and sat on his wheel until the Chocolate Fish cafe, where he peeled off for a coffee.

Peter Jackson's house. Not the cigarette guy, the film guy. Bit of a dump really, but there's work going on there, apparently he's getting a cinema built out the back.

The Langster sunning itself at the Army grounds around Shelley Bay. There's all sorts of stuff going on in there, from kids dance classes to hippies art studios.

I was running out of high-end gearing on the Langster, but do you think this is overkill?

I cruised around Oriental Bay and the city after the bays were done. The sheds in the foreground can be seen being ridden on by Dylan Tremblay in the Drop In NZ videos. ** Actually, no they can't... they are down a bit further, and are a bit wider spaced. But you get the idea.

The old and the new. Not sure on either, but apparently the old was once a brothel (so says Big Kahuna). It's now a pub, and is shortlisted for Friday Brews. (Found out the new is the IBM building.)

The beach at Oriental Bay. People getting out their pasty white bodies, soaking it up. I think summer here is going to rock. At least you can still ride in the middle of the day, without risk of heatstroke!

The curse of El Ganso

Fueled by Cheezy Peaz and Pissi Beer, Steve (El Ganso) and I got in a few SS rides while I was visiting Aus over the last few weeks. Most of the pics have been stuck in his camera for that time, but finally got them out to blog. I don't know if it's Steve who brings the bad luck, but each time we've been out it's been a flat tyre, mechanical and crash-fest. I'm blaming him anyway. But at least he brings tools and spares, I've been caught without a chainbreaker, pump and tube on a couple of rides.

Look a t him go. This was at the end of 'Bus Stop', where Steve's chain tool lived for a week after I'd neglected to give it back, or indeed even pick it up off the ground, after fixing this....

My half link decided to give up the ghost, straight after Steve had fixed his flat and ridden off down the singletrack of...

'Little Borneo'. It's pretty cool to see how the names that I suggested for some of the trails in Glenrock are now the accepted and used monikers. At least I'll have a legacy for something...

Is that the best you can do? My mum ripped more skin off her knee and shin on the corner of a cabinet yesterday... I actually peeled a chunk of skin off the cabinet, it was nasty. And she didn't even cry, unlike some bike rider whose name shall remain Steve.


Lat saturday we were joined by Nath, and the Steve curse struck again as Nath and myself were nobbled by flats. Next day Nath and I hit the road, and the big fella suffered another blow out. Of course I'd forgotten my spare tube and pump, and Nath's puncture kit was bereft of glue, leaving us on tenterhooks on the return leg every time we'd hit a patch of broken glass (which was every metre it seemed...).

Yes Pleaze!

Do you like cheese? Do you like peas? You'll love these! Home made Cheezy Peaz!




Steves love Home Made Cheezy Peaz! C'mon mum!