The diary entry of a Prickly adventurer from coast to coast.
To all who have supported the Prickly adventure team, thank you for your words of encouragement and congratulation on completion of the coast to coast challenge.
Over the next few weeks I will be diary-ing each day of the adventure and posting them on my Blog Spot with snippets on my Facebook page with the link to my Blog Spot.
There’s so much to share from a Prickly behind perspective and there will be a diary of photos taken with well over 3500 photos capturing each segment of the challenge to be posted in the coming weeks.
The Southern chiller door was open to greet the team. The majestic landscape energised and inspired the soul, the air hung at times with the West Coasts coal fires, the icy cold rain added to a section of the challenge, beautiful mornings greeted the team high in the Alps but the greeting came with a sub-zero temperature.
The ride from Greymouth to New Brighton in Christchurch saw the team ride through a West Coast bush trail of 10 km, cross spectacular ravines of some 300 m drop to a massive West Coast river, through high country sheep stations, past small railway settlements, a section of the Otira gorge and viaduct too dangerous and steep to ride and a high Alpine village where a chef can prepare a curry to die for.
Following a mountain pass with towering peaks on either side capped with fresh icing where the crisp air takes your breath away in the shade, across another pass where the team worked in relay waiting eagerly for their turn to add extra power to the cranking going on with a push on Prickly behinds back, the downhill following the summit made Summit Road look pale in comparison which is where the team had some training rides not far from the community where Prickly behind calls home. The East Coast dairy farms, a flat final days ride a welcome relief for tired arms and legs, a gremlin that left Molly with a flattie only 10 km from the finish line, the bumpy streets of a rock and roll city to a reception of handshakes and pats on the back and a champagne bottle to be popped.
I’ll share how Prickly behind had to dig deep to find the good stuff, the good stuff called potential and how that inspired the team to achieve the goal of riding the 250 plus km from coast to coast across a Southern Alp’s pass at an elevation of 940 m, it took all the grit the team could muster and the outstanding support of Molesworth Tours.
Each team member had a special part to play and through it all great friendships were forged with the team feeling like a family on the return trip to catch the Interislander ferry.
I, Prickly behind, was very privileged to be supported by such an outstanding team and I want to honour each of them in my diary entries, so I hope you will join me as I travel down memory lane.
Kind regards,
Phil.
Please take a look at my givealittle page and please help me on my quest for essential braille communication technology:
Also check out the ‘Ultimate Challenge’ which is in May 2017, we need your help to make it happen!! http://www.thekingsarms.co.nz/an-ultimate-challenge
"To achieve great things, you not only need to act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe"
"One should never creep, when one is compelled to soar"
Great post, Phil! -Zombie
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