How to Track Lyall Live on the Cycle Tour Aotearoa

23February 2022

A Photo from first day in 21018 event I think, coming down from Cape Reinga as the riders work there way down a creek toward 90 Mile beach.

I know most of you know I have been on another Lyall obsession. I am chomping at the bit to start. x more sleeps 😀

This Saturday I start the 3000km cycle Tour Aotearoa. It seems not long ago I started training and ended May with accumulative May total of 75 Km. I steadily built up monthly training since then in preparation for the 3000 km ride called Tour Aotearoa which goes from Cape Reinga to Bluff.

Many people have asked how they can follow me so I created this set of notes to give you idea of what it involved in the tour, and how to follow my journey pretty much in real time (live).

From the website what is the tour Aotearoa ?

Q: What is the Tour Aotearoa Brevet?

A: Tour Aotearoa is open to anyone to ride at anytime, but there is also a Tour Aotearoa Brevet. This is an amazing, self-supported, 3,000 km brevet from Cape Reinga to Bluff. A brevet is not a race. It is a ride following a set course, via 30 photo checkpoints, which you must complete between 10 and 30 days – no more and no less.

The yellow hyperlink at the end of this paragraph will take you to an online map where you will see a red flashing light or my name or my initials. When you click on my initials or name on the map you will be lead to my rider profile and if you scroll down in the rider profile see photos I have posted to the site as I work my way through the country, The red icons on the side of the page allow you to go various information pages. Don’t be afraid to click on see more information like my progress to date , and look at other riders and their progress.

My tracker sends out a new signal every 5 minutes so you can see if I am slacking.

Until the start on Saturday 26 Feb at 8 am it will shown me at start position at Cape Reinga. If you have a big enough display screen, like a large iPad or computer you will also see an elevation map that relates to the map area you are displaying. Zooming in on the map also zooms in the elevation map for more detail elevation views. Oh I see that NZ has a lots of hills and some steep and long.

The hyperlink:

https://touraotearoa2022.maprogress.com/?bib=LPE

You will arrive at page that looks a little like the photo below. Click on the yellow icon with my name or initials for my Rider Profile details.

This mapping software is best viewed on a desktop but you can follow on your phone /Ipad as well. If you struggle with software let me know and I may be able to help as I get to understand it better myself as the tour starts. It is really clever software and can show a lot of detail if wanted. it can show distances travelled, photos I post. Use two fingers to zero in where on the map you want to look , use fingers to zoom in or out.

Although the spotgen4 tracker devise sends a pulse every 5 minutes to satellites. It can takes a little time to show on map so not quite real time signal but pretty close. At times, like when under under tree cover, the signal won’t get thru. The tracker has an SOS function if required and I can send a couple of preset messages to family letting them that I am safe , or going to special place or indeed do need some help but not rescue helicopter stuff. The SOS function sets the whole national rescue process alight, so hope I aren’t setting that off 😀, you may hear about if it do.

You Tubes videos to give you a feel of the Tour

Below are good couple of places to visit if you want to get a feel of tour I am embarking on and captures some of the trails and a sense of why I am doing it.

Click these highlighted links below to see these short YouTube videos.

https://youtu.be/oAG2zHjzNuk

This YouTube above is from the “Kennett Bros “who created and run this event. These brothers are responsible for so much interest in mountain biking in New Zealand. The sport owes them so much and they are the authors of many Nz bike trail and bike packing books .

https://youtu.be/z0WPcxmavvI

This a another short YouTube video of the event and given I love the outdoors you may see why it appeals to me.

There are lots of riders that have posted there experiences on you tube .

If you want to watch one, I recommend Steve Pretty who did a daily blog on youtube with good visuals. Be careful it can be addictive to watch videos posted and you may end up signing up yourself to do this ! You never know.

Just search Tour Aotearoa in YouTube and heaps of postings will come up.

https://youtu.be/TcNALZsdWNI

Above is for day one of Steves 2020 journey, it’s headed Steve and Lanes tour Aotearoa 2020 postings, with separate daily clips that were compiled to give a understanding of the route as you move thru the tour of our lovely country. These guys are pretty good riders and do loads of riding. They had a drone and Go pro and is fun to watch but went slower than normal but faster and longer per day than I intend to do.

ST. John Ambulance-My Charity

As an entry condition every rider has to donate a minor amount to a charity.

My Charity is St John Ambulance .

Bit of family history around that choice, with my Mum having a nursing background and a long involvement with St. John’s

if you want to give a dollar or so. See details below. Donations will go to the local St Johns in Gisborne. I won’t know by the way who has given or how much was raised . Please feel no pressure to donate. It’s only if want to.

Likewise please also don’t feel compelled to watch or follow me, if you are interested only, I am retired and I totally understand we all have busy lives. I am just getting off that conveyor for a bit.

Contact and Blog updates

I will have comms where reception allows ( yes have my phone, an old iPad mini on board, Lyall must have his toys 😀) and would love to hear from anyone -E-mail or phone. A lot of the route is remote and no internet or power so don’t be offended if I don’t reply immediately.

Lpevanshome@xtra.co.nz

and

mobile 027478332

I am hoping to get this site work so that I can post little blogs and photos -pop in again and you may see new postings. No promises as my brain may be fried for things electronic.

Key Dates

Leave Gissy for Start

Wed 23rd Feb

Start 8 am Saturday 26 at Cape Reinga

Finish- hopefully yes 🙌 .

I have a flexible flight booked from Invercargill for home on the afternoon friday 25 th .

Hope is a fine thing to finish in 26 days ?? 😅. We will see

Below are lots of other information , again only if you interested.

What is Tour Aotearoa

http://www.touraotearoa.nz/p/home.html. Website address

New Zealand's Trail — Te Araroa-A tramping/hiking trail ?-Don’t be confused-there are two

There also a walk of the whole of NZ as well as this cycle tour. This walk has a similar name called The Te Araroa. However the walk need months and months of time and really good footwear for your tootsies. Although has some parts of NZ are common in both trails, like the Timber Trail in the north island, generally they are take very different routes . No I am not going to do this walk. I am not that mad 😠 Haha, but wanted to point this other event out. My neigbour is walking this currently and is near the finish.

The Tour 2022 -mind games, history

A number of Gisborne people have done this cycle tour in previous years . That’s how a found out about the event. Jane is our swimming group is one of those who have done it. I am very appreciative of all the advice I have received from so many people who have done this event in previous years; Advice about things I knew little about 9 months ago. Like bikes, the route, the strageties to employ. Especially how to control that important space, the top two inches in one heads thru’ and learn that its not a race.

The Tour started in 2016 and was then held again in 2018, 2020, 2021 and now 2022. Guessing a couple of thousand people at least have done event and many just do the route at there leisure during the year and not as official tour event riders. There is a website Tour Aotearoa facebook page if you are interested in more and want follow the the 2022 version on facebook. The facebook page traffic has got pretty busy recently as the start beckons with many tips and nervous riders questions in the last few weeks !. Sadly due to Covid and red traffic light settings and general risks, pull outs have increased and about a third of the entries have had to pull the plug. Totally understandable as geting stuck away from home is a risk in these red settings and we all have very different lives to live. The tour normally attracts a lot of oversea riders. They won’t be here in 2022.

Tour Aotearoa website ;some further details:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: What is the Tour Aotearoa Brevet?

Q: When is the Tour Aotearoa Brevet?

A: The next Tour Aotearoa Brevet starts in February 2021, listed here. The start dates and times are set by the tide on Ninety Mile Beach (which becomes unrideable at high tide).

Q: What are the costs for participation in the Tour Aotearoa Brevet?

A: Register for the Brevet by signing up for the Maprogress SPOT tracker service. The tracker is vital for your safety (the TA goes through some very remote places) and it makes your part of the social "event". And it allows your fiends and family to join your journey. Some businesses use the tracker to judge when you stay open - so if you have a tracker you'll get slightly better service in random places. (We've also discovered it's a fiendishly addictive way of pulling people in to the TA.)

We ask that you make a 100 NZ dollar donation to a charity of your choice. And of course you can add personal value to your journey by fund-raising even more for the charity you are supporting.

Besides the donation, all entrants are asked to offset their carbon emissions from travelling to the start and from the end of the Brevet. Dr. Sean Weaver from Ekos has calculated the average emission for entrants from different parts of the world and set up a page especially for the Tour Aotearoa, so that you can offset very quickly:

https://ekos.org.nz/touraotearoa.

Or you can do your own calculations at http://calculators.enviro-mark.com/EmissionsCalc/tourismeditor.aspx.

And last but not least you need budget for food, accommodation and transport during the Brevet.

Q: Where can I register?

A: You can register here for the 2021 Brevet.

Q: Are entry numbers limited?

A: Yes - we limit numbers to 100 people per day (there are 7 days of starts). This is about the maximum that the Far North can cope with, both before the event starts and once riders are on their way.

Q: What are the criteria for the charity I chose?

A: You can choose your own charity, but it must be registered – all the bonafide charitable organisations are.

Q: How much cycle experience do I need to ride the Tour Aotearoa Brevet?

A: We strongly recommend you to have some cycling experience with the bike and gear you are intending to use during the Tour Aotaroa Brevet.

Most people do around 3,000 km of training in the year leading up to their ride. But you could get away with much less (virtually none) if you have a strong cycling background, simply by starting slowly and building your fitness up during the ride. A Note from Lyall- I was very good at the beginning having rest days and not over doing it but seriously over did in 3rd month resulting in an injury and basically a month out injured -a real lesson

Q: Can I ride an e-bike on the TA?

A: We don't have a rule saying you can't, but... there are some pretty good reasons an e-bike may be less than ideal.

Some stretches of the route have a long way between recharge options - including day 1. You'll be carrying a fair bit of extra weight (motor, batteries & charger) - when the charge runs out you'll be working a lot harder than if you would be on a standard bike.

There are multiple spots throughout the Tour where you need to lift and/or carry your bike - lifting an e-bike is quite hard.

The TA starts with a ride down a sandy stream/river followed by 90 Mile Beach - if the electrics cut out at the start of 90 Mile Beach you will not be happy. There is no accommodation, food, or opt-out for a looong way. It takes four days to walk 90 Mile Beach.

Q: How can my friends and family follow my adventures?

A: When you cycle the Tour Aotearoa Brevet, you are required to sign up to the Tour Aotearoa tracking website: touraotearoa.maprogress.com. That way, friends and family can follow you on your Brevet. In case of an emergency, the tracker also functions as a personal locator beacon (PLB). MAProgress also hires and sells SPOT trackers.

Again Lyall’s live link is: https://touraotearoa2022.maprogress.com/?bib=LPE

Q: How can I prepare for the Tour Aotearoa Brevet?

A: You can find all the information about preparation for the Tour Aotearoa Brevet for example a simple training plan and an overview of the gear you need here.

Q: What are the rules for successful finishing the Tour Aotearoa Brevet?

A: The rules for successful finishing the Tour Aotearoa Brevet are published here.

Q: How do I get to Cape Reinga?

A: See our Transport page

Q: Do I get a trophy or certificate at the finish?

A: After finishing the Tour Aotearoa Brevet you'll be fulfilled with pride and satisfaction about this achievement. No trophy or certificate can beat that feeling.

Q: Why is the Tour Aotearoa Brevet organised every year?

A: The Tour Aotearoa route is open to ride all year round, so you don't have to wait until the Brevet to cycle the 3,000 km from Cape Reinga to Bluff. However, if you chose to ride in the Brevet you'll always have a few like minded soles nearby to share the experience with. That can help your through the tough bits and give you people to share joyous parts too.

also Rules from Tour Website:

11 RULES FOR RIDING THE 2020 BREVET

Do it all yourself, under your own steam.
Follow 100% of the course (side trips are fine, of course).
Carry all your own gear (i.e. no domestiques, unless you are part of a team).
This event is a brevet, not a race. It is not about finding the fastest rider. Riders must not complete the course in less than 10 days.
Riders must finish in under 30 days (that’s 100 km per day).
Between 9am one day and 9am the next, every rider must spend at least one block of at least six hours not travelling. In other words, the maximum time any rider may spend riding each day will be 18 hours (between each 9am-to-9am period).
No support vehicles of any kind meeting you along the way (the odd meeting with friends or family is OK).
You must have a Spot Tracker and be signed up with MAProgress.com. This is for your safety, and so that we know that you are following the course.
When on public roads, follow the NZ Road Code.
There are 30 photo control points on the course. At these places you must take a photo to prove you were there, and to collect a visual album of your journey.
Leave no trace. We remind all riders to respect the environment and not leave ANY waste behind them. If you have not been schooled in this department then please do some research.

Trail Surfaces- see below. A lot is on roads with over 50 % by distance (not much on highways-more backcountry type roads) but in time probably only 35 % of time is spent on such roads with the rest on other trail surfaces and generally a lot slower.

NZ is not flat by the way !

see elevations above. You can see that some are quite steep. With me and 20kg of gear(which includes food and water) the bike is not a racing bike. My is called a karate Monkey. Yes true , least a monkey is riding it !

Things I love Haha

Uphill rides ,Heat -too hot and Headwinds- are friends -well not true

but like everything there is a flip side

Like going down the hill, cooler and tailwinds.

That what headspace control involves-It will be be what it will be and that part of the experience. Be calm enjoy the moment and if feeling bad it will pass. But if necessary have a rest and definitely get and drink Lots. I love the eating lots !!!

GREAT VARIETY

The 3,000 km Tour Aotearoa includes a variety of trail surfaces. The percentage of time spent on each trail type is shown in the following pie chart. For this chart we have estimated an average of 5 km/h on rough single track, 10 km/h on gravel road and 20 km/h on sealed road.