Old Dunstan Road mission

I had been keen to do this mission for a while now so with the weather looking good and a few things falling into place I went for it.
The Old Dunstan Road is the old stagecoach route from Dunedin to Alexandra and passes through some amazing Central Otago country side. The plan was to head off from Dunedin and ride to Clarks Junction which is the start of the Dunstan Road, head through to Alex and then ride home via the Central Otago Rail Trail a total of 400 km (give of take a few). Not really knowing what to expect and how the body would cope with the distance I made sure I had enough kit to stop and have a sleep somewhere if needed.

 Above: Elevation profile of ride and a bit of a map. Lost a few kms along the rail trail when the GPS ran out of batteries.

So with bags packed I rolled out of Dunedin at 5.30 am on Thursday 13th Dec. The added weight on my back and in my attempt at a home made saddle bag made the first few climbs out of Dunedin tough and I wondered how I was going to ride the bigger climbs to come.

  

Above L: At Clarks Junction ready to hit the Old Dunstan Road. Right:Looking out over Loganburn Reservoir

Once on the Old Dunstan Road the climbing started in earnest. The sun came out and the hills seemed endless as the road zig-zaged up and up in front of me. The amazing surroundings made the climbing 'not so bad' as I pedaled through Lord of the Rings country, over the Rock and Piller Range, past the Great Mossy Swamp, across the source of the Taieri River, up over to Poolburn Reservoir (how they got stagecoaches up or down this section of the road is beyond imagination) and then finally over the Crawford Hills down into Alexandra. After 11 hours on the bike I had clocked up 170 km and made it through the Old Dunstan Road. Now I just had to get home!

 After stopping in Alex to refuel I hit the Rail Trail at around 5pm. With a bit of a tail wind the k's started to tick by. As I rolled past Wedderburn (the highest point on the rail trail) the sun started to set. I pushed on to Ranfurly and had quick stop there to sort out my lights and have a quick bite to eat. The clock ticked over 10.15pm.

 Above: The sun setting over the Central Otago hills

Back into it in the complete darkness, it now became a game of following the light beam and trying not to be taken out by the hundreds of rabbits that seemed determined to throw themselves under my wheels. A close encounter with some sheep and a cow! sleeping in the middle of the trail kept me on my toes as I pushed on. Then out of the darkness came the lights of Middlemarch which signaled the end of the rail trail. It was 1am on Friday morning as I quickly stopped in Middlemarch to fill my water bottles.

 Above: At Middlemarch at the end of the Rail Trail. 320km down, only 80 to go

I hit the final road section back over the hill to Dunedin and after my short stop my legs and bum were protesting about getting going again. It was slow going with tired legs and the long climbs in the dark seemed to have no end. The body was starting to hurt, in particular my feet and bum (surprise, surprise). But it was not far to go now and I kept looking forward to the downhill that I had slogged up in the opposite direction yesterday. 
As I rolled into Mosgiel the sky was starting to look brighter and I was on familiar  terrain. Almost there, only two small climbs to go! I turned down Richmond Street and spied my letter box. Looking down at my watch it ticked over to 5.30 am. Spot on 24 hours after I left I was home again with 400km under the belt. What a great way to see Central Otago. 

 Above: My feet were a little worse for wear after getting wet earlier in the day.