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Absolutely epic.
I've had a head cold brewing since Timaru but it was really setting in by the time I left Dunedin. My intention was to make it 82 kms to Middlemarch but little did I know that was a near impossible feat.
It took me about 2.5 hours just to get 16 kms. That is a depressing turtle saunter. My head cold completely drained the life out of me and of course I had managed to get lost along the way as I wasn't carrying any sort of map. Smart. The remaining and challenging 66 kms ahead was an overly daunting task.
So I got a motel, lived like a queen for the evening and rested up for the next day. Best decision ever!
That next day was completely epic. What was I thinking?!? I had the option to take a train but opted to bike. I quickly determined that there was a reason for that train - see the attached picture for a terrain description.
I spent hours going up hill and still only half way. When I got to the top of the first major climb, the wind was so strong and the air was so cold that I couldn't sort my priorities. If I stopped to eat, my body temp would drop and I'd get ever colder - but I was hungry. As you can imagine, I was also miserably unhappy. To top it off, at one point a magpie had entered the picture. Oh joy.
I was 28 kms from my destination when a farmer stopped to ask if I wanted a hitch. I asked what the rest of the ride was like. When he said more of what I've already done including two more major climbs... I jumped in his truck quicker than I could say "thank you".
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Z Farmers are lifesavers in so many ways...