-- The Great Coromandel Dream Ride, Saturday 13 February 2010
The ride briefing said it all: ride, don’t race; double check special anti-chaffing measures; enough money for beer and return ferry trip.
Everything went to plan. The weather held – no complaints there, other than the headwind mauling on the coastal beat from Thames to Coromandel. Just one puncture. And a smooth return ferry trip didn’t upset our flow.
Highlights:
- Lunch – the second one - at the Pepper Tree. Outstanding
- Heineken, all 33 of them
- Those hand cut wedges
- The first lunch at the Thames Garden centre - an oasis before the storm
- Stifling jungle heat of the final climb. God it was awful, but we loved it
- Return ferry trip and curative properties of Heineken
-- Hand cut fries - worth losing a finger for (a few Tigers in the Heinenken camp)
Low lights:
- The dodgy Waitakaruru truck stop. Extra cups of truly awful coffee. And the evident disdain in looks cast by the passing bunch witnessing our coffee stop moment of shame
- The Thames Garden centre toilet was sealed off and declared a crime zone. No finger pointing
Lessons:
- Next time pack shorts. There is no panache in beer and spandex
- Consider another water stop before the Coromandel Hills
Still waiting to see pics taken from the top of the Whangapoua Hill.
ReplyDeletethe hand-cut fries would look small?
ReplyDeleteHow did you end up with my food and drink bill? And what did the rest of you eat and drink?
ReplyDelete