Vanderpants Oz Tour

Hi All..well well what a crazy few days huh. Since my greatest hits vid in NZ boy have things changed. I rode for a few more days umming and ahhhhhh’ing about what I should do. The borders hadn’t closed and I was so close to finishing this challenge. I was torn. Before I go on – I had dramas loading my video blog when I was in the sticks so i’ll post it up here and this was pre any COVID-19 discussion and it was about how I was feeling so far Since completing 1600k’s and the north island was DONE and in in the first 14 days. Post this I was smashing 100-140 km days and realy settling in…looking back at the video I can see how smashed I was hahaha i just rode 100km’s (Some technical trails for a few hours) – got on a ferry for 6 hours (4 cruising and 2 stuck in the swells and couldn’t dock) and then another 3 hours in the dark to get to my accomm hahaha it was a LONG day…from 6am to 9pm of being out there…anyway – skip past these vids if you want….it was supposed to be an update as I go along but i’m still adding it for my own Keeps sake….

I faced possibly getting stuck in NZ if they closed the borders but that meant I could finish the ride and perhaps continue to ride until it all blows over (that was my early thought before it all went a bit crazy of course). Now NZ are in lock down I def made the right call.

So before sh!t hit the fan I made a call that I had to get to Greymouth (12-15 ride away) to catch a bus to Christchurch and get a flight home. It was a hard call as I had made the best friends ever on this trip and was riding like a demon and smashing mental and physical barriers.

That night I booked flights, made a few calls and found out how to catch a bus back to Christchurch (harder than you think) and let all my new besties know I was leaving. At this point I was one of only a small handful that made the decision also but everyone else it was situation normal. I had a big ride ahead of me the next day as it was the toughest day yet (and the toughest on the ride). At some points I would look at the track and say to myself ‘surely that’s a river bed and I don’t have to go up that’ hahahah I had to double take LOL

I normally couldn’t record the hard bits on this challenge but this shit was tough. Maybe a go pro is required next time however, it’s just another thing to charge and more weight isn’t it?

Moving along – it was a tough day – lots of walking sections as it was too difficult to ride and one part I had to carry my bike over a fence and I misplaced my foot placement, twisted my ankle and heard a big CRACK.

I thought for sure I had broken it as i had never felt this kind of pain before. Helmet off…..glasses off…..lie in dirt…..push bike off me…….lay down……..elevate foot……..wait to see how bad it is…….

I knew I had a good 12 hours left of riding in the day and if it was broken – I would press that button to get choppered out no doubt about it – that was my first instinct. I waited a while and then tried to put weight on it and I could so I knew it wasn’t broken but it didn’t feel right And god it hurt like hell. That aside I pushed on…….through the difficult sections for a few hours I was limping like humpback of notre dame for a few hours (It was super painful) then out onto tarmac THANK GOD for another 5 hours until I reached Greymouth and boy was I ecstatic. I had a bus to catch the next day and I checked my emails and my flight had been cancelled due to the virus and hints of borders closing was in the air. If I ummmm’d and ahhh’d before about if I made the right call, I knew now I did hahaha.

so a 5 hour bus ride to Christchurch and another flight I booked got cancelled – I was thinking I may never get out of NZ and it’s only going to get worse and not better

So I booked my third flight through Virgin and checked my emails on the hour and so far it was good to go.

I also needed to clean my bike and pack it in a box and take it with me back home. My thoughts were ‘my touring bike is still in Syd but I have my mountain bike with me how am I going to do this’.

Just get home Adrian – you’ll sort the rest out later

Next morning I tried calling a few cab companies (6 in total) and none were getting back to me. I was thinking that I would have to hitchhike and give someone some money hahaha. I rang a few bike shops to help me and they were all flat knackers too. It felt like an episode of walking dead to me as I came from small middleof nowhere places in the sticks and then one morning a bakery was taping their pastry sliding doors shut for hygiene and putting a big sign on saying ‘do not help yourself etc etc’. It’s weird but come to think of it, this was my decider. It was the nail on the coffin. It felt like the ‘walking dead’ how everything progressed so fast hahaha ok ok a bit of an exaggeration but you get my gist. Stick my head out into a little town and BAM – it’s on.

Moving right along, this one bike shop (and across the road from me in Christchurch) were so helpful. Provided a bike box, helped me dismantle it and tape it up at no cost and also addeda. Bit of a chat too – soo good. Some people just love to help huh – as that was done, 7 tries for a cab and I was on my way hahaha.

Got to the airport and as we lined up they announced Virgin won’t be flying international for three months minimum after this flight AND that all NZ’ers to the right (they are not getting on the plane) and all aussies to the left (you just made it) hahaha.

This is me now in Self isolation for two weeks


Doggos, wine and coffee – nothing more is needed – a huge shout out to Gherns – u have made my transition from ‘into the wild’ and on a high smashing my lifetime goals to secluded into a house so much easier – thank you so much.

stay safe everyone – this shit is real……treat it with respect…..keep your distance…..clean those hands and look after each other.

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So at the end of it all I rode 2,300km’s of a 3,000km goal and climbed 33,000 meters. I met some amazing people, saw and experienced some of NZ’s finest trails and beautiful places, I faced some of my fears on this ride of how I am not really a mountain biker and i’ve never packed so light before plus never done these hours in a saddle AND never climbed that much in such a short time ever. I have crushed a lot of these fears and ended up feeling really close to NZ and it’s lovely little towns and beautiful landscapes. I can’t really describe how much of an experience this was for me. From how hard it was to actually get there to smashing the barriers during the ride to now actually fleeing home. Im super proud of these accomplishments and even more hungry to go back next time (it runs every two years). – I am aware of how big this thing (virus) is and just grateful for the taste I did get and am now in self isolation planning my next journey whenever that is and that could be a while a way me think….stay tuned peeeps – Vanderpants is coming back with a vengeance and meaner and keener than ever before. I am going to tackle some more off road adventrues and am already looking at the cape and also the mundabiddy (1,000km off road from perth to Albany) just before the Nullabor – just to add another challenge why not hey…….

Vanderpants OUT!!!! (From safe and sound SA Great)

Hey guys – watch my greatest hits vid below – 1,600km’s cycled so far and about 1,500 to go. I tried to put a vlog to talk about how ive been going but its not uploading so this will have to do for now until i get better wifi – enjoy

the towns are all amazing here and very supportive of the TA. lots of people waiting for us and clapping and offering food and water as we ride through, its amazing. check it out

Vanderpants OUT!

So, going back to my last post……a while ago, after testing all my gear for 4 days there were a few things I still needed but other than the butterflies in my stomach of ‘shit what the hell have i got myself into’ we are pretty much set to go. A couple more visits to the bike shops and outdoor shops just for tidbits and we are set to go – this can happen along the way to the start of the race which is a fair drive. To recap, the next week will be picking up Karina (aka Gherns) – she does an amazing run – then off we go driving 1,500 km’s to the start of my race and doing some things along the way which i’ll elaborate on in a minute.

Recap of my race…….It’s called the Tour Aotearoa. Tour Aotearoa is arguably one of the world’s longest and greatest bicycle brevets – stretching 3,000 km from Cape Reinga to Bluff (far north to far south) it follows a combination of cycle trails, tracks, paths and lanes connected by the most enjoyable country roads available. I have 30 days to ride this distance and rules are it has to be self supporting therefore I carry all the gear required to eat, sleep, spare parts and navigate etc. Between 9am one day and 9Am the next you have to rest for at least 6 hours. No support vehicles and there are 30 photo check-in points. That means minimum 100km’s per day (6-10 hours) approx depending on elevation and terrain. All starting at 7am tomorrow.

I also sorted my $7,000 phone bill out with Optus – thanks Optus for seeing the light and waiving this due to my 20 years of service 🙂 I also sorted all the logistical nightmares out by having places to store my gear whilst i’m racing and collecting it after. It all fell into place nicely (with a LOT of patience and mind bending) annnnnnd Airbnb refunded my two failed accommodations etc etc hahahaha. Gifted the bicycle rack to the Airbnb owner and I now only have what I require for my race, gear waiting for me back in Christchurch and now I just need to bloody ride this thing.

So before we headed off Gherns had to run an ultra marathon on the Old Ghost Road. I need to explain how awesome she is for a minute so bare with me……For those that don’t know what this is – It’s New Zealand’s longest single track for mountain bike and runners alike. It took 110,000 man hours and 6 million buckaroonies to make and most of it via vollies (I think it was 7 years). It’s for mountain biking or trekking (they call that tramping here) or running. Last year I rode this grade 4 track on a mountain bike and really appreciated all the hard work that went into this thing as whilst riding it, I read the book about the making of it. The great things about this run is the people that were involved in designing this track actually run the race and you really get a great family feel around the place and these guys are super organised. It was a privelege to even watch Karina start and finish this epic 85km run with over 2,500 meters elevation in 10 hours and 10 minutes.

Here’s some pics and vids to show you what it’s all about and to appreciate it from afar – it truly is an amazing experience and place – there’s something about it that i’ll never forget (and i’m sure Karina’s feet won’t either). It is definitely one of the best and most memorable times of my travelling experiences be it just being here to watch Gherns finish it or ride the whole thing myself.

One funny thing Phil the presenter talked about before the race is the WTLI index below. Cracked me up. WTLI – (Will To Live) and how between each check point it declines and then you get a spike just after resting and replenishing at an aid station, but it ultimately just slides further down each time – I am going to say that mentally this is so true hahaha there’s so many hurtlocker moments you need to go through I’m sure and I felt the same way about my race hahaha

Well done Gherns – all that training you do gives me motivation to do what i do as you don’t complain, you just get out there and bloody smash it with a smile on your face. proud of yah!!

OK, so after hanging around Wesport a few days we headed towards Cape Reinga…..Along the way we yoga’d, ate some yummy meals, celebrated my 41st birthday, went on some hikes, ran a park run, saw the Auckland Sky Tower, had LOTS fo great coffees, cinemas, drove and drove some more, took a ferry from Picton to Wellington, numerous Countdowns (Woolies for those’s playing at and Aussie home) for food every day hahah (ps did you know they call shopping trolley’s ‘Trundlers’ here?!)

hahaha. Also needed to visit a few more shops to finalise my finicky requirements for bicycle packing and NOW I AM READY….woohooooo Bring it on. PS – the Peninsular here is super dry and lots of water restrictions – it hasn’t rained here since November the airbnb host was telling me and I can say I am feeling the heat still from Oz and have found it challenging to always be hot and bothered. I thought in NZ I would be colder than I am but it’s been super humid and hot every day. I know in the South island it will cool down though and here’s hoping for rain for the people who need it.

So hopefully by the time I finish in NZ I would have driven over 2,000 km’s And cycled over 3,500 km’s on both islands – it will be safe to say that i’ve seen A LOT of this beautiful country

All of the above lead up to tomorrow – this is it….Starting from Cape Reinga which is said to be the most spiritual place in NZ. It is here that after death, all Māori spirits travel up the coast and over the wind-swept vista to the pohutukawa tree on the headland here where nothing but a lighthouse and that tree are present. It is very sacred for the Māori and this is a fitting place to start such an epic journey that encompasses the tip of the north all the way to the bottom of the south. I am super pumped and lucky to be able to see the beautiful landscapes that New Zealand has to offer and appreciate and experience everything about its history, people and sights and smells of according to some sources approximately 1,000 years of Maori history/settlement. Not that long ago when you think about it. Nonetheless – i’m looking forward to slowly soaking it all in and experiencing the mountain bike trails, beach rides, bicycle trails, rail trails and taking it all in whilst suffering hahahaha. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous as the climbing is twice what i’m used to and a couple hours more each day on top of that. Plus my knee is injured so lets hope that I can manage that along the way. I will give this my best crack though and these nerves are good. It’s called reaching for something big that scares you and embracing it…….. isn’t it?

Due to me trying to keep my weight right down im not taking my ipad and therefore will find it easier to post some piccies when I am on wifi for insta and then hopefully every few days to one week i’ll do a video blog on my website. That way i’ll keep everyone posted on the updates and my wherabouts.

Thank you or following me so far and I truly mean that peoples…..it is nice to know that you’re living this with me and I hope that the bicycle tourers are also getting something out of this as I wanted to give something back to the blogs that i sucked the life out of and never gave anything back. I read so much and never comment or post back so I hope that this can help someone else maybe.

Eggs…..oh how i can’t live life with out eggs, hot chips and coffee hahahahaha

Until my first VLOG have a great day peeps and stay amazing

Vanderpants OUT!!

Hello fellow readers – it’s been a while hasn’t it. Quickly recapping, In my last post I made my way from Goulburn to Sydney and met a good friend there who let me stay at her place (So bloody nice Of you jay) and also another good and new friend jonathon who I caught up with and did Sydney things with (Botanic gardens, coffee, walked etc etc). and that’s where we left off………ok read on now. I haven’t blogged in a while as i’ve spent most of this time researching, driving, purchasing new mountain bike and bike bags, talking to previous tour riders who have completed the race before, packing, repacking and repacking again. it’s been a whirlwind to be honest. Not only that i’ve had a few accommodation issues and utility bill issues that have taken up a lot of time and caused me to move a lot. I don’t even know where to start haha. As I got to Sydney I met up with a friend who was so nice to allow me to literally take over the house (sorry hehehe) and do my research, just actually hang and sort all my gear out ready to go to NZ. Thanks for that Jay you were so much help – i don’t think I could’ve done it without all your help.

As I got to Sydney to early due to the changed route from the fires, I thought it was a good idea to get to NZ early so i can drive around quickly and get all the things i need. Normally I plan 6-12 months to get all the gear i need And research but in 10 days, I am ready. I’ve had to move three times due to some cancelled accommodation which has taken up a lot of my time (at times waiting 5 hours for an air bnb host that won’t get back to me) and i’m still waiting on the second refund. As I arrived late in NZ i picked up my car and contacted the host and waited and waited…..so the third attempt at 8pm was just the caravan park and I ‘ll sort out the money later. Not air bnb’s fault. On top of that optus have charge me an exorbitant amount for my bill (thousands and thousands) which i am disputing also so there’s been a lot of phone calls and not a nice start to NZ. That on top of software not doing what it’s supposed to and an infected finger that was starting to worry me so I went to the docs and got antibiotics for it – I think it’s getting better hahah I can actually use it now – I tried riding the other day and it was hard to ride with one finger pointing in the air hahahaha.

So The very basic rundown Required to test gear, hang with Gherns and do my race plus get back to Syd IS…..

Get accomm (harder than initially thought) , Get a car, buy the right kind of bike, get all the Right kind of bags that fit the bike, pack my gear in it, store some of my non touring stuff somewhere??, drop bicycle car rack off (somewhere??), return hire car, get back to accomm to pick up my bike, test it for a few days wild camping and doing some hills on the peninsular of Christchurch, come back, pick up some of my gear I need to tour with karina (And do my NZ race with), Pickup bike rack again, take karina to her race (86km ultra – what a legend right), drive 1,500km’s to my race, Karina goes home, finish the race Within 30 days (because I will), Stay at the finish line 1 night, get back to christchurch somehow from the bottom of the south island, come bacK to Christchurch where I stored my Other gear, pack mountain bike up in bike box, stay a day or two, go back to Sydney With bike and gear, change all my gear back to normal touring, Somehow get my mountain bike back to adelaide, off i go again on the Vanderpants oz Tour…….now that list doesn’t include the research…..I don’t even know how to change my disc brakes on my bike yet hahahaha. I have no idea how to mountain bike pack/tour really and i’m just going with it. If I told you i wasn’t a bit overwhelmed I would be lying. I did ask myself WTF did i sign up for because in my head it was just – go over here, buy some shit and start the race hahaha but i should know me, I don’t do things in halves. I wrote a few lists out in date and to do order (me and my lists) and that truly helped even though it was a mud map it def helped my mindset.

For the race prep (starts on March 3) I have GPX files for my garmin (that bloody took 5 hours to load due to a glitch), the book (check out the instructions for the 30 days)………….

Having said all of the above – I am super dedicated to making this work and not letting anything get in the way. This is a once in a lifetime thing here and i’m putting it into perspective because it’s all just hiccups and challenges right?……so far – i’ve smashed them all and well on my way to being ready.

The bike is 14kg’s and I have 13kg’s of gear With no food included (Compared to 40-50 on my other bike hahaha) so i have shaved off a dramatic amount but I have gotten rid of some of my luxuries and this will be lean AF. The only luxury (compared to some i’ve read) are having a small cooker (for a Brew in the morning) and A larger tent (I am not buying a new tent just for a race lol). I spent a lot of time at two places that stuck out to me. As I am old fashioned, I don’t read many google reviews, I like face to face and over the phone to get a gauge on how they interact with customers and the two places I found have been AH-MAYZING. One with the bike and the other just for touring gear. A shop that specialising in touring – I was in heaven hahaha. I think I spent three hours with the guy setting my bike up right.

Rundown of the next couple weeks And my blogging

So i’m in a Top ten holiday park which I normally avoid but I must say this place is like a small town. Bigger than some towns i’ve ridden through and i’m not even joking. Three kitchens, Their own rubbish truck, a drive through for questions, bottlo, laundry – i’ll keep going on hahaha – tbh I am ready to hop on my bike now – so ready – and i’m also super pumped to see karina and share the experience with someone And also see her kickass on her race (and the duties LOL) shhhhh i didn’t say that. It will be a nice change and a different trip all together.

A random thought to take away with you:

Toilet paper: Have you ever entered a public toilet and reached for the toilet paper and see it hanging there all mangey and torn and thought, ‘someones shitty hand has ripped that bit off after they have already wiped their ass’? Think about that until my next post hahahahahah

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Vanderpants OUT!!!!