Took a ride from Miranda Hot Springs to Thames on the Coromandel (and back) today. It turned out to be 65 km R/T. As this is really only my second day of riding after a few months of virtual inactivity, it was a bit more than I’d bargained for--about 15 km more. I was hurting at the end of the ride. It’s a good thing that the Miranda campground has its own hot pool.

 

The main problem is the road surface, New Zealand roads are paved with “chip seal”, which is a process where they spread a layer of tar then a layer of rough gravel and roll it together. It is further compacted by the traffic.

 

The main roads tend to use larger stones than the secondary roads and the road (Rt 25) to Thames had been recently done, For cars and trucks, it is a bit noisy, for bicycles it is just a literal pain in the butt.  Aside from the vibration, one has to keep pedaling on the flats, which is what the road to Thames is, otherwise the bicycle quickly slows down if you try to coast.

 

As you near Thames, there is an infamous one lane bridge across the Waihou River. It is 470 meters long with traffic lights at each end. On summer weekends the traffic can back up for an hour getting over the bridge. For cyclists, you have to ride in the traffic as there is not enough room for the cars to pass. If you are nice you left the cars go through ahead before getting onto the bridge. This means you have to pedal like crazy to keep up with the traffic (unless you are Lance) in order to get to the other end before the light changes at it starts coming at you.

 

On my way into Thames, I managed to get a rear tire flat just after crossing the bridge. I though it might have been the metal coming through the surface while I was crossing, but it was a sharp small shard of glass. It was a clean hole, I was able to remove the glass and I had my tire tool and patch kit. The new pump worked flawlessly. It was a good thing that I was carrying the kit as the flat happened about as far away from camp as I was going.

 

Did I mention that it was raining by then?

 

By the time I fixed the flat and got into town, it had stopped and so did I, for a call home and a quick lunch. Time to turn around and head back over the bridge, the green light at the far end went out before I got there but the cars waited for me anyway.

 

About 15 km into the return it started to hurt, but with a quick stop for a ginger beer and a stop at a farm stand, I made it back to the hot pool.  A good ride but “A Bridge Too Far”.