Blue Mountain Blues

29k into an awesome 60k ride in the Blue Mountains behind Opotiki a loud bang and sudden pain in my nether regions signaled that my seat bolt had sheared off. Major personal damage was avoided and I collected my seat and other bits and pieces from the trail. A committee meeting on the side of the track resulted in a piece of string being produced and some ‘spare’ electric fence tape attached to a nearby post being procured. The seat post was dropped as far as it could go and we roped the seat on. Of course the 29k mark signaled the end of 90 minutes of climbing with steep and very technical downhill in front of us followed by a series of stream crossings before the final 20k sprint down the Pakihi Rd to Opotiki. You certainly don’t appreciate how much you use your seat for bracing (and sitting on) until you discover you can only use it sparingly. As well, having the seat 30cm lower than the best position makes for awkward riding. Team this up with the fact that the last time I went out with this group 3 weeks ago I fell off at speed (I was nearly in front though!) and broke a couple of ribs so it was quite a tentative ride down and out. Fortunately two other guys broke their chain on this particular ride, so our repair skills have been tested.

The attached photos show that the temporary repairs held up until the end.