Angus MacDonald ’ s drone was filming his heroic efforts for posterity – never trust a man with a video drone . Once down in the valley floor again , it was easy flowing gravel road back to the vans at our departure point . The last few kilometres were open and fast with Whytey commenting the 430 was good for around 150km / h , while I saw 133km / h on the 390 - not at all shabby with dirt gearing . Over the course of the day the snow down in these lower parts had melted changing the landscape dramatically back to nice green farmland .
DAY ONE THOUGHTS While Mike chauffeured us back to Clyde , I contemplated the day ’ s ride . Putting the snow and cold aside , the terrain is still very different for North Island riders . None of it was particularly difficult , but it was certainly challenging . The big difference is rocks , they are everywhere ! This means speeds are lower , the risk of bike damage is far greater and I imagine crashes result in more broken bones . But the big thing is you can never relax and just get on the gas assuming the track is safely rock free . So ,
while it ’ s incredibly scenic and interesting to ride , it can become mildly frustrating . All the Beta ’ s had been fantastic , none had missed a beat or broken a thing . Well , one tyre tube did have all the air go to the top , but that was a quick fix at lunch time . The seats are hard , harder than I remember from last year . But this was probably more noticeable because we were trail riding , so sitting much more than in a race situation . The brakes are excellent , awesome feel and strength – end of story . I ’ m tall , so the bars felt close , cramping my arms , compromising my standing confidence . That said , there is a lot of adjustment available at the bar clamps to change things . The bikes were all straight from the box , so owner personalisation will remedy this . The fork action was very nice , offering an excellent compliant and secure ride . Although , the shock felt like it had a little too much midspeed damping in this terrain , making them feel a whisker firm on square edge bumps . But again remember , the bikes were straight from the box and the rider sag was certainly not set for this 100kg human .
KIWI RIDER 43