http://nzuphill.8degrees.co.nz Riding the length of NZ uphill for the hell of it Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:50:29 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en So you have planned your trip, have got your gear sorted and now you are on the way to the finish line which seems so very far away. How do you make sure you get there?  When you get tired, wet ,cold, lonely, and sore how do you stop yourself ... http://nzuphill.8degrees.co.nz/2009/06/28/an-idiots-guide-to-a-charity-bike-ride-part-v-getting-to-the-end/ Doing a solo challenge is not only tough physically, but mentally and emotionally too.  There are a bunch of people out there who will ultimately be the people who will get you to the end, through the highs and the lows and they are your supporters.  They will provide you ... http://nzuphill.8degrees.co.nz/2009/06/25/an-idiot%e2%80%99s-guide-to-a-charity-bike-ride-%e2%80%93-part-iv-keeping-everyone-informed/ The short answer: just enough.  This of course is pretty hard to do.  The trick is to err on the side of taking too much.  You don't want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere without something imperative to your success, like food, water or a spare inner tube. ... http://nzuphill.8degrees.co.nz/2009/06/24/an-idiots-guide-to-a-charity-bike-ride-part-iii-what-to-take/ Its all in the planning baby.  Really.  If you plan well then you will succeed. The secret to planning is to eliminate as much risk as possible, but leaving enough risk still there to make it interesting.  Planning can be broken down as when to do it, how to do ... http://nzuphill.8degrees.co.nz/2009/06/23/an-idiots-guide-to-a-charity-bike-ride-part-ii-planning/ I just rode a bike from one end of New Zealand to the other and as I went I raised funds for a small charity, TASC, that does fantastic things for people with spinal injuries.  When I started, right back at the very beginning when I came up with the ... http://nzuphill.8degrees.co.nz/2009/06/22/an-idiots-guide-to-a-charity-bike-ride-part-i-the-idea/ Being on the home stretch now, things were starting to sink in a little. The fact that the end of my journey was only a few days ride away was both exciting and a little disconcerting. I was so excited to be heading into my home turf and ... http://nzuphill.8degrees.co.nz/2009/06/13/to-the-end-and-beyond/ The last leg of the journey. Auckland to the cape. What will I do now? http://nzuphill.8degrees.co.nz/2009/06/06/video-log-getting-to-the-end/ View Larger Map http://nzuphill.8degrees.co.nz/2009/06/06/route-sat-6th-june-to-the-end/ I have officially made it! I touched the lighthouse at 12:00 and was met by my family eager to get their husband and dad back. I couldn't tweet my finish as there is no coverage on any network pretty much north of Houhura. Full blog and video coming soon ... http://nzuphill.8degrees.co.nz/2009/06/06/made-it/ After this 1 day to go. View Larger Map http://nzuphill.8degrees.co.nz/2009/06/05/route-fri-5th-june-houhora-to-waitiki-landing/