“I feel more wasted than after TTW” – words said to me by race organiser Matt Quirk after finishing The Reset Brevet. I could do nothing but agree.

In recap of a very hilly and demanding but typically central Otago route, all I can say is that mother nature could have been a bit kinder. A casual briefing with coffee and scones set the tone for an event that was not meant to be a race. The words “go” were uttered and all I could do was laugh as no one really started moving. Best start ever!! The biggest hill of the trip came first and provided an early decent slog with heavy going grass and some pushing. Thankfully, things got a bit faster towards the top along with some inspiring central Otago views and the chance to smash a custom reset brevet beer before the fun descent. My fun got a little thwarted by some tyre eating rocks but otherwise it was a good time and not long before a pie and a 1.5l coke at the Vulcan Hotel in St Bathans.

Next up, the West Manuherikia track was a lot bumpier than I had remembered and offered lots of opportunities to wash the socks. With sodden feet and heading into darkness, it was nice to do the reasonably steep climb over the Omarama saddle with company. At the top, however, a new, loud and obnoxious friend decided to join the party. The wind was absolutely howling and blowing dust everywhere which added a new level of complexity to vision on what could have been a fast descent.

The night ended with ice cream and a beer at the Omarama pub, and a sleep next to Lake Benmore. Since it had been my plan to get over and off Poolburn by the end of the next evening, I made an early start the next day but was riding pretty slowly. Keen for treats and breakfast in Kurow, I splurged on a very expensive toasted sandwich which I had been told would fill me up for the entire day! I ate the very tasty sandwich, said thank you to the counter staff and promptly went to the foursquare to scoff a pie.

The rest of the route was quite challenging for me. Not only was my mind and body screaming “why are we doing this again!!” only 6 weeks after TTW, but after what had felt like a spring and summer of being battered by headwinds, it was a struggle dealing with the wind which was pretty constant from Dansey’s Pass onwards until eventually the bike resembled a kite up on Grandview Ridge. On route, however, a nice and lovely tailwind from Naseby to the bottom of the climb up to Poolburn, offered much needed relief and the opportunity to munch on fish and chips while being pushed along at a decent pace. The initial climb was quite sheltered and offered a nice gradient. Things turned nasty towards the top and what should have been a fun and fast descent down the other side was a pedaling downhill kind of affair and feeling mentally a bit battered, I took an early sleep at the bottom.

More wind early in the morning out to Omakau and a cold trip over Thomson’s Gorge in the dark, where the Hawea Geezers caught up and a chat lifted the spirits. After developing a slow leak in the tube I’d used to fix an earlier tyre gash, things really slowed down on Grandview and I found myself in the thick of the wind I had been hoping to avoid.

One downside of having a very lightly loaded lightweight bike was that it now became an object which needed to be protected from catching the wind and sailing off the edge. Holding onto it firmly while opening gates was a necessity and the usual throw the bike over and climb over was not an option, neither were most of the styles. A few times I found the rear wheel floating up at head level if I had been pushing and only holding the handlebars. At one point, I found myself crouched down and walking while holding the bike below the ridgeline so it wouldn’t catch the wind. Coming off Grandview, I just wanted to get it done but that slow leak was slowing things down and days later I realised my pump was also faulty. Thinking I was about to pull the pin only 30 km from the end, I managed to get one good solid amount of air into the tube which allowed a fast push all the way to the Outlet Camp and the finish, where a beer, chats and friendly faces were waiting.

The Reset is a solid route that over a relatively short distance showcases the kind of adventures and scenery that can be found in central Otago. I’ll totally give it another go but will be studying the wind forecast beforehand!!