Living proof

Christchurch, I may joke of the place, have a less than flattering moniker that I apply to it, but this week, I have been saddened and made grim by the events in Christchurch. The earthquake, in a few brief moments changed so much and it is still incomprehensible for me.

I have been lucky, my family and friends down there are all safe.

On Wednesday evening my niece and a friend of hers flew up to escape the dreary horror, and get some sunshine and respite. I collected them from the airport. The scene at the airport was quite surreal, with large numbers of police, victim support and civil defence staff. Many of the travellers arriving from Christchurch can best be described as refugees and were looking quite scared/bewildered/relieved/sad. It certainly rammed the human cost of the events home to me.

I have had some real moments of sadness in seeing the ruined buildings, many of which were an integral part of my childhood and youth, they always appeared to be robust and impregnable in their stone and masonery construction. Something to stand for ever.

Now those crumbled wrecks are proving to be some very pointed reminders to my past, and things that have been lost.

Quite odd, as I bear little fondness for Christchurch. But gone forever are the places I roamed as an angry teen, places of groping teen angst, music and mischief.

I will probably go down sometime soon to give a little comfort and assistance, but at the moment I'm not needed there.

Mumbling

Most of the time I steer clear of the whole debate around drugs and cycling, but every so often something comes along that makes me smirk. The Tui billboard at Greenlane is one such thing.

For my overseas readers benefit I shall go and take a photo sometime, but in the meantime I will explain. Tui is a brand of beer, as a beer it's about as pleasant and fun to drink as Miller, in other words I'd rather drink tepid saline drip water than consume it. Their billboards have a tag line of "Yeah, right!" and have a statement that changes on a regular basis that the "Yeah, right!" relates to.

While generally the Tui billboards are less than funny or biting, this one sits well with me. What it says is -

One nut,

Seven Tour de France victories.

No steroids.

With the tagline - Yeah, right.

What made me smirk even more was this little video -

Birds had bank accounts

I realised the other day, as I rode in the dark, that I had failed completely to provide any sort of summary of my year for 2010. A list of the highs and lows, the wins and loses, what songs moved me, what books made me ponder, what films I had wept at, what food satisfied. Most remiss of me, but rest assured now, I'm not about to trot any of those hoary old lists out now, especially since it is February.

Instead, I want you, yes you, the reader, to tell me of your favourite piece of road to ride. What it is that makes it so pleasurable, why return and whether you drag others through zealously. It doesn't have to be a piece of road you train on every week, it doesn't even need to be in your town, but it does need to be a piece of road that tugs at you.

For me there it a long list of such roads, but if I had to list the definitive five I should have a crack at it now. This list is in no particularly order.

Dunedin to Waitati - A big, steady climb either way, long fun descents, fantastic views and quiet, traffic free roads. The vista on the top is as good as anywhere in the country, and it's a ride that lends itself to solitude.

Carter Road, Auckland - A steady climb that is not steep, can be ridden in almost any state of fitness and has real satisfaction as it unfolds. Plus it's bush lined, so the wind really doesn't maul you, there are often people walking who will say 'Hello", no traffic to speak of, and always some great native flora and fauna.

SH35 from Opotiki to Waihau Bay - It's just a ribbon stuck to the coast between rocks, beaches, pohutakawas and hillsides. No glass, no pot holes, ever changing views and a real sense of remoteness. It is a road to savour.

Scenic Drive, Auckland - In the pre-dawn one can watch light creep over the city, see moths and insects, listen to the daylight dwelling forest members wake and not see a car for it's length. The climbs are frustrating, but enjoyable, not steep, not truly long, but relentless, and after ramp number X, if one has been silly and pushed too hard, can be gruesome. The winding shelter of the forest makes amends, and it's a truly satisfying loop from the city.

Woodcocks Road, Auckland - Hard to get to, not hard in a directional sense, but hard riding, Woodocks road is sublime. Scenery, surface, shelter and reward, it has it all.

So, there you have some of mine, tell me yours.

Is this machine recording?

The cicadas have started in earnest, with their glorious deafening song. I had a hint of it on Wednesday as I rode Scenic Drive in the pre-dawn. A glorious ride, with Tui, Kereru, Kotare and Riroriro as companions. The cicadas were there, but not truly on song, still just hinting at what was to come.

This morning, it was as if the switch had been flicked on. In Birdwood Road, Massey they were deafening. Just a wonderful accompaniment to the bath like warmth of the dawn. Then for the rest of the ride, around Whenuapai and back into town, everytime there was any cluster of trees, there was song.

A cluster of trees, a glade if you like, a thicket, a copse - all such English terms, and to my mind they completely fail to capture that raw essence of New Zealand bush, with it's verdant growth and tangled underside. Nothing gentle there.

I love this time of year, the humidity and the prickling of one's skin as you start to exercise. It's foreign to where I grew up, and I welcome it every year.