A Biker’s Tale

Description

A Biker’s Tale is a compelling and often humorous story of an epic event, the Tour Aotearoa.

The biannual Tour Aotearoa is a mountain-bike ‘brevet’ (a timed, long-distance cycling event) covering the length of mainland New Zealand. It starts at the most northern point of the North Island, Cape Reinga, and finishes at Stirling Point, just south of Bluff at the bottom of the South Island. The Tour requires participants to follow a set route covering 3,000 km. The Tour is unsupported, so participants carry their own gear and to be awarded the brevet, the riders need to cover the full distance within 30 days.

John took part in the 2018 edition of the Tour.  He encountered all types of challenges, from getting lost to physical ailments, serious weather events and loneliness. In between he had plenty of time to contemplate and let his thoughts and imagination run free. It helped him pass the time. He was seen late at night, furiously hammering away on his laptop, regardless of how tired he was, reliving the events and contemplations of the day. It helped him make sense of his journey and how it fitted into the complex world we live in. He called it his ‘administration’.