Tour Aotearoa Day 22: Masterton to the Remutaka Summit, 51 miles, 3,132 feet elevation | Wicked Wind of the West

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The day started out with bagels and a friendly local festival and it ended up with the most gosh awful wind gusts we may have ever experienced.

The fair in Martinborough was a surprise and a place to score some good eats before we tackled the Remutaka climb on the old rail trail. This is the last climb on the North Island for us. We figured we had two easy days of cycling into Wellington so we took our time wandering around the festival.

However, just outside of Martinborough the most bizarre wind kicked up. It would blow head on and then gust sideways, never giving us any warning which way it was going to take us.

The frame bags on our bikes act like a sail so we we really get pushed around during strong side winds, even with all the weight we are carrying. She blew and she blew and she did not give up.

I think this is all I want to say about this day, except that the wind continued to beat us down well into the night. By morning, she was calm.

A day that we thought was going to be a cake walk ended up being a lot harder than expected and we have that persistent wicked wind to thank for it.

Click on the link below to see today’s video.