[MarkJerling]

So, this weekend, I took part in the Taupo Cycle Challenge. Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge | Premier Bike Event NZ This is where mad people (some of them cricket lovers) cycle 160km around Lake Taupo. Unfortunately, this is not entirely a walk in the park as the roads are not always at the lake edge. The total vertical climb for the course is 1650 metres. (That's a little over a mile, for those of you who don't know the metric system or understand cricket.)

Lake Taupo was originally the location of a large volcano, and about 26,000 years ago, it all went up and became a deep crater. Actually, it erupted many times over the last 26,000 years, most recently 232 AD. In geological terms, that's yesterday. At it's deepest point, it's 186m deep, that's over 600 feet. The water is so pure, you can quite happily drink it without treatment, so long as you don't mind what the rainbow trout do in it. And yes, there's excellent fishing on the lake. Because of it's size, it can whip up quite big waves, so can be dangerous for inexperienced boaties.

I'm only half mad, so I did it as a half and half (no cream involved, other than sun cream) with my friend George. We did the whole thing in 7 hours, which is slow compared to the record of 3 hours 40 minutes. That's just a bit slower than my 81km time of 3 hours 21 minutes.

One of the things about New Zealand's biggest cyling event, around New Zealand's biggest fresh water lake, is that they always have brilliant spot-prizes. These are prizes for a variety of things, which are done purely on a race number draw, and you have to be at the prizegiving and present your bib, to be able to win. If you're not there, and making noise within 30 seconds of the organisers showing the number on the big screen, it's a re-draw. So, some nice prizes up for grabs. A 10 day camper van hire. A big spa pool. A 9 day all expenses paid trip to Ireland. 7 night holiday in Central Otago, one of New Zealand's beautiful areas. But, the top spot prize is a new New Holden Trax LTZ, cross-over vehicle, valued at $36,000. And, after the second re-draw, my team mate George got very lucky! Now hopefully he'll get rid of that ghastly old Prius!

How's that for luck!

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Last edited by MarkJerling; 12-01-2014 at 03:10 AM.

[tim60]

Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of my last formally organised cricket match. I was at school at the time. That was my last school activity for that year because I had to stay in hospital for a week just after. There I listened to funny stories, such as the Italian called Tito whose son was born in 1942 and named Rommel.

[rod_grant]

Some of us find it a lot more interesting than baseball or softball

+1 (at least!)
(That is two of us Mark, but the Melbourne Cricket Ground does have a seated capacity of about 100,000, so there might be a few more)

[MarkJerling]

+1 (at least!)
(That is two of us Mark, but the Melbourne Cricket Ground does have a seated capacity of about 100,000, so there might be a few more)

The last time I was in Melbourne, they managed to pull quite a good crowd. So, yes, probably more than just us two and the whole of India.

[rod_grant]

So, this weekend, I took part in the Taupo Cycle Challenge

Melbourne's big bike ride goes around Port Philip Bay (250kms)
This year there were 12,000 riders. (Not me - I would not attempt it in a fit! Although a nephew and his GF did it a couple of times)
My son was telling me that a workmate's son was involved in a project to photograph every rider and to have pictures on the web for sale within 4 days!!! (7 photogs and 44000 pics!)

---------- Post added 12-01-2014 at 09:20 PM ----------

... And the whole of india.

:d:d:d:d:d:d:d:d:d:d:d:d:d
Edit - these should have been smilies!!!!

[MarkJerling]

Melbourne's big bike ride goes around Port Philip Bay (250kms)
This year there were 12,000 riders. (Not me - I would not attempt it in a fit! Although a nephew and his GF did it a couple of times)
My son was telling me that a workmate's son was involved in a project to photograph every rider and to have pictures on the web for sale within 4 days!!! (7 photogs and 44000 pics!)

---------- Post added 12-01-2014 at 09:20 PM ----------



:d:d:d:d:d:d:d:d:d:d:d:d:d
Edit - these should have been smilies!!!!

That's quite a big ride. I'm not sure my Gluteus maximus muscles will cope with that! That's sure to add a bit of a shutter count to one's camera.

[rod_grant]

Mark here is the route, which I intended to include;


https://www.bicyclenetwork.com.au/bupa-around-the-bay/the-route/

[MarkJerling]

Mark here is the route, which I intended to include;


https://www.bicyclenetwork.com.au/bupa-around-the-bay/the-route/

I've driven that route, all excluding the ferry trip of course. It is a long, long way!

[rod_grant]

It is a long, long way!

It seemed a LOT LONGER on the Melbourne to Geelong section when they were adding lanes to the road. It seemed that construction zones extended almost the entire length, with the resulting low speed restrictions

[Mikesul]

Not very nice. Some of us find it a lot more interesting than baseball or softball.

It was a silly pun. not intended to insult the sport of almost half the world.

[Parallax]

Not very nice. Some of us find it a lot more interesting than baseball or softball.

I've been to 2 baseball games in my life. Watching the grass grow on the field was quite boring and the game itself even moreso. I've never watched cticket but I can't imagine it could possibly be less interesting than baseball.

[stevebrot]

So, are you going to dip'em ... or shav'em ???

Mechanical removal is the only thing that works, though the risk of reinfection is high.


Steve

---------- Post added 12-01-14 at 08:13 AM ----------

Some of us find it a lot more interesting than baseball or softball.

Agreed, though both are much more interesting as a spectator sport than bowling or golf.


Steve

[Jean Poitiers]

... though both are much more interesting as a spectator sport than bowling or golf.

Steve

After golf, I would not call bowling much of a "sport" ... but at least one can drink beer and have a BLT while doing it ... umm, bacon ....

[Parallax]

Agreed, though both are much more interesting as a spectator sport than bowling or golf.

As to Golf, as a spectator sport I would agree; but there's a whole lot more action to watch in bowling at any given time than there is baseball, or (American) football.

[tim60]

I've been to 2 baseball games in my life. Watching the grass grow on the field was quite boring and the game itself even moreso. I've never watched cticket but I can't imagine it could possibly be less interesting than baseball.

Actually, cricket is much faster and more interesting. The time between balls in cricket averages less than a minute, all day, but in baseball is rather longer, and often the pitcher gets distracted and throws it to one of his team-mates who has nothing to do with the batting. Besides, one of the really interesting parts of cricket is what the weather impact will be in later days of the game and all the discussions the spectators can have over night while waiting for the start of the next day's play.


There are lessons of life embedded in cricket. One I have found is expressed in the simple sentence: "even the best batsman only takes one ball to get out" - even if that ball comes after they have scored some monumental score, such as 200. The best batsman ever (average 99.99 runs per innings) lived his last years nearer to my house than my telephone exchange. He got out for 0 in his last innings, needing only 1 to get a three figure average. A hire car driver I travelled with once told me that in his previous job he went to see an old man and talked for 2 hours about the business and this and that, and only when he left the house and saw a painting on his way out realised he had been talking to the most famous Australian batsman.

---------- Post added 12-02-14 at 05:51 AM ----------

After golf, I would not call bowling much of a "sport" ... but at least one can drink beer and have a BLT while doing it ... umm, bacon ....

I visited Cranfield village, north of London, some time ago and discovered why the English invented cricket, a game which can only be played on a fine day in a country where it usually rains - cricket was really an excuse that would be acceptable at home for going out with the lads to drink pints in the pavilion.