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China visit, May 2025

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    Back on the bike this morning for a whirl around our Waikanae circuit: Peka Peka to Otaihanga and return along the cycle path alongside the Peka Peka to Otaki Expressway. I’m probably alert to this since returning from our Sounds2Sounds bike ride in Feb/March, but I notice an increasing number of bikes on these routes.   I digress however. We're just back from a three-week trip to China where I joined Tim who’d been working with colleagues at  Tongji University  in Shanghai for three weeks. It was an interesting and successful opportunity for him. We capped it off with a 12-day Intrepid tour, beginning in the capital, Beijing, and including Xi’an, Chengdu, Yangshuo and Hong Kong. It was a busy but fascinating experience, covering a swathe of China and offering some insights into the country’s history which goes back 5000 years or more.    To achieve this we needed to be able to travel large distances quickly. Bullet trains were the answer and I’m s...
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The bike ride with everything: the Sounds to Sounds

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An unforgettable bike ride: Sounds to Sounds, South Island, New Zealand  23 February - 13 March 2025 Over the past two decades New Zealand’s produced a series of world-class mountain bike trails, including The Otago Rail Trail, The Timber Trail, The Mountains to the Sea, the 42 Traverse, Queen Charlotte Track and many others.  But there’s one ride that stands out head and shoulders above the rest for distance, scenery, and the effort required to complete its 1500km length.     That distance – almost the entire length of the South Island – incorporates 16,500m of vertical climbing and four high alpine passes. It requires fitness, stamina and commitment to complete, and that’s regardless of the weather and whether you’re on a regular push bike or an e-bike. I t’s the Sounds to Sounds (S2S) ride that was popularised by the high-profile Kennett Brothers (Jonathan, Simon and Paul) who organised a ride there in 2022, during lockdown. They invited 100 friends and colleagues...
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