18 February 2012

Congratulations!

I was really impressed to see almost everybody make it round the entire course. It certainly sounds like it was harder in the clockwise direction, although the weather gods were on your side most of the time.

The following people finished (an asterisk denotes a rider finishing the Kiwi Brevet for the second time):

Alastair Brown & Martin Harry
Alex Revell
Andrew Carman
Andrew King (most disturbed digestive system)
Andy Gilbert & Tony Little (tandem finsihers, and still talking to each other)
Bill Fry (started with zero training)
Charlotte Ireland* & Tim Collinson
Christopher Gilbertson*
Craig McGregor (Rapid Adaptation award for his sudden transition from road brevets)
Darren Tatom* (most stylish tan lines)
Dave Sharpe (most esoteric text-ins)
David Kleinjan (single speed, with bonus style points for chopper flag)
Dean Johansson
Geof Blance ('Hard-arse' award for back-to-back brevets)
Hana Black
Jeff Lyall* (Voodoo Lounge team captain)
Jimmy Finlayson
Jo Smith
Joel McFarlane-Roberts* & Clair Graydon
Jonty Ritchie*
Julie Williams & Thomas Ekholm
Karin Pehrson (first woman to finish on a CX bike)
Lance Griffin (still smiling while recovering from the Tour Divide)
Matt Gerstenberger* (most improved appetite)
Matthew Kemp & Kerrie Noonan
Michelle Cole & Joshua Kench
Mick Brown & Owen Hughes (best time-lapse photos & most broken spokes)
Mike Revell (the only grandfather?)
Nathan Mawkes*
Ollie Whalley* (first to breach the minimum time limit, by half a day)
Pat Hogan* (biggest bonk on day 1)
Paul Becker
Peter Maindonald* (most improved - failed to make the 8-day cut in 2010)
Richard Davies
Scott Emmens
Stephen Butterworth (single speed)
Thomas Lindup* (bonus for most extra distance covered)
Tor Madsen

Only two people pulled the pin along the way, and Graeme Head took a few short-cuts after losing a day to a broken derailleur near Hanmer, but carried on round to Blenheim. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, several people pulled out in the week prior to the brevet.

The trip reports and photo albums from finishers are coming in thick and fast - there are a dozen posted in the right-hand column already and they make for great reading!

If you are Wellington-based and want to catch up for some tall tales, there will be pizza at Revolution Bicycles in Northland this Thursday (the 23rd Feb). Thanks Jonty.

Thanks to everyone who helped get this show on the road:
My wife, Sarah and bros, Paul and Jonathan for putting up with me.
The Pattersons for land access through MacDonald Downs Station.
Pat Hogan for organising the SPOT hire.
Jeff Lyall for a bunch of work to make the blog more interesting.
Andrew for doing the cue sheets (in a style which kept you on your toes).
John Randal for the daily previews.
Nathan Mawkes for the altitude graphs and reversed google map).
Mondo & Lisa for having me to stay in Blenheim.
Duncan for hosting the briefing in style.
Cycle World for opening early and collecting the SPOTs.
Dave King for getting the SPOTs to us pronto after his brevet.
Various locals who sent through photos for the blog.
Scott, Matthew and Louise for organising the SPOT tracking technical stuff.
And all the riders who contributed to the $3,264 raised for Project K (and chipped in for the Leaderboard cost).

The third Kiwi Brevet will be in 2014 - you have two years to find the perfect saddle. The start will be in Blenheim at noon on the 1st of February. We'll be heading in an anti-clockwise direction.

Pedal on!

Simon