Feeling recharged and eager to cruise some more crazy routes we hit the road heading towards Danseys Pass. The rolling green hills created a scene straight from the Shire as we climbed higher and higher up some dirt roads. We soon came upon a sign that said a bridge was out ahead but decided to check it out anyway. They were rebuilding a bridge and the only way to cross was to ford a river below, so we did. I mounted the GoPro to the back of Frankenbike and we swapped bikes a few times to get badass shots of one rider flying up passed the other. My knee started to act up from a tumble I took the day before so I was glad to reach the town of Alexandria so I could get some Ibuprofen and an ace bandage.
We thought about staying the night in town since we were meeting Nick the next day in Queenstown but decided to go off-roading some more and camp. One of Matt’s recommendations was just south of Alexandria so we started to head out that direction. Not even an hour later, Sam’s bike, the Pig, completely died. We did some troubleshooting but never discovered a culprit so we decided to head back to Alexandria to find a shop. Luckily, I brought a rope with me for part of the tool kit, since you never know when you’ll need a rope! Also, luckily, Matt told us how to properly tow a bike; tie it to the front bike but only wrap a few loops around the foot peg of the rear bike. That way if the rear rider needs to bail, they just lift their foot to let the rope unravel. We fond a mechanic shop that was just about to close and Sam convinced them to let him return tomorrow and borrow some tools to dissect his bike and fix it in exchange for beer. He stayed in a tiny hotel that evening and I continued on to Queenstown where I met up with Nick. He spotted Frankenbike right away and we chilled at the beach of Lake Wakatipu for a bit before checking in at the Nomad Hostel.
Sam went to town disassembling the Pig.
Only to find out that the stater, a piece fairly external on the bike, was not installed properly and became dettached which was causing the issues.
Lake Wakatipu.