Two reasons it’s going to be just fine…

Written By Kim Manunui

My mate Paddy Gower was worried he was not getting the kilometers in to be part of the excitement at Taupō. But there are two reasons he’s going to be just fine.

The first is the rule of 70%. Whatever challenge you’re doing, if you can get a ride or two in at 70% of the distance, then your legs, adrenaline, excitement, and a bit of good nutrition will take you the full distance with no trouble at all. This is just science. So if you’re doing the full 160km on the road, just get a ride or two in of about 115kms. And of course, you can have all the action and camaraderie doing the Length of the Lake, 55km event. If you can get a couple of rides in at just under 40k, you’re golden. (The bad news is if you are planning to do the Enduro, you’ll probs need to nail a few rides of around 225kms.)

And, I’m not a cycling coach, but I reckon if you want to feel the buzz of Taupō you could do the Lakesider (16km) or the Huka Teaser (30km MTB) with no training at all.

The second reason not to stress about your training is, it doesn’t have to be a race! Paddy’s team, and mine too, are putting in place a ‘no rider left behind’ policy. Get with your mates, start together, stop together, get water together, take some photos, wait at the top of the hills. Looks like you got yourselves a Convoy! After all the times I rode and raced this event, trying to get top ten or trying to beat a certain time, the time I finally understood the beauty of the Lake Taupō Challenge was when I rode with mates, stopped, enjoyed. If there had been roses, I would have smelled them.

My training is going well enough to get me there on the 26th I reckon. I got one ride of about 120kms in a few weeks ago. Another couple of 85kms. I’ll try to do 100kms this weekend, and another 120kms next weekend and that should set me up to just… enjoy myself on the day.

If you’ve never been, there is a sheer joy that only the Taupō event can give you. The atmosphere at the start is electric as you stand with your bike, surrounded by a sea of people who are part of our amazing bike community. The ride is as beautiful as it is challenging and I’ve seen so many people in tears of joy at the finish line.

If you want to see my training in detail, you can check out my Strava - feel free to ask any questions in the comments of my ‘activities’ and I’ll answer.

See you all soon!

Kim Manunui

Hi, I’m Kim and I work with a great team to help individuals, as well as small and not so small businesses get their message, product and services to the world using digital media and creating wonderful websites that don’t cost the earth.

I was born in Canada, and grew up around Vancouver and the mountains of British Columbia. My love of pristine environments led me to New Zealand and eventually to the mountains, lakes and rivers of the central North Island which is home. My family’s heritage is here, and it’s from here that Korio traverses the planet.

The digital world is never static and neither are we.

And I say ‘we’ because I work with an awesome group of talented people who I gather together as required to complete a project.  Whatever your business, not-for-profit or individual needs are we gather the best team to get the job done.

Collaboratively we are creative, share sustainable values and work hard for great outcomes because that’s the buzz of satisfaction that drives us.

If you have an audience and market to reach, we can make that happen. Creative design, words that work and smart behind the scenes stuff that cuts through the online noise. We’ll design your website and then build it. We’ll manage the content as well as all your hosting needs. We can handle your online advertising so you get noticed,
and we’ll manage your social media presence so you get the clicks, likes and engagement to grow your business. All within the budget you set, because none of this needs to cost the earth.  And the job doesn’t stop when your website goes live. We are your virtual business partner.

https://www.korio.co.nz
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This iconic event means so many different things to so many people