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Show ~ SE Thorsday, June 3, 1993 Standard-Examiner . . @QuiDe New Zealand tour by bike is Satisfying aa | Joumeyallows close-up view of country 3y PATRICIA WOOLMAN andara-t xamuiner I never dreamed I'd choose to spend my vacation bicycling 500 miles, but when a group offrends | Organized a tour of NewZealand, I decided to giveit a try. I don’t consider myself to be any kind of an expert, but I love to bicycle and have rolled up the miles over the years, on both road and mountain bikes. We chose to take mountain bikes because part of the tour would cover gravel roads. With more gears, mountain bikes also ride easier over steep, long mounPeERE? tain passes. Ourcrewof nine men and women, ranging in age from 29 to 42, reregt flew from Utah, Colorado and Nebraska to Auckland, on New Zealand’s North Island. From there we flew to the South Island and began our two-wheel journey from Christchurch. We started on a loop that would take us south to Queenstown, then PRESPE ERE EET: north along the west coast through thick rain forest country to the city of Greymouth. Our final leg turned east and returned to Chnistchurch. To makethe trip easier, we rent- ed a van to carryextra food, water, luggage and other essentials. 5 For two weeks we bicycled «| *| | through small towns and cities, past thousands ofsheep dotted on emerald green hillsides, and over o a few mountain passes. We rode along the shores of huge lakes and crossed dozens of rivers and streams. Most of the waterways were icy cold, fed by snowand glaciers high above. Some of the rivers and lakes eRe eens < were turquoise-blue, a color com- monly seen in the Caribbean or South Pacific waters. We were told it was caused byrock dust deposited by glaciers. When webegan in mid-December, summer was beginning in NewZealand. During our trip, the weather would range from cool and rainyto sun-filled, 80 degree ~{ =| ceeeer days. Our first day of the tour required an application of sunscreen. It was a beautiful, perfect day for riding what would be our longest day — over 100 miles. The terrain was mainly flat | long-distance cycling — eat before you're hungry and drink before you're thirsty. A medical expert, Dr. Michael Woolman of Ogden, said the phenomenon occurs when the body’s stores of sugar — glucose or glycogen — are depleted. Unless the Sugars are replenished, they’re normally used up in about two hours on a long-distance bicycle trip. Eating the right foods becomes essential to keep the body maintained for hours of exercise. Foods high in fat or protein won't help the problem, but carbohydrates will. In New Zealand weate plentyof fruits, pasta, crackers, breads and cereals — a good arrayof carbohydrates. We also filled our water bottles with energy drinks, like Ultra Fuel or Gatorade, which chemically combine long chains of glucose or are pure glucose, which are easier for the body to break down and use. This kind of physical exercise burns up about 400 to 500 calones per hour, depending on conditioning, terrain, wind and other factors. In order to consume enough calories to ride a 60-mile day, each of us had to eat about 4,000 calories. It not only sounds like a lot, but sometimes it seemed like all we did was nde and eat. In fact, even with all the exercise, most of us didn’t lose any weight. We also never stopped drinking water. Each morning it was important to start out with at least eight ounces of water before riding, and to consume eight ounces or more for everyhalf-hour of riding. Weeach carried two water bot- tles on our bikes, each bottle containing between 16 and 32 ounces of liquid. On long days, werefilled often. The same day I bonked, I learned how frequently my riding the coast. We swam with dolphins in the ocean along the Kaikoura coast. The four bravest in the group bungee-jumped 140 feet over the Shotover River near Queenstown. Even bungee jumping and swimming with dolphins did little to shake morning sluggishness, however. Every day, I noticed that it took between 30 and 45 minutes to warm up and feel comfortable. I didn’t do a lot to prepare for this trip. I spent about one hour every other day on a stationary bicycle for four to six weeks. However it’s done, advance preparation is important. Building up “base miles” is necessary to increase overall conditioning and toughen the body’s back, leg and neck muscles, to allow yourself time to be accustomed to riding a A good start would be to gradually work out in a six-week program, increasing daily mileage from 10 to 15 miles in thefirst week to 15 to 20 miles at the end of the six weeks. Also include a couple rides of 60 miles, ideally two hard days in a row,to see if you can handle this activity. On short riding days, we could We flew in a small plane over the Southern Alps; kayaked in a lagoon, snapping photos of large herons; helicoptered above Franz Josef and Fox glaciers, amazingly tER? ‘| It’s boom time for mountain bikes By KEVIN McCULLEN se Scripps Howard News Service a DURANGO, Colo. — Fat tire “| pioneers like Ned Overend have a question for the multitudes now mesmerized by mountain é bicycles: What took you so long? “Ten years ago, I knewthe boom would come. I wondered when it would really take off because mountain bikes are a comfortable way to get into the backcountry, and they’re fun,” said Overend, a Durango, Colo., resident who’s been a professional mountain bike racer for a decade. . ew . Punakaki National Park on the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island offers spectacular OGDEN SUBARU Since thefirst fat-tire bicycles emerged in the American West fewer than 20 years ago, the once obscure sport of mountain biking has evolved into one of the na- tion’s biggest recreational pursuits and a multi-million dollar industry. Mountain bicycles are as common as carsin places like Colorado’s Crested Butte or Durango, and the pastime has transformed communities like Moab, Utah, into resort destinations. Crested Butte, which bills itself as the mountain biking capital of the world, even boasts the National Mountain Bike Hall of Fame and Museum. Nationally, the Bicycle Institute of America estimated there were 25 million mountain bicycle riders in this country last year, an increase of 5 million over 1991. Increasingly, businesses and public agencies are paying attention to this two-wheeled clientele. The U.S. Bureau of Land Man- OGDEN Te IS YOUR Summer Driving Headquarters agement, in cooperation with other federal agencies and the Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Trail Association, several years ago helped establish the scenic Kokopelli’s Trail, a 140-mile route through desert sandstone and shale canyons from outside Grand Junction to Moab. Of an estimated 11.6 million bicycles — including children’s bikes — sold in the United States last year, about 6.7 million were mountain bikes, according to the Bicycle Manufacturers Association of America. Whereearly enthusiasts found happiness on one-speed clunkers with coaster brakes and wide tires, today’s mountain bikers can spend from $400 to more SPECIAL BANK TERMS! LS, maroon, loaded $11,920 BESHHSESERES make difference The Associated Press A good first-aid kit can mean the difference between enjoying your outdoor vacation or suffering CAME Pee through a survival experience. Here $5780 w Yourprescription medication. ~ gpAllergy medication. . gw Antacid. = gAn antihistamine, which can ~ help everything from runny nose to ~ bee stings to poison ivy. Assorted adhesive bandages. gw Gauze bandages. ~ g Bandanna or triangular ban- * SLEEPING BAGS x Professionally Dry Cleaned BT OTLETERERE ECS ee 2esa758 DLX Pickup SE. 4dr., 16,660 $6499 $8735 1989 Subaru GL 1987 GMC S-15 Jimmy 4dr, loaded, auto. \ ay 1992 Subaru Legacy OAC Loaded, auto., 4 dr. #2152 $10,990 1989 VW Jetta GL 1991 Honda Civic $7740 Loaded, sunroot, air and more White, nice $7540 1989 Toyota Corolla $6140 4 dr., auto., air, cass. 1990 Geo Tracker 1993 Loyale Wagon Blue, 5 spd., air $7800 $5940 $7540 Maroon, must see this one, #2346 White, air, cass., tit #93070 $9999 1993 SUBARU wootOVALE 1993 SUBARU LEGACY 1993 SUBARU IMPREZA $14,444 Own tor sor? #93026 Own for $249 wre: S11,999 $2234 SHOP THESE PAYMENTS, PRICES AND FINANCE TERMS! *48 mo, lease purchase, OAC pls bax. $800 cash oF trade equity Tey -= dage. A small bar of soap. ge Burn ointment. w Eyewash. w Antiseptic. gw Hot and cold packs. w Medical tape. w Elastic bandage. wg Painkiller, such as aspirin. w Scissors. w Tweezers. glitch ointment, such as a cortisone cream. w Blister treatment. gw Safety pins. a Snake bite kit. # good first-aid book. 1991 Nissan 1990 eroe 5 spd., air, am/tm cass. Month of JUNE 1993 are some things you should carry in your kit: ee) 5 spd., very ne weight alloy frames. / 6 © 72 months 1987 MR2 than $3,000 for bikes with light- 1991 Mazda MX6 LX Ge" 1990 Isuzu Trooper 1992 Nissan Sentra “ First-aid kit may scenery on a journey through thick rain forests amid icy cold lakes and rivers. ON THE ROAD AND OFF — Fat-tire fanatics help sport evolve into a multimilion-dollar industry w posted at bridge entrances. Much of the terrain consists of farming areas bordered by tall snowcapped mountains. located less than 20 miles from bicycle every day. recover a bit and discover many Not me. After piling up about Single lane bridges are the rule in New Zealand. Motorists and bicyclists determine whohastheright of way according to signs friends took Ibuprofen for muscle other ways to spend our time. 70 miles, I bonked. Photos by Curt Ehie and joint pain. through rural, farming countryside peddle the distance. af basically out of gas. That’s when | learned an important principle in bordered on the west by tall snowcapped mountains. From morning till dusk, most of the group would "=| “Bonking” is one of those lousy feelings when your body tells you it can’t move another inch. It’s NO LIMIT 3377 WALL AVE., OGDEN * 621-3431 SLC 521-2110 TOLL-FREE 1-800-947-0029 FINE Your(}(it DRY CLEANING NORTH OGDEN 2600 No. Washington 782-6564 ET SOUTH OGDEN 4305 Harrison Bivd. DOWNTOWN 29th & Washington 479-1138 394-2645 EVERY CLASSROOM NEEDSIT! FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 394-7711 ext. 557 |