The Original Great Southern Brevet: GSB2021 Emails

Seems we have a few going incognito as their emails bounce back. Reproducing the email here is case you visit the website 😉

Email 1

GSB2021 - Are you ready?

Hello All,

Hope you are looking forward to getting social and distanced! That is social with your bike, and covering some long distances ;-)

The Great Southern Brevet 2021 is upon us and with the push to explore our own backyard this is a top opportunity to see some remote parts of the South Island. You will need to fuel your ride so hopefully some of the local businesses will notice your efforts as well.

Have avoided emailing as you are probably inundated these days but a few basics things need to be covered:

First, let us know if you are still coming! Register your details for tracking with Maprogress. You should have received a link from Shane. If not get in touch with us now. And get in touch if you have decided to not ride (medical certificate required!).

Second, start time in Tekapo on Saturday the 23rd of January. Please be down at the Church of the Good Shepherd on the waterfront in Lake Tekapo by 10:00AM. We will have a safety briefing and check you in. We need to know who is out on course as we notify landowners when their land is clear of all riders. It can impact farm operations if they have to spend time looking for someone or time waiting to avoid a clash with riders. Once the formalities are out of the way we should get off around 10:30AM. The first couple of kms are neutralised as we cross State Highway 8. Please be cautious and respect other road users till we head up Godley Peaks Road.

Third, the course GPS files are now final. And yes, Grandview Ridge Track has gone! No excuses for not completing :-) Fingers crossed the river levels have continued to drop in the Manuherikia and it should be smooth riding.

Any questions please feel free to ask. Trouble with loading GPS files, need a lift to Tekapo or accommodation? Sorry can't help if you are not feeling fit enough but can guarantee you will feel fit after the first couple of days riding :-)

PS Cue Sheets will be updated and a link added tomorrow on the Route 2021 tab on the website.

Cheers,

The Great Southern Brevet Team

Email: greatsouthernbrevet@gmail.com

Website: www.greatsouthernbrevet.blogspot.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/southernbrevet

Twitter: @southernbrevet

Email 2

Cue Sheets and GPX updated

Hello All,

Thanks to those that have got in touch to confirm (or deny) they are coming. Sorry to see a few miss out but the weather forecast is looking good for the weekend.

Again, please let us know if you are not coming as this helps to ensure we can inform landowners when the last rider is clear of their land.

Cue Sheets

The Cue Sheets are up on the 'Route 2021' tab at greatsouthernbrevet.blogspot.com. Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets format both available. Where we follow marked cycle trails it is expected you continue on till an instruction to turn off.

Cue Sheets have the Services added and the Text Check-in locations. Regarding Text Check-ins, please just send us a text anytime you reach civilisation if you don't want to remember specific locations. The more the merrier, tell us the good, and the bad, about your ride

GPX Files Updated

So this time, thanks to an obscure Garmin feature (bug?), the GPX files have had to be updated. Turns out Garmin does not use the complete name, just the first few characters. Thus some of you discovered that after 10 tracks things started over again!

Best thing is to delete all the tracks beginning with 'GSB2021' or 'GSB2021F' and reload the file(s) and then check your new tracks begin with 'GSB21'.

Sorry again, but first time coming across this bug (feature?).

Garmin Courses

Many with Garmin devices will use the 'Follow Course' or 'Ride Course' Feature. One thing to note is that the GPX track is not ultra-precise (would be well over 10,000 points). The result is you will get plenty of 'Off Course' messages! and your battery consumption will be about 20% worse. This is due to the frequent re-calculating of the route.

Best solution to this, and is much better for battery consumption, is to just use the track as a visual guideline. It will display anytime you view the map. You will have to set up by selecting 'Settings' for each track to turn it on to 'Always Display'. I usually select the bright green colour as it shows up well against the topo map. See screenshots below.

Note, this does not affect you recording your track. Just press 'Start' as normal and it will record no problem. It just avoids the workout the unit gets re-calculating all the time.