The Great Southern Brevet
 

Words & Photos: Emma Bateup

The Great Southern Brevet (GSB) is a staple of the NZ bikepacking community, a mountainous 1100km loop through the south of the South Island. I was originally not planning to participate (it's not a race, but people go fast), until everyone started talking about it and I felt left out. So, I became one of close to 200 riders making their way to Tekapo for the 2025 edition.

Day 1

Unlike every other bikepacking event I've been part of, GSB runs with the very casual start time of 9:30am. We rolled out in a neutral procession, regrouping by the canal for the actual start at about 10. I was excited to get going so made my way to the front of the pack as we headed onto the rough river road. We keep up a solid but civilised pace for the first 50 or so ks with plenty of chatting. I had a rock flick up and hit my ankle, the pain took a while to go away which made me nervous, but eventually it was fine. As we headed into Black Forest Station I stopped to find a spot to wee. As I walked into the trees I tripped over a stick and landed on the ground. Brilliant way to start.

We were treated to nice overcast weather, unlike the previous times I’d been through this area, but I still warmed up with the steeper climbs alongside Lake Benmore. Time flew by with company from other riders. Before long I was on the A2O trail heading towards Omarama.

The trail was busy with other riders so I tried to keep things contained. I did wash out my front wheel going around a corner, thankfully keeping it upright cos a crash on an easy part of the course would have been embarrassing. I rolled into a busy Omarama Four Square carpark and had an efficient stop. I had carried lots of food from the start so just grabbed a few extras, filled up with water, toileted and kept going - passing a few riders in the process (including Jak) which is always fun. I enjoyed an ice block, then a pie which was hard to force down.

We started up the climb to the next saddle, which was steep and most of us walked a lot of it. II got passed by people. It was also now that I started regretting my shoe choice. Usually I use flat pedals for bikepacking, but due to the supposedly less technical uphill aspect of this event I’d opted for clips and brought my xc shoes. Great for pedalling, not so great for walking. I made my way over the top and down towards Oturehua. The descent got a few people with punctures so I made sure to be gentle.

On reaching Oturehua I went to find water, saw the pub open with bikes outside, and found Jak and Andy inside. I spent a bit too long faffing here - sitting down to eat a giant sausage roll. Once other riders came in I got a move on, taking a breakfast burger with me for later. Darkness fell as I made my way along the Otago Central Rail Trail. I’ve done a few other races through this valley but this was the first time I didn't have to fight to stay awake. It wasn’t long before I was into the next climb, which consisted of 50 billion gates, up and over before the final flats at the end of the day.

I ate my breakfast burger. It started drizzling not long after. I rolled into Luggate at about 3am and searched for the domain that Andy had mentioned. I found Joe and George who had discovered some couches and parked up. I was being super careful not to wake them but accidentally triggered a sensor light. I quickly got my sleeping bag out and hoped on a couch. Unfortunately the light kept turning on and off, so it was a very broken few hours of sleep.

Day 2

GSB rules (loosely?) require a 4 hour stop each night. I was planning to get going again at 7ish, but when I got up to use the toilet at 6 I suddenly had to throw up. After clearing my stomach contents I was wide awake so packed and got underway. I was worried to eat for a little while, but my stomach seemed to have settled so I ripped into a packet of lollies for breakfast.

I started the climb up the Pisa Range, which quickly turned into a walk. It wasn’t long before I came across George who had been having gear issues. He was a much stronger climber than me so whenever he had to stop and fix something I was able to catch up. It was great to have company as the weather rolled in. We got most of the way to the top before the rain eventually arrived. Layers were put on just in time and it got much heavier as we dropped down the other side. We stuck together and took it carefully to avoid punctures.

The rain didn't stop until we were down in Cromwell resupplying. The sky cleared enough to give me false hope it was over. We left town still wearing all of our layers but quickly warmed up again on the Lake Dunstan Trail - once again dodging plenty of other cyclists. We parted ways in Clyde as George headed into town and I made my way up onto the Old Woman Range. I was walking up another steep section when it started spitting. While I stopped to put on my jacket, Rainer (an absolute weapon) pedalled past. We had a quick chat before he continuing on his way.

Soon after a huge downpour came through, soaking me completely. Then the chilly southerly wind increased and despite having every riding layer on I got very cold. At this point I was at about 1200m but I knew we had to get over 1700m with plenty of ups and downs in between before reaching the next hut. I knew Jak and Andy were coming up the hill behind me so when I spotted a wee rock cave I decided to hop in with my sleeping bag to warm up until I saw them. I settled in and inhaled some food while I waited, slowly regaining some warmith. They came past about an hour later, we had a quick chat. I knew if I went back out I'd get too cold, so stayed put.

Not long after I got a fright as Jak popped up, saying that there was a hut just around the corner. I didn't believe him for a bit but got my wet clothes back on and continued on the track for just a couple of minutes to find the hut, tripping over my bike as I tried to dismount in a hurry. We were all very surprised and relieved to find this open hut which isn't on the map. I was convinced the wind would die down during the night so I got up every few hours to check. It didn't.

Day 3

As glimpses of light came, so did the sound of a bike rolling down the hill and stopping outside the hut. Doug came in saying how bad the weather still was and decided to join us, pulling out his sleeping bag. Not long after, Mark did the same. We were all trying to muster up the enthusiasm to get back out there when we saw Matt and Gary roll straight past, prompting all of us to get up and going with varying degrees of speed.

The following hours across the tops consisted of patches of sun, strong winds and intermittent snow storms. It was very slow going battling the wind and snow drifts. The five of us regrouped at the start of the Nevis Valley, shedding layers and taking food in before the long slog up the valley into a headwind.

I'd planned on just working together with the group but my competitiveness took over and I pulled away, getting a good gap by the top of the valley. I enjoyed the long descent down the other side, taking in the views and taking my socks off to dry. While opening a gate at the bottom I lent my bike against me, burning my knee on the edge of my sizzling brake rotor. I continued onto the cycle trail leading to Lumsden, bumping into a dot watcher handing out sausages on the way, day made.

I made it to Lumsden with plenty of time before stores closed and set about an efficient resupply with hopes of gaining on Matt and Gary whose bikes I'd seen outside a store as I rode into town. It worked because as I got onto a bit of straight road I could see them just ahead - catching and passing them not long after, after briefly comparing our experiences over the last 24hrs. I made quick progress and headed up past Piano Flat as the light started disappearing. I was aiming for a hut just below the bush line that I'd seen on the map, but when I got there it was dark and intimidating so I opted to continue and find a spot under the trees to park up.

Day 4

After a 4 hour stop, with a terrible ratio of faff to sleep, I got on my way back up the hill, walking the steep zigzags up onto the ridge. Once on the tops I was treated to a stunning sunrise with views out across the mountains. The wind also was starting to pick up, making the steeper sections more tempting to walk. Eventually I dropped down the other side into a long, and at times steep, descent through farm paddocks. I was very happy to be on my capable and comfy Juliana Wilder, and felt sorry for those on gravel bikes. Arriving at the bottom I knew there was a wee detour before Alexandra, but it dragged on for longer than I thought. I was happy to finally reach the bridge into town. It was heating up for scorching day so while resupplying I focused on cold drinks and ice blocks, preparing for an afternoon in the sun.

I kept my pace low until passing the Poolburn Reservoir and the clouds started rolling in. Having raced through this section multiple times before, I was well prepared and had fun on the downhills. By now I'd figured out a no-hands technique for consuming baby food. It was fast becoming my food of choice to keep my teeth happy. I soon crossed the Taieri River and rolled along the roads to Paerau, where the climb up onto the Rock and Pillar Range started.

The clouds were becoming darker and it wasn't long before I felt spits of rain. Time to layer up. The wind was also picking up. As I got up onto the ridge I had to start making decisions about safety. This was starting to look like a similar situation to a couple of nights prior, but with some key differences. The big one being that the weather was coming in from the north, meaning it was much warmer. I could also see along the ridge to figure out what I would be dealing with. There were plenty of big rocks that I could shelter behind if needed. So as darkness fell I got on all my layers and pushed against the wind, walking a lot.

After some very slow progress I started dropping down the other side, thinking that the wind would die off. Boy was I wrong. The farm track zigzagged down the hill. In one direction there was an incredibly strong tailwind requiring intense braking and strong riding. Then I'd turn the corner and battle into a headwind, often resorting to walk mode. At times I'd needed my glasses on to protect my eyes from the driving rain.

The biggest challenge was opening one of the deer gates just enough to squeeze my bike through. I wasn't strong enough to stop it blowing onto my bike as I wrestled it through the gap. I finally made it down to the road at the bottom, cracking up at the sign warning of "strong wind gusts". Down in the valley the wind was less severe but I was still  treated to an uplifting tailwind all the way into Middlemarch where I found a dry spot on the school verandah. The constant wind made sleeping hard but it did dry all my clothes quickly.

Day 5

I woke and slowly got ready, leaving not long before the sky lightened. After the weather from the last night, I was surprised that the wind had died down to just a soft headwind as I headed north. I checked the tracking after an hour or so to see that Matty (in 3rd place) was not far up the road and I was motivated to chase him down. However, upon reaching Ranfurly a few hours later I faffed around too much resupplying - letting him push the gap out.

Things were getting warmer as I rode through Naseby. On one of the hills heading out of town I felt a bug fly into my neck leaving a painful sting. I stopped and knocked back a couple of antihistamines to keep any swelling at bay and kept going. By now I was also taking painkillers to reduce bum and knee pain. I was hopeful the concoction would work.

I was held up by a sheep traffic jam just before I started the climb over Danseys Pass, a good excuse for a food break. The Danseys climb was warm, so I hiked my shirt up my back for cooling, resulting in some burnt patches, but the climb was a nice gradient and it wasn't long before I was up and over. The course took a turn off the road onto farmland and a bridle track alongside the river down to rejoin the A2O cycle trail into Kurow. The trail was nice and wide but had some softer gravel in the middle and while on the aerobars I drifted in a soft patch and had to take evasive action to keep upright. There was less aerobar time after that.

I arrived in Kurow to resupply and spent a bit too long chatting to short course riders. I was definitely out of race mode by now. The valley up to the final climb had a headwind for the majority and I hit a bit of a low. Time for the emergency Red Bull and an entire bag of lollies. This put me in a much better mood as I reached the top. There were stunning views out to the Southern Alps so I took a moment before rolling down the other side. As I reached the flats I could feel the wind picking up, resulting in a long slog to the main road with strong side and headwinds. Seeing the road turn ahead of me would either fill me with dread or joy depending on whether the direction change was likely to increase or reduce the effort. The wind was nothing compared with what I'm used to in Wellington though.

Eventually I reached the cycle trail leading to Tekapo and was treated to a boosting tailwind for the final ks. I'd been relying on music heavily and my phone died with perfect timing just before I rolled into Tekapo. I came to a stop outside the church after 4 days, 13 hrs and 11 mins, very happy with the progress I'd made from previous events and more learnings to take into the next.