I was really excited to bike on the Timber Trail, as cycling is a great way to connect with an area. In researching the trail, there were several options for completing the challenge. The trail is 84 km and can be done in whole or half with shuttle services. There was also an opportunity to split the full trail in two by staying at a lodge near the halfway point. My uncle and I thought we were riding across the US in the summer of 2020, so we opted to do the complete trail in one shot. We rented bikes from a local outfitter that also provided the shuttle service to the starting point, and then picked us up at the end. My uncle and I rented regular bikes, and my brother opted for the e-bike.

The first section of the trail was uphill and rated as a class III mountain biking section. The second half was class II and mostly a downhill roll to the extraction point. For anyone considering this traill, don’t underestimate the challenge of cycling the Timber Trail. Coming from road biking, this trail gave my uncle and I an unexpected challenge.

I’ve ridden bikes in other countries before and never knew that brakes for the front and back can switch sides of the handlebars. This might have been good to know before starting on a windy trail. We left the parking lot and began our climb up for about 13 km. Mr “I rented an e-bike” sped by us, and I’m fairly certain he was laughing. I wasn’t using the brakes on the uphill, so I didn’t notice the switch right away. The trouble came when the trail started to descend with really fun switchbacks. I went to take a drink quickly before a turn, and that’s when it happened, I needed to quickly pull the brake to slow down around the turn, only I grabbed the wrong brake. Pulling the front brake too hard without also using the back brake will send the rider flying over the handlebars, and that’s exactly what I did. The good news, I wasn’t hurt, it even knocked out the charley horse that was threatening to attack my leg. I got the lesson on the brakes and made sure not to make that mistake again.

The temperature was climbing as the day clocked on and by mid-afternoon it was in the 80s. This meant that I was doing a great job of sweating and that always has the affect of activating the muscles in a revolt. Charley horses are hereditary, so my uncle and I took turns during the entire ride trying to work out the muscle cramps. This slowed our riding because it felt like every few miles we were stopping so one of us could work out the cramp.

The e-bike sped ahead and with our cramp stops, we lost each other. When my uncle and I reached the lodge near the halfway point, we had a discussion regarding the location of my brother. The lodge was up a hill, and not feeling the need to expend any additional energy, we glanced up at the lodge but decided not to ascend the hill. We went around the corner and found a bench near a bridge crossing. While there, a rider coming the opposite direct came by and we asked if he saw someone wearing a black jersey, he said he thought he passed him. So we finished our lunch and continued on thinking we’d meet up with my brother along the trail. However, it turned out he was in the lodge charging his bike and waiting for us. He waited an hour and then began to bike towards the end, hoping we weren’t laying in the trees somewhere.

It’s a beautiful trail and well worth the effort. If time isn’t a consideration, then I would recommend taking two days to complete the trail and staying at the lodge in the middle. My brother told us that the lodge was really nice and the pizza smelled amazing.

The trail was part of the ride across New Zealand that starts in the North Island and runs to the tip of the South Island, which happens in February. We passed several participants on the their journey south. One pair even helped my brother with an extra tube, as he had two flats and ran out of spare tubes.

For the first time doing a long distance mountain biking ride, this was a great option. It provided bridges, a fun downhill switchback section, and an old rail trail with a spiral and tunnel. We rode the trail from north to south, which provided an uphill climb challenge at the beginning and a good roll to the end. I would definitely do this again and recommend it to any cyclist heading to the North Island.