About half the ride today was on gravel roads, but they were the best gravel roads yet. We rode by an incredible beach. It's so scenic here.

I was able to ride the whole day without a shirt, it felt good.

As we were packing up in the morning we got assaulted by sand flies. It was HELL! You couldn't sit still, not for one second.

[Thinking it would not be that bad, I got out of bed and started to fix breakfast. I was DESCENDED upon by these mad bugs. I had to literally throw all my stuff on my bike/drape it over the handlebars, ride down the road about one mile and then I could finally stow my belongings in their proper location on my bike. And finish my breakfast.]

It was a slow day because of the couple I was riding with, but for two days it was OK. They (Nathan & Grace) are very nice and we went to a pub tonight and had a few pitchers of "Speights", the pride of the south, while watching New Zealand win the bronze medal in the [Commonwealth Games] match sprint. Then we came back to the kitchen and had pasta, tomatoes and sardines. I'm in heaven.

Training Diary Comments: Sun & mild wind. 7 hrs. All of a sudden, my left knee started to hurt (last 30 km). It was OK when I got off the bike but it hurt to push big gears and to stand up.

Hwy 92 looking south