You did the “easy” stuff slogging your way north out of Invercargill on stage 432: so let’s chuck a couple of testers in there on 433 just to get your legs ready for what’s to come. While stage 433 isn’t slabberingly rabid, it’s got enough of a kick to make you go “Woah, what the hell was that?” Welcome to New Zealand.
The rollout is pretty innocuous as it follows the line of the Oreli River north: the river, of course is flowing the other way: that water is destined for a party in the southern ocean. Route 6 trundles its merry way north through Limehills and Centre Bush to four miles where the first ambush awaits. The hill, aptly called Limeworks, kicks up a hundred feet for a mile before dropping back down the other side. Of course it doesn’t descend as much as it has climbed, that would be too easy, so by six miles you’re up almost a hundred feet on the stage.
By the time you’ve passed by Kauana and Benmore and reached Dipton, another seven miles have gone by – all uphill – and you’re still trucking along beside the river. The road then gives you a nice wee bump as it swings right then left before the flattest, but alas still uphill section of the stage delivers you to nineteen miles with imposing hills left and right. There’s only one thing for it: jump between them, which involves a two hundred foot climb in no time at all but the good news is it drops down by the same amount on the other side. And the even better news is that it’s flat from the bottom of the descent for the remaining four miles of the stage.
The finish is on a long left hander approaching Lumsden, and yes, the Oreli River is back on your case having scooted round the other side of the big climb and basically had an an easy time of it, unlike yourself.
Distance: 22 miles / 35 kilometres
Ascent: 673 feet / 205 metres
RGT Magic Road: 5DgU22MbJptN
Max elevation: 824 ft
Min elevation: 483 ft
Total climbing: 674 ft
Total descent: -534 ft
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