Sounds like a plan …

Marlborough is the starting point for an exciting new bike packing journey.

At the beginning of March, the inaugural Sounds 2 Sound brevet will begin from Ship Cove in the Marlborough Sounds.

Around 140 bikers have already signed up for the event, which will take them on a predominantly off-road 1500km route down the South Island, finishing at Fiordland’s Milford Sound.

Organiser Jonathan Kennett who, along with brothers Paul and Simon, has spent many years instigating mountain biking routes throughout the country, launched the new venture last week and says the Sounds 2 Sound is the third leg of the siblings’ bike packing “trilogy”.

“Tour Aotearoa, from Cape Reinga to Bluff, and Kopiko Aotearoa, which goes from East Cape to Cape Egmont, are the other two,” Jonathan explained.

“Essentially what we have been doing over the last few years is developing these bike packing routes to encourage economic development and for people to explore New Zealand in a way that you can really get to know [the country] well.

“Our technique is three-fold. First, we will organise a route and design it to meet NZ cycle design guide criteria. Then we will launch it with a non-commercial event, such as the Sounds 2 Sound … then we also write about it afterwards in guidebooks.”

He was excited about the potential of their latest innovation.

“It’s really inspirational for people looking for a longer holiday or a challenge in New Zealand. Tour Aotearoa has grown from 250 [riders] in the first year to 1000 in the third … and I think the Sounds 2 Sounds route will be equally popular.”

He has seen a significant upsurge in interest in trail riding in recent times.

“Since COVID there has been an annual 13-14 percent average growth on cycle trails around New Zealand. You would have thought it would have gone in the opposite direction but actually the number of New Zealanders going out and doing these trails now since they can’t get overseas is more than compensating for the international tourist market having been gutted.”

Like many good ideas, the Sounds 2 Sound concept has been on the backburner for a while.

“Tour Aotearoa riders traditionally have headed down the West Coast after arriving in Marlborough, but in 2018 there were some significant storms which blocked that route,” explained Jonathan.

“We realised then that we needed an east-of-the-divide option and that got us thinking … maybe it could be more than just an alternative route for the TA.

“We felt that going from Sounds to Sound could be quite inspirational.

“In future there will be two types of riders that use [this route] … those that just want to do the Sounds 2 Sound, plus those that are coming from Cape Reinga, then get to Picton, look at the weather and make a call whether they go east or west of the main divide.”

Jonathan stresses that the Sounds 2 Sound is not a race, but a brevet. Brevet is a term coined by Tour de France organisers in 1904. It describes an event for riders who had finished their competitive racing careers but still want to go out and test themselves against various challenges. A brevet follows a set course, via a series of photo checkpoints, which must be completed within specified time restraints.

“It is an event in which you can’t go too fast, and you can’t go too slow,” explained Jonathan. “You have to ride within specified time brackets – if you go too fast [quicker than five days] you will be disqualified, if you go to slow you will be disqualified. That ensures you can have a wider range of people able to take part in a challenge such as this.

Among the riders will be the organiser, who plans to ride a tandem with his partner.

“I wouldn’t organise it if I wasn’t taking part,” he says with a chuckle.

The event will begin on two waves, to comply with COVID protocol, the first wave leaving Ship Cove on March 1, the second on March 4.

They will ride along the Queen Charlotte Track, then to Havelock, Renwick and Blenheim. Crossing the Taylor Pass they will carry on up the Awatere Valley, through Molesworth to Hanmer Springs.

All riders will have GPS trackers so their progress can be followed as they make their way further south. Entrants can ride in groups and, while e-bikes are permitted, Jonathan doesn’t expect any to be seen on the inaugural ride.

Entry is through a donation, which goes to charity and helps to offset the carbon emissions from travel to the event.

While Jonathan and his creative siblings are all about planning and running the event at this stage, the bigger picture is clear.

“The idea of the event is that it just consolidates the route,” said Jonathan, “then the route is opened to the public and can be done at any time later on.

“The majority of people in future will do this independently of any event.”