Saturday Morning Tops-Tooge

After 2 weeks of actual influenza, my lungs were cooked. 

Headed up on the Stooge and was pleasantly surprised how capable of climbing I still was. Breathing wasn't nearly as difficult as I'd expected, and my strength seemed pretty good.  Up the usual, road, over 19th, grunt up from Skidder (cleaned with no stop!), some water at BrakeFree, up to Thompson's #1 and nice we hit down here.  Back up the road, still not really sure where to go, decided on heading out the Traverse.  Nice cruise around here, keeping good pace.  Up onto and rolling down Vernon, straight into the Witch with a nice lot of tech (one dab).  Across the road from here and over the gate, headed up towards the top of the Pirate track, just to get some extra.  Linda Woods Reserve, I believe.

Then, turned back, taking it all in again, including climbing Vernon (instead of the road). Bloody good!  After Lavaflow at the saddle I left the bike for a sec and had a wee look across the road.  There's an out and back trail here I think we'll poach some time.  Back onto the Traverse for the finishing touches back to Vic, blip blop down over the first jump (not quite enough speed) and then down Rabbit, into rocks and gums for a lovely flow down around, Skidder, CAP track entrance onto OG back to 19th road, and then coasting to the dogparkcarpark, sneak between the cars and oooooohhh, noooo...  this isnt good...  mucky mucky. and then the Oaks at the end were an absolute morass.  Didn't continue and headed up the (also very wet) climb cutting to road, up to the dogparklower and headed down, super low slow and twisty Charles's Track then out behind the houses for the final blast. 

Slow and steady on the tech, big wheels rolling, torque control and a good strengthening workout- just under17 km with a not-at-all-bad 609 m climbed. Tschuite!

Thursday Night Jehtstahr Along the Top

Brief out and back tonight with a flat.

Uphill on the Jeht, clambering over 19th and through skidder past a bunch of riders into the grunty climb.  I could see the pollen under the lights up here, and worse still up top.  

Down Thompson's #1 and back up the road, then dropped down around the jumpies and up the Worm to hit the Traverse.  Saw a light coming my way further round so I stopped and waited at the start for him to roll through, then got going.  Quite windy, blustery.  Met a couple of lights at the Sugarloaf saddle then no one else for ages.  Got to top of Huntsbury DH and turned and dived in.  One harsh smack on the rear wheel in the top rocks making me think, "ouch, that'll be a flat" but then didn't seem to be until I landed the first jump and realised.  Stopped on the side and got to work, inserting my spare tube.  Down the rest, baulking the jump at the bottom, then back up the gravelly road to the top.  Met a dh-graveller on his way down.  

Contemplation of routes from here, decided over the top of Scott's.  Nice climb in the trees then a fun baff down to the col, then into the next where I met a runner on my climb.  Walked the couple of steps bits and then nice rolling the rest, lovely section of semi-tech singletrack in here.  Boffed off down to the next saddle and crossed over the fence back onto the Traverse.  Nice roll around here back into Vic, over the jumpies, the first section of Brakefree then out to the rocks and gums, all the way down, forgetting about the tree across the lower bit before skidder.  Then down, into the To CAP (shortcut entrance) and across the old to 19th, below road from here, into Tawhairanui across to DogparkCarpArk then greasey drop down through here, all the way to H'Ell and clamber clamber back up to road to home.  Nice. 

A pollen-moted 11.3 kms and 400 m climbed

Sunday, Mount Grey Stooglist

Excellent loner ride today. Did the Stupidmarket shopping, dropped it home then hit the road for "Lake" Janet, making good time up there and finding a pretty full carpark. Given all the cars parked, I saw surprisingly few people.  There was one guy here either getting ready to walk or having just finished. Up the road (rather than the zigs), meeting no one. Climb climb, a slowly-becoming-annoying clunk or clack on each pedal revolution, just past TDC on the right crank. Stopped and tightened possible culprits to no avail. 

Detoured to the Lookout then rode and pushed up to the road and hit the singletrack climb. Techknuckle af.

Walked a bit, rode a bit more. Met 4 ladies, who were duly impressed. Walked a bit more, rode some more around the top corner to meet a couple. "You've done well to get up here."

Hit the technical drop-over to the wee saddle, across down to the trail where I hung a right, to climb up to the trig peak, 933m.

360 degree view. Headed off down the ridge back towards the saddle then down to the trail again for the left turn, into the groove... Mucky, rutty, and do much fun. Pigs have really fucked up the track in places, including just before the rock roll. Into the bush for Switchback City - usual foot plant pivot method, jumping off for a few tighter ones. Exquisite riding.

Stooge SO good.  As usual, the longer uninterrupted sections were flow-stage vibe enjoyment.  It's just so beautiful in there.

Into the pines, and then the muckfest section, definitely some of the worst I've ever seen it.  And it continued into the forest below, with big wallows and dirty dirty times.  Back out into the dry sunny beech face then into the bottomlands for lovely lovely flow and groove, ending, finally out at the road.  Next 2 people, a mum and kid on the other side of the river here, 

 

Now for the grind up the road.  I was half expecting to meet at least the woman in her car coming up behind or some other random heading down, but nope, had the whole road to myself all the way back to Janet.  Took a brief detour up a side track just for a look.  Found well rotted carcasses of a possum and a pig or deer at a turnaround caused by fallen trees. (ie, the track continued, but you couldn't pass).  Off back to the car and done.

The usual 13.5 kms and 720 odd m climbed.  Nicely nicely.

Tuesday Night Nun Vic Skooled, More Down than Up

Nice mild night out tonight.  I took the car down to Bowenvale this morning, riding to work from there then home afterwards.  This way, Nelson could come straight to mine and we'd get more down than up.  

We headed up the usual byways through Vic, over 19th , Skidder, the gutser, and hit both Thompsons down to the Kiwi.  Up the Summit from here, Worlsey's Rd onto Nun, steadily climbed.  

Dropped in and I was coping with less than ideal lighting - not sure how much life this thing has so I'm wary of using much fullbeam.  We biffed and baffed all the way down, me taking it pretty easy but jumping a couple of lines I haven't ridden in a while.  Down near the end, from just before Capt Torpedo and Drainpipe there were some trail fairies (who we'd spotted below on our way up - Richie Goldworthy, apparently).  

Out through Kiwi and back up the road, dropped into Vic-top down around the jumpies and back up Worm, parking at the top as a few riders got going, including one grom down off over the big jump up here.  We followed him after a time, off down Upper Fenceline, exploring the zigs and zags (a couple of which I'd missed on Saturday).  When we got out to the access track, we pushed back up through where I'd gone up Saturday to just before Cool Runnings crossing, and dropped off to the right, down what must be the bottom of Tilted Sally / Flow Rider (according to Trailforks).  Nice flow through this taking us all the way to the fence-crossing and down into the open.  From here it was a blast around whatever that bit is called (Eastside?) before heading into the trees for the Bridges/NuBridges.  Down here, nice blast and then down valley and into the Hidden Valley climb up to Old Skool.  Chuff chuff chuff.  I cleaned all the hairpins - i think Nelson is still getting used to the long wheelbase of the Rocky cos he missed the very first one and tweaked on a root on the 3rd one.  So, so mild up here in the valley, and no wind (after a very windy day and night prior).  

Into the Old Skool and it was a ripsnorting blast.  This is where Nelson was choosing some crazy lines.  I was right on his tail and following and it was rough.  A little bit of grease around in the rutty straight sections, which led to some interesting handling, but made it out alive and we blitzed down the gravel and out down the road to the car. 

Choice ride for a Chooseday - 13.3 kms, 389 m climbed, ~600 m descended

Saturday's Stooge, Sunday's Troll

Couple of wee rides this weekend, one more than the other - interspersed by O's 21st...

Saturday, T left early for a walk, and I lay about for a bit longer, getting out the door finally at 8.30.  Toodled up through Vic, usual byways all the way to the top.  Txted T here to see where she was.  Into Thompson, nice flow then back up the road, getting the message she was on her way around the front of Sugarloaf, so I headed around the Summit and headed up into the Carpark.  Wasn't long and she turned up so I toodled down the front to top of Vic with her, boffed off around the jumps and up Worm, seeing her go past then headed off on my own journey down Upper Fenceline, wending my way almost all the way down this, zigging and zagging mostly back and forth before heading up the steep gutser that heads up the true right of the valley, up through the middle of lower Cool Runnings, and up through Rad.  At the skidder I bumped into Nick S from work and then I headed back up the steep to Brake Free and dropped off down through the rocks into the gums.  Pleasantly surprised to find all the logs across my usual favourite were cleared - rangers or mtbers had used chainsaws by the looks of it.  Nice flow down here then all the way down to 19th, across the road below for a bit then usual out up onto the corner and coast to Dogparkcarpark.  Lovely flow down here, jumping the jumps and flowing out through all the way to the bottom and the clamber back to road.  

A validly short 7.72 kms on 334 m climbed.

O's 21st Saturday night, left the car opposite where Dave was staying, so Sunday morning I took the Troll down slightly more interesting descendings then then across an urbane jaunt.  8.4 kms, 230 m descended, and 17 m climbed...

  

Sunday Celebrating Andy's Birthday, with me on the Stooge

Left home on the Stooge at 7.30am, pre-sunrise, up into a frosty Vic to the Skidder and headed down Shazza's, flowing into Brent's, nicely nicely. Out of the trees, looking up the hill to see if I could see Tra'y who'd left 40 minutes before me.  No sign, so off thru the Bridges and down valley, then clambered up into Hidden bonus onto Old Skool for a grease infused hoon of fun.

Freezing cold, feet blocks of ice and colder still down Bowenvale Ave, around Centaurus to Rapaki 10 minutes early, trying to thaw my toes.  Brrrr!

Wazza, Andy and Jenna, Nelson, and finally Wayne, all turned up and off up we went. Jenna hooked up with her friend Avril who runs and we saw them again up top of Huntsbury.  Us boys went up the zig zag climb, Wayno suffering the remnants of a lung lurgy.  Boy the Elevator climbs high.  Down to the main track and on up the rest to the top.  Onto climbing around Vernon, soaking up the sun while chatting with Jenna and Avril, then off around the Traverse, good pace, especially by Nelson and the Electric Wazza.  Regrouped just before the Vic trees, and into the Thompson's and holding up just after the Kiwi, letting hoards of chain-free kids who were enduro-ing Pork'n'Puha. We followed them into Choir Boy and found them all clustered on the short climbs.  Past Pork and Puha the way was clear again and we headed down Gung Ho.  This wasn't familiar to me because it'd been years since I'd ridden it, and I think the only time(s?) I'd done it I'd peeled onto Askins part way down...  Anyway, the  Stooge was awesome, surprisingly so, keeping speed and handling all the rough with finesse.  Final valley bottom we were in amongst the chain-free groms and not holding them up. 

Coffee and brownie at the CAP then I bought myself a 10-ride pass and headed up the lift to finish with the Slummit Connector, onto the road, then up to and down through Vic. My usual go-to in the gums has more than a bunch of trees across it so I had to take the steep line to the left, which was actually pretty fun.  (Gonna be a fair bit of cutting in my usual... I could see at least 3 sizeable logs in the way, possibly more further down.  May well be easier just to haul my chainsaw up there)  Out to Skidder and down the road into DogParkCarPark which was wet and soggy in the oaks, but fun blast to the bottom and clamber to road to home.

A hard wrought 30kms, with (an actual 717 m climbed (1117 m total (400 of which were lifted))

Saturday Morning Mucky Greenwood

Practically a month since last ride, due to Galapagos. 

Sweet ride up and over from Nelson's this morning.  Up Santa Maria, Selleck, Assisi, Drayton into the Reserve, greasing up the zig zags and onto the road, all the way to Upper Hornbrook and Britten. Good climb to top and down the short bit of road to OG Greenwood entrance. Squirmed across here then I led into Greenwood proper, overreacting to every little bump, too much braking and not enough flow.  Still, made good speed into the Gloomy Gulch where I had to walk the worst of the rocks. Nelson caught up here having had a little slickness trouble earlier.  Cautiously down the next section of rocks, which weren't as bad as I thought, then some fun flow through the usual fast section, drop that I rolled and around the big corners, back and forth, grooving through the grooves. Through the fence and it was the worst I've ever seen it. Greasy rut city. Then, north facing fast and fun... And last corners before the road were not great... 

Where to from here? Settled for up-the-road, plodding all the way to the Richmond pines, and onto Sheep Shit Alley.  Nice climb here but man were my legs tired. Took it easy with a break and also a nice long look at a section of trail that needed drainage.

Back into the road briefly back into Britten, out the front on the 'new' trail (that's not). Dropped down here for some great flow, stopping a couple times to check where we were then off to the left to pick new lines down rocky sections. Fun exploration. Finally out the bottom and flying down the roads back to his place.

Remarkably, 15 kms with 620 m climbed