Friday's Unparaparallelled Saturation

Parked at the usual spot just off the estuary and headed up the main road, only a small number of cars passing on the km and a little, then onto the steep gravel. Gate ride open and I climbed. One car up. Took the little top single-track loop up some switchbacks back onto the road, one car down, for the bigger push over and then down to the descending single-track. 

Rain actually falling now, and the downhill was wet foliage galore. Super grippy but slow and careful was the flow - very enjoyable! Down and down and down, heaps of pig sign lower down then across the creek and along around the swamp to the dam. Looped it around the dam, honking every time I touched the brakes. Bit of a wheely-walk one overgrown section, saturating legs even more, then out onto the track back across behind the Rintoul. Took a look down the quarry then off down the steep rooty and rutted down, across the front of the quarry and hard left onto the cruisy fast, finally(!), descent. Fun for a nice while and then another stream, crossing and big hole, with a very friendly eel.  Last but of trail, step climb to road, down and out to the car.

Jam packed 8.4 km and a whopping 266 m clambered.

Aorere Gold Sluicing Sweat Equity

Parked at Devil's Boots and headed in the access track on the fatty, then up the 4wd track. Steep and not too hot. Passed the turn off to the caves thinking there was another one a little further up for the dam, but I was mistaken and when I looked at the map realised I was way up the trail beyond it, so I kept going. When I reached the turn off to Johnson's Battery I decided on a little explore, headed down this track on foot, steep as can be. Found a tunnel, eery, kept going but turned back. Carried on heading up to the trig, then turned back down til I eventually got to the turn of again and headed the you'd and downs through to Druggans Dam.  Bit of a rest and watched a dragonfly and an eel then headed off down the waterrace trail, fun times, past the caves and an even more fun bomb down. 

Exciting 16.6 kms but what felt like a lot more than the measly 409 climbing points that were hard allocated

Quick Dog Run

Quick up on the Troll with Jet last night, testing out my new tires.  He was gagging for it, even tho his old man hips were gonna be screaming at him later.  We cruised up the walking path, and into the bushy one, then up between road and dog park to the carpark, straight across into the trail.  He faffed around a bit and then some riders came through, then a couple of runners who I let past.  Then we got going, stopping a couple of times to let him catch up.  Jumped the tree branch, waited, then through oaks, up to the right, up around to dogparkbottom and down, into Charles' Track.  Nice and broad now, easy riding, will use more often.    

Then headed left out the side (cos there were some people with a dog going up on the other side), and down across the grassy bits to home.

Not even 2 km, and (by my own calculations) 86 m climbed. (MMR says it was only 55, but that's bollocks, lowest point, 222 m, highest point, 296 m, descended to 259, climbed again to 271, and back down...)

Saturday Captain God, Snake Escape, God Thomas

Awesome long ride with Nelsie tonight.  Chucked my bike on his roof rack at his place and we headed for Slumnervale, parking around the corner from usual at the cul-de-sac we've been riding out the last couple times.  I'd had a busy day followed by a snoozy hour before leaving home and unfortunately too much sugary chocolate and a bowl of chippies, so was feeling a tad pre-diabetic

Steep up the steep, but into the groove once on the 'level,' clambering around and needing a good rest at the seat where the trail comes up from the valley.  Riding again, usual steps through the rocky stuff, and riding out the top no problem, only meeting one guy on an electric dirtbike (naughty!) on his way down.  

Onto the road around out towards Scarborough top to ride up farmtrack to Godley, for a blast of a blast down towards Livingston.  Smooth and flowy, bike feeling reeeaally good.  Through the col and up around, Nelson bollocksing some rock feature.  I continued on, assuming he wasn't far behind and as I rounded the furthest hairpin realised he wasn't there.  Over pfmtbc rock and down rutsville to the road and waited.  He turned up eventually saying he ended up doing a couple of goes at the same feature.  

Up the road a little ways and dropped into Anaconda from the top.  Excellent blast down this, flowy flowy again, feeling the drift-into-catch on the corners, almost all the way down.  Tidied up once into the Tail and nice blast down and straight into the up-valley climb out on the Escape.  Drawn out affair this, with the gulch in the bottom the hardest most painful part.  Good once further up.   There was a guy ahead on the hairpins at the end of the valley so Nelson started chasing, gapping me completely.  He ended up taking him at the top of the last hairpin over Taylors, and I was juuust about catching him before the final final hairping, but not quite.  

Back up the road from Livingston and then up onto Godley again via the farm track, this tiem turning right to hit back to Evans.  Nice fast blitzy blast all the way back.  Tech rocks.  Bike handling wonderfully.

Finally, into the Captain for a glorious descent.  Primo conditions and feeling really good now, finally on the down.  Speed and flow were our closest companions.  Very good for us.

Couple and a half hours, 20kms and nearly 800m climbed. All good

Thursday Morning Singlesped Power Three-quarter-hour

Up and back blast to get the blood flowing this mild nor'west morning.  Set off about 6.30, up the walking track just above the road, gasping for air in no time.  Onto the road at the first carpark and chuffing still.  Straight in past the 19th and into the grunter for a short walk.  Then up zig and zag out and up to Thompson's #1 for a lovely hoon down to the climb back to road.  Seat down, dropped in, down around the jumps and blast down rabbit into rocks, cleaned, into gums, flow flow flow, out to road, then turned back up towards skidder, and onto the over-19th trail.  Dropping out beside the rangerstation and down around the road.  Into the dogparkcarpark, trail now trimmed tidy-like and flowy as all fuck.  All the way down to H'Ell.  Clamber to road, and home.  7.15.  Sweeat!

Underwrought 6 kms and 200 m climbed

Sunday Troll with T (on the E), Summit, Kennedy's, Library and Quarryman's to car

Needed to collect the car from P&J's after Paul drove me home after our gig last night.  

Rode up Vic Park Rd on the Troll with T on her E.  I took Thompson's #1 and met her down towards the Kiwi and we hit the Summit Rd climbing up and around, all the way to Kennedy's.  She wasn't sure, but managed fine, rough ride down, all the way to the end of the trail (I took the singletrack from the Siberia gate, then onto the road smoooooth flying.  Headed along to Te Hapua Halswell (that ends well) Library, where we got some books, and then snuck backways into the Domain and rode through this to meet the Quarryman's trail which we rode all the way, into the wind, to Pioneer Park where we caught up with P and J who were having a wee community planting lunch picnic.   Tracey rode home via Bengal while I chucked the Troll in the back and brought the car home.

Nice little 20 kms and I did 374 m climbing, (T added another 220 to that riding home)

Off to balmy Lake Poteriteri on Tuesday, so, no more rides for November...

Tuesday Night Bowenvale Loop

On my own on the Jeht, off up to top of Vic, feeling dreadful...  up to top and down around the jumpies, hanging hard right into Worm and climbing to Traverse.  Around here, uneventful other than stopping at the first high point and for a rest and to delayer when 10 dudes all rode past...  Glad I didn't meet them on-trail.  Nice blast from here, dont think I met anyone else.  Stopped for a rest at the top of HuntsDH and made up my mind where to go.  

Down.  Blitzy blitzy droppy drop down over the jumps in the ruts and then across the landing strip, twistier version, and dropping down AliExpress this time continuing down.  Baulked at the worst bit, and walked it.  Then a little lower down baulked at the highline, walked back and did the lowline, then good blaze the rest of the way.  Cautious Colin through the pylon switchbacks tho, for some reason, not liking the overgrowth of grass and narrowness.  Brief pause at the usual resting spot then off for the blast.  Feeling pretty good now, weaving the frame down through the trail.  Very nice.  Lower sections were fast and slow, and at the bottom I went straight into the climb back up the valleybottom.  Feeling not that bad now, getting into the groove.  Cleaned up to Hospital no problem then cleaned all of the steep start of k2 no issues either, considering how many times I've walked it in the past!  Around into the trees and it's easier in here now (someone's sawn off a thin tree that was a pest on the roots).  Up around the Texaco and on up the 4wd track, breathing a lot.  Met a couple of walking women up under Pono's and then past the 40fter and up through the rad zone climbing no problem.  Weird.  

At Skidder I thought, why not, and kept climbing - making hay while the sun still shone (was 8.10pm or so, and sunset was at 8.39pm), up to Brakefree then on up to the very top again!  Mad.  Down over the jumpies and then blast down rabbit paddock (through an attractive couple's photoshoot) and into the rocks, gums, fun times all the way to the 19th, then below road, fast through the woods,

Then road coast, spectacular heavens above, into empty Dogparkcarpark for an overgrown entry and then weavy blast all the way through, jumping all the jumps and taking it all the way to the bottom.  Excellence.  Clamber to road, and home, just before the sun actually set.

A bemusing 13.2 kms and 560 m strove.