Nelson picked me up, as usual, outside work at 5ish. Top of Worsley's, parking above the gate for a change. Cold wind blowing through here. Nelson needed to lube his chain, so I took off down this new trail in the grass and broom, fun wee blast, with a couple of dumb corners, a nice wee jump, and a rocky section, down to the lower gate on the main carpark. Back up to the car via the entry track from here, wheeeeezing something wicked, and he's gone, already chased me. So, waited here and layered off til he got there, and off down the new section of trail again, then onwards up the climbing entry track, dying in the steep section, losing traction, and wheeezing more to the point I thought I was gonna die, again. Walked a bit, then got rolling again and eventually caught up to Nelson waiting. We rode on up, taking a wee side detour, for which we turned our lights on briefly, then continued climbing without them again. Up through the climb amongst the Braille track I led and set the pace, which was good, while Nelson talked. Swooped through the top to the main track and then on up to the top of the forest. Lights on for heading up towards Tommy2's, cleaning it all despite the 32-36 gear ratio. Spotted a new trail, just up the track from the old entrance to upper Debbie's. Walked down to check it out, and it looked promising. Decided to save it for the next round, so continued on up, snacked briefly and got into it.
Nelson led the way, setting a good speed, swooping back and forth dropping down through the forest. Got steeper and steeper, brakes got noisier and noisier. I baulked the rocky corner above the one I offed on back in May (and had a run in with back in Feb too). But got back on straight after it and rode through the corner I'd offed on, which now has a line out of the bit I was avoiding those other two times. Off down the rest of it, steeeeeeepage down and just above all the jumps in the bottom, Nelson spotted a line coming down from above. We walked up to check it out. INSANE, vertical. On we went and looked at a wee jump I've always wanted to do. I rolled into it a couple times but just couldn't bring myself to do it. Nelson did it after a couple of other dudes rode through it. Followed them up the exit track, me overtaking one, and Nelson leaving all of us for dead.
Up the guts track, I walked a bunch of the lower half, but cleaned the rest to the clifftop. Onwards up and found a caterpillar track through the forest, then a new track that sort of headed towards Tommy's but then joined back up to the original track above that rocky guts we never cleaned (except Nelson did once!). On up to top and then continued on up towards Tommy2's again, only this time stopping for a rest at the top of the newby we'd found. Waiting here we spotted a light coming, thinking it would be the dudes who were behind us earlier, but no, it was a lone woman. She was obviously spooked, two random guys hanging out in the forest, so she didn't engage with us and rode on up. We headed down the new track. What a blast. Rough as guts to start, with loose cobbly rocks moving about under pine needles, and probably 100m long section between these two rock walls. Quite spectacular hunk of country. Couple of logs in the way, but mostly rideable, and a nice gradient, not heinously steep like so many in here. Then we were under douglas fir, dark low forest, then into an open area, and over these slippery red rocks, then back into the forest and off camber slopes with swoops and eventually met Tommy2's again, surprisingly high up, maybe half to 2/3rds down. Blazed down all this faster than before, and cleaning the corner I'd baulked earlier. Through the bottom and still I didn't have the groove for the jump.
Up the exit track and met the lone woman waiting up here. Chatted with her this time Couple other guys and a dog (she knew them all) turned up and they all got riding, then we followed, Nelson soon over taking the woman, but not me. Still, I cleaned the entire climb this time, to the clifftop and then into the top of the Original and excellent trip down here, and into Fight Club for the most fun of anything. Love this track. Know it so well, just swoop and pop and jump and flow all the way down it. Final climb and into the final section, now, due to logging, quite open, and forcing you over the line with the log drop in the middle of it. Last blast below the water-tank is cut short now. Down to the car and while we're getting ready to go, another lone woman turned up with her dog, getting into the car next to us, obviously not comfortable again...
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