8.30 start from Steve's, so attempted to leave by 8.15, but didn't actually get out the door til 8.20. Hauled ass and made it by departure time, finding Steve, Pete, Wazza, Andy, Tony and Wahayno awaiting me. Off round Hansens and up Ramahana Aotea Huntsbury, huffing away. Regroup at the top of the seal, all stopping for a rest, but Andy and Steve continued on ahead. Up the dirt, sticking to the road, chatting variously, I caught Andy and Steve above the pylons and rode on chatting to Andy. Eventually Pete caught us before the top, where we found Mark and Marie.
Into Vernon, took the old line with the corners and rocks in it, and then hammered it down and around to the top of Rapaki. Regroup again and Marie moseyed on through and ahead into Witch Hill. We got going and I cleaned it all up, catching up to Marie just as we hit the road. Good cruise round here, her telling me about the parasailer they saw crash yesterday an how she helped with first aid and calling the chopper and waiting til the chopper came and winched him off. Totes cray cray.
Top of Castle Rock we had another break as we all accumulated together again. I led off, flying down, smooth to start with, slowly reeling in a guy that'd headed in (and I'd given a big gap to), then at the point where the trail is probably closest to the road above, coming into the straight that heads down to the first hairpin my back tire started going soft... Bugger, was going really well, having gapped Mark and everything! Pulled up, and got to swapping in a fresh(er) tube as everyone rolled on by below me, including a few other riders. Air pressure re-established, and off I went again, suddenly feeling all wonky and off balance and tired. Groove slowly came back, but not quite, into the climb and puffed and pushed, over and through and down to the end where Pete was waiting. The others had all rolled on ahead. We pushed hard and caught most of them before end of the road-closure, tho Steve was well ahead. Up through the road-cutting and into the Britten singletrack, reeling in Steve a bit, over the top and down back to the road, then roll roll roll around and into the main Greenwood entrance. Break here? Nah, how bout the ruins. Off we went up around and down pulling up and having a brief feed in the sunshine on the concrete.
Mark led the way into Greenwood, and I attempted to sit tight on his tail, never letting a gap get too big and reeling him back in. Around into gloomy gulch, through this and just before my usual back-stretching point he pulled over, puffing, saying something about how I'd certainly taken to the full-sus... Bit of a break here and then Pete rolled up. Then Warren rode through! The Wayne was approaching so I took off after Wazza. Down the steep(ish) rocky section here and there's a guy carrying his bike up the hill below the trail, and I had to double-take thinking it was Wazza ('but, but, he couldnt have???) having crashed off miles below the trail, but nope (the dude carrying the bike thought I was someone else too). Power on No, actually, gravity applied and shooting down the hill after Wazz, catching, slowly catching, reeling and eventually I'm right on his tail as we came into the tight wee gully (that's got a stream in the winter) and around into the last straights where I usually go really quick, screaming behind Wazza "FASTER, FASTER, FASTER" but it was fine, he kept a good pace. Into the first rocky up, and he blew it, as did I. Through the second no worries then the last blast down to the road. One by one each of the posse arrived, 11.15 it was.
Here it was decided to head down Capt Thomas rather than complete the Godley, so off we went. Marie ahead, I caught her at the annoying gate, then Mark led off down the single, both of us cleaning the first rocky, then the second group, then over and into the tricky climb. Mark cleaned it, I neeaarly did, and then blasting around and the corner just before the hairpin there's a woman with a dog, and evidence of Mark's surprise skidding in sheepshit and then down through the switchbacks, me directing him into the new bit with the cabbage tree. Nice couple steep corners and then fanging down the last, him splooshing through a muddy puddle, (which I then avoided) and final trail sections to the stile at the end. One by one the posse rolled in, but where were Tony and Steve?? Tony had had a nasty crash (OTB) on the first of the techy rock bits. Badly sore shoulder and a bunch of nice red skin loss patches on knee, wrist, shin, etc... Head okay, and he was pretty stoic. Down the road into Sumner my top gear was playing up.
Coffee and cake at Dotcom and then the blast home, Pete and me peeling off for Humphreys and Linwood home. home 12.20 or so. 40 kms for me, 923 metres climbed.
(been trying this, it's handy... )
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