Sunday 2nd ride, with O and Jet

We got O a replacement for his stolen bike, a nice Surly Instigator, so we took Jet up into Vic Park, parking at the 19th Batt. Memorial. Rode up the skidder, past Brake Free then around the Traverse to the Lava flow and back.  A good run, a bit of a head wind on the way round, then tail wind back.  Otis was loving his new bike and Jet had a wonderful time.  At the rabbit paddock on the way back we headed down into gums, taking my usual favourite little trail, Otis enjoying it, but walking the steep corner in there, and then down the singletrack (very messy) and back to car.

Just over 6kms and probably 200 m of gain, (I forgot to turn MMR on til up the skidder site, and then it was stuck paused til I 'resumed' at Brake free...)

Sunday Orton Plantley.

Early pick up of Pete for Lyttelton by 7.45am and 7.50 early ferry. Wazza, Wayno, Andy, Tony, and Steve and us, Steve the last one to show up.  Headed up the hill from Diamond Harbour, right up through and onto Bayview, which took us around and up and down, quite scenic-ly to Charteris Bay, then another non-main-road, another up and down over Anderson's Rd, whizzing down to Orton Bradley.

In here, caught up with Ian (manager there) and then headed up and did a loop of the bike trails up the valley.  Nice easy climbing on the walking track then diverting onto purpose build bike trail and then rejoining the walking track.  Across a bridge and back down, quite fun, then a bit of a wait in the sun (haaarrrdd frost this morning), and then planting Trees (from 10am) for Canterbury. Reasonable turn out to the planting so plants in ground reasonably quickly and down for a coffee at the school house, a sausage, and then back round the main road to miss the 12.30 ferry, thereby allowing Steve and me to have a beer at the Dark Star.  1pm Ferry back across and home in good time after that.

MMR struggling today (and i didnt start it til half way up the hill, nor turn it off til on the water).
20 odd kms, just over 400 m gained.

Saturday Volcano Trail, Infinity Mtb Tours, Bali.

Found Infinity on the web and they sounded good, so I got picked up by the driver at 7am and we headed through the urban mass, picking up the ride-guide, Ajus, in Denpasar on the way. Hour or so of madness on the roads and we collected Lukas (from Austria) in Ubud. The two of us chatted as we drove another 40mins to the caldera crater rim overlooking a lake and Mt Batur (one of Bali's 2 live volcanos (Mt Agung (at 3800m) being the other)).

From this view point, a little further along the crater rim road and then we parked up.  Quick brake swap on my reasonably new Giant Reign, and we were off. Hour or so mostly downhill, pretty fast; down ridgelines, into gullies, trails of pumice sand, alongside rice paddies, awesome scenery galore. Snack stop at a little local warung (shop), some tasty traditional Bali 'cakes' snacks, then next section was a few ups and downs, mostly down,

Through sort of gardened jungle.

 Across a stream or two

 Overlooking flooded rice paddies,

 This bat was at the restaurant we stopped at for lunch, just hanging out.

 This was the view from lunch.  Lovely.  And that's Mt Agung hiding in the clouds in the distance.

Then in the last hour or so mostly flat and down, stopping for one last photo before a singletrack around a hill and down some fast steeps to end at the car waiting for us.

They'd gotten another driver to take Lukas back to Ubud and Ajus, my driver, and me headed back down directly to Denpasar, dropping Ajus off at a crazy big roundabout, then me back in Kuta.

Mapped: started at 1400m, finished at 357, with 200m climbed in between, so a total descent of around 1300m.

Thursday Family downhill rice paddies and temples.

On an organised thing, included breakfast and lunch. Driven in a bus by Darma, navigating the crazy traffic to Ubud area into a very touristy area for breakfast then headed inland further to over 1100m altitude, to pick a bad bike from worse bikes for a downhill all the way back to the breakfast place for lunch and a Bintang and a swim in their pool.  Fun family activity.

Mapped: 26 kms, mostly all down hill from 1181m to 303.

Wednesday Night Packy Muckhorse.

Port Hills full of muck, and we figured everything would be closed so we headed over to Gebbies Pass on the off chance the Packhorse would be good - turned out it wasn't. Rather than leaving the car on the main road, we went through the gate and parked up at the end at the first stile. 

First 30 metres of trail were ok but then Nelson turned around saying "nah!, ankle deep sludge."  So, off we went down the forestry road bypassing the first half or so of the singletrack.  Fun fast smooth gravel, a little splecky, down, then a longish climb up to where the usual track meets it. 

From here down again to the 'dark' section of singletrack.  Headed in this and it was mucky, but not quite as bad under the douglas fir.  Definitely some traction issues, with me walking some of the steeper bits to start.  Up to the first of the switchbacky sections, and walking again, then across to the bach/hut, Nelson somehow riding heaps and me just losing the back end constantly and having to walk.  The grassy area was shocking, through to the forest again, which had sections of total quagmire, at each of which we would discuss turning back, but each time we decided to push on, just to see if it got better.  It didn't really.  Finally made the stile, Nelson somehow managing to ride most of that final climb.  I got a bit better, with a weight shift assisting grip, but obviously my old Magic Mary on the back is not so magic anymore. 

Over the stile and the track was a splecky wet mess.  Nelson managed to ride a lot on the grass to the side, but every time i tried to my backend would just spin-out, sliding round and stopping me, leaving me to work my way slowly up in the muck.  Around the Remarkable Dykes, we rode into mist, which got more horizontal movement as we approached the hut, moving pretty quick when we got there.  Brief stop, no one there, and back on the trail.  Much better on the way down, except that the muck splecked higher.  Nelson, again, rode heaps off the track, and I just couldn't, so resigned myself to the mess.  Lots of skill testing slippery rocks and exposure and skittering around.

Back over the stile and fun began.  Roots, rocks, slippery dirt, pine-needles, barely any traction.  Mint.  Rode it all, surprised how few dabs.  Even the couple of switchbacks in this area the roots and grease leading into it were rideable, if with little control.  Nelson tried the 'shortcut' route and ended up miles below the track having been unable to stop.  Rolling again, dabbing through the worst of the quagmires around the small creeks.  Through the open section I walked the climb, but Nelson rode it.  Back into the forest and down to the dark forest switchbacks were carnage creating - front wheel sliding through the curves.  Final blast do the forestry road was fun.  Our drivetrains were hating us.

Into the gravel road, climbing up around the less steep route then I was surprised how long the downhill here was, lots of speed, flying down, down, down, then climbing again, grinding up to the last top before a short descent to the car.

Muckfest 10 km total, there and back, 381m climbed, 1 hour's riding.

Sunday a.m. Early Grey

All the tracks in town were closed so I thought getting out might be good. Didn't put the global word out cos I needed to make it an early start / early finish, and the bigger the group the slower it moves.  Paul got to mine about 7 and with Jet in the car and me with the Fatbike, we headed out north, pulling up at Lake Janet just after 8 to find Nelson getting ready to roll.

Off up the 4wd road, 8.17, Nelson on the singlespeed honking off ahead, and me finding the fat tires tiring trying to keep up with Paul.  But, what doesn't kill you and all that, I just muscled on, lagging slightly.  A couple of times we caught up to Nelson having a wee rest, and then we'd all get rolling again.  Detoured and stopped at the Lookout, (9.06 am according the these pics) and checked out the view of the plains engulfed in cloud,

Herbert and Bradley, Fitz and Sinclair, islands where the peninsula is. 

And the rolling turbulence over the Weka Pass limestone country was amazing too, Kaikoura Mtns to the north east.

Off rolling again and up the steep section, then Nelson suggested the walking track.  Nice tight singletrack, not overgrown (like I'd checked out in the past), climbing through broom and scrub then into a nice patch of beech, before rounding out onto tussock below the towers.  Stopped for a rest in the sun (and around, out of the wind) up here, Jet antsy to get rolling again.  

Over and around and down into the descent.  Trail in good nick, having been weedeaten recently, and not too much mud - to start with anyway.  Some tricky ruts (sending Paul off the track at some point), and then the usual wet muddy spots (one of which kinda tweaked my shoulder strangely), and on down into the first couple of switchbacks.  Met a woman runner and her collie down here.  We all rode the rocky-shortcut corner and rolled on down into the bush.  Switchback City, cleaning hardly any but some, and it's obvious Nelson and me have the technique down, cos we put a big gap on Paul who was getting off the bike on a lot of them.  Excellent spin down through here.  Crossing the creek, a couple more switchies then around through the more open forest on top past the lookout turnoff, then down into where the switchbacks started to get a bit mental and you're above the creek again.  In here we ran into a big group of walkers, all friendly.

Out of the bush and into the forestry again, and then into the quagmire.  Greasiest I've ever seen it, it was insane.  No traction, sliding, front wheel taking it's own path, rear wheel following or not depending on how it felt.  It was nuts.  Lots of feet-out as out-riggers and a couple of close shaves, but then back into the bush and rutty clay rooty sections - lots of fun - and around into the nice dry forest again for a few more back and forth legs and switchbacks, and on down into the final reaches.  God these trails are good.  Finally, over the bridge, last couple corners and descending, then out to the road and ford.

Rinsed off the bikes in the river here and chatted to a guy and girl biking through, and off up the road for the final slog back to the cars.  Saw the runner woman and collie again heading to their car, and then Jet disappeared ahead, as we gained on them we found out why.  A group of riders with a female 'Jet', who my Jet was getting a bit humpy with...  Got him moving again, and then on the final climb she caught him up and we had to extract them again.  That group of riders were just riding the forestry roads, having come in from Loburn, and were turning back at Lake Janet.

Great ride, 15kms with 707m climbed, back at the cars 11am.  Went and grabbed coffee at Pukeko Junction before home by 12.30.