Nelson was working til 3 and picked me up afterwards. Out to Scumner, parking in Slumnervale, and off up the Captain we trundled. Not a bad climb, once I'd gotten over my wheezing, which took until about the short downwards bit, and the two rocky ups. Rest of the way wasn't so bad. Made the Summit and headed up to the Greenwood exit (or entrance, for us). Here multiple people turned up down Greenwood, every last one of them having come up Rapaki and across. Nelson knew one guy so we all chatted for a bit, then the two of us headed up the steep-ass ridge track above Greenwood to above where they're blasting for the Lyt-Sumner Rd. Peaked along here then down to a small saddle, where we popped over the fence for a look. Wouldn't be that hard (or stupid) to put a trail from here across to Urumau Reserve. Could be quite a nice gradient with a couple switchbacks here and there below the cliffs.
Back on the bikes and up the walking track to the copse of pines and stinging nettle, then over the fence to top of Chalmers Track, and then walking for a bit, up the steep bits (where we met a mum and some boys walking) towards the gun emplacements. Rode the last few hundred metres to the concrete embattlements, Beasterly wind howling across the tops, and decided here to head down to the singletrack that wends it's way across to the Richmond Hill corner pines. Nice blast down here, with me pumping well having played at Kyle Park BMX track on the fat bike with Hugo in the morning. I seemed to have much more easily gained speed than Nelson. Once we hit the ups tho, it was another story. Up the singletrack to the original Greenwood entrance (exit for us, today). Around Summit Rd to Britten Reserve for a repeat of the long grass tricksy-ness we did on Tuesday. Around the front and back to the cattlestop then up onto Mt Pleasant climb. Peaked this and had a bit of a rest in the wind (or, out of it).
Off down, for the final blast. Good flow down from the top, then around and down onto the Greenwood proper. Feck it's boney. The winter has made all the rocks bigger and it was haaarrrd work getting down. We played good speed, but it was just such damned hard work. Hardest damned downhill I've suffered in a long time. Into Captain Thomas, and good run down here, not as bony as Greenwood. Part way down we found these two indian guys, one of whom had crashed off the trail, and his bike was halfway down to the bottom of the valley. We all had a good laugh and the two of us continued on. Rest of the way down was fast as usual, but both were pretty knackered by the time we made the car.
18 or so kms again, with 614 climbed
Back on the bikes and up the walking track to the copse of pines and stinging nettle, then over the fence to top of Chalmers Track, and then walking for a bit, up the steep bits (where we met a mum and some boys walking) towards the gun emplacements. Rode the last few hundred metres to the concrete embattlements, Beasterly wind howling across the tops, and decided here to head down to the singletrack that wends it's way across to the Richmond Hill corner pines. Nice blast down here, with me pumping well having played at Kyle Park BMX track on the fat bike with Hugo in the morning. I seemed to have much more easily gained speed than Nelson. Once we hit the ups tho, it was another story. Up the singletrack to the original Greenwood entrance (exit for us, today). Around Summit Rd to Britten Reserve for a repeat of the long grass tricksy-ness we did on Tuesday. Around the front and back to the cattlestop then up onto Mt Pleasant climb. Peaked this and had a bit of a rest in the wind (or, out of it).
Off down, for the final blast. Good flow down from the top, then around and down onto the Greenwood proper. Feck it's boney. The winter has made all the rocks bigger and it was haaarrrd work getting down. We played good speed, but it was just such damned hard work. Hardest damned downhill I've suffered in a long time. Into Captain Thomas, and good run down here, not as bony as Greenwood. Part way down we found these two indian guys, one of whom had crashed off the trail, and his bike was halfway down to the bottom of the valley. We all had a good laugh and the two of us continued on. Rest of the way down was fast as usual, but both were pretty knackered by the time we made the car.
18 or so kms again, with 614 climbed
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