Sunday Otukaiplantingkino

Treadled down to the rail trail and slowly rode towards town (pre Rossall St) til I saw Andy, Jenna, and Wayhayno coming towards me and we headed back north to Sawyers Arms Rd, out this, and thru Roto Kohatu, finding lots of people parking, Steve, and under the tunnel through past Omaka and down to the planting site.  Planted lots of plants, a million and hundreds in fact, and then scoffed us some sossies and lollies and then rode back the way we'd come.  I peeled off at St James Park and rode through to home.

Nice 17kms there and back again, with an almighty 49m climbed

Friday Night Weird Runnings

A post work-week ride that involved quite a bit of walking, many weird ways, steps, and slippery mud and slippery rocks.

Started from Nelson's new place, me on the fat bike and him on his 29er, and headed up Parklands Drive, hanging a right into the first cul-de-sac, to ride down the walkway (that I'd ridden up a couple weeks or so ago).  Along Centaurus to Whaka Tce, and left up this.  It just gets steeper and steeperer as you go, then hits the walkway and steps to carry your bike up to the top of.  At the top is Vista Place.  Cruised up this and discovered a small area where kids have cut a wee jumpy track in some bushes - it was a bit greasy to ride properly, so will check it out some other time.  At the top, on Huntsbury Ave, we headed across the road into the Huntstbury Walkway.  Never been down this before.  The entry is a massive filter of gnarly rocks - designed, and enough, to put most cyclists off - but not us!  Carried down these and then the trail below was a swoopy fun sweeper of a beast, steeply rushing down the hill in nice regen bush and some big pines/macs down below.  Weren't really sure where we were heading, so explored off to the right, proceeding up the valley, into the canyon that's off the end of Albert Tce, below Farm Track.  Eventually got onto the walkway in the valley bottom and followed this up, lots of carrying and pushing, tiny bit of riding, up valley to connect to the Dry Bush Track.

Back down-valley sidling and climbing to the Farm Track, then headed up this steep pig.  Climb, climb, climb, Nelson miles ahead, and the southerly wind howling across here (whereas everywhere else was mild and calm).  Midway up to the track that heads under the pylons, across this up and over, then the fun steep downhill into the Rapaki valley, getting steeper as you go.  Then we sidled down onto the valley track and followed this techy goodness (and badness) down.  Just above that weird shelter thing, I misplaced a foot and toppled head-first over, getting my thigh wedged between my frame and handlebar, other leg on top of frame holding me down.  Was quite painful and difficult to extricate myself.  Helluva bruise now.  After recovering a bit from this, from the shelter, we carried our bikes up the hill to the track that's above (and peels off waaaay earlier from the valley track), riding this sidling track across to the Vernon walkway zig zags, down into the Hillsborough Tce.

Down this to Charlene and Leonard Places, Albert Tce and around into the alleyway that heads up to Aotea.  Rode up this, another one that just gets steeper and steeperer and steepererer, eventually pushing up the steps at the top.  Hoo boy - thems some climbing.  Then up Aotea, up Huntsbury, down Vista and into the Whaka(?) reserve dropping down the fun trail next to all the little flights of steps (that I'd only walked up once before).  Some super greasy shit down the bottom, I ended up rearwheel overtaking my front at one point.  Then down around the pond in the bottom, and back up to Major Aitken, down, round Centaurus back to Nelson's.

Arnica for the leg, and a beer for the head, then home...

A very interesting 11.1 kms, and 531m climbed...

Sunday Solo Mucky Crock

Dropped H off to a birthday party and sleepover and headed to Halswell Quarry car park.

Headed up the valley and up onto C2, via the Download.  Clamber clamber up through the trees, through the cattle stop into instant cattleshit.  Avoiding the worst of it and then watching out for big cow-apples (and pancakes) on up Crocodile, ever climbing.  Top of the road, and into the Low Road, bit of mucky flat bits to avoid, bailing out to the road at the lying down squared-off lampost.  Up this last steep and over the gate into Siberia, finding a few wet puddles, but the rest of it nice.  Bombed through the bends and down the last bit to the bottom.  Decided here to try the new ziggy climb, Anne's Ascent or something, and gave up on it through sheer boredom after a few bends, bailing out to the main track and just powering up that instead of 20 times the distance going back and forth.

From the gate, headed down the singletrack, actually a really good run, until a jump that threw me off towards the bank, I just managed to pull it back under control before landing and landed awkwardly, kinda tweaking my back.  Carried on down and then into the Crock.  Stopped here for a moment, maybe a text?  Then got going again, on down, pulling up left to C2 and straight into Murph's, bombing down this, lots of fun, then tootled through the mucky bottomlands and climbed up Upload, then into the Crocodile climb, clambering up this to the top and taking the Bypass track to the bridge in the valleybottom, and left up Gorge Rd, meandering up the valley til I found a midlevel track leading back down valley.

Down this, joined into one of the switchbacks on the Crock, climbed up from here to C2 and headed Murph's again, enjoying it just as much if not more than the first.  At the mucky bottomlands again, I hung a right this time and around and up Upper Crust, which climbs from the jumps up through Murphs (near the top), topping out on C2.  Headed down this to the wee bridge, and followed (pushing bike on back wheel), a track up the valley there, to see what I would see.  Turned back from the top and rode and scooted down through the tech and long grass back to the trail.  Then I took the downhill track (Mish-Mash) that starts just there, and bombed that down into the valley again, basically at the end of Murphs.

Around the muckybottomlands again and back up C2, to the wee dh track again, down it but slightly different line out onto hairpin of C2, back onto it and out the bottom again, this time to ride out the old entrance, and back down to the car, done.

Only 11.5kms, with 323m climbed.

Wednesday Night Foggy Glarey Hilltop Foray

Post work Sumnervale park up, and we headed up the Captain. I'd remembered my asthma inhaler for a change, and had had a blast at work an hour or so prior, plus had a couple puffs before we rode, so I was for once not dying.  It helped that Nelson set a mellow pace for a change too, and so by the time we'd gotten up to where it levels off I was feeling pretty good.  Cleaned the first rocky climb after that short descent, but neither of us got up the next two rocky ups.  Good go from there on up, me almost enjoying the climb for presence of oxygen in my blood. 

Up to the Evans Pass and off up the Summit Rd, taking it nice and easy, and climbing into scudding fog and peering over the downhill side scoping lines for a potential climbing track below the road.  When we got to Jollies Bush, we headed up into it, climbing the through the few switchbacks to the stile at the top.  Over this and up to the singletrack, we hung a left and climbed up to the Greenwood junction. 

Climbed from here, up, out towards the original Greenwood entrance.  Before we made the entrance tho, Nelson's puncture from last ride started to leak again (he'd taken out the tube and put in more goo, to no avail).  He faffed with this for quite a long time, while I perched and froze in the blowing fog.  A massive posse of riders passed through, heading up and round onto the wee singletrail descending from here.  Then about 15 minutes later they rode through again, on their way out this time, surprised to see us still there. Help was offered - thanks guys.  Finally Nelson reneged and put my tube in and off we rode. 

Up the road and onto Britten, we rode out round the top, then through and across the road and over the fence to climb up Mt Pleasant.  Fence changes up here, with a Track Closed gate across it, which we ignored and then found a fence through the middle of the first downhill!  Backtracked then round the old one and more fence.  Over this and down to the stile.  Then down down down, fun times, but hard work in the fog, and damp tussocks.  At the bottom we figured Greenwood would be mucky as hell before Gloomy, so we headed through to the gun emplacements and bombed down the ridge track here.  Fun, but sketchy-as slippery slickness in some rocky bits, but good rolling the rest.  Across to the ridge above the cliffs they're destroying (above Evans-Lyttelton Rd), and then back across and down to the lower reaches of Greenwood, entering just before Dangerous Dave's section.  Excellent bomb down here, it's rolling well, and wasn't wet. 

Finally, across the road, and into the Captain.  Awesome blaze down here, it was good.  Cleaned everything I was supposed to, and had some fun.

Excellent ride.  16.5 km, with 540 m climbed

Sunday Midday Mid-level Loner

Before noon headed over and parked at my often spot on the river below Bowenvale Ave. Headed around Centaurus, passing by the Major, Whaka and the shops, to the Huntsbury Walkway and headed up this.  Managed to ride the whole of the first leg, getting pretty steep near the top.  Then it crosses a couple of driveways (at the end of a cul-de-sac) and climbs steeper still for the next couple bits, so walked all the first, and most of the second, finally riding out the top onto Huntsbury Ave just below Aotea.  On up the usual route at a nice cruise. At the top of the seal I got a txt from Paul (I'd invited him earlier) saying he wouldn't make it, and I checked in on my MMR. It said 22mins, 336 calories, 0.00 kms, and had me parked on Colombo St in Sydenham (wtf?), so I deleted it, restarted it, checked it was going, and continued to ride on up, under the pylons, wind humming in them, onto the singletrack, up the landing strip, turning back to look for the rest of the new trail, found the line, but it's pretty rudimentary, back onto the last of the landing strip and on up the gravel to the top.  Strong wind buffetting me around.

Up to top, tailwind on the short section of Traverse, and then dropped down the fun upper Huntsbury, jumping in the wind proving interesting, and then down the landing strip, hanging left into the new bit, scoping the line I'd scoped before, finding it easier with gravity on my side, then dropping down into the valley, over the stile, down all the fun stuff, and cleaning ALL of it for the first time (ie, not scooting through the two hard bits).  Down through the off camber corners, and then I hung a left around onto the Hidden Valley Link. 

Down the first couple switchbacks, and left onto the walking track section.  Forgot it climbed so much.  Across towards the Lavaflow, and down next to the steps into valley.  Climbed up into the gorge, up onto the traversing trail and around to where you normally come out of the trees below Brent's. Onto Flow, chasing a young grom (and catching up to him) and into Nu Bridges, but cutting left onto Old Bridges after a couple of corners, (has been years since I've ridden this bit) across to hospital corner and dropping, dropping, down. 

Back into Hidden Valley Link 'Bonus', bollocksing the creek, crossing, but climbing and cleaning the rest of it. Finally, a flowy bomb down Old Skool and back out to the car.

First bit was 22mins and 220 odd metres climbed to where I restarted the app, then 55mins, 10.7kms and another 300m...  so a total of 520 or so m climbed.

Thursday Night Not So Short One

Met Nelson and Paul on Parklands Drive outside what was to become Nelson's flat.  We headed up this. It's a steep bastard to start, and leads to steeper still then steep bastard Huntsbury... On up, all the way to the top, then across, Vernon, Witch, lots of singletrack, including above the road then up the Tors, and around down to the trail above Lyttelton and down to the Bridle Path.  Then it was up Castle Rock, up onto the Tors - tho i think Paul might have taken the road.  Somewhere, Nelson had flat that took ages to fix. Paul felt flat, a bit knackered by his first big night ride.  Stayed on the road to Witch, rode that, then road below Vernon.  Then it was across and down the fun descender top of Huntsbury, and down to Old Skool.  Paul crashed a few times. It was cool.


Uber 22kms with 850 climbed...

Sunday, Sh'Orton Fattley Planting

O and me drove into drizzle on the hills and over Dyers Pass and down out of the drizzle at about Teddington to get to Orton Bradley 15mins before the planting was to begin. Andy and Jenna had ridden from the ferry and were sifting around, so the 4 of us headed up to ride the loop. I had the Fatty.  It's is a fun wee loop, only 4 kms, with (supposedly) 85m of climb, so not much of a ride really. Definitely worthy of a few laps, but we only did the one then hit the planting, which took like 5 minutes - 500 trees with 70 people.

 (with the phone in my pocket, MMR has some pretty screwy results - top speed of nearly 300kph)). 

Thursday Night Godley Meanderisations

Met Nelson in Sumnervale and we headed up the Captain. First time since February, for some reason... I took off while he faffed his MMR on and I was a wee ways up the singletrack above the stile before he caught up.  Instantly I was set to with wheezing, struggling to breath from here on up.  Bloody dire, and I've GOT to remember to take my ventolin inhaler when I ride.  Up round the bends and up over the rocks, wheeze wheeze wheeze.  Started getting into a groove the further up we got but was still struggling even at the top, and muppetting quite a few sections I'd not normally.

Across Evans and onto Godley.  Not bad going up here, a dab lower down but cleaned the rocky platforms before the going got better.  Nelson was doing good for a start but then blew it on a rocky bit, got out of my way and I cleaned up over it, leading from here til the break on the ridge.  Into the descent, a little muckhole right on a corner after the second of the boardwalk things, and slightly greasy down the Teddington Shit section, but from here on down we were smooth rocketships.  Absolutely fanging down through the curvy stuff before Livingston Col - felt like the fastest I've ever done (who knows!?).  Up the next climb, gasping again, then down to Breeze, all good. 

Up onto the tight narrow sheeptrack-singletrack around then return on the Breeze Bay track, this is rolling very nicely now, fast and getting a little narrower.  Still no tech, but fun.  Into Anaconda, and a nice roll through the top section, speed building, til, tight on Nelson's tail, we were rocketting down and through.  Around into the valley and !WHOOAH!, Nelson bailed, (his wheels had chosen different ruts and gone different directions),  I managed to pull up in time.  We bypassed the nasty muckhole and the rest of the way were a little more cautious, with no problems.  Then it was onto the new walking track to climb.  Always further than memory allows, but a good solid climb and back up to the col in no time. 

Now it was back up Godley, climbing, descending, and knuckling in for the last climb up from Livingston.  Into the last section, speed right from the start.  We both had fast and smooth runs down here, popping and floating over the rocks and no snarls.  I took the high line to finish, Then it was down through Rapanui Bush and around the tricksy wee walk track onto the Scarborough Bluffs Track.  Bit of a rest here, and then onwards, fun times flying.  Nelson failed on the techiest bit (he'd cleaned last two times), and neither of us did very well in the corners.  Nice riding tho.  Across the road and down the last zigs to the bottom of the Captain and then back to the cars. 

Grabbed dinner at the wee Indonesian Street Food place.  Not bad, tho gammy guts since.

20kms and 815 climbed...  Pretty good.