Friday, August 24, 2018

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...

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