Friday, April 26, 2019

Friday Naseby Solo and a Family Ride

Got out early-ish on my own, and took a bunch longer than Tray was happy with which meant they'd pretty much finished packing up by the time I got back.  I went up Translator Rd for a start, then followed Mining Claim all the way to the end, then got muddled on Tail Race, and ended up pushing back up to the waterrace.  Around this and back up Translator, climbing all the way up to the top of Hepi's Highway, then taking this all the way down to the very end, below waterrace, in the Cemetery.  From here, rode back down a little into Scobie's, down this a bit, and then thought, I'll get across there...  nope.  big fence in the way.  So, back up to Scobies, up this to waterrace, around drop down and up and around to Hoffman's, up this around the edge of the dam, nice, and started climbing but then thought, nah, and stayed on the dam and across to Pig Root.  Climbed up over and down to the waterrace again.  around, and down Undaunted, basically where we'd ridden a couple years back.  Stupid climby bits, over and over again...  ugh.  Then down Wet Gulley Rd and dropped into the sand pit, taking Roaches Gully, which also went up and down, but had some fun bits, and finally, along the road back to base where i was in trouble for being so long!   14 kms, and again, just over 200m climbed.

Car was pretty much fully packed, so we went out for another family spin.  This time, up Translator Rd, climbing to Hepi's, down to Canvas Town, left, down this and then into Down and Out, back up Tranlator, into Mining Claim and Sluice Alley again, around the Waterrace and down Moonscape.  Less than 6 kms, 106m climbed

Thursday, April 25, 2019

Anzac Day Naseby Cruising - 2 rides

Couple rides today

First one with the family.  Looped all around the place, with T and H performing very well.  Covered a lot of ground.  Trails are all much better signed than they were last time I rode in here, making it much easier to find your way around.  The cleared bits are getting more trails through too.  Mostly I used Trailforks for guidance, which was helpful.

So...  First off, along the water race, then up Hepi's Highway, into Herring Bone, onto Mining Claim and along this to Sluice Alley.  Back at the water race, on around this just back to Translator Rd, up here, then on down it continuing across to Blue Man, down this to the end, and right on the waterrace, dropping down through the siphon zone and up again, around past Hoffmans dam, and entering Oddfellows, which wasnt really there, climbing, walking up to the ridge where we picked up Thos Foster, riding down this to Buster Gut, and getting onto Undaunted for the fun descents and non-fun climby bits - all these last few in the open grounds.  H and T were pretty much done, so we headed back around the Waterrace to the swimming dam, and on a little bit further.  They dropped down Collarbone Alley, and O and me took Flumes, catching them at the bottom.  Then it was down through town back to base.  Overall, we did 14 kms, with a couple hundy climbed. 

Then Otie and me got out for another quick spin. We rode up Hogburn, Broom Rd, up all the way around and to top of Hepi's Highway, then into the top of Wall St for an excellent bomb down, swoopy swoopy, out to, eventually, the waterrace again, down the end by the siphon.  Then we finished off below this on Moonscape - tho I took a high line to start with and ended up quite a way over from O.  Then we went up Hydraulic Uplift, but bailed out at Strode Ave, rolling down this to home. Was a fun wee spin.  Only 5.88kms this time, with a measly 130m climbed.  

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Tuesday Phat Nugget Kaka return

Family holiday in the Catlins, staying at the Nugget Point Lighthouse-keeper's house -very exclusive, you have to drive up the walking track for a start to get up to it. Primo views. Had the fatty with me so after days of driving around sightseeing and going for walks places I finally jumped on the steed and bombed down the hill for bit of a beach cruise. 20kms there and back. Mostly on the beaches but a few little pop overs on the road when the sand ran out. Finished with a big climb back up to the house. Nice times.

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Wednesday Night Lunar Loner

Bit of a loner tonight.  Parked up on Parkridge and rode my usual way into Britten, hoping a ride would stretch out my lower back, which has been pretty bad last couple days.  Not as bad as Nelson's tho, he's been laid out flat with his for the last week, hence why he wasn't riding with me.  Climbed up and around the front, watching the sun disappear behind the mountains (and therefore not needing my sunnies) on the way up.  Across the road and into the Mt Pleasant climb, stretching a few times on the way.  Peaked and took in the view of the moon (behind clouds) reflecting on the sea.

Lights on, (head: full, handlebar: medium), and into the descent, super smooth to the stile, then into the rocks, cautiously negotiating what appeared to be grease, but finding plenty of grip and bombing the fun bits.  Swooping through the tussocks, and then around and into Greenwood proper.

Down through the first lot of rocks, and my handlebar light packed it in.  Battery either truly stuffed, or not holding a charge since I charged it after the Packhorse ride (when O had it).  Next ride, to test whether charging it immediately prior to riding helps...  otherwise it's a new one.  Put the dead light in my pack and turned on my Lezyne (300?) flashy on the 2nd brightest setting - provides a hint of sufficient light.  Rest of the way down was smooth, enjoying it all and taking in the view now and then.  Getting quite dark by the bottom, and exploring the new swoopy bermed (not finished) corners leading into the new exit on Evans Pass (spits you right out into the traffic... look carefully!!!).

Tail light on slow flash, head light off, and up the Summit Rd, not seeing any cars the whole way til just as I got to the Richmond Hill pines.

Over the fence and down the ridge, nice speed swooping through tussocks, around into Frog Pond and at the stile met a very puffing dude climbing.  Puffing so much he could barely talk to me, or, he maybe was just rude.  Bombed down the trail from here, seeing that Andrew was right, the pines have been chopped, roots still in place tho, meeting a couple more riders climbing here, then a whole clusterfuck of them coming over the fence from Clifton Terrace.  Rude arseholes they were too, barely an acknowledgement of existence from a single one of them.  I continued down, wondering where the trail was that peels around to Richmond Hill, finding it at the bottom, so took it, dropping some more into the valley, then little bit of climb (carried momentum) and across under new houses, and then up a steeeeeep wee stormwater catchment terraced gabions to Richmond Hill Rd.

Steep road up here too, to the top of it, over a fence and up steeply to the pine trees, and around onto the old track we used to follow, up this lights off, moonlight only, and up past the stockyards, and up to the big Pines.  Across the road, (the previous biker's lights were now climbing up the 4wd track in Greenwood), and into the singletrack climb up to the original Greenwood entrance.  This was sweet to the top, finally along the road.

Onto Britten for a sweet sweet embrace of the descent.  Flowy, smooth, surprising grip, and dew on the trackside grass all sparkly.  All the way down, around, back and under the pylons and into the steep bomb down rocks to the final fence, over, and back to the car.

17.77 kms ridden, with a grand gain of 702 metres...

Thursday, April 04, 2019

Wednesday Night Pack Horsing Around

T dropped O to me at work, and we met Nelson below his place (after parking and changing above).  Over the hill and parked up on Gebbies. Nearly 2 years since last we rode it... and 3.5 years since O rode it aged 10...

Headed in on the road, bit of a cooool easterly blowing across.  Onto the singletrack and when it turned downwards, the overgrowth of gorse and blackberry annoyed O a bit.  Into the forest, and it was pretty dim, nice bomb down over all the roots, barbed-wire skimming along next to us near the bottom, then the clamber climb up to the stile.  Up the paddock, O doing well to keep up, over the top and over the next stile.  Quick bomb down and into the forest to meet Hazard tape blocking our way.  Detour painted arrows and markings we followed, back out of the forest and up a steep skidder track which Nelson rode all of, of course, and O and me walked and intermittently rode.  At the top, we met destruction.  The view across towards that wee bach that's in there was carnage, and machinery, and churned up ground and stacked logs...  We rode across towards the bach to find the old track, following it in part, then having to push up through slash to get to where we could see the trail heading into the forest again.  Rode up this til we passed through plastic tape again, and were at the steep switchback section.  On up to the fenceline from here was still nice trail (albeit steeeep).  Over the stile and the fun climbing tech with exposure began.  Nice cruise up through the dykes and on round to the hut.  Looked pretty full, of 'troubled' youth, maybe.  Said gudday to the ones that came out to stare at us, but they weren't exactly engaging...

Into the down, nice cruisey roll down, keeping on top of the technicalities.  Starting to get pretty dim, and was darker still under the trees.  We managed the descent, super fun, without lights, and took the new exit out of the forest avoiding the hackage beyond the tapes.  Out onto a smooth-as forestry road, which descended fast for a while, then climbed again.  At the top, instead of going down the way we'd climbed, we rolled over and down slashed ground to the old trail in the last of the trees (before the fence and still standing forest.  Lights on, and got rolling, only to be stopped by piles of slash that we clambered through to get to the douglas fir descent.  O's light crapped out within 5 mins, so he had to place him between us, and he struggled the rest of the way out.  Short descent to the road, climbed this, over the stile, bit of climb then down the paddock, quite dark now, O struggling a bit with the lack of seeing.  Over the stile, and down the side of the rootsy barbed wire descent, then climbing, pushing a lot, out of the trees, into the the last single to stile, road, O stayed on this, while Nelson and me hit down the wee singletrack below the road...

A pretty average 12.14 kms, with 472 m clambered.