Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Tuesday Night East End Triangle

Parked at Slumnervale and in no time Nelson turned up.  He had is XCWhippet, I had the Rocky.  I changed and we headed up the Captain.  Mucky in spots and beautifully dry in others.  Stopped for a dose of Asthma below the cabbage tree trail exit, and continued on, hoping for relief from the lack of air.  A worthy climb, I chuffed and huffed my way, feeling weak in my legs and gasping for oxygen through the lungs... 

Crossed Evans to Godley and started climbing.  Nelson cleaned away the whole damned thing.  I struggled and dabbed and walked and then lost my light and fixed it and was miles behind.  Regrouped at the top and then headed for Livingston.  Teddington Shit section annoyingly bad, but the rest of the trail sweet as.  He let me past on the lower swoops to the bottom, and we headed up for Breeze.  Around and down, the last paddock below PFMTBC Rock a sucky mucky quagmire piece of crap.

Where to from here?  Lets go check out the new section that leads into Anaconda from above.  Back up the road a to the second corner, and found a wee solar light marking the start of the new track.  Hmm, lets come back via this way.  So, back down to Breeze Col and into the climb for the skinny track.  Again, gasping, but once on the narrows I was okay, around, tight, then up to Breeze Bay track.  Huh, another couple of lights.  Oh, gudday Daryl.  Stopped for a chat with Daryl (Ex-Cactus GM) and a mate on road/cross bikes.  We carried on, bombing around the Breeze Bay trail, fun descent, a couple of wee climbs, but all good.  Finally over the stile and back down to the road.

Up to the new entrance, and into it.  Barely built, lots of nice swoopy corners down the sunny (dry) ridge, til they ran out and it was off camber, just sketched into the hill, but leading down to a natural entrance onto the Conda.  Good blast down here, mostly dry, tho a couple of sections with running water, and in the lower wobbles, one or two bloody awful bits, but no damage, and onwards down the 'Tail.  Nice, and then across and I really needed a snack at the Carpark.

Final Climb, ugh, somewhat of a second wind towards the top, dropping down a couple gears and standing and cranking for a bit, made the top and into Nicholson's Park we headed, down the steeeeeps, slightly slippery on the rooty, and then down onto the Flowers, and down the alleyway out to Whitewash, bomb to road, and ride back up, picking our way back to our cars.

Ended up being 18 kms with a very respectable 763 m climbed

Monday, July 29, 2019

Sunday Jetting the Mucky Tops

Jet and me parked up the bottom of Britten, usual spot, and headed up.  I was surprised how wet everything was, with water pouring out of the hillside.  We climbed over the fence at the bath, and boy was the hill wet, with water flowing across the track just up from here, but once up on the actual mtnbike track, it wasn't so bad, with recent drainage additions having done their job well, and only one or two spots with water soakage.  Higher up had some sogginess too.  Around across the top, I figured the out the front trail would be greasy as given it's quite flat, so I just headed for the trees, then over the stile and up Broadleaf.  Good climb up here, missing the Track Closed sign, but figuring against heading down to Greenwood, and so hung a right towards Cavendish.  A couple of really mucky spots up here (muckiest I've ever seen it, not just bikes mucking it up too), and a few walkers including one grumpy old lady who was just looking for something to hassle "You know this track is closed, don't you?"  "Nope, didn't see any signs" Ride ride ride...  No biggie.  Mostly it was dry enough, and a good blat down the last to the stile and bottom. 

Then onto the Summit Rd, down under the Gondola and ahead I see some familiar helmets heading towards me.  Andy, Pete, Wazza and Wahayno out for their jaunt, on the roads.  Short catch up and we went our separate ways.  Jet and me up the road, keeping him in check all the way due to fast roadies heading down, then we were at the Castle Rock track.  (also Closed, but it didnt need to be).
Tiny bit of wet in that first descent, then very good condition for a long way around, fun descending, til that rocky section (close to the road), which was running water, but no mud so all good, down into the hairpin and back across, usual wet spot (now in good condition), next hairpin, and down, bit of moisture work needed, then climbing, dry as a bone and good to go.  Across and back onto the Summit Rd, back around under the Gondola, and up, up to Cavindish Saddle, and climbing the first section of singletrack before taking the trail down to the road crossing.

Into Britten, (closed, but I wasnt using the mtnbike track), dry as across the first section, and then I headed out onto the point, and straight down the ridge, off piste, and eventually finding my way down to the very very mucky traverse section in the lower middle of the hill.  Once out of that, it was the sweet bomb down under the pylon back to the car.

Only 11kms, but over 500 m climbed...

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Tuesday Night Muck a Duck

Messy as. Met at Nelson's and it was drizzling after quite a few days of rain and wet.  We headed up the steep bastard that is Parklands Drive, onto Huntsbury Ave, steep to start, then up up up to the top of the seal and onto the gravel.  Climby climb climb, weather thickening then improving as we summitted.  Felt like a long way up to me.  At the top, the view was quite awesome, with visible patches of muck across the city and hills, but we were in the clear.  Hit Vernon which had a few puddles, but was good.  Blast down to Rapakitop and then into Witch which was a bit muckier but not so bad. All the way to the end of that and then turned around and headed back.  Better run back, slick rocks not being too slick, and then we headed up the road below Vernon.  Into the Traverse, mucky as mucky gets, so at the top decided not to continue, and headed down the steep fun trail.  This was dodgy as.  My tires gripped surprisingly well, but Nelson's XC tires were caked up and all over the place.  Then we bailed off down the main Huntsbury, and once on the road took Kenmanure and the Major down, speed and seal clearing our tires very nicely.  Bikes got a good hosing when we got back to Nelson's.

15.3 kms and 600 m climbed.  Not bad for a non-event.

Thursday, July 11, 2019

Thursday Short Dog Hanmerer

Took Jet out for last day's ride.  We headed across to and straight up Timberland, into Jolliffe up and over, not feeling nearly as long a climb as it had the day before, over and down, continuing on down past the bridge, down Dogstream, a very nice wee section of trail that I haven't ridden many times, and crossing over onto Mach1, passing a family before the road.  A good hoon down here, climbs not feeling much, then into and back round Basecamp and Western Link home. 7.8 Kms and a tiny 175 m

Then half an hour later or so, Tra'y (on O's bike) and me went for a short cruise, around the Woodland, onto the Western Link down to Basecamp, looped around the far end of it and back mostly the way we'd come. Would have been maybe 5 or 6 kms and 50 m of alt, if that.  Nice wee spin tho.

Wednesday, Extended Hanmering

Out on my own yesterday, no dog, no boy.  Toodled through town and on the road around to Chatterton's, up the valley to the single track.  Up the steep pylon track, into the forest and across to Tank.  Great bomb down this, then for the first time ever, headed up the back of Conical Hill - stopping to answer some directional questions from someone at the C-Line/Eagles Nest juncture.  Continued on up to the top and had a rest and small snack. 

Then off down Eagle's Nest for some technicality, and straight across into C-Line some extra (walking some of the corners on account of not trusting myself on the steep-head-angled rigid Fatty.  Into the rest of Swoop, swooping through the turns, and then across the flat to Timberland.  Grunty climb up here then straight into Jolliffes, gruntier still, with a break at the top.  Into the descent, bomb bomb, corners steep and handlebars nearly scraping.

Across the bridge and up into Bigfoot for the nice slow meandering climb.  Great views from the top and off down, slightly faster than the day before.  Next into Detox, climby climb climb, and bombing of the descent, around the top of Mach 1 and across the bridge and down half way down Dogstream,  hanging a right up the road to Red Rocks, good run here and finally back round to the house.

20 kms covered, and strangely only 575 m climbed.

Tuesday, July 09, 2019

Tuesday Hanmered Again

O, Jet and me headed out again. Along the flat to start, round Basecamp track to Mach 1.  Climb and descend and climb and descended in here, then up the Fir Trail, more climby and up to and into Bigfoot.  Super climb here, ziggy zaggy, on and up, and then an awesome run down this -  O in the lead and Jetty chasing the whole time.  Fun blast down, goes on for a nice amount of time, then out.  Across into Detox, climb climb climb, and down down down, then back into the top of Mach 1 and climbing briefly before hitting back across the bridge onto Lower Dogstream, rolling smoothly down this, through some mega permafrost at one point, and into Western connector, around the field Forest Walk track and back across the field and up to the house.

12 kms this time, with only 290 m climbed.  Climbs always seem so much more than they really are around here.

Monday, July 08, 2019

Monday Swamp Yankee Swoop Red with O and dog

Nice short wee warm up with O and the dog. Headed down from the house across the field and up into the Swamp trail.  Good pace, then up into Yankee Zephyr, climbing climbing, puffing O out for a bit.  Climbed to the top and hit the down.  Swoopy swoopy back and forth down.  Both enjoyed and Jetty running along happy as larry.  Back onto the top end of Swamp and we climbed up to Swoop, for another down, back and forth, swoopy swoopy down and out to the field again.  Then climbing up Timberland, puff puff, and into Red Rocks, climb, over, and through, then out Eeny and Meeny, and back to the house.

9.43 kms with 250 m climbed

Tuesday, July 02, 2019

Tuesday Night Solo Brit Pleasant Green and a little Goddling

Parked up on Parkridge in a gale, donning jacket for a start, and rode up through the bathtub entrance to Britten, climbing at my own pace, and getting pushed around a bit by the wind.  Mild as by the time I got to the top, so jacket off, and off around the front, tail wind pushing me across to the cattlestop and cutting crossing.  Over the fence, little bit of a rest, and onwards upwards.  This paddock has been munched.  Gone is all the long grass, and even the native broom and tussocks has been hammered, making for a much easier view in the dark to climb by.  Around and up, into the wind then tail wind then into the wind again, and over and up the gravel through the gate to the top.  Bit of a rest here and time for the down.

Dropped in, having one of the smoothest flows from gate to stile I think I've ever had.  Over the stile, and the smoothness continued, albeit battling the wind a bit slowing the lower tussock reaches.  Good blitz across tho losing my momentum as I approached the fenceline, transition through to above the ruins, losing my way briefly before meeting the Greenwood-proper.  Into the descent, flying over the first rocks and around, really on my game, even cleaning all the dodgy rocks in Gloomy Gulch.  Brief pause along here, then dropping in for a flowy bomb down swooping through to the drop and around into Dave's Land.  That mucky corner from last time has had a tidy up, better drainage, and was dry, and I had a good flow on down from there too.  Best run in ages.  Into the valley, and final stretch, bomb, jump, bomb, and around into the rocky up.  Not cleaned but further up it than any recent rides, dab through, and on again, flow bomb to the end.

Across Evans and along the road, more climb and way further than I'm sure it is meant to be.  One car passed, and finally into the climb up to Godley.  Grovel and sore, granny or second, lay down for a nice rest and stretch at the top.  Into the across and down, smooth through all the rocks and flying on the down.  Another of my best runs for a long time.  Took the walk-track end drop to the end.  Then across Evans again and into the road climb.  Ugh.  Long, drawn out, and I was starting to get a bit sore.  Climb climb climb, not seeing a car until I was just about at Jollies Bush.  At Jollies I decided to head up into the tracks here.  Walking the steps, but riding most of the trails, climbed up to the stile and over, then up to the singletrack and heading for the pines.  Then around and up the sheepshit alley track to the OG start of Greenwood.  Onto the road for the last climb and into Britten.

Descend descend descend, fun times blatting through and around, straight down and then across.  Phone call.  Home "I'll be half an hour".  Riding again, and awesome bomb down the rocky finalities below the pylon, over the fence, and back to the car.

18 kms and 661 m climbed. Bonza