Wednesday Picking Up Picton.

Family and Lynne out for a ride before the rain was to start this morning. Rode into town, over the coathanger and around to the start of the trails.  I stopped along the marina to check Trailforks and they call got ahead of me so when I finally caught them up they were well on their way around the bottom of the hill on the trail heading for Waikawa, whereas I would have preferred to have led up the climb to the left, which they'd missed...  So, anyway, we ended up where the road heads up onto the Snout Ridge and the zig zag climbing track started so off up that we headed.  Was a nice climb with one or two downwards bits and plenty of switchbacks.  Right at T's level said she.  Lynne was struggling with her knees, while Otis just jetted ahead.  

Eventually we made the reservoir tank and from here headed up Ridgeline track.  Lynne took the road and H bailed out to the road halfway along.  At the end of the road (where it heads down again) T, H and Lynne bailed out, while O and me took Western track along to Kanuka, then continued along this, which was pretty good this direction, til we got to the zig zag climb (Lion's) up to the top.  Reasonable climb, good views at the top.  Into the Lion's Centennial down back towards town, not bad, some switchback sections that don't flow as well as they could.  You can never really get massive speed up anywhere, but nice riding, and nice environs.  Back down onto Western and not as good in this direction, more climbing grunts.  Out across to Ridgeline again, good in this direction too, then eventually we hit down Leicester Track, which is somewhere I may once have ridden in the vicinity, or bits thereof, a lonnnng time ago - tho maybe The Doctor track is more in keeping with that?  Anyway, lots of interesting corners, but still not enough flow.  And back along the Waikawa Picton track back to the Coathanger and back up through town.

A worthy 17 kms, with 380 m climbed.

Sunday Morning Tops

Nice one on my own this morning... Headed up from home almost dead on 9am, climbing okay, pushing pretty good, and really forced my way up the steep pig from the skidder site.  cleaned it all but nearly puked by the top.  out the top and out Worm and onto the Summit Traverse.  Pulled over for anyone I met coming the other way, not too many thankfully, and made good time, and pulled up at the top of Four Pause just as two asian dudes with all the gear headed off down it, skidding and going very slow...  I let them go until they were nearly at the bottom before I launched in, and bombed, no skids, jumping all the jumps and generally enjoying the crap out of it.  9.30am at the landing strip when I pulled out and turned back uphill, grinding off up back to the top.  

Across the road and into Vernon, cruising around and then bombing, letting a couple of folk through at places, and rolling out across the bottom, jumping straight into Witch Hill, climbing, slowing down, slower then popping and weaving over the rocks, juuuust cleaning them all before onwardsly cruising around up, over and down.  Onto the road, bitter southerly hussing out of the harbour here, gale force across the saddle before the Tors.  Pushed the last stretch to the top of Castle where it was 10am.  Brief break out of the wind here, snack, then, spotting some (fast) riders entering the other end of the trail, I dropped into it, blasting and blazing, down around, and pulled up just after the first hairpin to let them through.  The first two were E-bikers, the 2nd 2, accoustic.  Got going again, kept a good pace on the climb, then out and down to the Bridle.

Back up the road, grind grind, then at the top, checked there were no walkers or runners around, and pushed up to the Tors track.  Then I spotted a million walkers on the road before the saddle...  time to get moving.  Nicely nicely across and down the steep tech.  Botched something past where I used to always botch, dabbing over a bit, then struggled to get my foot in til the last few metres, rolling through the crowd of parents and kids, and clambering up onto the wee-singletrack-above-the-road.  Once peaked, good roll and cruise through this back to Witch, into the teeth of the gale across the road and onto Witch, climbing, then continuing, non stop.  Down to Rapaki-top and steady pace around the road, riding with then pulling away from a bunch of older riders.  Was overtaken by a couple of bolshy E-bikers as I overtook a group of 3 riders (one of which on a Levo with Rohloff combo).  Watching later as those bolshy ones went down the gravel road of Huntsbury...  i mean! what's the point!?

Into the Traverse and bomb bomb bomb around, good pace  still on the climbs, but starting to feel a little jaded.  Into Vic and popped the top jump, then down past the see-saw, couple jumps of Brakefree, and back to the Rockgarden and Gums, favourite line, all the way down single to 19th, then down road, and into the new bonus, strugging past a car parked nose up fully into the entrance to it.  Final climb, then bomb down behind the houses, having to bail up to negotiate a clusterfuck of walkers at the end.  

20 kms in 2 hours, with 771 m climbed.  Pretty good.

Thursday Evening East End Rinsing

Just like old times... a good sized ride of an evening.

Met out at Scumnervale, and got riding about 5.40, up Capt Thomas.  Wasn't feeling the hottest, given the heat, and food, and sleep and whatevs.  But, tootled on none-the-less.  Up, grovelling up the first steeps, minor recovery across the sidle then grovelling up the second lot of switchbacks.  Was nearly holding my own with Nelson, until the that last bit.  Caught him up, breathed, and got going again, around the easier bits, into the rocks, clambering then riding and cleaning it all to the gate.  Stopped here and waited for a descender and my legs had lost all their steam for the last couple of climbs...  

Out the Godley Head Rd, to the climbing 4wd track up to the trail, then we engaged in the good descent down to Livingston.  Nice to get the flow on again, tho I was cautious on the ball-bearing gravel.  Swoopy swoopy down to the bottom and into the climb, rocks become more rocky than ever, rather tech.  Over the top and down to Breeze Col.  Here a couple rode through and up the singletrack, so we decided to follow and go back that way rather than the road.  Nelson chased and caught then waited for me, while I struggled up the climb, not going as fast as I would like to.  This was the moody view:

As we descended the couple were riding along the road towards us, which seemed strange.  But from Livingston we headed up the road and then realised why they were going that way.  They were heading the the entrance/exit to a new track (called Taylor's Escape) which we stopped and watched as they descended.  Definitely on the cards for next time we're in the 'hood.

Up the 4wd again to Godley Track and back towards Evans through a moody sky, easterly cloud wafting around the valley heads, quite spectacular.  I had to stop and eat something halfway back, but that, and the rest, gave me the energy to make it the rest of the way out.  Finally, into the Captain, a swoopy and hair-raising fun trip back down.  Good blast, felt great.  Back not sore at all, just have to maintain it, ride in such a way as to not exacerbate it. 

A smidge over 15 kms, and 631 m climbed!  I felt every one of those metres.

Tuesday Evening Vic Old Skool

Quick hot local blat.  Up from home, through to the Skidder site, and dropped into Shazza's.  Nice flow in here, popping the first few jumpies nicely, and swooping round all the corners, wary of the loose dry dust and leaves and bark shards.  Across the 40footer space, and into Sneaky Ridge, flap flop down the rocks, boogity woogity through and around, oak leaves strewn asunder, and whoosh over the fence into Flow or Bridges or whatever, and around into Nu Bridges, ziggy zaggy down into the valley, tech rock flowstyles.

Feeling pretty good, flowed around into bonus Hidden Valley climbing, cleaning all the switchies, huffing and chuffing up to the open lands, spotting another rider departing the stile as it hove into view.  Straight over the stile and caught the guy as he switched back up towards the pylon for the oldskool bastard climb, while I bombed on down the Old Skool descent, enjoying the fuck out of it.  Some awesome pumpstyles across the upvalley slope, tail hot nor'waster behind me.  Then bombing on down and out the bottom, straight back into the climb.

Ugh, up, up and more up, then K2, ugh, walked to the sidle turn off, climbed back on and rode up to the 23footer zone and on upwards, quite a few stops for breathers, as was getting tired by now.  Eventually, got to the start of Rad and a couple riders passed by, climbing from Cool Runnings area, talking to one, then following him up to Skidder, wherein I dropped over to the wee climber track back up to 19th, down the road, dropped into my upper dogcarpark newby, bombed down that, climbed out to lower dogcarpark and bombed down the last, getting some nice air on the ramp behind the houses...

A worthy local 9.5kms, with 378m climbed.

Quick Vic with Otie

Ffffff is how I struggled up the hill.  Out with O.  He blasted off ahead, young and fast, I gasped up behind.  Stopped before the dog park to help a bro out with some air (his front tire was losing air), and then we rode on, up past 19th, up through Skidder site and up the steep.  Cleaned it, phew.  Then up top of Vic. 

Bombed the first of the Thompsons, and back up the road.  Then into the down, bailed on the jump, walked back up and we both did it nicely.  Check.  Down past the seesaw and first few jumps of Brake Free, then across to the gummies.  I lost O in the top, but then he found me, and then down my fav line through the gums, and he pointed out where Sophie crashed last time they went up.  Swoop swoop around and back to the Skidder site where we bumped into a few guys i know. (Nick Sutt., and ex Cacti Daryl).  O and me headed from here up the trail to the top of the 19th Memorial, and over down to the ranger station, around the road and down to the newby from the dogpark carpark, fun swoops through there, then up and over the last down behind the houses and home.

Quick, 5.7 kms loop with a couple hundy metres climbed.   

Super short Local on Fatty with Shorty and Dog

Very short local loop - nearly our shortest 'block'.  We'd walked the day before and H wanted to do on bikes...  

I was on the fatty.  We rode up Amherst and through, past the fencing, across the empty section, up the back-of-the-houses track, then over the fence into the Microwave Tower park, across to the trees and down the fun wee trail to Harry Ell Drive.  Jet was with us, enjoying his 2nd or 3rd walk of the day, then down H'Ell Drive and back around Longhurst home.  I left on MMR and went and dug up some of my garlic, as well as wandering around inside a bit...

Thursday Evening, more Testing of the Limits

Met Nelson up thi hill at what will be our new house in a few weeks time, for another test run on my fitness for riding.  I've been riding to work every day this week so was already a little tired so wasnt expecting massive results, but was surprised with how it came to pass...  

We headed up through Vic Park me only remembering to turn on MMR in the approach to the Skidder Site above the 19th and Ranger Station... (all that altitude wasted!).  Up the grovelly K2 next to Sesame St, nearly getting the better of me but I chuffed on through it.   Nelson is at 'race weight' at the mo, just with a little less strength, so he hauled ass up the hill.  Up past Brake Free and on up to top of Vic.  Thomsons, 1 and 2, and then up the road heading for Marleys.  My ass was starting to get rather sore on this climb.  Slow up the last bit of road then big stretch and rest at the top before heading up the entrance to Nun... 
Into the descent.  Felt pretty good, but trying to get my head around holding my body differently to how I always did, and this affected traction, balance, weight distribution a lot.  Tricky getting used to all that.  Good blat down and we pulled out road for a break and to let some Park rubes down ahead.  Once they were clear we dropped in and I was amazed at how sore my forearms were getting.  Really sore by the bottom...  Got a lot of condition to get back.

Up road, drudgy climb and into top of Vic, down around, dropping through rock garden into Gummies, taking the old line (which gives way more bang for buck than the droppy swoop trail i did the other week) then out to Skidder Site and up top of 19th again, dropping over down and out next to the Ranger Base.  Around the road and into the top Dog Park carpark, finding the new-to-us trail in the bushes, which, super fun, swoops back and forth down into the oak forest above the 35 corner Harry Ell track.  Into a brief climb up to the lower Dog Park carpark and then the last blast down the back of the Amherst Pl houses.

So, if you add in the extra bits, about 10kms with 360 or so metres climbed. 

Finally, a ride. Vic Park Quick test.

Finally got out last night, to test the back with some climbing and descending.  We'd taken a bunch of bikes up the hill (to our new house!) last week to clear ours for open homes and so I went up and helped Nelson with the doors in the new room, then rode off out the driveway into what will be my new playground.  Up, climbing feeling pretty good, not bad at all, no back twinges or pain.  Rode up the dirt track next to the road for a start, then up the road past the 19th and into the skidder site, then straight up the guts K2 next to Sesame St, grunting and climbing and actually cleaning it all.  Sweet, still no pain.  Up past Brake Free, and up the Worm and around up to the very top, short and sweet.  

Into the down, around, bailed at the last minute that first gap, then bypassed the seesaw.  Straight down the Rabbit paddock and into the rock garden, around into the gummies, fun, and took the new line which shortcuts the old (favourite) traverse there and back.  Probably wont ride that line much, will favour my favourirte in future, down and through to the 19th again, then back up around a trail taking me to the top of the 19th, above it, a way we've ridden with the Thursday Night Gheybois a few times, but then cut back towards the ranger station and down a line I'd spotted on my way up.  Spits you out by their gate.  Around the road, then past the picnic shelters, past the no bikes sign and around the back of that slide, down past the dog park, then into the descender next to the big microwave tower, spotting a dark, tight, bush track which was not really rideable (but there's promise in that area, just needs work - along with the other side of the road, from the dog park car park pylon zone down to the Harry Ell..., scope for a descending trail in there no one uses that area at all).

Totale Grande, 5.2 kms, with 175m climbed... good first effort

Slowtober

 Well well well...  Still no riding.  Back is much better thanks.  Have ridden the Troll around the block a few times, and even cycled from Carlton Mill Rd across the park to work last week, and am thinking I'll ride into town this afternoon to work too.  Middle of selling the house.  Getting antsy, and wanna go for a ride ride, which I'm going to sooooon. 

Hocktober, Post Hoc Post Op

Well.  Visited with the Surgeon yesterday, he gave me the go ahead with life.  Still sore, but getting back to it all.  
Last night we rode to dinner, possibly I wasn't supposed to, but the Surgeon said take it as you feel it and I felt great on the bike.  After dinner I took the dog for a bit of a meander, and this proved slightly more difficult. It's left me a bit sore.  My core, and back muscles are obviously not up for this yet.  (Plus dinner gave be a bit of a guts ache...  blah).  
So, more taking it easy...

Phase-Shift

Entering a new phase of my riding life, I sense. I've only sat on a bicycle once since the days before the surgery. It felt amazing. I took it for a tiny spin out onto the footpath, looping back to the driveway effortlessly. So, so good. 

I can't physically imagine how much damage a longer ride could do. I don't know the complexities of the viscera and whether tears- or undoings of healing tissue. I'm assuming that I'm not riding because the damage I could do would put me back to square one. 

So. That brings us to the Phase Shift I so endearingly capitalised. My riding is going to have to be something new. Slower, more gentle. Exploratory; for interests sake. For example, I could make it my mission to ride every street in the city. Take notes, rate them for rideable enjoyment. Or, do the same for "beginner," and on up the grades, mountain bike tracks, as my body returns to a greater level of robustness and healed-ness.  And suddenly (or not so suddenly) I find I'm not averse to the idea of electric assist.  Have it handy for less fit friends and fam, or take it out on solo (or not) 'leckie' rides. (Another benefit of that would be a reconnection with my biking peeps).

Just a few thoughts...

Post Op

Resting. How many days? Healing. 

"The path is always shorter if you know the destination." 

Applies nicely to new singletrack: every turn, every berm, rail, pop. Takes more time-sense making it so that next time you ride the trail it seems so much shorter. Leave the riding of a less well known trail for long enough and it's always fresh. 

Some trails tho, your 'home' ones, you know so well you ride them in your sleep. However, these do change over time - dynamic, trails are: changes and evolutions as the land beneath erodes; rocks or roots exposed

Wednesday Couple Laps of Old Skool

So, after munting my pedal last ride on the Rocky, I'd forgotten all about it, til I'm about to rush out and grab a last minute ride about 4ish this afternoon.  "Oh, that's right, damn!"  Slight change of plan, drive to hills via Torp7 where I'd spotted my pedals for $70.  Bike in car, gear, forgotten anything, nah.  Drive.  Cross Glandovey Rd, "whooah, HELMET!"  4.15, Turn back, 5 minutes later, back on the road again.  GRah.  traffffffic...  Make it to Torpedo about 4.30, grab pedals, in and out in 2 minutes. On the road again.  Traffffffic.  Finally get up Bowenvale Valley, and have to install the new pedals.  3 minute job.  done.  Check adjustment, none needed, yay!  Get riding, 5pm.

Up the valley, puffing and chuffing getting more and more laboured the steeper it gets, ie, under the kowhais in full bloom (petals everywhere!) just before the gully.  Then steeper still up through the trees.  A lecky overtakes me at the turn off to Hidden Valley (bonus) track.  Turn up, clean first, clean second, nicely tidied track along here, slightly wider, less tech than the past.  Around into the pines, and really climbing now, bah, blew the first of the hairpins up here.  Cleaned the 2nd and on up to the gate, feeling pretty okay.

Suspension onto middle setting, around under the pylons, then stop and full open mode for the rest.  Bombing.  Slow start but warmed into and no squirrels.  New 'features' most of the way down.  Pretty slow on the pumpy bit back the other way, and not very pumpy in the bits below that.  Then there was pressure, in a couple of riders (miles back) behind me, thinking, "I hope I'm not so slow they catch me up."  So, speed up a bit, bomb bomb bomb, swoop swoop, and out the bottom straight into the climb again.  No sign of the other fellas. 

Climbing again, once it gets steeper I'm starting to feel it now.  Feeling more drained, and up the Hidden, 2nd hairpin makes me dab (cut corner too steep) but then cleaned the upper hairpins this time, but I'd had to stop just before them (in the pines) cos I was just about to puke.  Calmed that and then cleaned them, but the sick feeling didn't go til after the stile.

Under the pylons, photos taken (timestamped 5.37pm) and got the bomb on.  Nice fang this time, faster through all the bits that were slower earlier.  Bomb bomb bomb.  Sweet.

Out to the car and it was still not 5.45.  Which was perfect cos I had to pick up O and Soph at 6 at the Rink.

Not a bad little 6 kms, with 279 m climbed. 

Almost certain that's my last ride before Surgery on Saturday.

Sunday Crotchal Planting in the Groyne

First off, have put the Surly Sunrise bars off the fatty onto the Troll (and will either buy another set or retrieve the ones off the Little Ak bike to get some back on the fatty), and I must say, they've really buttied up my Troll.  It feels like a giant BMX commuter now.  Firm, surefooted and strong.

Left home after 9 and met Steve and Pete at Northcote Rd / rail-trail juncture, to head for the planting at the Groynes.  I left home earlier than necessary, and thought they'd probably come via the Trafalgar St, Rutland, Northlands, Sawyers Arms route, so after a few laps of the bmx/pump track I waited facing Sawyers Arms direction.  Ring-a-ling from behind me, and they had indeed traversed Northcote Rd.  Got trundling along at the fancy pace of Steve's leckie and we cruised Tuckers round up Cavendish to the Cosy Cafe.  Coffee, and onwards upwards through Regent Spark and across to Northwood, through here, Englefield Park and up Connemara to Johns and around into the Groynal region wheretoforeto plant the Trees for the Canterbury.

Easy digging, lots of mulch and I seemed to be able to put my back into it..,  Anyway, couple and a half thousand plants and we were done by midday, so pretty good going - largely thanks to the Phillipino Brotherhood bros.  Troopers, they are.

Scoffed some sossies and hit the road home, same way, dissecting at Northcote again, and I skipped home via St James Park.

8.9 kms there, 8.5 kms back again.  With (a pointless even recording) 12 and 14 m of altitude gained respectively.

Tuesday Night Pleasant and Unpleasance; Malfeasant Peasant

Dinner at Joy's so we got going from home early and the fam dropped me up on Parkridge... Rode around and up, chuffing along quite well, to the bath (which is gone!), over the fence, and across and up onto the trail now known as V-Twin (meh).  Climbed this, horrendous easterly wind blasting across the slopes, tho, around to the first hairpin it was sheltered and quite nice, then tail wind to the next hairpin then nasty headwind climbing up and blasting across as I climbed.  Around the front, with the tail wind pushing me nicely around onto the other side of the trees, to find all the sheep sheltering there.  Lovely clean run through the rocks up to the cattle grate and onto the road.

Straight up over the fence, climbing up and around and up, cleaning all of it surprisingly nicely, and feeling pretty good.  I think that so much time off the bike has left my muscles packed with glycogen, whereas previously, riding every day to and from work plus the mtnbiking, my legs have always been a tad depleted.  So, after all this rest, seem to have some power.  And stamina - to a point.  Plus, my back wasn't bad at all and again I'm asking myself if I really need surgery (until I do something else, or bend over too often or forget to take my pills... - so, there is that).

Rode around the building and up to the top, where surprisingly the summit was super calm.  All the sheep were hanging out up here because of it.  I negotiated with them my route over the rocks towards the trig, then I hit the down.  First the gate, then shortcut down and across, flowing beautifully across the rocks, and up to the stile.  Wind howling through here, and yeehaa, down I blasted, swoop swoop, battling the wind, float, squirrel, blast.  Down on the last long grassy straights, I noticed, too late, a jump off to the left.  So I stopped, turned back up the hill a ways, then back down into the line, jump, around a big berm, around another, jump, maybe 2, with nice landing faces if you had the speed, then g-out and into the first jump of the Greenwood.  Swooped over that landing it nicely, and down through the first few corners.

Cut off under the trees and rode back up to get into -  what Trailforks calls  - The Green Line/Greensticks/Swoopy.  Got into this but after the 2nd left-hander, my right pedal smacked a rock so hard it pinged me a metre and a half to the left, nearly toppling me off the bike.  Ouch!  Kept riding and immediately could feel my pedal axle was bent, foot wobbling as it rotated.  Got some crazy speed on, pumping through the (usually) swampy section and kept on cruising after that.

At the pines, headed up Sheepshit Alley, climbing away, overtaken by a couple of fucking fast electric bikers (wankers) who I'd seen coming, and thought how much fun the climbing must be on them, but also jealously thought they were dicks for having all the fun while I was suffering old-skool stylez.

Onto the road, and climbed around under the cafe-house and up into Britten for the final blast.  And what a blast.  So flowy, so much fun blazing down the hill, tail wind across the main face, veering off on the first hairpin and continuing across the hillside, all the way, blasting down and then finally under the pylons.

Then, last bits, down the track next to the houses, ooh, a jump off to the right, next time, and speeeed down Major Hornbrook and right into Madeleys, left and blitzing down to Joy's.  I was tempted to drop into the zig zags and pop down that, then up to Drayton, but I was done with climbing.

Hoo, long post for a short ride...  9.2 kms, with 300 m climbed and 90 extra metres descended (albeit, on the road).

Saturday Planting South Shore, Nearshore to the Foreshore, for sure

A year or so since my last planting...

Drove in the frosty morning to Steve's and from there the two of us biked to the South Shore Planting. 

Stayed on the true-left of the river all the way there (except for McBratneys Rd to cut a long loop shorter).  Was good, kept a good pace with him on his Electric Moustache.  The trail continues through what were once houses now all the way along the estuary side.  A mint 12.8 kms. 

Dug lots of holes, Steve and me both, given neither of us can get down to plant.  Ate a few sossies and hit the trail back.  Crossed the river at Bridge St and took that side of the river all the way up til the Avondale Bridge.  A whole km longer than the way there, because we detoured around a squiggly bit before and near Andy's old 'hood.  A bit bumpier in bits, 13.8 kms.


Saturday night, T and I went to friends for dinner and one or five drinks.  Left H there (with Roddy), and got an Uber home.  So, Sunday afternoon, I biked across and picked up the car.  Quite a good zig-zaggy backstreet way - 7.8 kms.

Thursday Lunch "Hour" Bottle Ache with Go-go

Higgs and me skedoodled out to Blotto-ed Lake with the bikes on the back.  A couple laps around the pumpy jump tracks firstly and then headed into the lake.  The right hand turn is closed right now, but we wanted to go the left route anyway, so headed on in.  Great being on the fatty, it really is like a giant bmx (with gears).  And I can't believe how much the trees have grown.  That first section, Go-go had referred to as "the Open Section" which is certainly not open anymore.  Bomb bomb bomb, I started catching up to a guy so stopped and H and me got our asthmas under control and took off again.  I caught the guy up in the next section, a bit before the pond in there.  Stopped here and waited for H.  Good stop here then back into it. 

Good flowing and fun riding from here onwards.  I stopped and gave the tip to Hugie wherein you power on the downs and ease up the ups.  Good fun.  Got caught up by some dudes at the Spenser Park turn off.  They'd left the cars a little before us, but must have gone out the beach way, somehow.  Anyhoo, they headed towards Spencer, and we took 'Muddy Rd' along the way, and on into the forest. 

Everything has grown so much.  It's crazy.  It is basically 2 years since I last did a proper Bottle Lake loop... 'course, I've skimmed the beach edge a couple times more recently but the seedlings of not that long ago are now towering over the trail with lush foliage.  Those guys passed us again in the dark of what was one time called 'Andrew's Favourite Bit.'  After this, they've resurrected a section that had been blown out for a few years from logging, the replacement trees are all quite tall already, and you don't have to go into the 'temporary' dark tall forest with a terrible surface anymore (you still can tho - we just chose the 'new'/old way).  It flowed into a section I remembered from days long passed, and then back into the recent sections to finish. 

A whopping 9.3 kms, and 70 m climbed!

Now, the question is, are we going back into Lockdown?

Augmented Augustness

Well, welcome to August.  No riding to speak of, although I did ride home from Cuzzie Matt's place on Saturday night, and MMR'd it just for a laugh.

Finally a date for my surgery, the 29th of August, which leaves me this month to attempt a few more rides than of late and see what I'm like.  Wont be much happening for quite a few weeks afterwards, but finger's crossed I'll be riding again with aplomb.

Weekend Mooning

Steve's birthday at Moon Under, so took the Troll on the back of the car and pedaled home, 8.6 kms or whatever, relatively late into the night.  Sunday, rode back to get it...  seeing Pete at his new workshop on the way, stopping for a chat, then bumping into Mike and Pia on Strickland and stopping for a chat there. 

Bike back on back and headed up the hill to plant the garlic in what I hope will be my garden at the end of the year.

SingleSpeed glamming at the Bay

Over at the bay for the weekend with teenagers.  Took with me a couple tires and some new Surly Sunrise bars which I chucked onto the Switchback.  Glammed it up quite nicely:

Rides nicer, and looks the bomb with those tires, tho, their grip left a bit to be desired on the soggy driveway climbing home.  Being 'Urban' tires, possibly it's the wrong application, but given most rides in the bay are road, or gravel, they should be okay. 

Ride consisted of, out to wharf, back up Decanter Bay Rd to hairpin (visible across valley there), and then up to this bench.  Weather didn't really allow for much more than that, nor my back and lack of strength and fitness.

3.1 kms, with a whopping 60 m of gain.

Hanmering the Anvil

Started out with the fam (T, Joyful, Anth (on O's bike) and Lynn (on H's Instigator)) and happy Jet the dog, down the path from just along the street, to the Dog Stream walk track, heading up river on our side, then across the road and over the bridge, up something that kinda becomes Easy Rider below the road, up through the main park entrance and ranger station etc, noticing a cool wee skills ("this is what the different grades of mtb trail mean").  Turned into Western Link and cruised through here.  A first time doing any real hill work for most of these folks.

I led them into Swamp, all the way amazed at how happy Tra'y was with the riding.  Lynne is an ex-regular, so she had skills and a bit of pep, and Anth was a total natural, even if not all that fit.  Joy struggled on the hill work and anything techical.  I dont think it helps that her tires are, like, 1.9s and her forks are sunken.

At the top, a bit of a relax and then I dived into Swoop.  I bombed off, then thought to stop and see how they were coming.  Tra'y arrived first, saying "That's waaay too hard for mum!" but the others progressed through and Joy was fine, had walked a couple of little things (and had a crash I think).  I followed Anth for a sec, then we caught up to Lynned and I rocketted through chasing T, thinking I'd see her soon, but no.  Miles down I caught Jet, who veered aside for me and then down at that big treestump jump I landed and slammed on the brakes behind her.  Followed her down the hairpins but the second was sticky as and she doesn't 'get' them yet, so that was the only bit she bailed on.  They all rolled in after in their appropriate order, covered in splecks of mud.

Across Western again (I spotted an exit from Meeny I've never seen before, so will explore that in future).  At the Dog Stream, I bailed from them and headed up stream on my lonesome.  Climbed steadily but 3/4ths of the way up I was thinking, hmmm, a bit hungry...  Overtaken by a skinny friendly guy on a nice big brown Surly Ogre, made me jealous of his speed, then crossed the bridge and headed across the road and up the Fir Trail, having forgotten how fucking steep it is in places...  ugh.  Feeling a bit tired at this stage, and still insisting to myself to do Bigfoot.

Into the Bigfoot climb and reeaally not feeling up to it.  Struggled a way, grunting and chuffing, climbing climbing, eventually I just had to get off and walk...  Several corners, walking, riding a bit, walking...  to the top.  Obligatory photo taken,

hit the down.  Wetness, frost, frost thaw, sticky, splecky, muckfest.  Fun control on the greasy roots, popping, diving, loving every second of the zen state concentration, completely feeling the trail and the grip and contact patch of both tires, and the balance.  Joyous!  Into the trees, weaving past their trunks, around across, then out, and fuuucckkk it was greasy, and that sticky clay schit that sticks to the tires and flies off in globs...  Ugh.  Popped out the bottom and rolled past some other riders (also just finished ahead of me - hadn't seen them)) and down the road.

Contemplated Detox, but really couldn't face that climb so over into Mach 1, nearly colliding with an e-biker, but after that, no one.  Not bad roll down this, tho it's climbs were nastier than I've felt before, and the grease was appalling - passenger styles - lower down.

Finished off across Camp (again, couldn't be arsed with Basecamp, just wanted to get home), and then hit up the skills/grade 'demo' trails.  They're a really good representation of what the various tracks are like.  Over the road, and down Easy, then across the bridge, climbed up the walk-track hill with an audience of walkers, and was super relieved to be back.

A reasonably respectable 14 kms with a very steep (but always surprisingly little) 293 m climbed.

Thursday Mucky Spleckie "I can actually ride!!"

Out on my own with just Jet for company.  Rode up the road to Jollies Pass Rd, crossed over before bridge and explored a trail to the left and upwards.  Walked cos was steep, and ended up (eventually) at the top end of Torquay Terrace (where we stayed last year).  Dropped over to the big field (that was the event village when i did the 12 hour) and cruised over to and up Swamp, time to test these leg things.  Hmm, not bad.  Made the top in reasonable time, feeling pretty good.

A Wiemerana (dog) turned up and made friends with Jet (tho, they tend to be a bit arrogant), and I let it and it's rider head off ahead, giving them plenty of space.  Into Swoop for a greasy mucky fun filled spleckfest.  Nice bomb down, catching the Weimerana in the lower reaches, Jet bolted ahead and ran with her to the finish. 

Across for the Timberlands climb.  Yes, managed that.  Still feeling pretty okay.  Then into Red Rocks, cleaned all the climbs but was definitely feeling it at the highest point.  Into the down and funtimes.  Really good handling, zen state of bike handling, tire engagement, feeling everything, at one again, niiice, yay!  I love it!!!  and then into Eeny (as opposed to Meeny), wafting and squirrelling through this.  Then out onto Western, hung a right, and around the big field the way I'd come in, trying out the Torquay to Jollies trail downwards...  short, but FUN.  Then down Easy, across river and up to the house.

Not a bad, nearly 8 kms, but only 201 m climbed.

A very dirty dog...

Tuesday Choosing the Family loop again

Very similar to yesterday's ride except this time we had Joy, Anth and Lynn join us.  And we left the dog behind because he'd had a big walk already. 

Headed across and into Easy Rider and just did a nice lap of that, taking in Snakes and Ladders again, then across into Basecamp, and home down Alligator Alley, and (seemingly the wrong way - given all the traffic we met) on Easy Rider (met SO many families coming our way), dropped down and climbed back up to the house.

An easy nearly-9 kms, with a whole 100 m climbed.

Monday Hanmer Easy Riding Body Testing

Trying out this mountain biking lark again having not ridden properly off road since the 7th of MARCH. Tra'y, Jet and me took a 9.5 km jaunt around the forest tracks.

Easy Rider climbing away slowly to Snakes'n'ladders, then across the Heritage trail to Basecamp, blat round this and then down Alligator Alley, going all the way down a long fast descent to Perserverence, then back along this back up to the house.

Longest ride for Jet and me for a LONG time.  Body did pretty good coping with 9.5 km and 101 m climbed.  Try it out harder tomorrow.

Another week of Non-Eventualities

Around the traps a few times with Jetty-puss for late-lunch breaks.  Nothing to speak of, but blogged instead:

Three and third kms of clearing out his pee-mailbox.

A couple of very local kms, dank and dogolated.

And, yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away.  Returning a couple books, nice wide open cruise of 3.2 kms.

Downpour showers coming and going today, so sadly no outing for either of us.

Weakening Weekly

Usual few little cruises around the hood.  But otherwise nothin' doin'.

First off, a nice cruise showing Tra'y around the new alleys...

Then, some superer-local, mixing it down...

Followed by what is extreme in it's localness, slort and show, with Jet's dog years catching up on him...

And, last but not least, a Dweet and soggy spin yesterday.

The Weekly Weakly...

Meh.  Nigel No-Rides.

One or two dog runs, not as many as I should.  Was a relaxing weekend, and as such, was feeling yesterday almost like I could have handled a 'proper' ride...  albeit, gently gently.  Wish I'd gone out.  Maybe I should try today, during the day, while no body's watching?

Anyway.  Rode into work on Monday?, and was good til I aimed for home, realised I'd forgotten my prescription, so detoured across to the chemist, and from there the ride home dragged on me and made quite wiped. 

Otherwise, only a typical dog spin to show, mapped, for the week.  Though, I'm certain I did a couple of others.

And, Saturday saw me ride to Steve's for his party.  Via Nelson's, there to Stanmore New World, back to Nelsie's, cos I'd left my phone behind, then to Steves, and later, home.  Zigs and zags about town, not mapped.  Bloody freezing at 12.30 am, through a frosty, and surprisingly quiet, city night

Localities and The Arts

Welcome to June, 2020, who'da thunk?!. 

Prolapsed disc now three months and still going strong at giving gyp and who knows when Surgery will come through? 

Of riding - many town dog cruises have happened over the past week or so.  Most Mapped, but a couple not - I think?  Here's the selection of those mapped:

Here was a 2.84 km local cruiser with Jetty the poochus moochus.

This one didn't show up on my Activity Feed for some reason, a nice 5 km cruise with Jetty, exploring the alleys and bellies of the hoodlet, just before the (first) big rain (in a long time) came through.  I'd been watching the radar, and double checked it at the cemetery (still looking for my great grandfather (mum's side)), making the decision to turn back just as the first spits came through, arriving home before the downpour.

Yesterday saw a blat into town with Tra'y to an excellent Hannah Kidd exhibition at the Art Centre.  Fricking awesome work.  11.5 kms there and back (and wandering around inside).  Met Joy there for the art appreciation.
On the way, on the fly:

Winter's Hagley shadows with some autumn left in the background.

Annnd, last night, a quick dog spinach.  Ghetto rat cruiser dog run, czeching out a way through the St Pauls cemetery (and keeping an eye out for any Horners (my great grandmother's family on my dad's side), and spotting a shortcut through the RSA (but not taking it) then grabbed some fresh bay leaves for the pork gravy from the local park on the way home.

Sunday Peaches for Beaches

Fatty Arbuckle.  Semi-repeat, but in reverse, of Thursday's ride.

Parked same spot, fatbike and dog, poked our noses at the beach at the start but the wind was such that behind the dunes was gonna be nicer heading north.  So, up the track for a bit, Jet dragging the chain a bit, but eventually doing okay, and then decided to try the beach for a while, as I thought it might make him run a bit faster.  It did, and I could barely keep up with him into the wind...

At the point where the bottle lake mtb track climbs briefly to the top of the dunes, I climbed up the sanddune entrance (riding 93% of the way up), and we headed into the forest singletrack I'd found on Thursday, from the bottom.  Fun track, and some kid on a normal bike even passed through.  Back on the main drag, going was slower again, til we made the forest, then I did a bit of exploratory meandering.  I reckon with a bit of a tickle this zone could be a fatbike-only flow zone, a few sandy pine needle littered trails flowing and dipping around in there.

I eventually found the exit/entrance to my sand-dune-crest track, taking me along for a while til I saw the main bike track, then I backtracked slightly to a good sand exit to the beach...  Jet really wanted to continue north.  He also then waded in and promptly lay down in the water to cool...  (that meant the boot for him on the way home).  Tail(ish) wind as we headed south again.  Jet talking to every dog we met, finally back over the dune (before the carpark path) and back down to the car.  Good blast.

Measly 7.16 kms, and a massive 22m climbed.

Thursday, Beached as.

Long lunch break, drove out to North Beach and parked, fat bike and jet in the car.  Granny up the boarded sand-dune path, and dowwwn onto the beach, for a lovely clip to the north.  Gorgeous day, sea looked spectacular, and Jet was in speed-mode.  Full tilt sprint for the first km or so, followed by slowing down a bit and the odd dash for a sniff or a pee.  Not to mention the hellos to other dogs.

This is him in slightly-slowed-down-mode. Taken on the fly..

Looking back south...

I recognised the general lay of the land as we rolled, noticing the salt-burned trees behind the dunes, and calculated which exit point would take me to a precise point of the Bottle Lake trail, and we clambered up the dunes and onto an old Phatbike favourite of mine which leads south from that point (where the bike track runs up onto the top of the dunes briefly before ducking back down behind them in the trees).  So, along the dune-tops and then back down into the trees, and onto the track for a bit. 

Out of the trees, heading south, along the main drag, til I ducked onto a side track which lead up into and over into the trees (on the right as you head south), and found a cool wee track, perfect for fatties like me, cruisey cruise.  Eventually took a trail to the left and hit the main drag again, just where it mounts the top of the dune again.  Decided to hit the beach, rather than dragging jet along the bike track, and so we returned that bit we'd started on back to the car.
Nice. 7.2 kms ridden, with a whopping 31 m of altitude.

Previously, (yesterday?) Tra'y, Jet and me, meandered the meandering way to the Library for an outing.  5.8 kms.  There are some very nice houses in St Winifreds Place.

Singlesped in 2/3 speeds, as far as possible in L.A.

Got some puff on at the bach this weekend.  Took 4 teens to have a couple nights at the bach and we hung and they walked and left me to my own devices most of the time.  Laid up with the prolapse disc, couldn't do much, but...

They say, a singlespeed has 3 gears: sitting, standing and walking.  I used the first two and rode as far as I could in any direction.

Jumped on the Switchback and spun my way up valley, figuring I'd just ride until I couldn't ride anymore.  Didn't know how far I'd make, but got some pretty good distance up.  Cleared the dump, having had a few high intensity bits, and took my photos there, then continued on up valley, nearly making it to Misty Hills (farm my uncle and aunt owned til '79).  Turned around, tucked in and proceeded to coast with as much speed as I could muster with the tuck, back down the road.  One or two small ups then rollin', rollin', rollin' on down to the beach.  Left and along and dipped up into Decanter Bay Rd, but only made about 3 metres past the cattlestop, so, out to the wharf, the single hill proving a short chuff on the singlist, both ways, then up the Chorlton Rd, but only to the first picnic bench:

Turned back and around the corner, nearly running into my teens.  They were heading for the church.  I spun home, made it most of the way up the drive, and walked the rest.

Only 8.7 kms, with 185m climbed (i'm surprised).  I called it a "Recovery, Mountain biking" ride cos it's keeping me on the road to recovery if and when I get the surgery on the back.

Level 2's Weakened Restrictions Social Distance-making or -breaking?

Blipped over to Bec's on Saturday with Tra'y for a nice visit; glass of wine in social-non-distancedness.  Nearly 7 kms round trip.

Took the dog for a couple of non-mapped spins, usual local blocks, including this one...

Yesterday, first day back at school for the kids, rode with H and Jet on the cruiser, down to the Strowan/Railway intersection, Jet ran the whole way there, good clip too, and then we separated from H and came home Westholme, Bounty, Christian.  He cruised pretty good pace most of that way too.

Then Last night, explored a couple of alleys we'd not before, found a nice loop.  Yet another photo of my bike lying in the driveway (showing off some of it's reflectiness):

to which Andy commented:  Your bikes tend to lie down a lot.
to which I replied:  That's because they're two tired.

which i thought was fricking hilarious.

Level 3's deathrows, Tuesday and Wednesday

Yesterday, Tuesday, morning H had bought a game on Trademe, so him, Hayles and me rode to get it.  Direct shot down to Merivale.  I let them ride home themselves, and detoured to collect some flour I needed from the Merivale Fresh Choice, and managed to see some beers I'd not had before, so collected them too.  A 9 km round trip.

Later, T and me cruised around the local loop of the parks with the doglet.

Showing off my spokes (laced years ago), this bike's been rocking this wheel like this for a long time.  It's, in my opinion, the best 'weird' pattern you can do with the spokes you've got, same length as a 3-cross.

The 'used' spokes are quite old, and the wheel is a little flexy.  I tried to dub someone on the handlebars one time and the wheel sounded like it was gonna cave in - it complained a lot, so the person didn't get a ride.

This morning I did a 1 km lap of the Condell Aorangi Hudson Wallace block with the dog.  Would have done longer, but forgot to take a bag, so dragged home the last couple of stretches cos I could just see he was gonna take a dump...

Level 3 Weakened Cruise(s)

On Friday did a bit of a fam ride with T, H and Hayles.  We cruised and perused the burbs and stopped for a beverage at the swing before cruising home, putting some power down a couple of times.  The singletrack along the river to Helmores Lane got me really chuffing, chasing Higgs.  Was good to get the puff up.  Weird shit with MMR, only shows in the Workouts, not the Activity Feed.  Have had this before, and cannot work out why it hides them.  Anyway, a worthy 12.3 kms.

Took Jetty for a cruise on Saturday, all the local wee spots.

Also biked with T, and Jet, to the stupidmarket at some point, not sure when... even used the Troll in it's cargo carrying capacity on the way home with the shoppings.

Monday took a lunch break and perused a few new local alleys.  Jet kept a good pace the first half, but coming back, he was Mister Slowpoke.  Still, nearly 5 kms...

Freshly frontwheel shod Ghetto Ratbike Speshy Globe cruiserrrr.

Front tire rubs on the top but will wear down faster than the metal... unfortunately not enough room in the frame for the back tire to be the same...  will have to find a smaller size.

Chooseday Ghetto Rat Jet Cruising

Tuesday, took Jetty for a spin on the Ghetto Ratbike.  Headed out, realised we didn't have a baggy, so home again, and a different route...  Pitcairn park was interesting.  Tiny street frontage, but opens right up into a big enclosed space.  Off lead he had a nice sniff about.  Then straight up home.  Lotsa wind, sun and interesting cloudscapes.

Level 3 Lockdown Weakend Alleyway Cruising...

Saturday saw us do a nice reasonable sized ride, at some relatively low speeds, with Bec and Tra'y.  T and me left here and zagged and zigged to Bec's, collecting her and a few supplies, and we roamed the wild city streets of Merivale and whatever that Bristol St, Holly and Onslow area is called, in search of enlightenment and good-times.  These two things came in droves (well, not really).  Meandered and cruised, Bec not the quickest treadler.  Scattering metric fucktonnes of people who were besmirching the toothsome pathways of North Hagley Park.  The rest of our travels were relatively dipshit-free, past Girls High, up Matai, Harakeke and dipping through Daresbury Park, then Weka, Makora and the backways of the (Fendalton?) bowling club.  Detoured the native tree streets (Puriri and Totara) to Riccarton House, where we parked ourselves on the river bank, watching the ducks, supping on a couple of beverages, and noshing some meat and sundried tomatos.

Fun had, we continued, through the streets, along the riverside at Uni (the fun singletrack bit), and then through the uni, discovering (again for me) the path through past the Uni Community Garden, all the native planting that was started when I was there (20-25 years ago) and marvelling at how big it is now.  Kahikateas of a good size already.  Out and back to Ilam Rd along this, then Coldstream Court, Gleneagles and through Cobham Intermediate, quick detour down Christchurch's most pretentiously built street (ugh! Chateau fucking Drive, what a bunch of disgusting 90s starter-castle McMansion tat! Zero taste), skirting an edge of Jelli Park and Burnside HS, and then as many alleyways as possible home.

A reputable 19.5 kms.

Another pointlessly measured cruise a little later for to walk the dog - nice for him.

I mean, look how happy he is:

Anzackery Weakened - last of the Level 4

Saturday - Zig and Zag, there and back, to the old hood to drop some (late) easter eggs off for Hayles.  15 kms.  I'd forgotten my MMR was on for about half an hour, so there's a long tail on the graph (or lots of squiggles if you zoom in to home).

Then, later in the day, another 9.3 kms with Gogo and T, we zagged and zigged, then straightshot down the railtrail into Mona Vale, round and out, then round Girls High, and stopped and had I a beer (Party & Bullshit) and they had coke (T's with a spot of voddy in it) on the river near the swing, as the sun got lower in the sky.  Ripper Autumn colours everywhere, followed on down river and then back up Mill Brook Stream Reserve and home via the streets and Railtrail.


Rocketship with Jet on Sunday, fast down the railtrail, but slow on the return up Westholme and Bounty..  Sniffed and peed on every landmark on the way home.

Yesterday, Anzac Day Observed, broke myself mowing the lawn (couldn't finish it) but after a good rest I fixed a flat on the back of the Ghetto Globe and took Jetty out for a short usual spin (no MMR, but short (3kms?).  He has to be on the lead the whole time so I try to travel so's not have any tension on the lead as much as possible.  This involves keeping up with him when he's bombing it, or detouring to a tree or post and hovering momentarily while he leaves his pee-mail to the other dogs.   At these pauses I try not to put a foot down to avoid the pain that gives me.  Reaaalllyy slow going on the way home.

Tuesday, just before dinner, Ghetto Cruiser around the hood with Mister Cutie here:

COVID-19 Locals

T and me got out on Saturday, nice leisurely cruise through suburbs un-explored.  Never really sure where we were headed the whole time, we snuck up on the the pylons that start/end at the Substation on Greers Rd, and proceeded to zig and zag through 1960s suburbs (same age as my childhood-burb) following the  pylons and looking at houses, all on very quite streets I never knew existed (altho, I realise now we may have almost ridden past an old (highschool) girlfriend's parent's house.  Farrington Ave, Wairakei Rd we struck out on our own away from the overhead wires.  Left into Charlcott, Everest, and Nepal Pl, into a park O used to longboard in, which has a pumptrack.  We meandered around this park, keeping Social Distance and then explored around a bit loop of newer suburbia.  This whole area used to be a wild wasteland - gorse, blackberry, willows; with a gravel quarry pit half full of water that was slowly filled in through all the years of my growing up.  Back into Nepal, avoiding people (so many people!), and more meandering, working through to find a small shortcut park, then down under the pylons again, and cut through to Memorial Ave.  Explore down an exclusive cul-de-sac and up to Burnside Park, but deciding against that and deciding to take the tailwind express home.  Back through backways and by-alleys to Burnside grounds, then back streets and alleyways home.  Very nice 12 kms thank you.

Prior to this there were a few more local loops with the dog after his miraculous survival of crashing into a car.  After a telephone doctor's appointment I had drugs to pick up, so T and me set off on Friday to the chemist in Bealey Ave next to the 24hrs.  This was a ziggy zaggy convoluted route there, followed by a very direct shot for home. 11.3 kms in all

Wednesday dog run...

Easter Monday Jet Car Crash

Yesterday, Easter Monday, T and me were out with Jet, short jaunt round the 'hood.  I was on the Rocky Mountain for the comfort of the travel and dropperpost for ease of on and off, and we'd run him down Windemere, around into St James Ave.  Up past the cul de sac to the railtrail he had lagged behind a bit, and I spotted a dog over the road, on lead, walking, then heard a car, and the thought in my head was 'hope he doesn't run out infront of that car', I looked back to check on him and then heard it.  BANG, yelp!, then sort of a scraping sound as the car slowed to a stop.  I was thinking 'he's caught under the front and smeared down the road.  We've got a dead dog'.  I think I swore and said, "stupid f'ing dog!"  but was heartbroken riding to the car as the lady got out, "did he get caught under the front" and she was no, and then there is T. on the berm, with Jet standing wagging his tail next to her.  The lady's car had a massive dent in the front guard panel ahead of the front left wheel.

Jet had scrapes on him and we were all in shock.  I rode home, got the car (with rack for T's bike), drove back, and we got driving, heading for home but got the 24hour vet on the phone and they said come straight in.  They checked him out and he was fine!  Amazing.

Addendum, double checked at our own Vet on Tuesday morning (already had an appointment for an ear thing) and he checked out fine.  He was a little slow and obviously sore for about a day, then totally back to normal.  Our insurance is covering the car damage, and it's a 0$ excess claim,which is pretty sweet (a Liability for Damage to another's property, on our house and contents).

COVID Townies...

Plenty of family time, riding about with the dog, Ghetto Cruising.  Getting out every day, similar stuff to this.  Never more than 4 or 5 kms, usually only 3, local streets, parks etc.  Keeping our social distance from everyone else that's out there.

Finally yesterday got out on the Troll and took myself for a jaunt about the alleyways near here...  Quite a blast, and found some cool wee low-ways and by-ways, piecing together a few alleys I knew about or didn't know about.

Think I'll just add local stuff to this one, as we go from here, unless I take myself out for a further trip, over 10kms or something, then I'll do new posts, and maybe tack short locals on each of those.


A few more short stints on the ratbike.  None as big as those previous.   Back still killing me.
 

Riding Hiatus - Prolapsed COVID19 Lockdown - Locals Only

Nothing but local short flat street rides for the month, by the look of it.  I'm getting out every day with the dog and Tra'y, jetting around the neighbourhood, connecting up the parks and alleys, cruising the sidewalks, keeping 2 metres away from everybody.

My back's still bad, or at least, my flexors and ITBs, quads and hammies are all screaming all the time.  No idea how or when I'm gonna fix.  So's probably just as well I'm only cruising.  Mostly on the Specialized GhettoGlobe, but sometimes on the Troll.

Mapped a couple, and haven't mapped a bunch.

Saturday Mt Oxf'king Wind'ord with a Sting in the tail(bone)

Mother nature got the better of us today... Beautiful day. Nelson, Kirsty and Wazzah picked me up and we headed out to Mountain Road.  Kirsty and Wazza walking, Nelson and me on the bikes, intending on going up the front, over the ridge and down to Wharfdale, where the walkers would go for View Hill and Nelso and me back to car to drive round and pick them up.  Hit the trail from Coopers Creek, cruising with the two walkers, but eventually I slowly loped off ahead.  Drop down to creek, and the pushing up the switchies from that, riding a fair bit, walking the odd bit, and proceeding to ride and walk in equal measures for quite a while.  Stopped and let Wazza catch me up a couple times, then eventually he caught me once it got steep and my pushing and carrying was slower than his walking.  Various walkers and runners were coming down through.

At the treeline we hit some wind, which proceeded to get into horrendous galeforce once up in the alpine proper, at above about 900m... The other two had caught up by this stage, but Wazza and me were out front, and really struggling.  No way could I lift my bike up or I'd blow over, and he could barely stand.  Kirsty was scared enough to stop, and Nelson got up to where we were holding on to the hill where we all decided to give up.  Further up where the trail gets steeper and narrower for the final push, there was going to be no way we could have maneuvered with the bikes.  Foiled, we turned back down.  Rode a couple of bits I wouldn't have expected to, back to Kirsty at the treeline, where we all ate our packed lunches.

Into the descent.  Only a couple of walks on the really heinously steep stuff, and riding some surprisingly steep stuff.  Quite fun, but hard work.  Awesome descent lower down.  We stopped a few times letting the two walkers catch up.  Then after a particularly long jaunt, we stopped and Nelson tried to get his GoPro sorted.  Meanwhile, I rested on the ground, and felt a sharp 'stick' in my arm, which got sorer and then as I turned my arm to look, there's a fucking wasp sticking out of it!  OWCH!, gripped and squeezed it and biffed it onto the ground.  Damn!  (2 days later, my arm is twice it's normal size...).  Walkers all through and past, and we bombed on down, over taking two girls that'd passed us while stopped.  Catching Kirsty and Wazza out on the farmtrack, and rolling slowly with them back to the car.

Grand total of 9 kms, and 675 m climbed...


Addendum:  This trip caused the worst back pain of my life.  Sunday afternoon, Monday, and so far Tuesday - agony.

Addendum 2:  11 days later: Back pain continued, turning into not sciatica - shooting pains down both buttocks, spasming lower back, locked up hip flexors, some of the most painful days and nights I've ever experience.  2 half and one full day off work.  Osteo treatment number 2 seemed to help more, finally Wednesday 18th woke up feeling a little better, with glute pain subsided greatly but hip flexor pain still in evidence.

Addendum 3: Nearly 6 weeks later and I'm still broken.  Nortriptyline and Pregabalin with Brufen are my solace.  It's been a very long and unpleasant time.

Addendum to end all Addendums: May 19th, 2020.  MRI several weeks ago shows a prolapsed disc at L3 L4.  Foot issues meant that on this day my first appointment with a neurosurgeon is pending at 9.15 (i'm writing this at 8.47)...

Wednesday Night Squiggly a f

All about the tops tonight.  Parked up top of Major Hornbrook, below the usual Parkridge park, riding up through the park then up Clearview, Ridgeview and Upper Major to the non-bathtub entrance to Britten.

Around and up the singletrack, first of many climbs for the night.  Around the front and across to the cutting, then up onto the single, hanging a right and dropping down to Cavendish Saddle.  Climbed up something I'd never been on before, but it says bikes are allowed now, so gave it a look.  Too steep, so some walking, til the higher gate, and then it's quite good.  Around under the Gondola building, slightly lower than usual, with nice views out to the harbour, then into the usual steppy rocky descent down.  Took a couple of different lines this time, which bogged me up a bit, but got to the Bridle Path eventually.

Across, and up the walking track, climbing climbing, cleaning to further than usual.  Walked a bit, rode a bit, walked some more, before finally riding nicely to the ridge.  Around and fun fast descent, feeling pretty good on the bike.  into the climb, and climbing higher than the past, but still having to walk a bit Nelson's cleaned several times, up around and then right through the Tors track, dropping down and having a blast.  Same dab as last time, and then back up the road to Castle.  As I rode up here I could see a guy carrying his bike along the Castle Rock ridge.  Back and forth he went, checking his phone whenever he came back.  Then I saw the drone.  So, he's making some fake-arse footage of him epic'ly carrying his bike across the ridge???  Fake news!

Dropped into Castle and blasted.  Absolutely blazed it.  Smooth, flowy, awesome.  Around and up, climb feeling good last drop to road and around.  Nice cruise under the gondola and up.  Back into Cavendish Saddle and climbing up the back of Mt Pleasant.  Cleaning all and still feeling good, all the way to the top.  Did some yoga stretches here, pigeon for both legs, and some spinal twists...

Droppin' in, through the gate, over the stile, and flying, southerly wind pushing me a long down through the tussocks, line nice and clear, fast, raily.  Excellent bomb.  Taking it a little easy to the end, not really pedalling, then dropping down to Greenwood middle entrance here.  Short rest, ate the rest of my OSM and then hit Greenwood down.  Again, smooth and flowy, fast and furious.  Blasted down, lower back not getting sore at all.  Didnt even need a rest after Gloomy, just bombed on through, dropping down the rocks and flowing through the rest of the jumps and berms, all the way down.

Onto the road and climbing, long slog.  Getting a bit warm, delayered on the way up here.  At the pines, thought I wouldn't be a mountainbiker if I didn't get onto the trail, so over the stile and climbing.  Then short road, fill up bottle, and into the Britten.

Flying down through sheep and then across the front, same as last time.  Checked out further over onto some rocks.  Definitely scope for lines to wend down to the trail from there, but turned back up onto the regular final drops and rocketted down through this, over the fence, and on down to the car, nice big jump just before the road.

Convoluted ups and downs of a 20 kms, with 900m climbed - similar scale to last week.  A lot for a weeknight.

Wednesday Night Huntsvern WitchCastleTors Pause OldSkool

New Drive Train!!!  Another 30t oval, and new cassette and chain.  New gear cable, and pivots lubed and tightened (awaiting a rebuild kit).

Me on my lonesome last night. Parked after work on the river, bottom of Bowenvale, and headed up Major Aitken at a pretty steady clip.  Pushed hard never stopping, up on to the gravel, chuff chuff chuff, nice refreshing breeze up here, tho quite pushy, onto the singletrack climbing still then up the grovel to the road.  Across, into Vernon, letting one or two coming up past, then bombing down, short cut to end.

Rapaki-top, not too many around, straight into Witch Hill, too low a gear and dabbed, but cleaned up the rest of it.  Stopped for my first real rest at the high point, feeling hungry, so snack and water.  Rolling again, drop drop to road, across onto the walking-singletrack, enjoying the crisp gear shifting and buttery smooth suspension.  Up the road, short stretch, then dropping into Castle for a fang. 

Lovely blast, mostly totally on top of the game, ripping through and down.  One or two lapses, but mostly all good.  Climbing, bunch of joggers near the end, then up the road, nice steady pace, observing a dude riding below on the trail.  Up and around, and at the top there's a massive group of riders approaching.  I walked up entrance to the Tors track, riding near the top, and was clear before they arrived.  Descending time.  Lovely blast, tail wind down the Tors track.  Popped and cleaned everything that used to get me, but had one dab where I've never dabbed before. 

Onto the road, and bypassed the singletrack because a couple of walkers had just entered it.  Coasted along the road for a while, nice and restful, then carried my bike up onto the singletrack about where you climb through the fence for pirate track.  Rode the rest through, down, across the road and climbed well up the Witch.  Didn't even pause at the top, just adjusted suspension and bombed it, waft waft float over rocks, and good slam through to the end.  Straight across onto the Vernon climb, clambering away ahead of another guy leaving him behind. 

Massive posse accumulated at start of Traverse.  Tailender stopped to let the dust settle before heading off, then guy from behind blitzed through, so I rested slightly longer and hit it across.  Opened up the suspension, dropped the seat and dropped into FourPause...  Wind was pushy on the jumps, but cleaned them all ripped into the landing strip zone, bombing down, tail wind over the edge dropping fast down to the stile.  Then feeling super good, bombed down the rest of it, usual dab on the one rock lower down, then bombing down into the off cambers and onto Old Skool proper.  Brief pause at the high start point, then dropping in, trying to run my left leg forward, to give the muscles some new memory.  Tried this several times on the way down but man it makes the riding weird.  Amazing tail wind across the first long traverse, head wind through the second, and tail again for the next.  Smooth, quiet, tire noise only...  Sweeeet!  Blasted through the lower reaches and bombed out to the road. 

Long coast and easy pedal back to the car... A mondo 19.3 kms, with 850m climbed!  Not bad for an afterwork week night.

Saturday Morning Solo Holliss Vic Old Skool

Lots of steep ups today.  Parked in Landsdowne Ave just next to Holliss Reserve and headed through this and up Holliss Ave.  Stopped and feasted on easily accessed blackberries for a little while just before the valley corner.  Then hit the real steep, getting steeper nearer the top.  Into the stairs, buddha buddha buddha buddha down, then along a bit and up, push push push push, more blackberries, push push push up the stairs.  Across Longhurst and into the lower Latters Spur track, climbing up under the houses and cleaning all the hairpins except the very last.  Ugh...  Clamber clamber clamber and finally at the stile, where I took this pic.

Looking across at where I would come down a little later...

Let a couple of walkers go on ahead, and then rode and pushed on up under the pines, over the roots and next to the barbed wire to the dog park.  Left and clambering up the rock section then up to the gate, and on up through Vic Park, past 19th, into the Skidder where I filled up water and rested.  Warm, and my cold wasn't doing my head any good.  Hit the steeptrack climb, cleaning it all, only just, then up past Brake Free and on up to the very top of Vic.

Time for the down.  Entry of the Traverse, then hard left into the swoopy double, pop and down to the see-saw, over this, into Brake Free, pop pop, ugh, speed broken by the first berm, then pedal across to the Sesame St entrance.  Straight in, pop the first jump then waft over the big one, pop, pop, around drop, around, wall-ride, drop, around, oop - miss that double, drop that, off the edge and down over the jump to skidder...  Into Shazza's, bomb bomb rail jump rail, across rail, around, down into Sneaky Ridge, lower speed than usual, droppity drop down through around, ooh, lots of leaves, jump, drop into Bridges, across and wending through Nu Bridges, and finally out the bottom, downvalley, hard right into Hidden.

Easy climb now with all the trail work, making for nearly like a rest bar the steepness, then past a mum and daughter up the steepest, cleaning both hairpins and gasping for air at the stile.  Into the Old Skool.  Across and little climb, bit of a rest, then fanging it.  Nice flow, good railing, fun times.  Blast blast blast...  First big left hand hairpin I could see an XC dude flying up the hill (to the point I almost wondered if he was on a leckie - he wasnt!).  Pulled up before the next hairpin to let him fly past, then dropped on down, swoopy pump pump waft, push fly.  Blasting over the rocks, around the bend and dowwwwn, weave weave pop and roll, finally out the bottom and coasting the rest of the way down.  Down the road, left into Wedgewood, right into Landsdowne back to the car.

Surprisingly short, less than 10 kms, with 399 m climbed.

Wednesday Night Captain Godley Conda Godley Captain Anti-clockwise Alt-route Loop

Awesome ride tonight.  Did a core strengthening Abi yoga in the morning, and as a result the entire ride I didn't get a sore back!  Fantastic.  I'd also remembered to have an asthma puff in the car while I was waiting for Nelson to arrive in Scumnervale, which saw my breathing working well all the way through as well.  AND, I was suffering the beginnings, or skirting the edge, of a cold - scratchy throat, slightly sore sinuses.

Up Captain Thomas, Nelson telling me all about his Enduro event last Sunday, which meant he held back a bit so that I could huff and chuff along behind him.  Still, even tho I was talking occasionally too, I felt better for longer up this climb.  Once up onto the levels and after the short down, he cleaned the first of the tech rocks, which was astounding.  Good jaunt up the rest of it, me only just starting to wane near the top.

Reasonable length rest at Evans then across into Godley, clambering.  Too low a gear for me on the first rocks, then blew out again on the next, but cleaned up the whole rest of the track.  Really feeling stronger and no sore back and more power.  Yoga is good!  At the high point above Scarborough, another short rest, then decided to head up the ridge to the top trig.  Nice views from up here...
A different view of  Evans Pass:

1
Then down, awesome descent, with some great tech rocks and a lovely flow around the back, harbourside, across the slope towards the final very narrow steep singletrack descent on the wrong side of the fence back to Livingston Col.

From here, took the walking track around the back, harbourside again, towards Breeze Col.  This is a great section of riding, except for the nasty switchback climb, which I cleaned all of for the first time, albeit with a breathing break at the first hairpin.
Me just after that bit:

Someone had mowed past the stile, so we ended up on a narrow sheep track before we realised we'd gone too far.  Turned back, over the stile, and down the steps and rolling.  Across the Col, fun rocks, then climbing the Breeze Bay track, meeting a couple of runners and some walkers further round.

Next it was the skinny singletrack back to Breeze, around the front above the road.  Long grass made it a challenge, but fun, finished with a fun dropping down to Breeze.

Onto the road for a short section to get into the 'new' entrance to Anaconda.  Waited for a guy climbing this, then dropped in, swoopy downhill funtimes.  But eating Nelson's dust wasn't very tasty.  Fast and smooth swoopy swoopy through the 'Conda, blitzing it all nicely, and STILL my back wasn't sore!  Awesomesauce.  Down the 'tail, and Nelson a fair ways ahead now, I was coming around above the baches when I saw him rolling across the paddock...  not toooo far ahead.  Bomb, pop, and roll across the paddock myself, to fill up water at the fountain (where we ran into Nixie from work and her partner).

Into the climb up the road, then up onto the singletrack 'Sumnervale' track, only walked a little bit by the fence, then up onto the road, up the climb to Godley and into the return.  Best run back to Evans on Godley I've had for ages.  Every rock feature was just a floating roll over or pop.  No baulking or stalling like other recent rides.  Bombed down out the end, and across Evans-summit to the Captain.

Bit of a rest before dropping in.  Bit of dust again from Nelson, but a good run down and after the peskygate I could still see the trail under the dust (unlike last time!).  Awesome bomb down, just flowing and cruising, cleaning everything except the climb (which Nelson tried again, and got with just one dab).  Final blast across and down through the switchies, cabbage tree slippery, last descent, nearly losing it onto the bridge, and finished.  Nice.

A staunch 19.43 kms, with a bonza 858 m climbed!

Tuesday Pre-Trust Meet Cavendish Castle Pleasant Feat.

Quite intense Yoga session at work today, made me think I might not have much left for riding.  Headed up and parked on Parkridge.  Rode up to the Upper Major Hornbrook entrance of Britten and took myself for a bit of a tootle.

Up through Britten, dry as dry can be.  Around the front, and out the 'cutting' cattlestop, across the road, over the fence and up the singletrack to what's usually the climber to the aerials.  Hung a right and bombed it down to Cavendish Saddle, then attempted to navigate the overgrown switchback trail up the back of this.  Ended up walking the bike on it's back wheel up to the gate.  Rode most of the rest up the back and then through under the eaves of the Gondola Building.  Steppy descent to rocky descent, picking my way down and across to the Bridle Top, then off up the road.

Castle Rock, into the sweet sweet singletrack, flowing beautifully, weaving good speed into the whole shebang.  I think the yoga earlier had cored me up nicely.  Climb was quick and powerful, across and down the last onto the Bridle-top again.  Around the road this time, climbing around under the Gondola and up to the Saddle again, then back onto the singletrack and climbing up the back of Mt Pleasant.  Still heaps of power, balance, control.  Clambering well, and right to the top for this rather gloomy (it wasnt!) view. 

Awesome bomb down from the top.  Pumped good flowy speed out of the it all, then sidled around across above the ruins, and straight into the Greenline or whatever it's called.  Nice flow around this and climbing to the pines, then up Sheepshit Alley, still feeling good.  Topped up water at the tap and headed into Britten for a fast bomb down and across.  Found another new line off the hairpin, taking me waaay further across the reserve than last time, staying higher before dropping down and finding may way onto the original rocky fast descent under the pylon. 

Back at car dead on 7.  Phoned ahead for a meal, picked it up and went to my meeting.

An excellent 14.16 kms, with 621 m climbed.

Waitangi Morning Loopies

Parked off Barrington again and moseyed around through Craycroft and past the CAP entrance and up the good old Worsley.  Got off road after the bottom hairpin and rode up the grassy track to the top of Farside, where, I dropped in and bombed down for a wee reminder play (Loop 1).  At the bottom of this, I got back to climbing, this time on the road (easier, slightly quicker).  Up, up, up, onto the gravel and grovelling on up.  Gets more real before the body bag, and then it gets really real.  Walked about 10 m near the top, and rode out onto the road. 

Over into the climb for the Nun still feeling pretty fresh, standing and cranking even.  There was a dude up here to whom I said "nice clean bike."  - said he'd cleaned it after a mucky xmas break...  I gave him a good head start, taking a couple of pics for the MMR, then dropped on in.  Whooah...  Overgrown!  You cant see far round the corners at the start, so it was a little surprising, cos the broom has grown up so much.  It improves, but even lower down a couple of times I was thinking, "this is really getting neglected."  Kept good speed and was catching the dude ahead, he was stopped at the Park crossing and I continued on past him down the original lines (not bailing right for the Gnarly Nun ending).  Bombed on through and the popped up onto the midway carpark.  He rode past, looking pretty cautious.

I crossed the road and headed into the Governors Bay track (Loop 2).  Man was IT overgrown.  It's really narrow now, and visibility is super tight.  I was just thinking 'I wonder if I'll meet any walkers' when a runner appeared.  He wasn't sure if I'd seen him but no trouble, I'd stopped with plenty of room.  Bombing down, some nice tech in here now, and 2 extra wee climbs I didn't remember.  Stays quite high as you sidle round, and then I was climbing again, struggling with the steeps.  Cleaned lots, but walked the last to the top. 

Back on the road, I headed back up to the midway Nun carpark and dropped straight in, bombing bombastically the rest of the way out.  Contemplated the option of Capt Torpedo, but that entrance was still shut, so continued with my original plan, and popped up to the Kiwi for some water. 

Up road to top of Vic Park, and into the Traverse, cruising around this, and pulling over for lots of oncoming.  Overtook a dad and kid (out for first ride), and then bumped into Brad from work.  Finally got to top of Fourpause and was still feeling surprisingly good, having had plenty of power on all those climbs. 

Dropped into Fourpause and bombed it.  Excellent flow over first, third and last jumps (middle one into the rutted berm, not so much).  Down through the swoopy tussocks and then over the edge, way more grip than recently and down to the stile.  Over this, and dropping through all the bits.  Only one dab through that super tricky rock edge and lavishingly enjoying the rest of it down into the off cambers. 

Final singletrack buzz, the Old Skool Bowenvale at it's best.  Awesome run down here.  It's just so familiar and predictable.  Passed a couple runners and their dog near the bottom and finally rolled on down the valley, taking directional backstreets back tot he car to complete the largest loop. 

A triple looped 21 kms, with over 750 m clambered vertically.