The Dankness

Unprecedented massive rain system smothering us for 3 days, torrential, and after a damp walk on Saturday, and then a wet walk earlier today, I decided to take the Troll out and up in the dark and rain. 

Headed down Amherst, left and up Vic Park Rd to the first track on the right, which took me, greasily, down to Harry Ell, up which I proceeded to ride.  Minimal light, just using my wee Lezyne mounted to my 'basket.'  Not totally smooth, but pretty smooth, a few rocks and roots to negotiate.  I met a grand total of one runner coming down, and he didn't seem to mind me being on his track.  Walked the rocky steps up then finished out to the upper bit of Vic Park Rd.  Left here up towards the 19th, then hung a hard right into the track over to the Skidder site.  Got a drink of water and let my eyes accustom themselves to the glow from the city, rain pouring continuously. 

Into Eastside track over and down, squalling brakes getting better once they'd shod their water, riding in the dark for a start, then switching the light on as I wasn't sure of the track surface, which was actually very good.  Into the trees however it was a different story.  Greasier and greasier it go, as I climbed up to the high point, over and oop, a step, not trusting of the landing I put my foot down and proceeded to fall over, below the track, bike tumbling down on top of me...  Ugh.  Picked myself and it up, no traction underfoot, walked and slid a bit further down the track then got riding a bit and walked a bit and rode a bit again.  Phone rang.  Couldn't answer, but made my way into the slide park and under the little conical shelters, where I returned the call.  Then a nice smooth blast down the road, lovely sound of water pumping through the mudguards, tires gripping well through the torrents flowing down the road.  

Only 4.1 kms, but 90 m climbed, which is something.

Thursday Night Greenwood Britt Pleasant Greenwood

Good loop tonight under a very big moon (being one night post- super blood moon).  Nelsie and me met at Evans Pass, very dark but not windy here.  Decided to ride up Greenwood, which proved to be quite good.  I was huffing and chuffing to start with but Nelson kept the velocity down and we crawled away, him cleaning all stuff, while I cleaned most.  Had some weird balance issues up around that drop, then lost it just before the steepest rocky bit before gloomy and had to walk that section cos I just couldn't get going.  Rest of the climb was mint, and at the ruins we headed out the old entrance, going well across there.  

Then it was up the road to Britten, and I led around the 'long way' round the front, through the cattlestop and onto the road at the cutting.  Up over the fence, gasping, and then up, climbing away up Mt Pleasant, into fog/scudding cloud at the top, which cleared when we got there.  Moon was bright above the whole time, at times glimpsing like someone's headlight on the hill above us - before you realised it was just the moon. 

Into the descent.  Moisture was sticking to a few rocks, and the tussocks all had some dampness so it was a little bit rock pingy slick at times, but mostly good.  All the way down I was really trying to focus on swapping out my dominant leg (left leg back is the norm and causing me my gyp), so on the less tech stuff I was focussing on right leg back.  I reckon by the bottom I was getting a lot more happy with it.  Good bomb down, nothing too sketchy.  A couple of riders were near the ruins when we arrived but they headed down the trail towards Richmond Hill pines, and we contemplated at that point doing a quick lap of those two trails, but decided on just heading straight down.  Anyway, good blast.  

Not a bad wee 10 kms and a smidge under 400 m climbed.

Sunday Mounting Sinclair but not Fitzgerald

Short ride cos limited time. Quick flying visit to the bach to check on it and collect some feijoas (and grapefruit for marmalade and a couple of limes) and some seedling natives, and headed back and parked on Pettigrews Rd.

Over the first (of many) stile, got riding, up up up endlessly up.  Over the next stile, then the next, caught up with and passed a couple of walkers, saying "you'll see me again later."  Up over another stile, and up through the nice bush, stile, open stretch climbing, stile, then up around back of Sinclair, steep, short walk then climbing okay again.  At the gate and stile at the top of the steep, stopped for a stretch then got riding again, pretty soon seeing a solo female runner.  Across the northern side of the peak, over then next stile and a bit of a descent, meeting 2 more walkers who were laughing a lot, then their companion lady just standing up and pulling her pants up after a wee...  Fast descent from here down the side of the totara forest, then into singletrack goodness, some tech, along the ridge, stile halfway, with some up and some down.  It was the last high point along here I decided it was time to turn back, giving me as much time as I'd just taken.

Turning back, the ridge trail was fun, up and down, tech, goodness, then a steeeeep climb up through the totara forest, walking a little near the top, before it levelled off and the rest of the way was good going. Over the stile again, around to where I'd stretched, over this stile, and fast descent, but first, past the 3 walkers (who were surprised to see me even tho I announced my presence with an, "I'm baaaack"), bombing, watching for the greasy rocks, fun times.  Met the original two walkers down here, (they hadn't come that far since earlier, now I think about it).  Across then down down down, fun down, bombing, stile after stile, into the nice bush, wafting through the woods, then across the open again, small climb then speedy bomb back to car.

A fun there and back, 11 kms with 522 m climbed.

Because i was back to the car earlier than I'd expected, I popped up to see the giant totara.  Been years since I'd been up there.  a nice 10 minute jaunt.

Sunday Rides, Planting Charlesworth, then To Dinner Across the Tops

Planting

In the morning I e-biked to the planting at Charlesworth.  Just under 9kms each way.  The planting became an 'In Memorium' for Tracey Turner, long-time employee of Trees For Canterbury who died suddenly last week.  Got lots of plants in then scored a wee Coprosma give-away, and then grabbed a Meulhenbeckia astonii and a Leptinella from the nursery, which I skillfully packed in my carry bag on the rack for the journey home. 

Riding

Then, last thing in the afternoon, timed perfectly for arriving asap after sunset, a nice 1 hour and 9 minutes of blasty single-track across the tops to Joy's for dinner.  Up through Vic Park, a squeaky spoke bothering me to the point of stopping at the Skidder site and tightening it, then gasping like crazy up the gasper, around onto Worm and hitting the traverse, sun behind me, blasting along feeling pretty strong the entire journey.  (nearly) Bumped into Kerry from work, me a silhouette against the glaring sun to her and her companion.  Dumbifuckation of the trail towards Vernon is in full effect, and not as pumpy as when going the other direction.  

Onto Vernon, good climb, better descent, felt really on form and controlled and flowy.  Flew across Rapaki top and into the Witch, switching down through the gears so smoothly and weavingly cleaning all the rocky tech, hooning around the front and bombing down the backside onto the road.  Cruise cruise cruise, climbing gently up to Castle and straight in, making good time.  Fantastic flowy bomb down this, really enjoying it and getting some wicked speed before the first hairpin.  Around, good pedaly flow, and then climbing plenty of power up thru to the Bridle top.  

On the road around under the Gondola, easterly making it's presence felt a bit more, especially at the corner, climbing up grinding to the cutting and finally into Britten.  All the way around the front and back to the top of Vtwin, then into the bomb.  Cruisy flowy faster and faster, blazing down across then off the main onto the traverse flow down down around to the rocky last and bombing down to the gate, juuust catching a guy in orange who'd been below me as I was approaching the Vturn at the top.  Not sure which way he'd gone.  Then, down the walkway to top of Major Hornbrook, blasting down this, right on Madeley, and down to Joys, in perfect time for a quick change, beer and dinner.  

An excellent 15.3 kms, with a boosty 582 m climbed.

Saturday Local Solo Explorationing

Less than an hour til sunset, I took a quick loop or two up the back, down a bit and a bit of clambering off piste.  

Firstly, got the grind out of the way, up through skidder and up the grunter through Brake free and around to the first Thomson, flowy flight down here, around and up so smoothly, then up the road to top of Vic again.  

Into the descent, bomby bomb down around over the jump and next then seesaw down the first few brakefree flowpumpzoned, then cut out to the left and down towards the usual rock'n'roll, but hung a tight right after the cattlestop and into the top pines, dropping down the line I'd helped with cutting that log.  Around and bombing the usual favourite Gumline, flowing through and out to Skidder, straight across in Shazza's, twisty turny flowy drop down then across considering Pono's, but deciding on Sneaky Ridge.  Flompity plomb down here, enjoying it all, and over the jump onto bottom of flow or bridges or whatever, then dived up off onto the East Side walking track, pushing the bike up a few zig zags to a stile, up another zag onto a rideable sidle.  Along below the K2 4WD track (below pylon) good to ride til some mega steps, where I peeled left, carrying bike up through some open pine ground, popping up onto the 4WD.  

Clamber clamber, grinding up under Pono's, past the 40 footer and on up, more grind, then across the skidder into the connector down to 19th, rolling the road, relaxed as anything down to 235, dropping into here for a flowy bomby canter, slightly greasy following days past rain and finally the clamber out up to dog park and down the back of the houses home. 

A smallish 7.3 kms, and a worthy 308 m climbed.

Black Dog on a Black Night Ride

Jet is now too slow to ride with me... Left home and headed up into the park, him on the lead trotting alongside happy as anything.  Up through to 19th, over the back of this exploring a singletrack line I'd only walked in the other direction before not really remembering what was to come, over to the skidder, and up the grunter.  He was all good for all of this.  Up into Brakefree, where I turned and pointed down the new flow.  Not bad, bombed in, swooping and pumping and railing out to the turn off for Sesame St, and turned to see no dog...  hmmm...  a group of guys rode through (the Thursday Night 'Gheybois' Nelson and me have ridden with a couple of times) and then Jet turned up.  

We sidled across to the cattlestop Rock garden entry of gums and I helped him under the fence and got rolling again, bloop blop down the rocks, into the gums and turned back to see if he was there, and he never showed. I whistled, I called, I went back up the track to where I'd last seen him, then rode down, all the while whistling and calling him.  No sign of his wee glowing yellow eyespots trotting infront of his shadow body.  Further down, where the back and forth takes you over that old log and into the corner next to the jumps track I stopped and whistled and yelled, then heard a whistle and shout from the skidder site.  He was there with the 'Gheybois' (who were just wondering who'd get first go at him, lol).  I told him off and we headed downwards...  From here on down he was annoyingly slow, making me stop every 20 metres to look back and make sure he was coming.  We cut down below the road, then through to the Tawhairanui track and then down the 235, up, past a car smoking pot at the dog park and down Charles's track in the bush behind the houses and then home...

Just under 5 kms and a total 171 m climbed.

Sunday Short Local E-ride

Hugo and me got out again.  Cruised up through Vic Park, and up to the skidder site, then into the grunter.  My 1st gear wasn't quite up to it, and I was losing traction with my road tires too, so I ended up walking half of the steep.  H tho, he made it.  He really got the technique down well.  His 1st gear is still pretty high (due to the 42t that came with his conversion) but he managed it.  Well done him!  I managed the top half once over the steepest, and reckon with good technique I might make it with another try.  Up through Brakefree, which has come along quite sculpturally, with the dude working on it while we passed.  Then up through to the top and onto the Summit Rd, we toodled along to the Sugar Loaf Carpark and checked out the view, then down we went.  I didn't want to take the Momentum down the slippy gravel, so I bombed off down to the kiwi and down Dyers Pass Rd.  I ignored the red light and got on the other side of the cones and rode down, waiting at one digger for the cars to pass, then a free run out the bottom and right into Vic Park Drive, where I met Hugo waiting for me 19th.  Short bomb home from here.

7.7 kms with 235 m assisted climbed

Thumurau Ursday

Met Nelson on Fosters Tce and up we rode.  Ugh, what a climb, every time, grind grind grind...  No lights til we got up into the trees at the top, sun long set.  Started off down the ridge, initial baulk at the 2nd drop, rolling it no worries then and into Stormer for a fun blast down.  I didn't do the log drop on Grommies this time round.  Climbing, evil climbing, back around and up to the top again.

2nd lap, down the ridge and into Zombie Lurch, drop cover and hold, nice riding, then Nelson did something weird and instead of continuing down we explored across the Traverse Track all the way and then all the way down the extended Connector out to Evan's Pass Rd.  Instead of riding down the road and up the other connector, we headed back up this.  Not too bad a climb.  Back onto Zombie Lurch, I was tentative and a bit of a muppet on most corners, cleaning them but carefully.  Back up the climb, ugh.

3 time lucky, from the top, down the sideline, then Stormer again, way more comfortable this time, even dropping the log drop, showing myself I could do it.  Climbing back up again, and in no time off to the left sidling across and ending up right on the descent to the cars.  Fun times.  

A very uppy-downy 7 kms with a slightly ridiculous 480 m climbed.  Steeperer than the usual 1 in 10 ratio that I'd define as normal.

Sunday E-biking adventure

 Saturday was somewhat written off due to a surprise party for me Friday, so still seedy Sunday, Hugo and me took our ebikes to Sumner for a treat.  

Up through Vic Park on the road, me noticing that his motor is loose in the frame (!!!) but unable to fix we continued onwards, over to Dyers Pass Rd, running the red light and riding inside the cones for the one car and 3 bikes we met, left onto the Summit Rd and all the way along it to Evans Pass.  Lovely lovely day, beautiful views, nice temperature, it was splendid.  Powering up the ups, and bombing down the downs, me being quite a bit faster than Hugo given my extra weight, and so below Gloomy Gulch I stopped and he seemed to take an age to catch up to me.  Down Evans into Sumner at a rip-roaring speed, we went to somewhere he'd been with GG, the cafe on the beach next to Cave Rock.  It. Was. Packed...  I was on limited time due to supposed to be meeting her at Brighton so we went across the road and had a hotdog each, some fries and he had a thickshake (which I wished I'd had one of).  

21 kms it was to Sumner, and I'd burned 2 bars on my battery.  Heading home, the bit from Shag Rock Pile to the yacht club (and a little further) is bad because it's so narrow and there really is no room for people to pass.  Council, get on with it!  They've put that amazing wide sweeping track to Shag Rock Pile, but it's pointless with no way to get across the road easily, nor room for both directions until well round the corner...  Anyway, it's nice once you're on that sidestreet and around to the Causeway...  then Ferry, the Cut, Chichester, Richardson Tce under the bridges, Ford Rd, through to St Martins New World to see if the ebike shop was open (nope), then Gamblins Buxton Beckenham Park homewards and up the hill, mine going to one bar just as we hit the hill, but holding steady all the way up. My bike seems to be faster than his on the hill, but on the flat, he can just sit there and turn the pedals with no pressure and is jetted along at 32 kms or so...  

All up, 37 and 1/3rd kms travelled, with, according to MMR, over a thousand metres gained...(seems a bit much - my estimation would be half that.)   Still, a good effort for H, and fun, and what a way to see the world.  Felt pretty good blasting past roadies on the climb.