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.