Drove over and met Nelson at the Port Hills/Opawa/Curries Rds corner and we left his car there, driving with his bike on back back to mine.
Got riding up the hill, usual route, 19th, Skidder, Grunter, Worm onto Traverse and across. LOTS of riders coming the other way, first group was E bikers, then 2, then a solo, then a massive group that we pulled over for and right in front of us their second or third rider massively OTB'd it, his bike flipping and vaulting off down the hill below. Looked like a hard hit. He was okay, and once they'd all piled through we got moving again. Good power on the climbs but still not as fast as Nelsie. A few muppets coming towards us towards the end had no idea about protocol. Onto Vernon, I led the way and we had a good run down this, pulling over once for a small group. Across into Witch and I let Nelson take the lead, with good reason. I dabbed the one spot and he powered on ahead. Brief rest at high point then downwards and onto the walkway, techily tricksnical along the way. Then up the road and to Castle Rock.
Good blast down the Castle, me chasing. Slowly reeling him in towards the first hairpin, on his tail to the next, then he left me for dust. Up the road, and up onto the Tors. Huh,wtf!? A couple of trail (MOTOR)bikes coming up the TORS track!? Far out! We waited for them, but they seemed to keep stalling just around the corner from us (at the start), so we took off around to them and they moved out the way and we bombed on down and they continued on. Nutters - aNd RidiNG oN a WaLkiNG TrAcK ToO! HoW DaRe ThEy!!? Dabbed my (now) usual dab (past my old usual dab) and down to the road, then back onto the walking track above the road (!) to take us around to the fence crossing for clambering up the back of the Pirate track.
Over the fence, up the hill, over the next fence onto what was the 4wd track (doesnt even look like a double track anymore) and back over the fence again, picking our way around to the top through the tussocks near where a track used to be. Very overgrown, the greenest and longest I've ever seen for this time of year. Onto what we thought of as the route, nope, what about over here? nope, here? nope. here? maaaayyybbeee??? okay, i'm just gonna use this well worn track. Nelson tried to take the freaky droppy track off to the right of the ridge but really couldn't follow it. Oh well. Down the ridgeline, to the sideline with the wooden features which he rode (I stayed below), then down further and right, up/across onto the razorback ridge. Woohoo. Feels more tech than even last time (with Pete). Usual sketch, lack of traction. Nelson rode the rock garden. Then lower down we bypassed where it went off to the right on interesting lines, because there was just no following it; impossible to see. Long steep downhill blast, keeping speed in check, a little, eventually to the gate. With VERY hot brakes (you could smell the burn when grass touched them). Over the gate, through the next, then around to top of the pines. Down a bit. One line looked promising but then didn't look like it went anywhere so we sidle climbed across to the fenceline. Quite a good line down this, then, picking our way around, turning back up to take a cool raily berm line, then pretty much out and down. Gorse very prickly down the straight, then cruise back to the car along Port Hills Rd.
A stringent 16.1 kms, with 623 m climbed (added to the 220 we started with means 840 decended).
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