Good spin tonight. Scratchy throat, sinus-y, asthma-y, wondering if I had covid, but testing negative in the night, plus crappy sleep cos dog's got the coughs'n'pukes, worked the day at home.
Nelson turned up quite early (5ish) and we set off. My wheeze was bad and proceeded to make it quite a difficult-climbing ride for me. Up through Vic, to the top. Around through the two fun jumps, seesaw, and hung a right, along to top of PedalFine. Into this, dropping through, left onto the squirrelly wee left hander, techy fun. Across the forestry trail to start of Rad and peeled left to do Razza's. Annoyingly some munter groms have been digging in this, no doubt ruining the sweet natural tech by putting in berms, so there were a bunch of sticks all over the entrance. Annoyed, we moseyed back up to Dazza's and dropped off into this. Good droppy line down here, then out across to Sneaky Ridge, fun drop down through here, tho acorn ball bearings everywhere lower down. Jumped out onto Bridges and down into Nu, then down valley and into Hidden bonus, where we found our first Orienteerers, right in the first switchback - which stuffed Nelson up a bit. I got my front wheel wide and got round okay, then up through the next switchback and finally a breather, briefly, across the face, then up through, steeper below Lava and steepest up to the next hairpin. Ugh. Struggle street. Up through another couple of Oriented folk, and out to where we could see hundreds, crawling like ants on the hillside ahead and ahead of us on the trail.
Nice long rest at the highpoint while we watched the track get clear then not then clear again. I led off and "Excuse me." "Thank you." "One more coming." on repeat, proceeded as we rolled. Only scared the shit out of one woman, on the middle traverse. She looked very worried she wasn't going to get out of the way as I roared through "Thanks!" Then, scattering children lower down, and one couple of women on the lowest switchbacks.
At the bottom, time for the climbing again. Ugh. Wheeze'n'weakened. Struggled up valley, and we decided to go all the way up the valley. More Orienteerers all the way up and around. Bottom of Brents, Nelson took off up the steepest route and I sluggardly followed, walking the two steepest bits. I just did. not. have. it. in me. Up the last gasp to the skidder and over onto the usual flows down down to 235, for a quick fun blast and a couple of air pops. Finally, up the final wee climb to the road, around under the dog park and over to look at the logging of the forestry up here and smelling the pine on the downwind. Finishing off down through the overly tight wee switchbacks too tight to ride, through to the top of Amherst.
Shortish loop, 10.5 kms, with 462 m climbed, but man the steeps were steep af.
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