AN(ZAC)dy CAP

Took H and Paul into the park today.  We rode up past the ranger station and dropped in the new entrance.  Sweet wee trail across here, then onto the new sidle trail, Locomotion, across to Loess.  Paul's first time in a 'park' environment.  He was cautious, but enjoyed it.  Hugo seemed to be on my tail the whole time, or never far off at least.  Loess was a bit sloppy in a few spots, but otherwise fun.

Went in, got passes for us all (old ones were heritage pieces), and hit the lift.  Busy.  Down around the summit connector, and Nun down, messy it was.  Into Capt Torpedo, good blast.  Lots of stops to make sure Paul was doing okay, Hugo never far behind.  They both enjoyed the long flowy blast of a roll down the valley-bottom.  Into the lift again, longer queue than last lift.  Again, Summit Connector, then road, and dropped down into the Captain again.  Hugo crashed bad on the first little lip, so he decided to go home, so Paul and me continued on bombing down again - same again.  Up the lift once again (seeing Josh my mechanic in the queue and at the top), and into SC, road, past Kiwi, up road to top of Vic and in.  Down around the jumpies, I went over the seesaw, down through the rocks - which nearly caught me out, through the gums, my usual way - Paul mastering the steep corner, out through skidder, down to road, rolling coaster to 235, good work done in here, flowy, and not too wet except around the oaks, and then up and down home...

Good times. 22 kms, over 1400 ascended (of which 1200 was lift assisted).

Sunday Mucky Stingy Wharfdale

Paul and me drove out to View Hill Rd carpark.  The ford wasn't too bad and the road in was a little rough for the i40 but we made it up to the end of the road no problem to find a pretty chocka carpark.  New experience for him opening gates I think...  and a LOT of wasps around (tho not as many as the fateful time with Tom).  

We got riding and there was a bit of water (read: mud) on the track in places so it wasn't long and we were pretty splecky.  Nice to get in here again, 5 years since last time (and 2 before that!).  Trail is in very good condition, with many of the old double round parallel post drains removed entirely, and only one tree across it (the bulky chunk of which I removed (a tricky shin height sapling was unyeilding)).   The cooler shady zones were all but wasp free, but the sunny dry faces were busy (and buzzy).  Chch under fog, we were in a beautiful crystal clear day.

One of the creeks we crossed had a hell of a slip through it too.  All the way almost entirely rideable now, all the creeks etc...  much better.  Paul crashed on one droppy in and out creek.  The rocky bluffy section around 2/3rds of the way out has been majorly worked on, entirely rideable up (used to be a very tech drop coming back, pushing from this direction) until around the corner it got a bit steep with loose exposure making it 'scarier'.  The creek crossing just past it was majorly shifted further up too, due to slipping.  Passed a couple of sets of walkers, one near the saddle.  The zig zags near the saddle, section used to be super rutty and big rooty holes, now fully rideable, smooth.  Seemed like no time and we were at the saddle, finding 3 quite young women (high school age) with music playing.  Very respectful, they turned it right down when we arrived.  Chatted a bit, we ate our sandwiches, the last couple we'd passed turned up.  The girls left.  We were visited by a nice wee tomtit.  Then we headed off.

Good rolling, nice riding.  On the fast stretch down just before the first hairpin I felt a wasp between my lips.  I blew hard quickly, but not quick enough, bugger stung me on the lower lip.  Ouch!  I pulled up and stopped, and stuffed a couple of antihistamines in me. Paul turned up.  We got riding again.  Joyful riding, but my lip started swelling and was getting quite uncomfortable as we went along.  Good riding tho!  I'd stop every now and then and let Paul catch up then get rolling and caning all the tech sections, floating and wafting over stuff.  Passed a mum and kids at low point before the final climb.  Climb climb climb easy as, then through the gate and bombing again, mouth closed (and swollen) avoiding unwanted guests.  Big group of youthful walkers not far from the carpark.  They turned up while we were dismantling the mud and mounting the bikes.  

Got driving and they ended up catching up and training through our gate openings.  

A swollen lip of 17.5 kms, with 670 m climbed

Wednesday Night Escaping the Breezy Snake

Waded through the Sumner traffic and over the hill to meet Nelson at Taylor's Mistake.  Got set up, and we headed for the escape.  Remembered my MMR and switched it on (took ages to kick in), then we Escaped up the valley.  Good rolling then steep, and steeper.  I was utterly struggling for oxygen.  Finally made it out of the gully and onto the traversing trail and it was much better.  Thankfully Nelson had stopped for a rest part way along.  Good breather then onwards.  Up around the next switchback and along a bit and into the next when I realised my house keys werent in my pocket.  Brief panic, we turned back down to where we'd been sitting, no sign.  I called home and T found them on the bed.  Phew.  Going again, around all the hairpins and along and up and onwards to Livingston Col.  Across the road, over the fence, out to look at the view, then rolling again, around to Breeze, all non-eventful and nice and fun. 

Over the fence onto Breeze Bay track , around the back which was nice, then blasty fast down to the edn, and over the road again and onto the OG trail heading back along the front to Breeze Col again.  Hit the road up a little and dropped into a sheep-addled snake, full-on Anaconda blaze.  A very close call in the 'conda, where my pedal hit a rock, throwing my weight forward, riding me up onto the front wheel as it was going through a puddle.  I was expecting to lose it, but somehow managed to keep it together.  Lucky the puddle wasnt deeper.  Survived and blitzed down the rest of it laughing and talking around into the 'tail and a nice blast down this...  All good.

Switchbacky progression of 11 kms coupled with 382 m climbed

Friday Saddle Up, Pigeon

Big walk (there) planned this afternoon (and back on Saturday), so, somewhat misguidedly, I headed out for a ride in the morning (leaving me a tad tired-of-leg for the walk). 

Up the road and back. Spectacular forest all around.  Pretty good going climbing, not too many vehicles met (sure is quiet compared to summer).  Then a wicked blast down.  Then a weird little detour up to the watertanks on the ridge above camp.  Fecking steep little bastard quad track that was...

12.5 kms with surprisingly 560m climbed. (considering it's only 330 m saddle, I'm not sure how that worked).

Tuesday to get the car

Drove up to Waiharakeke Track start and walked a bunch back to Totes. 

After a rest, I then jumped on the fatty and hoofed it up the road and over to get the car.  

Only 4kms, 200m up, and a minimal 80 or some down.

Phat Easter Sunday Afternoon Barnicoat Widdershins Involute, caught in the Rain

We'd gone to the Mapua Easter Sunday Market for a good portion of the day but were back early enough that I figured I could get a ride in before the forecast rain hit. 

Jumped on the Fatty and hauled my weary ass down the Locking St walkway, Kawai, then across behind (or in front of?) the Hospital on Tipahi, onto the 'rail trail', over the Bishopdale saddle, over Ridgeway and up Marsden Valley.  About a 25 minute commute.

Hit the singletrack (a walktrack section I'm not sure I've ever actually hit before) and a grind began, back and forth a couple of times, one way stymied by a slip, then out onto the main forestry/4wd track - and granny for a good 45 minutes, following a guy walking with a german shepherd from about 200 m away, most of the way.  He turned back at the last switchback before the leg across to Widdershins.  I called Doug up on the phone and the rain was starting.  

Widdershins was longer and had more climbing and more tech than I recalled of it. Awesome riding tho and the rain wasn't really getting thru the vegetation around it.  - Cornflakes

Finally made the top, about an hour of steady climbing since I left the road, and it was familiar to me.

Into Involution, whoooeeeee.. What a descent. The Fat bike handled it so well. Roots rocks switchbacks repeat. About half way down a large bird flew across in front of me.  I was like, "huh!?"  Stopped, walked back up and there it was, a ruru sitting on a tree fern frond under the shelter of the rest of it trying to stay dry and giving me a sardonic look.  Another was calling nearby as well.  Nice!  

It got wetter and greasier the lower down the hill I got, spat me out onto a 4wd and across into the jungle section around the creek, not very long.  Then fast blast down gravel to gate, and onto the road again.  Rain really setting in now and as a result (and due to the time) it was starting to get dark. Long haul back to base finishing with a steep walk up to the house, tho faster than the way out (due to more it being 'all down hill'). 

Bit of an epic, with over 25kms with 870m altituded - thoroughly saturated when I got back.

Good Fried Day Short Local Troll

Quick sunset spin up for some liquid refreshment and back on the Troll.  Leg stretch before a Saturday of driving to Nelson.  Rode up on the Troll, pushed the usual, rode then out onto the rabbit paddock, meandering across and finding a nice seat.  Embarked on a Liquid Refreshment

and then turned tail and headed back down the hill, detouring below the dog park and down the singletrack to Harry Ell Drive, bomb down this then grunting back up ours.

A small love heart holding a love heart balloon. (5kms, 200m)

Wednesday Night Living Moonrise Heavy Nettle Springs

Great, albeit short, ride at Living Springs tonight.  4 years since I'd last ridden in here. (and first ride with lights since September)+ 

Nelson picked me up and we jetted over the hill to the Allandale carpark.  A little bike maintenance, and a couple other cars pulled up and guys got bikes out of them.  We got rolling, up the valley, a couple new sections of trail and lots of new plantings (thanks Hannah!) all around the place.  Across the face and into the Totara Valley climb, all the pines gone now and a new line on the true right of the valley (where it used to be on the other side for a while).  Greasy clay/dirt down low, but drier higher up.  Up into some very dark Manuka, line changed from memory up here.  Eventually out to Rhymes With which was waaay more grown than the past.  Sat and admired the moon just risen and barely visible through clouds, then headed over the gate and up behind the Outdoor Education Centre, making our way up through the gums.  Steeeep, my first bit of walking where Nelson managed to ride.  Through the gate and dodging onga-onga, trail pretty neglected.  Cleared a log in the bushy gulley, and found the creek eaten out.  Tech riding with a lot more walking than I remember having to do in the past.  They've replaced the ladder-stile with a gate.  Up into the open to the cabbage tree, where we found the track very well sculpted.  Climbing, me walking again, climbing, walking, climbing.  Nelson rode all but one or two short walks.  Did I say it was steep?  Fiiinally got to the bench, pulled up a pew and admired the (almost) full moon, that we'd seen rising   

Rather decent descent begun.  Full on speed, careful carefully, down down down.  Through the gate, then Nelson kinda overshot the cabbage tree, but I holla'd him down.  Back across into the bush, through the gate (i oiled it cos it was super stiff).  Techy as, winding our way down, auto-checking for (h)Urtica, and having to walk through the creek washout (where I spotted my second weta(?) for the night).  Survived the close encounters with the nettle, and Nelson had the high gate open.  Through the gums, behind the Outdoor Ed Centre and down to the gate.  Spotted a light around the corner into Mississippi and got chasing, seeing it below all the way.  Fun weaving back and forth down this then around, easier climbing to Zanes than I remembered, and seeing more lights below.  Then diving into Zanes and bombing catching the tail-ender a wee ways down, and us managing the tech all good.  Out of the forest and found 3 more (2 of who were the guys at the carpark) waiting.  They were on their third lap.  We took off and around into Totara Valley, minding the grease, and Nelson slid-crashed at the bottom, one foot left attached.  Final bomb across and down through and back to the car.  

Only 8.57 kms travailled with a barking mad 500 m climbed.  That's a big ratio.

Sunday's Mucky Mount Grey.

Excellent solo ride today.  Hooned up to 'Lake' Janet and rode up the road, grinding wee climb that it is.  Missed the lookout just sticking the road for a change, then veered right onto the singletrack climb.  Seemed a lot harder than it has been in the past - sort of slipped a little in places making the riding very tricky.  then super wet for a lot longer portion than usual up out of the forest.  Wind was howling in the tower above, but was nice and calm where I was, most of the time, with occasional gusts popping over the ridge.  Parked up for a rest facing east, and then got into it, heading over the edge of the ridge, the wind making it very hard to stay on on the tech.  It became quite urgent descending, being buffetted, to the singletrack here, wind galing around.  Singletrack a bit rutted and mucky, but settled down after the worst of the wet bits.  Foot-plant method for the switchbacks, then nice roll down the rocky corner droppy bit, and not long later into the trees, foot-plant nearly all the way.   Lovely stretches of good sections, across the creek, on down, around.  For the first time, I headed up the 'lookout' track that veers left, and climbed it all the way up.  Not so much view, but a nice dry rocky ridge.  Back down and left onto the main track.  Good trip down here, passing a couple just before it got mucky.  And then muckier, and was mucky as all fuck for a good while down through all the mucky shit.  Out of the worst muck and trail gets dry again, babyheads and cornflakes.  Hairpins and met a dad and two kids and alsatian.  Clear run from here, lots of fun. Bridges, then out to the road, and the grinding climb back up round to the car - didnt meet any vehicles whatsoever til I got back to the car and chatted to a dude who'd just shown up.   

Mint. 13kms with 700 odd climbed.  I was feeling it in the evening.

Saturday Shopping Expedition via the Top.

T and me both on our E bikes, headed up from home, through skidder and pushed up the grunter.  I started my MMR there.  Rest of the way up through to top of Vic and then zoomed along the Slummit Rd all the way to Mt Pleasant.  Down here, left into Upper Hornbrook, Views, Ridge- and Clear-, then ally path down to Major Hornbrook proper.  Bombed down here, around, Freeman and Michael, Canon Hill, alley way down to Te Awakura then down St Andy's to the lights, over the bridge and across onto the new cycleway.  Hung a left into Charlesworth, and detoured to show Tra'y the TFC extension.  Onwards around Charlies then straight up Spinwood all the way.  Across Woodham and around the river to Swann's bridge, then back upstream along the river all the way to Pikos whereuponst I bought some of my flour.  

From here, a visit to Pom's for a couple of beers (wine for her) and chips, then home along the river all the way past the strip, etc, the long way, Grove, church, Simeon, Thorrington, eventually with plenty of battery (surprisingly) to spare (riding on the lowest setting for a good portion helped, methinks).

Reasonable 35ish kms (i started MMR late) with over 700m climbed.