Wednesday Night Along the Top, Lights

Nice ride tonight. Beautiful evening after so much crappy weather.  Nelson met at mine after work and we headed up into Vic Park, bumping into first Mel (7 weeks into recovery of shoulder) and then along power-walks Jenna.  Nice to see her.  Up through 19th, Skidder, and up the guts.  I had to stall to breath, but cleaned it onwards and we took Worm onto the Traverse for the ride across.  Bit breezy at this point, cold, so I donned my vest and we carried on.  Quite a few on-comers, some rude some not.  

At Vernon stopped for a rest and was completely still and calm.  Bombing down around this, pulling up to allow climbers through a couple times, then bailing off it at the final cattlestop to let a big group up.  Onto Witch, cleaning it all sweetly.  Breather at the high point then onto the the summit and the climb around to Castle.  Couple runners here, and then we were in.  I led the way, fun and weavy.  Narrow! but riding well.  Clamber clamber and back to the road.  Upwards, ugh.  Stayed on the road all the way back to Witch, bombing fast rolling coast.  Back into the Witch and again with the funtimes.  Starting to get a bit tired, both of us, now, so we stayed on the road around Vernon, back onto the Traverse.  

Good Jaunt back around here, Nelson leading the way, but not gapping me much except in the climbs.  Into Vic, over the jumpies, and down to Gums, rocks'n'rolling, tapping it round through trees, awesome grip and fun riding.  Down to the road from skidder, onto the below road trail, mucky through the oaks here, then poaching the Tawhairanui out to Dogpark then down, fast, the road to home - both of us overcooking the granny selection and nearly falling off through spinning too quick.

First in a while and a good long one... Very serviceable 19.8 kms and 740 m clambered - and only the 7th night ride of the year!  It's been a long wet winter.

Saturday Ups and Downs, Locally

No false advertising here. Up to the top of Vic, down Thompson #1 and back up the road.  Down around the jumpies and over the seesaw, then down through the gums out to skidder, down Shazza's and Sneaky Ridge, then all the way down Nu-Bridges and from Hospital Cnr, climbing again, up around gasping, then back up the gutser and all the way to the top again, this time via Worm.  Back down around the jumpies, then across the rabbit paddock to my sunset seat for a view. Then back into the gums, bomb bomb bomb, through 19th, down the road and into 235 down and out.  Final climb up to road and mud-clearing speed down to home. 

Steep ups and steep downs, juicy, 9.1 kms with 409 m ascended.

Saturday TreE-Bike Planting Southshore

With 100% battery I rode into a foul easterly, usual byways to Opawa then Hargood to cemeteries, past the poo processing to Bridge St, and along the estuary edge trail all the way to the planting (bar the block or two you have to use the road).  

Planted lots of plants, shifted woodchips, made up the little cardboard surrounds, chatted to people, filled out the GEOG309 survey, ate a couple sossies and it looked like rain, even a few drops...

Headed home via Rocking Horse Rd, then left onto the estuary edge and similar return route, arriving home with 26% battery left. 

MMR claims 33.57 kms, but the speedo on my bike measured 18.9 or so kms each way... 305 altitudes predominantly powered by the motor...

Fat Sunday Little Menzies

At the bach for the weekend and had taken the fatty over,  Saturday I spun Jet to the wharf and back, and then on Sunday morning headed out for a ride on my own...  Went down to the beach and headed up the Decanter Bay road hill... Steep grind up here, nearing the top I spotted Tra'y (who had Jet) across the valley on the Chorlton Rd, tiny moving dot on the landscape.  Over the top and a very fun descent, fat tires gripping and steering beautifully.  Through the valley bottom, and into the climb, stopping to check out the stinging nettle treat, then stopping a little further up and layering off, then again, stopping to check out the view (and message T to say I could see Chorlton again).  View Hill was also in view, in snow covered glory - woulda been mucky up there).  Around the corner and climbing for a good while, some young cattle very interested in my progress.  Climbed around the first catchment into the next and up a little getting to a high point before the road started flatly dropping for a while.  Figured I'd done enough and turned back.  

Nice rolling coast, slowly faster around and down.  Tires gripping like crazy and muchly enjoyable rolling.  Stopped just over the cattlestop into Decanter and took in the view, spotting a Hector's Dolphin toodling around below.  Back into the ride, coasting faster and faster, til I was flying, but still cautious around each bend, gravel pretty loose but tires coping oh so well.  Major speed on the final cruise through the bottom and then back down through the gears and clambering again, grinding ftw.  Up up up and eventually making the top ready for a chip-seal bombfest.  Slowly increasing speed built to crescendo magnitude by the final hairpin where I scrubbed all the speed down, for the final coasting roll to speed through the bottom of the valley again, and slow cruise back up to the house.

Well nigh 15 kms and a good 660 m surmounted.

Sunday Trollification

Short hoon up on the Troll along to top of Kennedy's and back.  Up Vic Park Drive, through skidder, cleaned more of the steep than ever before, walked, lots of people around, bumped into Miles at the drinking fountain, continued up, Thompsons #1, down to Kiwi, up from here.  Stopped at saddle before Kennedy's to explore along the cliff walk a little, a bunch of climbers swinging about on the cliffs above.  Will be a potential night ride sometime when things dry out.  Back onto the road and continued up to the corner top of Kennedys, before turning around and hooning back.  Roady passed me along the flat and complimented the bike.  He only dropped me slowly, I kinda stuck with him just not quite as fast on the climbs, but never dropping me too far behind but I was gaining on him from Worsley's.  He stopped at Kiwi and I rolled through the saddle and up to top of Vic, for a bomb down through the fast routes, massive speed through the Skidder, easy on the mud towards 19th and then flat out down the road. 

Not too bad for a first ride in ages, 13.5 kms with 432 m climbed.