Good Friday 29th Pike 29

First time up the Pike valley and onto the new trail. Hard work climb but a gloriously flowy descent.  

I started out thinking I'll just see how I go and turn around when I've had enough.  10 minutes in I almost felt like I'd had enough, but decided I'd do 2 hours...  Climbing was good.  Trail slightly soft but grippy, lots of switchbacks.  Met one descending woman on this lower stretch.  Took no time to get to the 'twin bridges' where there was a nice seat.  Then a couple kms later the second seat.  It had taken me an hour to get to this.  Took a breather, rest and nice view out over the Grey Valley.  Off again and eventually met a lone (ebike) dude who, until he was 2 metres way, I could have sworn was Wazza.  Then a lone woman, who said there's 3 more behind me.  Then eventually I came upon them, first two then their tailender (last three on ebikes) .  Climb climb climb, and was getting more into the sun when I met a walker couple who said, "you've made the ridge, flowy from here to a lookout..." "YAY!" i replied, exhausted.  Cruised along, met another couple walking, and just around the corner, almost at exactly 2 hours since I started, I got to the look out spot, and seat, overlooking the minehead and access ports...  Here there were an older couple on ebikes, and a young couple of trailrunners.  We all chatted, the older dude had spent time on the mine rescue, 4 days he'd sat on the chopper pad above where the end of the shaft was, where the disaster had occurred.  Very interesting.  They all departed and I had the seat and view to myself - with a cheeky weka. 

Snacked some OneSquare, then it was time for descending.

Oh boy...  flow. fun.  speed.   caught up to the walkers, then the older couple on the bikes, with two climber biker girls at that point, then I was bombing.  Then the first walkers, and somehow another woman walking who I'd not seen earlier.  My hands were cold.  The flow went on and on and took me like 10 minutes to get to the mmr start seat.  and another 10 minutes and I's at the bottom.  Unbelievable.

MMR fucked up the start of my mapping and I didn't realise it til I got to the second seat,  an hour in... This, according to my calculations was 333 m of climbing, in less than 3 kms...  So, overall distance was about 13 kms, with just over 1000 m climbed.

Monday Night Urumau Scramble

Had to pick up Ben from the ferry at 7.45, so I took the opportunity to get a quick ride in Urumau.  Got home from work and ended up lying on the couch for a bit, then thought, "nah I just gotta do it," so loaded up, jumped in car and headed down.  Realised on Centaurus Rd that I'd left my helmet behind, back up the hill, time seriously getting tight.  

Parked up the ridiculously difficult to access Foster Tce and headed up the steps and zig zags for the heinously steep climb up into the zone.  Grunting and gasping up to the new little looper loop then across the original looper entrance to the forest.  Wind was an absolute gale on the ridge and trees on that norwest facing face.  Not feeling overly confident tonight for some reason, so took the Stormer easier route (missed the steep drops) down and followed on down, lovely loose loam and pine needles, cool rocks and roots.  Good blast, then into Grommies, bypassed all the big hoopy jumps, and rode into the log drop but pulled up and bypassed.  Also missed the cool droppy rock sections at the very bottom.

Into the climb, grovel grovel.  At the higher Zombie crossing came up upon a guy stopped.  Headphones in, listening to a podcast, so didnt hear me at first.  Brief chat and he rode on ahead, slightly faster but not much, so followed him up and across traverse til he stopped at the main meeting spot.  

Second lap, I just climbed up, looper across and into Sunnyside dropping down quickly, then left on the traverse track down to the exit trail (called Whakatuwhera, apparently). 

Seemingly tiny 3.5 kms, a quick and steep 250m climbed

Tuesday To Bridle and Back

Home from work and I was full of anger - mostly at the moronic government we're stuck with. 

So, jumped on the Rocky and headed out and up.  Usual route up through Vic, 19th, skidder, climbing the bastard pretty good, then straight up to top for to roll around and pop the jumpies and hang a right on Worm to get back up onto the Traverse for the slog across.  Pretty good run across here, never feeling too tired and pushing hard.  

Onto Vernon and up and over, only meeting one girl as I came down off the overgrown detour.  No one else so a fast, curvy, smooth run.  Straight through Rapaki-top, suprisingly empty, and into Witch, clamber clamber out and around and straight through, onto the road for the slog to the top of Castle.  

Brief breather, then straight in.  What a blast.  Wiiide open, clear, tidy, clean, fast, and smooth.  Still enough techknuckle rocks to have to weave around and over but felt smoother and faster, well mown.  Rocketship down to the first hairpin and around, then more sedate, but loving it.  Clamber clamber up then drop to the road and straight into the climb.  Along here these long legged bugs were flying and catching the sun, and then swallows were hooning all over the place catching them in mid air.  Spectacular.  

Big cluster of mixed roadies at the top of Castle, "hello," and I pushed up onto Tors just as a dude was running by.  Sat and looked at the view and waited til he was nearly at the road before dropping in.  Good run across here, probably cleaned it best of any time, including the bit that usually got me.  Onto the road and runner dude was on the trail above it so I stayed down and coast-rolled down down back to Witch, one dab on the climb before cruising around (meeting one rider) and boffed off down onto the road where I stayed to climb back around to Traverse, pushing hard all the way, never letting up.  There was a dude following and he never caught me, which is good.  He dropped down Huntsbury as I hit the Traverse, with a woman in a pink top a little way behind me.  By the time I was below Sugarloaf she was miles back.  Good run the rest and into the trees, jumpies, see-saw, begining of Brakefree and then out to the paddock run, rocks, gums, usual droppy route, bombing through out all the way.  Below road, out to road at corner, up around down to Dogpark carpark and alllll the wya down 235 to H'Ell and the clamber up onto the road for the fast blast back to the driveway.

A pleasant 19.92 kms, with (unsurprisingly - given; and, and, and...) 726 m climbed.

Saturday Blackberry Troll Golf

Continuing my Summit Rd Summits series (Sugarloaf, Ada being the first two knocked off), took the Troll up through Vic usual routes, gleaning a "cool bike" comment (from Mel) at Skidder, and then riding EVEN further up the gutser from there than ever previously, walking the little bit and riding the rest. Into Thompsons #1 behind some walkers, who had moved over for a rider coming up who'd moved over for them and me...  nice flow onwards from there then down road, through Kiwi, and up road towards the burned zone...  Good to get a look at it all.  Burned completely up the cliff below the Mt Ada spot I'd gotten to previously.  Moseyed around past the Bellbird and Kennedy's Bush, and found some good blackberries, had a feed, continued on riding around and up road, then hit the radar golfball road, under gate and up steep to corner, then up to security gate.  Surprised there's so little in the way of Keep Out Private Property signs...  Checked out over a cliff at the view and drop, and spotted a nice patch of bush below.  

Back down the access road, fast, then cruisy coast down road to corner where I ducked into the bush, parked bike and wandered.  A kereru flying along the track got a hell of a surprise when it saw me and slammed on the brakes, effectively hovering at head level before diving off down the hill.  I wandered a little further, lovely tall bush, and came up on 3 really nice totara.  Back to the bike and back on the road, cruise cruise cruise, climb, descend, cruise descend, getting good clips on the downs.  Through Kiwi, traffic negotiation and climbing up to Thompsons #1 again, climbing this and walking at the end.  Down round, across Rabbit paddock, rocks, cleaning all (in front of an audience too), then gums, gums gums.  Out to 19th, below road for a bit then rolling, and into DogParkCarPark for a nice roll out down through and out To Harry Ell to road and home.

A fun and fruitful 17.3 kms with 521 m climbed

Sunday Uppy Downy Locals

Pretty warm Sunday morning, headed out on the Rocky, up into Vic, usual road, 19th, skidder, and dropped straight down into Razza's, sweet wee droppy goodness.  Hung a sharp right and took a short climb up to intersection and dropped over into lower-Pedalfine, top section looking unridden, lots of leaf litter, then below the 4wd, took a line I'd not gone before, with a wee surprise drop in it - requiring an emergency weight-shift-rearwards. Finished off through to bottom of Brents before the fence, and hung a left into that horrible steep climb up next to Brent's, up the fenceline towards the 40fter, walking a bunch.  Some sheep in here were Snaped-Sent--to-be-Solved.  

Into Sneaky Ridge (checking out the new bunny entrance on the left but not riding it), down through the rocky sections and then into the oaks, not yet getting loose with acorn ballbearings.  On exit, the new landing from the fence jump is dumb, way less of a challenge than of old.  Down and thru nuBridges, rolling down valley to Hidden Valley bonus climb.  Up the grunty pines, under the pylons and onto Old Skool for a good rest and some water at the high point and a rider rode through.  I let him get a head start and then entered into my own rip roaring blast down here.  Kinda gained on him, but kinda not. Rutsville lower down, then lower squiggles all good, getting tired, rolling out and straight up valley for the climb.  At the gates I haeded up the walking, steps to zig zag, riding a little on the couple of flatter bits, but mostly pushing.  

At the cattlestop had a rest in the shade and snack here, then got rolling back down Hidden - not bad in this direction, not as fast as I hoped, then up valley and into the evil fucker K2 - walked the steepest, then across the singletrack bit below Texaco, then up the main the rest of the way with lots of breaks in the shade. 

Topped up water at Skidder - lots of riders around (due to the Park being shut still).  then took the old (lower gums?) trails through to 19th, then below road to Tawhairanui exit onto road, coasting roll the the dogparkcarpark, then fun 235 swoopy swoopy jump jump, around and climb to road again, up, to finishing off with the blast behind the houses

Less than 10 kms with only 385 m climbed! - felt like quite a lot more.

Friday Night Single Speedy

Up and back in 50 minutes from 5, on the frankenlunker.  High-intensity, skills-testing blast on the rigid singlespeed kruiser beater bruiser BFe.  Up the usual, over 19th, and a brief walk up from skidder.  Up through Brakef, nearly to top of Vic and down the Thomson number 1.  Back up the road, and the short climb up to the stone covered seat, scoffed a few blackberries and chilled a bit, hot and puffing.  Then into the descent.  around by passing the jumps and seesaw, compliment from a climbing biker ("nice bike," "yah! fun!" replied) bomb down to rockgarden, through the gums, blazing, through the lower reaches out to 19th, below the road, through to Tawhairanui intersection back onto road and coasting down to 235, into this for the groooviness, all the way to H'Ell and onto the road down around past Takahe and clambering back up to home.

Beefy; just under 6 kms and 224 m of climbing grind.