Sunday Troll with T (on the E), Summit, Kennedy's, Library and Quarryman's to car

Needed to collect the car from P&J's after Paul drove me home after our gig last night.  

Rode up Vic Park Rd on the Troll with T on her E.  I took Thompson's #1 and met her down towards the Kiwi and we hit the Summit Rd climbing up and around, all the way to Kennedy's.  She wasn't sure, but managed fine, rough ride down, all the way to the end of the trail (I took the singletrack from the Siberia gate, then onto the road smoooooth flying.  Headed along to Te Hapua Halswell (that ends well) Library, where we got some books, and then snuck backways into the Domain and rode through this to meet the Quarryman's trail which we rode all the way, into the wind, to Pioneer Park where we caught up with P and J who were having a wee community planting lunch picnic.   Tracey rode home via Bengal while I chucked the Troll in the back and brought the car home.

Nice little 20 kms and I did 374 m climbing, (T added another 220 to that riding home)

Off to balmy Lake Poteriteri on Tuesday, so, no more rides for November...

Tuesday Night Bowenvale Loop

On my own on the Jeht, off up to top of Vic, feeling dreadful...  up to top and down around the jumpies, hanging hard right into Worm and climbing to Traverse.  Around here, uneventful other than stopping at the first high point and for a rest and to delayer when 10 dudes all rode past...  Glad I didn't meet them on-trail.  Nice blast from here, dont think I met anyone else.  Stopped for a rest at the top of HuntsDH and made up my mind where to go.  

Down.  Blitzy blitzy droppy drop down over the jumps in the ruts and then across the landing strip, twistier version, and dropping down AliExpress this time continuing down.  Baulked at the worst bit, and walked it.  Then a little lower down baulked at the highline, walked back and did the lowline, then good blaze the rest of the way.  Cautious Colin through the pylon switchbacks tho, for some reason, not liking the overgrowth of grass and narrowness.  Brief pause at the usual resting spot then off for the blast.  Feeling pretty good now, weaving the frame down through the trail.  Very nice.  Lower sections were fast and slow, and at the bottom I went straight into the climb back up the valleybottom.  Feeling not that bad now, getting into the groove.  Cleaned up to Hospital no problem then cleaned all of the steep start of k2 no issues either, considering how many times I've walked it in the past!  Around into the trees and it's easier in here now (someone's sawn off a thin tree that was a pest on the roots).  Up around the Texaco and on up the 4wd track, breathing a lot.  Met a couple of walking women up under Pono's and then past the 40fter and up through the rad zone climbing no problem.  Weird.  

At Skidder I thought, why not, and kept climbing - making hay while the sun still shone (was 8.10pm or so, and sunset was at 8.39pm), up to Brakefree then on up to the very top again!  Mad.  Down over the jumpies and then blast down rabbit paddock (through an attractive couple's photoshoot) and into the rocks, gums, fun times all the way to the 19th, then below road, fast through the woods,

Then road coast, spectacular heavens above, into empty Dogparkcarpark for an overgrown entry and then weavy blast all the way through, jumping all the jumps and taking it all the way to the bottom.  Excellence.  Clamber to road, and home, just before the sun actually set.

A bemusing 13.2 kms and 560 m strove.

Windy Wednesday Singlespeed.

Limited time blow out needed, so hoofed out on the BFe up through Vic, over 19th, and up the grunter to the top, via Worm (which is good on the SS).  Down Thompson's #1 and back up the road chuffing away, then dropping in, down around, past the jumps, down rabbit paddock, rocks and gums.  Peeled out to Skidder and headed off down Shazza's all the way down it's 'new' extension and then walked back up K2 steeps...  Back over Skidder into the lower gum track back down to road, below road, lovely drift through the forest and then back up to road and coasting into Dogparkcarpark dropping through the overgrowth for a sweet hoon all the way through to the bottom.

Six and one quarter kilometres, and 230 m chuffed.

Sunday Solo Traverse Upper Hunts

On the Jeht, I headed off up the hill - feeling exhausted the whole ride - up through usuals and into Thompson's 1 and 2, upon the 2nd of which I nearly shat a runners pants. We discussed civilly. "Ya gotta slow down!" "So sorry bruv, I came in off the road a little hot."  We moved on. Climbed back up the road, down round the jumps, back up the Worm onto Traverse for the haul across. Breathing was strugglesome. Whole way round I was thinking I had covid.  Long rest at top of HuntsDH before finally dropping in, excellent run down, then all the way down to top of Ali express. 

Climb back to top of Huntsbury, grind grind, stretch-rest here, no-one around. Then off around the Traverse, again meeting no-one. Top of Vic, jumps, rabbit paddock, rocks, a wee douggie rest in the pine top of the gums then fun down all the way, below road from 19th, down into dogparkcarpark trail sweetness groove fest. All the way down onto the lower H'Ell, clamber to road home. 

13 hard pressed kms, with 460 well wrought metres climbed

Saturday Troll and Epic-nic

With me on the Troll and Tra'y on her e-commuter we rode up through Vic to the top.  I took Thompson's #1 and met her at the bottom of #2 where she was waiting.  Through the pass and up and around all the way to the Bellbird looking for a sheltered spot to sit for a picnic.  At the Bellbird we popped over and up to a nice stone seat out of the wind and had a magnificent-salad picnic.  

Back the way we came, she went down Dyer's Pass where I rode up top and down the gums etc out to Skidder and down.  Good run.  Then I took the dogparkcarpark trail down, cutting out the walking 'To Harry Ell' track.

Not much under 16 kms, and 475 m climbed.

Wednesday Night Thomas short Godley Captain

Sweet wee bomb with Nelsie tonight while America slides into fascism. 

Picked him up and we trafficked around to park at Sumnervale and headed downstream a little then around and up the old skool Captain.  Once up on the 'level' it was good going, and I felt pretty good.  Quite mild considering the beasterly blowing at home and elsewhere.  I even cleaned the upper section before the gate (where I often end up too knackered).  At Evans the view was amazing, with the low grey cloud cap over us, and bright sunshine beaming in to the otherside of the harbour.  It was here I realised I'd forgotten to turn on MMR...  Oh well.

Along the road, always a little further than you think, and lots of biggish lambs around, headed up the farmtrack to the Godley and I led the way back, keeping a pretty good pace, and enjoying the way the bike handled, actually getting some of the famed 'feel' I was looking for in this machine.  (even more so lower down).  Across the road and we dropped into the Captain, and as mentioned, the feel came in droves.  The bike kinda dimensionally warps around certain corners.  Tis sweet!  Into the old skool section and so much fun.  I kept on Nelson's tail for the first bit but a little further in I was struggling to reel him back in.  Managed a couple of times, but then something would slow me.  The rock roll-over gave me a bit of a fright, in that I really thought my left side bar was gonna slam the rock.  Survived tho, and it was a good descent.  

Rolled around back to the car and (then forgot to turn off MMR and ended up turning it off in Monck's Bay, but have editted that bit out.) headed home.  For what it's worth, from Evans to Sumnervale via some trail, 7.5 kms, but in reality based on previous rides, 11.something kms and 420 or so climbed.

Tuesday Quick Singlist

A needed single-speed, indeed.

On the BFe - new (to me) 2.5inch tyre up front now, up the road, good chuff, over 19th, the usual push up from Skidder, a group of mtnbikers riding up past me (not that much faster than me walking), rode the rest to the top and into Thompson's for a lovely flowy, bike feeling amazing under me, cranking it through the two hairpins, then cruise up the road.  Questioned where to go here, but decided to just drop on down.  Down around (past) the jumpies and through rabbit into rocks and pines. 

Nice down gums, flowy flowy sweetness, then out to the road, into the track below, flow flow, right, over and up to the road corner, up around, coasting down and into the carpark, straight in, getting a bit overgrown in there (time to do some trimming, might walk the dog up today).  Flowy flow, a little damp in one spot, then (with an audience of a couple of groms) jumping over the jumps and flowing through the oaks and into the lower reaches, bomby flow.  Out onto Ell, clamber to road and home.

6.3 kms and a smidge under 200 m climbed.

Couple ebike rides over the weekend

As per the title... 

Saturday, T and me rode to brunch on our ebikes - down Dyers, Hackthorne, Lady Polson to exit down Bengal, across onto the Uni-trail, flowing through past Pioneer, then back streets and across the alley to Domain Tce, up past Hillmorton, under the motorway and hung a right, down along the bike track all the way to Lincoln Rd, where we went to Maxine's for delicious yum cha brunch, eating entirely too much.  Home via Addington back streets, out to cross Collins/Simeon crossing of Brougham, then Simeon all the way through cemetery park and Studholme to cross river, thru Thorrington and up the hill home.  Didn't map it - but it was around 17 kms.

Sunday, up through Vic, Summit Rd to Mt Pleasant, then Upper Major Hornbrook, down through the park to Cannon Hill, through past Ferrymead around the river, lots of nice squirrelly singletrack, then onto the bikepath all the way to Tannery where we saw stopped and went to the movie Lee at the movie theatre, then home the usual way across the back streets of Opawa, St Martins, Beckenham and up the hill, home.  

30 odd kms (see I started it up around the 19th), over 700m climbed.