Sunday Arvo Solo Local Singlist

Up on the BFe for a blow out blast, getting all my blood and air flowing hard. Up the usual way to the top, walking the usual little bit.  Headed straight into Thompson's #1 for a nice wee flow, then back up the road and dropped down around, past the jumps, then down through the rocks and gums all the way out to 19th, below road briefly, then into the Dogpark Carpark trail, jumping all the jumps in here, then grunting up for a second lap of the main bit, finishing with - down all the way through to the bottom, surprising a young woman (or they/them?) peeing on the end of my track just above H'Ell... rolled out to their male friend and said, "I just gave her a fright." 

Minimal 6.3 kms grueled and 217 m wrestled from the hill in 32 minutes.

And then i got Covid...

Friday E-tour with T, then a Short Saturday Sunset Figure-of-8 Dog Fat-Spin

So, Friday, T and me on our ebikes headed up thru Vic Park Rd, down onto Dyers to turn right at the Kiwi and all the way around the Summit to Gebbies, bombed down to Teddington and along towards Governors. At Allandale we hit the Old Coach Rd along the waterfront to the Jetty. Out to the end of this, then up the hill, checked out Nainy's old driveway, then up to the pub, Otoromiro, for several drinks and a yummy meal. Finished with back up and over the top and home. 

Not bad 35 kms and over a grand's climbing.  And good to know what the ebikes are capable of...

Saturday evening, on the loose end of a few beersies, I took Jet up on a weird little short, puffy fatty-spin up a little local loop-about. Surprisingly, a sweet little workout given the low speed. Granny (or slightly taller) ups, and short-shrift wee blitzes of flowy groove, between waiting for the geriatric old man dog, downs.   Hope it isn't too hard on his weary old joints. 

However, a lovely taste of what I should get up to every night - really... Close encounters with gorgeous setting sun rays through the trees, and kereru.  Ridiculous how much fun a rigid bike can be. 

Less than 2 kms and stupidly only 55 m of altitudinal gain, in a whole 32 minutes.

Thursday Evening Croc of Climbing

Buncha ups and downs out in Halswell tonight. In from the carpark, meandering around all the new-path-fenced-off areas, up to the trees to the start of the trails.  Straight into Download, and up C2, chuffing alllllll the way up to Siberia and over, then back down the lot, across to the right following a family of big cattle beasties and dropped into Off the Cuff, up Upper Crust, down Murph's, back up the OG Croc -v stepper than I remembered it, down Spurious, back up C2 and down Mish Mash... Shitloads of other riders around and everyone seemed to be faster than me going up. 😩

Less than 10kms and only 289 climbed (tho I calculate 360m...), which seems a bit of a rip off, considering.  I gotta ride more.

Sunday Bowenvale Jeht Planing

Bonza, mate. Bonza! 

Left home at 1 on the dot and ground my way up the usuals to the top of Vic. Popped off down Thomson#1, enjoying the absolute cush and speed of the Jeht, weaving through the gap and into the hairpins to head back up the road to the top again.  Next, I boffed off round, popping the jumps and hauling straight back around and up the Worm to hit the Traverse for the cruise across.  I could see a couple of riders ahead, a long way ahead when I first got onto it, they were rounding the stile further ahead.  When I got there they were slightly less far away, then when I was coming around towards the Sugarloaf saddle carpark they were just negotiating the pond and then the rock feature after that.  I caught the young girl as we rounded towards Lavaflow and she stopped to let me by at that rock feature just after that.  I stopped at the top of HuntsDH and let her roll by to her dad(?).  

Dropped off down what was fourpause and had an audience just below the first jump, a guy riding up the gravel stopped to observe.  Wind behind me, quite quick down here.  First left into the swervy version of the landing-strip-adjacent trail, and enjoying the flow.  Onwards over the top of Ali Express, finding, after the cattlestop, a new route into the zig and zag, Sheepshit City it should be called.  Dropping down all the rest of the rocky sections, nice flow and bomb.  Strong winds on the zig and zag before the Old Skool proper, pushing or adjusting...  Stopped for a rest and saw a couple ahead.  Headed off, bombing, flowing, tailwind, fast and smooth, funtimes, the pedestrians were out of the way just before the cattlestop and I just rolled on through.  Nice flow, riding well.  Zig and zag back and forth flowing and pumping, flying then into the bottom and onto the grind, the endless steep, grovelling up valley, eventually out the top and over the skidder into the singletrack descent to 19thy, below road, through, coast, into dogparkcarpark, hello to Jo from work who was parked in my spot, and bombing through the curvy grooves, all the way down to H'Ell, clamber up, blast home

A congenial 12.5kms with 540m risen

Friday Towards Menzies and Back, on the Fatty

As per the title, climbed out of Little Ak, daydreaming away and enjoying the view, up to Brockworth then bombing gravel down into Decanter, across the bridge and climbing again, up and around and on up the downs all the way to Rehutai where I took a nice pic

(combo of Godley and Scarborough Heads in the distance there).
and then turned around and rolled and coasted and bombed back down, stopping for views - this one in particular:

(Long Lookout in the distance, The Decanters in front).

And also not stopping...  Down through Decanter again and climbing back up the other side, back over and then bombing again on the noise of angry bees down down down and fast, through the hairpin and down to the bach, then up the road to the house where I got into my togs, grabbed T and we went for a swim - her riding the fatty down and me on the old globecruiser.   

Minus the swim, 17 odd kms, and a juicy 670 m upwardly mobile

Saturday View Hill Part-way

T, Nik and Blair were walking up to Chorlton.  I ran Jet around a short loop with the bike, then rode up past them to the top and up the gravel road, walking the steepest bits then riding on up to the pine tree intersection. 

Rested out of the wind for a bit, took in the view and bombed back down.  Fast as all heck on the gravel, not feeling quite as comfy as on the fatty.  Once on the seal it was faster still, around the corner and into the wind, which slowed things a little.  

Windy, 10.66 kms and 468 m climbed. 

First not-really-Ride of the Year, Troll Dump

Dump run needed so I headed up on the Troll with the rubbish bag bungied to the front rack. 17 minute round trip, 4.7 kms total and amazingly 81 m climbed.