Friday St James Homestead, Run Fatty, Run

A jaunt on the Fattster (for a change- and cos I didn't quite get the new Stooge brakes bled-in Thursday night).  Headed up the St James Cycle Trail from the homestead, into the wind.

  At the Pass, I found the new (to me) route at Peter's Pass up over the top of a waterfall then ziggy zaggy down into the valley.  Continued on down Edwards Valley (but because of the wind, it didn't feel like downhill), further than last time and when I got to where the track crossed the river, couldn't see a way not to get my feet wet.  I'd pretty much been riding long enough, so I decided to turn back here.  

Gentle climb back up valley, assisted with the tail wind, back up to the ziggy zaggy climb, which is VERY steep, back up over the waterfall and then the fun began.  Carrying speed on all the ups, standing and cranking, fun, grippy blast back down to the homestead.  

Headwind nor'westers all the way in then uphill all the way back until the final run. Fast fatty, fast.

Nice waterfall up the top and some awesome good falcon watching on the way back down...

Meanwhile, Tra'y walked off piste up and over the top of the triangle to Peter's and back. Nice!

A picturesque 23 kms and 476 m climbed. 

And another. Sunday lung stretch.

T had gone for a walk to Chorlton so I followed after doing a couple of chores. Up through Adrian's, Luke's Rd and up. Met her eventually on her way down and continued my way up, meeting some riders and walkers coming down, at Chortlon I decided to head onwards over into the Long Lookout Rd gravel, pausing briefly to wait for Andrew C. to go by in his tractor and the dust to settle before the very fast bomb down. - Looking back up towards View Hill from Long Lookout Rd

Bucolic.

Turned around and ground my way back up, then sat and cruised, velocity ever increasing, down, down, veer into Luke's again passing the group of walkers again and down back of the tennis courts (at which point the rear brake started making the bad noise again), then around and home.  Rear brake completely out of pad, spring thing bent...

8 kms 287 m up, over and back.

Saturday Pearcing Piper's, Duvauchelle's Steep, Summit - LA.

Tra'y walking Hinewai so she dropped me at top of the valley, saving me the ~500m of climb. I headed up the Mt Pearce track, somewhat steeper in places than I remembered - it's been a while. Had a bit of an explore up here, took in the view over Pigeon Bay. 

Scope for lovely singltrack ridge trails, I reckon...  

Back down, and part way the rear brake started making some nasty noise...  I had to take out the wheel and pads and examine closely.  No spares so put it all back together thinking I might have to bail out carefully (or sacrificially) down valley back to bach, but it seemed to be resolved and even tho there was stuff all pad left, I survived the rest of the ride.  At the Summit Rd again, I headed into Piper's Valley Rd, for a very fun descent.  Lovely cruising, tho keeping a close eye on any magpies around.  Had to pull up at the first house in the bottom of the valley for a mob of sheep and farmer (who apologised! - i said no worries!) and a nice cruise down to the main road. Explored a little of Duvauchelle, heading to the boat ramp and jetty, then back around and grabbed water from the school, then around Onawe, nice and flat,

bit of a chill out in the trees just above the start of the walking track.  Then around past the Refuse and the Garden Centres and then hit up grinding relentless brutal climb, first up the main road, then up the start of the Pigeon Bay Rd, then onto the gravel Stock Route.  A graveller caught up and passed me when I was having a wee rest - "these peninsula climbs are so brutal."  I kept him in sight for a long while, but eventually needed more rest and he disappeared.  Surprised by the number of vehicles using this road, but then it was a busy public holiday weekend...  Finally onto the Summit Rd, hung a right and the steepness was so gentle.  Fun coasting down through to Pigeon then just cruising and finally grinding, wearily.  Overtaken by a young fresh couple on road bikes - on their way through LA - Okains and back over to the harbour...  The were stopped at top of Little Ak Rd as I passed by and bombed down, finishing it all with a super fast descent back down into LA.  I saw them ride past as I was heading through our second gate.

32 kms, 922 climbed, meaning well over 1400 descended for the lolz

Sunday prior, Gebbies Governors E-dventure with T. And Friday's Stooge With a View.

Last weekend, got back from Pureora trip, a bunch of walking in the bush, on Saturday, so on Sunday to reconnect, Tra'y and me took the ebikes up and along the summit to Gebbies, nearly closed for the Ultra (but luckily they weren't through yet nor started (for the shorter courses), down around to Allandale and around the waterfront, hanging out in a couple of spots,

timing it perfectly to arrive at the Pub for (for me some breakfast and) a couple of coffees.  Then offwards up the hill and home.  My battery expired on the driveway below Andrew and Cath's place, mere pedal strokes from home - yowser).  Over 31 kms covered, with 966 metres electrically assisted.

And finally a proper ride on Friday. We came to the bach Wednesday night and worked from here Thursday, day in lieu Friday. Tra'y walked and I caught up and rode with her to Chorlton, leaving her there, to climb up View Hill Rd. Remarkably, I met 2 Shining Cuckoos(!) on my way. Full view of both of them just metres away - usually they're cryptic af.  A bit further up I watched a bunch of hawks, circling. 

Ground my way up

to the gate before turning back for a very rough ride down, until once past the big pines on the gravel again rocketship mode engaged. Fast bomb to Luke's Rd, back of the tennis courts, and up home. 

14kms, 617m

Thursday Commuter-Stooge Travelator

Nice ride to work this morning on the Stooge. Gorgeous mild and windless nor'west spring day.  Huffed up from home through skidder and up the grunt.  Into Worm and onto the Traverse, a few wet spots but nothing major or soggy. 

Over Vernon, lovely jubbly and then (Full Monty closed, so) down upper Rapaki at an expeditious rate of knots.  At the gate on the flat bit Ranger Nick Singletrack appeared in his ute to open the trails.  We had a quick catch-up and I rode back a bit and up, ahead of him, opening the gate for him, then had a chat to a lady with a dog of the same name as Jet, before heading in and hitting down the Elevator.  Fun times and only a few splecky bits - leaving my pants (new 24/7s from NZO (in Plum)) slightly less than work-appropriate (nothing a good scrub-down with my bikeshirt didn't fix once I got to the office).  

Down Rapaki Rd, detour into that wee park at the corner, then the haul across town, Centaurus into Wilson's Rd for the main drag then back-alley-street-cutting through Austin, Jacksons Creek to Huxley/Burlington, Cadogan, across Blenheim and down Buchan - Byron - Colombo to join the usual commute route over the bridge into CBD. 

Just under 17 kms with surprisingly just over 300 m climbed - which means 500 odd of descending. A most pleasant way to get to work

Thursday Post-Flu Marley's Retune, with a Magpie Attack

Spin up on the Jeht tonight for a bit of a rehoning of the musculature, to the top of the Nun and back. Gaspy climbing after a couple of weeks of influenza A, walking a short section below the Sesame wall-ride, but cleaned out the rest.  A group of riders, talking, were catching me up towards Brakefree and eventually once I parked at the entrance to Thomson's #1.  They were all on e-bikes, explaining why they were all talking so relaxedly and still gaining on me the whole way up.  

Off down Thomson's both, flowing very nicely, then through the Pass and up the Summit Rd  Uneventful climb and grind to top of Nun.  Parked up for a rest and view right on the peak before diving in for some sweet sweet body-english flow-times down the Nun.  Haven't ridden it so smoothly for ages.  Everything felt en pointe, speed carried, rocks flowed.  Crossed the CAP exit and parked on a corner for a breather.  A guy rode through so I gave him until I heard him below (a good headstart) and then took off.  Railed the berms, flowed the rocks and was gaining on him on the lower reaches pretty well, finally catching him as I peeled right to clamber back up onto the road at the Kiwi.  

Back through the Pass and climbing.  Half way between lower Thomson's exit and the entry a bloody magpie swooped me.  Gave me a hell of a fright.  I told him off, said "I'm friendly!!"  Up around the corner and just about on the upper Thomson's exit he fucking did it again.  "Oi, you little shit, cut it out!"  Stopped and broke off a broom plant to hold above my head, then grabbed a flax flower stalk, but he'd pissed off back up the hill.  Tra'y had been attacked directly above here when walking earlier on Sugarloaf too...  -Bad bird!

Down through the rocks and gums, again, riding smoothly and really enjoying myself.  When I exited at the end a massive group of social runners was coming through, and heading below the road below the 19th, so I turned uphill towards the Skidder and peeled left up onto the way I'd come up, over 19th and dropping down to rangerbase, then around the road and lovely coast into dogpark carpark for a very weavy cruisy flow down this, finally drying out, jumpy jumpy through the oaks and then all the way down to H'Ell before the clamber home.

A testing 10.5 kms gaining 350 m (or 380 by my reckoning - adding up the ups).