Sunday Single Sojourn

High intensity singlespeed, up thru Vic, over 19th, through skidder to walk a bit, then breather at the brakefree water fountain, and on up to Thompsons #1, back up the road and up to the stone shelter where I caught up with Doug and had a breather.  MMR uselessly stopped here.  Clambered up to the Sugarloaf carpark, and onto Cedricks Track, across the front, boffed down through the rocky bits in the bush and then out to the road and down onto the Traverse.  Across this back to Vic Park, then blitzed down thru Gums, Lower, out to 19th, below road through usual byways to road corner, then coasting down to 235, dropping in and even jumping the treebranch.  Ballbearings (acorns) are in full effect through here now, be warned! and then clambered back up to the road, and up over below the Dog Park dropping down the singletrack to Harry Ell Drive, fast coast down here, then a brief walk up to our gate. 

MMR crapped out, looks like before I even got to the stone shelter, where it finished, so it was probably about 7 or so kms, with maybe 250 m climbed?

Thursday Night, Last of the Season?

Good one out tonight with Nelson. Lots of poaching as it was probably our last chance and the trails were nice and dry.  Up from mine, over 19th, and up the gutser, then up to top of Vic, wondering where we'd head.  I suggested across the road here, and so we went up to the shelter then up to the Sugarloaf carpark and onto Cedric's Track, which proved to be quite fun.  Over the stile and dropped over the edge, continuing through tech to below the carpark and around this and over the next mound, finding fire engines and vehicles all doing what looked to be a training exercise.  Over the road and fence and onto the Traverse next to the pond here, we skadoodled up from here around all the way to the end (top of Huntsbury).  

Onto Scott's Knob section of Crater Rim here through the macracarpas and dropping funstyles down to the road, then up the steppy bits and steps, cleaning the top hairpin and climbing onwards up to the next steps where I really needed a rest.  Bit of a breather and we got going again, and I'd forgotten how nuggetty it follows from there.  Whoop.  Back to the fire-os and back over the road and fence to pond and this time the other direction on the Summit Traverse.  Cruising into the nor'wester from here and I was eating dust the whole way, whipped up by Nelson and held up for me to breath by the wind.  

Down over the cattlestop to Pedalfine, dropping down here, I took the same line as the Sunday and dropped through over the skinny rickety bridge and down onto the 4wd track (which has been severely scraped).  Along here again, dropping into Razzas down and through, excellent fun, then climbing back up around to the skidder.  Followed the road to below 19th, then below road, and usual lines through to Tawhairanui, lovely flow through here then a good railing bomb down 235 including the final jumps, all dry now, and climbing up to DogParkLowerCarPark for the final monster-bomb down behind the houses and home.

A congenial 10.3 kms with 395 m scrambled.

Thursday Single Tops

Up with Tracey and Jet to start with, her riding O's bike (cos I thought she'd need the front suss) and me on the Singlist.  We rode together all the way up to the Skidder site where her and Jet turned back.  

I trundled over to the grunter and proceeded to walk the bit I always walk.  Misty fog was ploughing across the tops, making for minimal visibility once up in it.  Instead of turning right up through Brakefree I continued up the walk track, pushing up the steps, through the two gates then up onto Worm, left, then right, through the trees and around to the top of Vic entrance.  Across the road, up the walk track pushing lots to where I could ride through the Sugarloaf carpark then onto Cedric's Track across the front, all in fog.  Over the stile and carrying up the rocks to the top.  Descent here is steep, tech, rocks - a bit hard on the singlist, marginal on the Rocky (I would think).  

Across the road to the Traverse and a couple of riders hove into view, the second one yelling out.  It was Craig and Nelson (doing the yelling).  We stopped and chatted a bit then they continued on and I headed in the Rapaki direction.  Stayed on Traverse all the way around to the road, then, still in fog, therefore stealth, I headed into Scott's Knob, riding over the top down, then pushing up the next section and riding the fun descent down and onto the next open bit through to the carpark I'd passed through earlier.  Back across the road here and back onto the Traverse, this time heading towards Vic.  

Down through the top of Vic, past the seesaw, down the rabbit into the rocks, picked carefully through, across top of gums, around and down my usual flowy wee way.  Then continued on through, across road below Skidder, around back up to road, coasting then 235, blitzy blitz til grease then down and out the H.Ell shorter version to road, blast down home.

Grand total of 9.38 kms, and 377 m climbed.  Okay for a singlespeeder.