Measured Gale View from Friday's Stooge

Up to View Hill Rd on the Stooge not long after the southerly hit. She's a strong one; no rain, but. 

Clothing-wise, I was in stealth mode. Bike was the same shade of grey as the road and shirt the same green as the hills. Socks and shoes like dirt.  Unwisely, not enough layerings - even after donning the sky-blue vest.  Looking down at the bay:

Bombing back, tailwind pushing up a whipper-whorl of dust ahead that I coasted through at higher speed as it petered out.  Then a little lower down, still on the gravel the wind gusting from the side; hard work staying on, but the Speedbomb lived up to it's handle.  Then on the seal, nice and tucked and silly-fast to start with, but around the bend back into the teeth of it and even tucked it was slow going and gusty until the shelter of the bridge valley around with a tail wind again, lovely in the trees then smooth speed into Luke's Rd, up and over rolling fast, and back through Adrians.

Looking back up where I was from bach.

Twenty metres shy of 8 km and one metre shy of 300: measured

Tuesday Chortling Troll to McHales and Views

Sluggardly few days under a couple of the tails of Cyclone Tam at Little Ak. Moved, split and chucked wood, otherwise bathed and read. Finally, out on the Troll (in need of a little maintenance (namely, the chain)) up to Chorlton and hovered briefly before rolling down through the 2 dips to climb into McHales Rd. The original dwelling from our place is one of these houses, according to local lore. I think I know which one but I can't be sure. Nice gravel road roll down for a bit, 1.1km if the end-of-the-line gate is to be believed, followed by the nice climb back. Great to see these views from a new perspective, and the view into to Raupo is something else. #cue picture.

- a good angle of the Troll between two of my absolute favourite types of bush, with a view of one of my favourite beaches in the world.

Back around through Chorlton-proper, then left and up View Hill Rd - as far as I could, and it was further than I'd ever managed before on the Troll, by far. 

Could look into the kitchen through the window next to the back door from here...
More views taken in here before turning down hill and fast. 

A 12.12 km jaunt, with a felicitous 435 m vertically wrought.

Troll King's Saturday Jaunt

On the Troll up to Chorlton and beyond.  Firstly, up to Chorlton.

Then up View Hill Rd, stopping briefly opposite the shearing shed to watch a couple of kereru drinking from a trough,

then riding again as far as I could until I lost traction - in the trees behind the Eagles Nest where the steeep really starts.  Turned around and coasted faster and faster on gravel down to the seal again and hung a hard right through Chorlton and upwards, climbing climbing, til the descent again, descending fast until Wells Back Rd, thinking, again, until I lose traction, but lungs ran out first,

most of the way up, so continued to the end.  Then back down this and back up towards Chorlton for some fast rolling goodness.  Faaast down past the flock of sheep that had just been through the shearing shed, about to come up onto the road, then couple of climbs and descents, final climb to top before heaving over and bombing back down into Little Ak.  Rapidity and flow.  Lovely.  Across the bottom of the beach and through then up to the first corner on Decanter Bay for a view of the bach.

Final run back down here, chat with Jeff on the waterfront, and then back up the road to home.

Valid 17 kms, and 565 m gruntled.

Chortling to Chorlton

Quick hour or less Trolling up to Chorlton, a little higher on gravel to shade and a cooling coast back down. Nearly hit one of a small group of roadies on their way up the hill.  

A relatively unsatisfactory 8.03 kms with a levelheaded 300 m climbed.

Post number 1400, by the way.

Big Matariki Saturday Trolloop

What an effort... Whoooeeee I'm knackered now. 

Headed up valley from the bach, riding all the way past Misty Hills and up to the traffic lights where the first spate of walking started.  Good to get a good look at the washouts etc along here, seeing that the road wasnt undercut and also the sheer power of the floods that had occurred.  Riding a bit, walking a bunch, over an hour to get to the summit road.  

Around the Summit Rd, up and over the flanks of Duvauchelle Peak, bombing down onto the long flatter ridgetops.  Stopped along here and noticed that I'd dropped my orange GE top somewhere behind, so with slight panic I turned back about, climbing back up and over, around 4 kms, to finally find it sitting lonesome on the road a third of the way back from View Hill turn off towards L.A hilltop.  Debated with myself about dropping back down into the bay but decided that would have cut the ride too short at 1.5 hours, so I turned back and climbed back up and over again, cruising and bombing down, down on to Okains turn off.  

If I hadn't had to turn back for the shirt I would have headed up from here and explored out Cameron's Track - gravel road, down to Big Hill Rd into Okains instead, but figured that'd take too long now so I headed down the main road into the bay.  Super bombing hoon down, down valley and eventually parking up at the old Library building for a rest and snack.  A wee explore over the Millenium bridge and back then down through 'town' and left to head towards Little Ak.  

Climbing again, grinding away, walking a little(?), pulling over for a car at one point, grinding on.  An Explore down Boleyn's Rd for a look, then back and bombing down into Stony Bay.  Up valleybottom, over the bridge and climbing again, a bit of walking but mostly staying on top of the gear.  A nice big rest and snack up above the steep corner before the cruise on up past the rich house and on up past Wells Back where I stopped for another wee rest.  Dug deep and climbed again, last bits around into Chorlton, fast bomb down and around to the final climb up to top and finished into the final bomb down into the bay and back to the bach.  Long ride.

Just over 40kms spun with slightly < 1500m ascended. 

Trolling the Chorlton Downs - a first effort post covid

First ride post-covid.  

At the bach for the long weekend, and brought the Troll with me figuring it's basically a 'gravel' bike.  Up to Chorlton finding my low gear as low as needed, with standing the final option but not walking.  From Chorlton I continued towards Okains, nice down, a couple of rollers then steep climb followed by a very nice cruisy descent. I took a wee jaunt up Wells Back (no exit) because I'd never been up there before, and had a nice rest at the top before a fat gravel descent back down to the seal.  Thought about turning back here, but was still feeling pretty good so I rode on towards Stony Bay, dropping down to a good view overlooking the Bay, still at 140 m altitude or so.  

Into the climb back and heading back, fast descents that were slow climbs the other way, but none of the climbs as bad this direction.  Super fast descent back into Little Ak, around waterfront and home.

Good climbs good times, 19.6 kms with 618 m climbed.

I was hammered all day Sunday and into Monday.