Wednesday Mt Oxford Epic

Rather large ride today, and likely the last of the year for me. 

Paul and Luka arrived at mine at 7.15 and we Brava'd out to Nelson's. Weeded my garlic in short time then we hit the road for Coopers Creek, Nelson following in his own car.  Parked at the end of Mountain Road and got riding about 8.50... When I say ride, all was well for a start, but eventually ducked down over a bridge and there was a bit of a walk, then rideable climbing, but it got steeper and steeper with less opportunities for riding and more opportunities for walking. Eventually we were all walking, pushing at first, then carrying. One or two small taunts of riding and then above the treeline we were all carrying (tho Luka held out and managed to push (rather than carry) most of the way).  All of us found a method of carrying that worked for us - Nelson, kinda seattube across his soulders, back wheel behind his head, rest of bike hanging down behind; Paul - either arm through the triangle, top tube on shoulder, pedal in elbow, hand on front wheel; me - sort of top tube across my shoulders, wheels out either side, but for a long haul I somehow managed to have it similar to Nelson, with maybe my pedal hooked on my pack and I was hands free walking, trudging, up the incline. We probably carried for an hour, at least. It was very long and quite arduous, taking around 2 hours 40 mins to reach the top.  A couple of women and 3 kids up there when we arrived, tho they'd gone by the time Nelson got there.

Bit of a break and feed, then off down the ridge to the west. Passing the family on the way.  Some steep stuff, and a little bit of climb. Then down the side into the bush and wicked steepness. A few nasty climbs thrown in for good measure just to keep the rinsing, and rooty gnarl and steep steep steep. Stopped at one stage and Nelson took out his brake pads to see if the spares he had were any good, they weren't, and the ones he'd taken out weren't as worn as he'd thought, so got going again.  More steep rooty goodness, with a few really flowy sections chucked in.  Then finally(!), Wharfdale hove-to and we hung a left and clambered up this to the Link Track. 

This held a HELL of a lot more climbing than I'd ever recalled, and lots of getting off and walking/carrying over rooty boggy bits. Met a few walkers on on their way up while we were on the way down too.  We were all getting pretty rinsed by the time we got out, just over 5 hours after we'd departed

We climbed 1075m in total, over a 19.25 km loop.

Sunday Coopers Wharf soaking wet dale

Forecast looked none too hot with a couple of southerly blasts expected, but figured we should just ride anyway, so got me out to Nelsons just after 8.30 and we headed round to Mountain Rd in Coopers Creek to ride to the Wharfdale track.

Drizzle was pretty well set in when we headed out and we were pretty much drenched within a few minutes. Along the river for a little with a couple of weird ups and downs, then lots of up. Largely rideable for starters except where it was too steep. Further in there was lots of gnarly rooty sections and the odd mudpug. Quite a cool track, every now and then there's little marker label things telling you what species of tree its next to. Kinda weird considering if you were walking the first one would be like an hour in...

We jokingly estimated the percentage rideable on the way in was maybe 72.6%. Anyway, eventually, after much trudging and climbing and a couple of descents (one quite steep but all rideable) we made the end of the 'link' track, which is the Wharfdale Track. Total altitude climbed around 360 m.

Whew we thought, now it'll be a bit easier. And it was! The Wharfdale's like a highway in comparison. Not far in, after the bridges, Nelson got a flat tire, so he replaced the tube with a 'race' tube (thin, light). I was getting really cold, so changed out the longsleeve lycra for a fleece. Some walkers cruised past just as we were heading off and said, "You're insane riding this". We said "you should have seen the trail we just rode up!"

Not much further on we stopped at that clay-ey corner and had a snack, and while we sat there we could hear a sssssssssssing. Yep, his back tire again. So he put in my tube, and we were off again.

Met another walking couple just before the switchbacks and not far later hit the saddle. Rain was infintessimally lighter here, sky too. Ate more OSM, and a couple of germanic runners passed by while we sat there, and we met another just after we'd set off down the way we'd come. Half way down my front brake started sounding like the spring on rotor, so we stopped at that rocky drop (after the unrideable climb from a creek) and i swapped in my new ones. My rear brake was dodgey-as too.

Nelson had a few wee moments, when his shoes wouldn't unclip, crashing a few times. Didnt stop him flying off on the main descent away from me. I was experiencing physical wreckedness most of the ride, my neck really sore from lugging hay bales on Saturday maybe, pretty uncomfortable, so was taking it easy, and i wasnt enjoying water and grit induced blindness when at speed. Eventually caught him at a treefall just at the start of the final climb, and we headed back up to the gate and track junction.

Hung our left down our track which starts off rooty and mucky, but largley, rideable, followed by a really nice section which seemed to go for a while. There are a few awesome blasts down through this track, a reasonable climb (ie, steep enough to have to walk) in the middle, and more really nice sections, all interspersed with nasty bits, heinous bog holes and unrideable slippery roots. In the dry you might clean some of them, but many were just too big and poorly spaced. Some hail, and thunder, and more rain kept us in check.

I came a cropper on one such section when my front wheel just went out from under me and threw me off to the bank side of the track. My handlebars spun too, leaving, for some reason, my rear brake with no action, ie, lever went right to the grip with no effect. So, hung the bike on a tree, removed the rear wheel and swapped out the worn out pads for some spare used ones that still had half left i had in my bag. the wee spacer spring had worn out too, so i had to run them sans spring. They still worked much better from here on out giving me a little more confidence, tho i was still struggling with the eyespleck.

After my brake change we were on pretty much the main final long descent, towards the end of which you leave DOC land and there's an open bit after some young macrocarpas with some rock outcropage, where i caught up to Nelson, just picking himself up after bouncing down the steps and off the track.

Some final steep down from here, couple tight switchbacks, over a couple of stiles, more steep down, then back onto the flat, passing a couple of walkers on the weird uppy-downy bits, and back to the car just as my hands were starting to get shooting nerve pain on the grips, frozen solid and wet through. i was SO glad to be back and into dry clothes and warm(ish) car. Pies consumed by both from Oxford dairy... Back to Nelsons to warm up some more.

Total kilometreage, roughly 14 kms each way. I'd ridden this route once before... i think i now remember why at the time i chose not to go back down the Coopers Creek track... Tho, under nice conditions, it really wouldnt be that bad but still a fair bit of getting off and pushing... We estimated about as much total effort as doing the usual View Hill Carpark right through to the Townsend and back.

Coopers to Wharfdale and back out ViewHill

Well... Ended up being a solo musicked ride...nice clear day, nursing quite the hangover, drove out to coopers creek entrance to the oxford forest, end of whats known as mountain road, took the track to wharfdale track. crashed within the first 5 minutes, back wheel spin, right foot pedal down, failed to clip out, balance lost and over i went, down a bank of blackberry and gorse. fantastic way to start a ride, back of arms and my back all scratched up. then trail becomes unrideable in lots of bits. one section in cutover broom scrub just taller than handlebars and the path way narrower, puts on the brakes slowing progress, so mostly i walked the bike on its back wheel. had to do that a lot, and sometimes carry. but some riding. probably an hour to the Wharfdale track, then blissful singletrack riding, nice and clear, well groomed, lovely. the southfaces were damp with dripped mist and possibly rain the foothills collected that the plains didnt. the northfaces were all beautiful and dry. good progress, to the rocky outcrop bit, decided there i was tired and needed to head back. decided not to take the messy track back the way i'd come up, so rode out to viewhill carpark and down the road thru all the gates, back round woodstock rd, over the tawera bridge, round through tawera on rampaddock road and back up to the car.

tonight, Nelson and me drove to scumner and went up capt thomas and up the new evans track to top and back. the fog was fantastic. thick swirling, no visibility, getting soaked in mistiness. amazing. made for a ride of epic proportions even tho it was just a quick 3 or 4 hundred metre altitude jaunt. probably 8 kms to top and back down that... steady, middle ring climb all the way.

back to court tomorrow... JURY. silly silly boys.