Sunday Ride of Two Portions

Needed to pick up the car from Sumner after leaving it there from Ann & Jimmy's wedding Saturday night. 

Set out from home on the Rocky, up into Vic Park, onlly to find it completely closed form the gate, All Tracks for Fire Response, so, figured I'd ride up the road to Summit and along.  Dropped down to Harry Ell and onto the Dyers Pass Rd and pedalled.  It's actually not that bad mostly, just a couple of narrow sections cars cant pass safely, but mostly there's almost a lane, in the gutter, that you can stay left of the white line.  Got to the Kiwi and nope, no go - cones, Road Closed, a cop car on the other side, and a dude on this side saying, "sorry". So, back down to home, cop on my tail for a bit of it, and peeled home - just under 7 kilometres done, 250 m climbed.   

Rocky away, Troll out, change of shoes and off down Longhurst, carrying and wheeling down the steps, carrying up the steps and onto Holliss Ave, ooh, rear tyre a little low, sketchy...  Down, crossed over Centaurus onto Sloan, over the bridge, back around the bottom of the Loop onto Eastern Tce along to next pedestrian bridge, then over into the park where I put some air in the tyre (in the shade).  From here up onto Centaurus, around and right, then into the wee alley way through to Korimiko, Wilsons, Beckford, through the NW carpark to Wades/Prossers, alleyway to Derrick, over the bridge, Ford, then around the river on that side to the next bike bridge, Sheldon, Radley Park, along the tow path, over the motorway bridge back to the northside of the river and Towpath all the way around to Ferrymead Bridge.  Over the road and onto the bike path to Sumner, all nicely finished now.

A varied and interesting route across the flatlands - slightly less than 16 kms and weirdly 150 m climbed. Nice

Pirate Troll Scrambling

I've decided to officially designate the Troll now as a 'Scrambler'... reminiscing back to my childhood days of going out 'Scrambling' it is a brilliant bike and having done the ride I did today on it, it's more than capable of more.  Upgrades of bottom bracket (/cranks), brakes, eventually 2.5 inch Extra-terrestrials and it would be ready for anything I threw at it...

Up from 'home' around Belleview and dropped down Major Hornbrook, into the park finding a nice singletrack down through this.  Met some likeminded people pushing bikepacky-type rigs (with Moloko or Jones bars on them) up the most tech bit, which I ended up riding, then down onto Cannon Hill for a helluva blast down.  

Around into Ferrymead and past the Golf to the towpath cruise, under the motorway, staying on this (true right) side of the Heathcote River proper all the way around on an off-road Cumnor Tce to Chapmans Rd.  At this point I wasn't fully decided where I was going, with a couple of possibilities in play.  Looking at the sunny hills I decided: Up, steeply. And so off I headed, up Chapmans Rd and crossed into Duncan Park where I proceeded to lose traction but somehow keep moving, mostly, riding and then walking when it was no longer feasible to spin, up to the forest.  The push began.  

Up through the forest past the newly sculpted jumpzones, out the top and through the gate, over the next gate an up under the pylons.  Steep. As. Fuck.  After the pylon, I put the bike on the shoulders and walked, slowly, until it was no longer as steep as it is.  Started pushing again, up through the steep techy rock zones, re-discovering the act of wheelying the bike along on the back wheel working well.  Then, onto the sidling part (that we tend to bypass in favour or the ridgeline), it flattened out enough to ride below the rocky knob, and then part way up the ridge from there, until it was too steep, whereupon I got to wheelying again.  

Onto the ridge and over the fence, riding and avoiding as much as possible disturbing sheep and lambs (and poo), eventually bombing and a restrained full-noise down to the Summit Rd and over the gate.  Left onto the Summit Rd and ended up behind a roadie couple, possibly annoyingly for them, tailing them all the way up to Castle Rock.  Fast bomb, tucked, to Bridle Path saddle, and onwards around catching them up again under the gondola, then climbing up through to the cutting and cruising round to Mt Pleasant Rd for a sweeet tucked speed down to Upper Major, the Ridge/Clear/Long/view combo, onto the path to Hornbrook booking back down to Belleview and around 'home.'  A couple hours all told.

Carries well and wheelies up the hill wheelie wheelie well.  17 kms with 685 m climbed.

Wednesday Night Solo all over the place

Out on my own tonight and probably could have done a proper ride or even a fatty ride on the trails, but figured they were sorta off limits so just had the Troll in the car.

Parked at McCormack's Bay, usual spot, treadled around and grabbed some water and then proceeded to follow my nose...  Around the edge of the park, picking up a nice wee singletrack that petered out, so found my way to the bridge and followed the track from there.  Around towards town, and just past Mt Pleasant Rd headed up a steep wee 'alleyway' (aka Rangatira Tce), right onto Quarry Rd through the park and down The Brae, not realising I could have headed left on it up to St Andrews.  Along the Main Rd for a minute then ducked up Te Awakura Tce, crossed St Andrews and on upwards, around and up the alleyway to Cannon Hill.  Down this, fast, right at the bottom and along what's known as Ferrymead Tce, then across the bridge and into the towpath.  Met a guy on a commuter cyclocross in here, our lights clashing, then had the rest of the greasy way to myself.  Quite squirrelly in parts.

Across the Tunnel Rd bridge and back down the other side, super greasy and squirrelly along here, slick tires finding little purchase.  I proceeded around the ex-maori village site and then stayed on tracks that followed the Ferrymead Park Drive.  Took a wrong turn and found a greasy dead end, so back to the Drive and on up into Heathcote.  Up through the school and out onto Bridle Path Rd, up this as far as the Gondola turn off, and then back, lots of speed, down to Morgans Valley Rd.  Up this to the top, the steepness of the upper end proving a good work out on the Troll's gearing.  Turned around and bombed back down and hung a right on Bridle Path Rd, down to Cannon Hill.

Up Cannon, checking out Chablis Pl, and choosing to stay on Cannon all the way, again, steepness near the top giving a damned good work out.  Around the top of the Crescent and down to Freeman, then left on Major Hornbrook, right into Billy's, and right into Mt Pleasant Rd, proceeding up this til Drayton.  Down here into the McCormacks Bay tracks, sidling (surprisingly some climbing) around to the main valley track and taking this down, a bit greasy, to the bridge, then around and up the zig zags to Avery Place, the steep in here getting the better of me and making me walk for a stretch.

Up Avery and left on Glenstrae, right into Daring Lane, and down the zig zags we discovered a few weeks back, onto Challenger Ln.  I had a look up here at Defender Lane which supposedly has a way back up to Glenstrae, but it was a 'Private' r.o.w, so I left it to it, and turned tail and bombed high speed down Challenger - Egnot Heights, left into Taupata and then back to the car on the flat.

All over the place...  23 kms and 477 m of climbiness