Monday Night Urumau Scramble

Had to pick up Ben from the ferry at 7.45, so I took the opportunity to get a quick ride in Urumau.  Got home from work and ended up lying on the couch for a bit, then thought, "nah I just gotta do it," so loaded up, jumped in car and headed down.  Realised on Centaurus Rd that I'd left my helmet behind, back up the hill, time seriously getting tight.  

Parked up the ridiculously difficult to access Foster Tce and headed up the steps and zig zags for the heinously steep climb up into the zone.  Grunting and gasping up to the new little looper loop then across the original looper entrance to the forest.  Wind was an absolute gale on the ridge and trees on that norwest facing face.  Not feeling overly confident tonight for some reason, so took the Stormer easier route (missed the steep drops) down and followed on down, lovely loose loam and pine needles, cool rocks and roots.  Good blast, then into Grommies, bypassed all the big hoopy jumps, and rode into the log drop but pulled up and bypassed.  Also missed the cool droppy rock sections at the very bottom.

Into the climb, grovel grovel.  At the higher Zombie crossing came up upon a guy stopped.  Headphones in, listening to a podcast, so didnt hear me at first.  Brief chat and he rode on ahead, slightly faster but not much, so followed him up and across traverse til he stopped at the main meeting spot.  

Second lap, I just climbed up, looper across and into Sunnyside dropping down quickly, then left on the traverse track down to the exit trail (called Whakatuwhera, apparently). 

Seemingly tiny 3.5 kms, a quick and steep 250m climbed

Sunday Urumau

Met Nelson on Fosters Tce and we headed up, and down, and up, and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down.  Ugh, what a lot of up.  The downs are fun, but the ups are all serial killers.  Struggle street for me, but managed a nice wee ride.  Nelsie did the gap jumps, I bypassed them.  We both tried out the new NS log ride, easy.  Stormer and Zombie were both very fun.  Sunnyside was surprisingly good, tho short, but man that second to last corner, steeeep run in to super loose dry dusty nearly-lost-it foot out to save yourself adrenalin jolt.  Otherwise, huff huff, zoom zoom

A veritable feast of 6.5 kms, with over 380 m climbed.

Sunday Uppy Downy Urumau-y

Jet and me met Nelson on Fosters Tce in sLyttelton and up we headed. Nice day. Steep-arse climbs as always, and the downs were a tad greasy.   Jet had a lovely time and lots of drinks from my camelback.

First lap, up to top, and figured a slightly easier start, so off down Stormer, finding traction to be slightly dubious and untrustworthy.  Into Grommies lower down, and I nana'd the jump but flowed the rest nicely.  Into the up, grovelly bastard that it is, both of us screwed up the worst two corners, huff chuff on up to the level point, then into the short decent to the gap through the fence trees, and then the evil grovel climb short sharp bastard.  Then climbing climbing back up to the top.

This time, into the ridgeline, droppy jumpy things, pop pop pop, and then a left down Zombie Lurch.  Less traction than Stormer, and a bit hairy in places, leading me to dab a few times.  Out the bottom and back into the mean climb.  Around and back up to the top again, this time talking to a dude with a brand new Rocky Mtn for a bit on the saddle.

Then up around the easier climb Looper, and down this into Sunshine Face for my first time.  Not bad, but for one steep straight down line that I just didn't want to gamble with.  Then, once back on I was riding the last couple corners, and managed to smack my penis quite hard into the back of my seat.  Yowch!  Climb (from the easy part) up the open zigs and back up to the very top again, the Rocky Mtn dude arriving up behind us, having trouble with his dropper.  Off down, Stormer again, much better this time, faster, and I took the lefty drop part way down, then was in the lead for a bit into Grommies.  Final blast down and I nana'd the drop again and then cleaned most of the climb back up, Nelson miles ahead.  Final section around, piggy climb, and up then down the access track to the drop track that was super sketchy greasy damp grassy dirt, front wheel lock-ups, sliding, and out the bottom back to the cars.

MMR failed (cos my battery was low again), and I thought I'd just use Nelson's, but he'd forgotten to turn his on.  Probably the usual 8-9 kms, with around 550 m climbed, similar to one of these...

Sunday Morning Urumau Loops

Bought O a new bike over the weekend, (a Trek Roscoe 7) and as he was staying at Tane's, I thought I could incorporate a ride, a ride for him, and pick-up into one trip.  So, Nelson and me met on Fosters Tce at 9am, figuring to do a lap or two then get O across for some.  Also, I had Jet the Dog with me.  And was hung-over from a bad night's sleep recovering from Nostalgia Fest.

Headed up from Fosters, steep wee climb, and then up the main drag 4wd track, encountering 3 guys who'd never been in there before.  My nose started bleeding near the top.  Took a while to staunch.  Pretty much met them at the top of it all and 'guided' them down the droppy ridge (top of Jackasaurus), then left over into Zombie Lurch.  The bottom end of this looked completely different to my memory.  Once we got on the climbing track, Sloanstar, I worked out where we were.  I reckon it's cos normally we've ridden in here in the afternoon, whereas in the morning the light was all wrong.  Steep bastard climb up Sloanstar, around and the couple of bits of down and more climbing through the fence around Sunnyside and across to the junction hub, ready for climb number 2.

Kinda meandered up with the boys again and we all set off from the top similar timing.  This time tho, they went a different way, content on finding their own ways, and we took the left hand from the top of droppy ridge, following on down Stormer, bombing down this one which was getting more familiar.  At some point this becomes Grommies, about half way down, then the swoopy fun continued, with me taking the nana line around the one big drop jump.  Back up Sloanstar, around and back to the hub.(other boys gone now).  I rang Otis at some point and he was bailing on me, on account of a sore ankle from rolling it at sports day on Friday.

A different group of guys were climbing this time (including a dude on a Taniwha, who was in a VERY low gear and crawling, using "it's my 3rd up" as an excuse.  "Oh, huh, same here," I said).  Hadn't even realised they were in there.  Up to the top again, this time heading down Jackasaurus again, off to the right, where there's the really steep cliffy drop-thru that I've yet to ride (today inclusive), followed by the cool 'cliff-face' that's fun to ride down.  Into Grommies, swooping and dropping, and this time Nelson slowed for the big drop, and I followed him over.  Not bad!  on through to the bottom.  And, ugh, back up the climb again.  Stopping along the way for Nelson to session the cliff-face drop.

Met T's old boss at junction point, and had a chat.  Then off for the final climb, this time taking Looper for an easier access to not far off the top.  Last blast down the ridge jumps, then down Lurch again, this time at higher speed and more funs.  I dropped everything smoothly this time.  Nearly lost it on one corner, and Nelson did the big trail-gap jump near the bottom.  Finally, climbing up and around, and back down to the cars, I was toasted.

A miniscule 8.78 kms ridden, with just on 600m of (very steep) climbing.

Sunday Evening Lyttel-Urumau-ton of heat

Needed to collect O from Lyttelton, and Paul was keen to ride, so figured a couple of birds with one stone. Drove thru and parked on St David's St. Headed up Stevenson's Steep and up to Fosters Tce, and up into the reserve...New switchbacks, then across with a rideable but steep path across to the climbing track, left on this and I was gasping in the heat and with my rumbling infected lungs.  Climb climb climb, which seems to be the norm in here.  Then up Stormer to the very top.  To get a feel for the place, we took Stormer (blue) down the ridge, this was swoopy and fun, eventually down and around onto Grommies.  I stopped a couple of times and Paul was having some challenge, which is good for him.  Grommies was a fun yumpy roll (bypassing the log drop).  At the bottom there's a Do Not Go Beyond This Point sign due to blasting etc.  So, up Sloanstar we treadled, steep switchback corners getting the better of Paul most times.  Around the sunny side, bit of descent and climb back to the hub.

Climbing again, this time, into Looper and following it down.  I'd thought it was going to be something new but it was one I'd ridden before - fun swoopy and easy back and forth back to the hub.  Another climb back up and Looper entrance cutting up to Stormer and I took the black ridge droppy track.  Paul took the blue Stormer down next to me, but I found myself heading to the right around the ridge on I think a trail I'd not been down before.  Found myself at the top of a massive rocky cliffy drop, which was very difficult to clamber down, then made it down to the main track where I found Paul.  We headed on down Grommies again, swoop swoop, bomb bomb, and then climbed back up Sloanstar and around the Sunnyside for the descent back down, steep through the grasslands to the entrance track and then across, bypassing the Fosters Tce exit and down lots of new steps to Reserve Tce.  Then bombed down this and Stevensons back to the car.

414 m climbed in just over 7 kms.  That's more than a 10%er...

Wednesday night hikes with bikes

Lots of up tonight, much of which was on foot. And down some never before travelled.  Newly regular pick up from Countdown Moorhouse and followed the sheepletraffic east, Ferry Rd, Causeway, to Sumner and up the hill to Evans Pass.  Parked and rode upwards, onto Greenwood and climbing this, meeting only one descender, up round the corners and at approximately the drop-jump we headed through the gate and followed a sidling-climbing sheep trail towards the ridge, then up the track we'd ridden couple weeks back, through the stinky macracarpa and over the fence.  This time we headed down Chalmers Track.  Steep, and once in the bush, greasy as all greasiness, rocks, and wet dirt accumulating on tires, proving sketchy as.  Rode and walked bits and rode, and explored and got to the bottom eventually - talking with a farmer lady cutting fly-blow off her little lamb.  Down the road, a long way, and left into College, climbing steeply up to the left, not really knowing if we'd find an access into the reserve from here.  Hmmm...  We did, but.

Found a wee singletrack at the end of this dead end street and started pushing.  And pushing, and pushing, and pushing.  Altitudinal insanity. Calves burning like crazy walking up this steep shitslope, eventually ending up on the ridge above Urumau Reserve.  Phew.  Down a skinny techy singletrack and onto the main track, into Looper, then Stormer, climbing and finding it a tad greasy.  over the top, steep techy descent then caught up to Nelson waiting and off he led, down the first steep arse drop, rolling down to the next, where I baulked, but then wheeled back and rode, and down over the next roller.  The straight-ahead track here was gonna be carnage, so we took the left hand, and rolled down around, a few greasy techy sections including the very steep section at the bottom which I walked.  Then around to the left, sidling and dropping, greasy corners, front wheel washouts, slipping and sliding.  Nelson dropped one of the log drops, I slid around it.  Then the trail got nice, with big roller dippers, and then it was time to climb again.  A few greasy corners, but pretty much all rideable (until you got to the track we'd gone down).  Next up it was round the sunny side of the hill, sidling across then climbing back up to the main track.  Climbed this, zig and zag and back up onto the ridgeline.  Sun was starting to lower, so we figured we'd find a way up the ridge, or across to Chalmers, rather than descending all the way down to the streets and climbing them.

So, up the ridge, pushing and carrying, a long way up, sketchy wee ridgeline track, with newly cut steps in places, and spectacular views, and carrying the bike.  Mostly pushing it to start, then picking it up sometimes, then near the top it was easier for me to just flip it up onto my shoulders, Mt Oxford style, and carry it, trudging up to the top of the ridge.  Did I say spectacular?  Well earned food rest up top here, watching the sun getting lower and lower to the hills, and then off again, past Chalmers top and up the way we'd gone two weeks ago, walking a bit again, then riding up to the gun emplacements, and across onto Greenwood.

Good blast down Greenwood, rocks slick-ish, but not so bad as to be uncontrollable.  Good pace, all the way down, meeting 2 climbing guys, and then around into Gloomy Gulch and rolling through and down, good pace, but Nelson getting away on me a bit down here.  He dropped the jump, I rolled the sideline of it, and we were off down through Dave's corners and around the way we'd come up.  I was exhausted by the time we made the rocky ups, and bailed for the first.  Then blasted down to the car. 

Bonus extra for me, I headed off down Captain Thomas, while Nelson drove down the road.  I had a pretty good run down here, fast in the top section, fast through to the first of the rocky techs, then cruising around and down to the next rocky techs, cleaning the first, but my front wheel slipped just before the second, so I got off and walked it.  Cleaned down the next bit and into the climb, walked 2 metres of that, then blasted down the rest of the trail and he picked me up in the cul de sac.

Awesome 13 and three quarter kilometres, and just over 700m climbed.