Saturday Lush Sinclair, Fitzgerald, Sinclair

Good ride from Pettigrews... I'd popped to the bach to collect a "rabbit-control device" and some walnuts, and went for a ride on what I thought was going to be the way home.  Parked and rode, up the steep farm track between prolific onga-onga.  Quite tough going the whole ride because the grass was so lush following the wettest summer in decades.  Climb climb climb, a lot of granny or second gear, just plodding away.  Over the stiles and across the ridge, up through the nice bush reserve, stile, farm track, climbing ever climbing.  Next stile I met a large group of walkers just as we all got there.  I lifted the bike over the fence (surprising the woman who'd just asked "do you have to lift the bike over every stile?").  I was puffing like crazy from the hard climb prior, so took this moment to catch my breath and the walkers all walked through over the stile.  Once they'd cleared over I went and got riding again.  Steeper and steeper, little bit of walking on the steepest bit, then riding further up .  around the top of Sinclair, skirting the north side, nice bush which I ducked into to see what it's like inside.  Very nice totara cloud forest, surprisingly tall in places.  Somewhere up here I realised I'd forgotten to get the "rabbit-control device."  Damn...

Fun roll down, some steep techy fun, then onto the weaving singletrack across the ridgeline.  One or two features of difficulty, but very rideable in this direction.  Past where I turned back in May last year. Over to and up the final long sidling climb, walking the gnarliest steep bit, to the ridgeline flank of Fitzgerald, and up this in long grass to the highest point on the track.  Short stroll out onto the rocks where I sat and ate a muesli bar and listened to the bellbirds in the bush below the cliffs to the west.  Back to the bike and ready for the descent -  very similar to the time before last on the fat bike.  

Fun blast down the stuff I'd just climbed, weaving down the ridge, then around into the tech-in-places steeps walked on the way up, now fun techy bombing - little slippery streams, and erosion lips and steps, with aplomb.  Across the ridgeline between the peaks was tougher going this way, then the climb up through the totara forest too steep to ride now I was tired, walking a bit, then riding again up Sinclair around the north side.  Down to the gate and into the descending again, bomb bomb bomb steeeeep, fun around over stile, fast farm track, stile, Whatarangi Bush reserve, fast, stile, ridgeline, final climb, stile, and bomb to car, stopping to check out the big mushrooms (which were past it) before the final blast through the onga-onga to the car.  

I then had to drive back to the bach, get the air-rifle rabbit control device, and then drive home...

Grand total of 13.7 kms with 656 m climbed, somehow more altitude and less distance than the fat 2nd to last ride up here... weird.

Saturday's Sinclair Fitzgerald Tops

At the bach for 3 weeks.  Had a the fatbike with me.  Drove out of the bay and around the Summit Rd, parking on Pettigrews Rd and rode, up up up into scudding easterly clouds. Nice climb then over stile after stile, up Mt Sinclair, stopping to breathe, rather than walking.  Up to where I rode last time, and onwards down the other side, around the side of the cool bush up there, easterly clouds juuust above my head, roaring over the tops.  Across the saddle between the peaks, then into the climb up Fitzgerald.  Stopped to check out the walking track section, just to see how rough it was.  Looked rideable, so walked back to bike and headed on.  Here's where I met the first 'other people', a group of 4 older guys who looked familiar (from all my years of riding the Port Hills).  Then a tiny bit of walking and up to the ridge, then up the ridge to the top.  Meandered across the grasslands towards a nice bluffy peak, and parked myself out of the wind for a snack, cloud ploughing over top of me.

Back on the bike, back across to the trail, and decided to check out the walking track section.  Steep, and technical, with a couple of unrideables, and lots of scooting technique required, but plenty rideable, and on a normal bike probably a bit more.  Not long and I was back down to the main track, riding on, under the speeding clouds, and on up the back of Sinclair again.  Nice and sheltered downwind of the bush up this climb, and across the back and down again, around the last steep corner and there's three picnickers on the track.  One hastily leapt out of the way, while I said "don't worry, I won't hit you".  Back across the ridge and speeeeeed down the track to the car.

There and back again... 14.5 kms with 627m climbed

Sunday Three Peaks on the way home from the bach

Missed last weekend due to T being away and the rest of us being at the bach helping my Dad with stuff.  Then most of week away and then over to bach again Thursday night for the last weekend of the holidays.  So, packed up and left the bach and i got out at Pettigrews Rd, hitting the trail at 3pm.  First ride for my new shoes, some Shimano's...

Made reasonable time up through Whatarangi and on up Sinclair, walking a bit before peaking out 45mins in, descent beginning, and up here i plugged my music in.  Fair bit of wind around in places, seemingly every time i descended.  Whereas all the climby bits earlier on were calm as.  Good progress up the back of Fitzgerald, with a good walk up the grovelly bit, then up onto the ridge an a surprising section of granny climb.  Stopped for a bit of a snack up top here then tucked into the massive downhill, bombing it down to the gate then through the tricky section and then bombed down to the next saddle.  Someone's been playing with a Komatsu D31 up here, and a new track has been carved in for the next climb.  i rode some of it, and some of the original singletrack, and then some of the new up.  Another stile, number umpteen, across the graveyard tops, another stile, then down the blast, into the wind, to Waipuna Saddle.  over another stile, upwards, another stile, and on walking up up up til riding again, and the blasty descent down to Port Levy Saddle.

Climbed on out, seeing for the first time other bike tire tracks, two i think, not that old - likely this weekend.  Decided later that they were travelling the other direction to me, because on the steep back of Herbert when i was walking they seemed to be ridden not walked.  Grovelly climb up to Kaituna Reserve, then awesome downhill down and across into the start of the nearly final climb, which i managed to ride heaps of til Monument Track peels off to the right.  I started along it, but then realised it would be a big effort, and i might as well just climb up the back like usual, so, pushed up to the ridge and hooked onto the steep bastard.  Carried the bike some, wheeled it on the back wheel ahead of me, and pushed it, a bunch.  Wind quite strong all the way up here.  Met a bit of snow up here, just shady patches.  Body starting to get pretty tired.  Mandarin here, and donned my orange G.Effect top too.

Down the ridgeline between sub-Herbert (913) and Herbert was a fun descent, popping off the drops.  Once the climb hit i slowed right up and walked a bunch more.  Rode a bit, missed the walkway and clambered across to it and on up to the top of Herbert finally (919).  Bunch of txts flooded in, including Tracey wanting a progress report.  18.21 i replied i should make the 7 oclock sailing.  And off i headed down.  Nearly over the bars up here, and a big old hunka snow right in the middle of the trail, north facing(!) too, making everything wet-as below it.  Steep singletrack led me to the slightly less steep 4wd track down.  More stiles, steep, fast descent, dropping hundreds of metres in minutes.  Lambs galore down here and lower.  Finally down into the wee valley and climbing another stile my hamstring cramped something wicked.  Yow!!! had to drop the bike and streetttttch.  Managed to continue, seemingly running out of time.  it was gonna be close.  More stiles, and more wet bits, splatting me up a bunch - something i'd avoided all the way til here, and tonnes more lambs...  Fiiinally, over the very last stile and there's the sign...  Track Closed for Lambing, til Oct 16th...  oooops, only 3 days out. oh well.  Kinda no wonder i saw not a single other person my entire travels.

Across the road, and having to hurry now, couple steps, stile, then down, creek higher than i'd ever seen it before,  flowy singletrack with a few interesting techy bits, and yay at last the road!  Stood and climbed and had pain and had to sit, no, had to stretch, and tried to stand and ride again, but no, had to stretch again, but only 5 minutes left, had to push on through til the descent, blasting past where the pub used to be and down the zigzag road to the wharf and the Ferry was 100m out, on its way in.  Phew...  Pretty hot and bothered by this stage cos twas way warmer at sea level than at 900m, so stood in the breeze all the way across.

Rode off the ferry, and up towards the tunnel, parking myself in time for T and the boys to pick me up.  So.  a 4 hour trip this time.  I'm getting slow.

Gerald FitzSinclair.

Staying at the bach, I chucked the Cotic in the car and drove it to Pettigrews Rd. Locked it to a fencepost and headed for Little River where i met Steve, Pete, Robin and Wayne in Pete's car and Marie and Ben in hers. Left the Fiat there and travelled back up to my bike in Maries.

Hit the trail and we rode up. Up and up, onwards ever upwards. Its not until you ride it with others that you realise just how much up there is. And compared to last time i rode it, the visibility was supreme. Robin struggled, but with some walking, of which all did some, he managed it to the top of Sinclair. The coolness of the bush was enjoyed by all. I snapped pics quite regularly too, once i've got them off the camera i'll load them into this post (which obviously i never did).

The downhill from Sinclair, skirting a beautiful patch of bush, down onto a cool singletrack across the ridge, was fun. Then the climb up the back of Fitzgerald, with its interesting mucky extra steep section in the middle. We all had a go at getting up it, with most doing pretty good. Once on the ridge we spotted some other bikers attempting to ride down the singletrack (that Pete reported he'd done once, and never again), so we holla'd at them and they turned round and came back to us where we pointed them down the right direction. Pete and me tootled up to the top of the rocky summit and peered out at the amazing views. Regrouped and it was time for a blast.

Down the true twin fenceline fast as fast and swoopy as can be. through a wee gate, and on down to finish into the interesting, and in places unrideable bit where Pete got in an argument with a Lawyer, which got its claws in and didnt let go til it had blood. A snack and some yummy snakes, and a wee blast down to some horse riders and a steep little fucker that i've never got before, but cleaned entirely this time.

Then it was across the tops a bit, down to Waituna Saddle, and the last climb up zigging and zagging to the final descent to the road. then the blast down the gravel (loose at times) back to Little River, and i drove Pete and Marie back to their vehicles on my way home to the bach.

Fog Ridden, return to Chch.

So. New year and all that. today we packed up all our belongings out of the bach and into the car and squeezed it all in (one extra adult having arrived from Scotland to stay, making our little Fiat a bit of a squash. luckily it was only from Little Ak to Pettigrews Rd, where they dropped me off, and off into the fog i set at 11.30am. maximum of about 20-30 metres visibility the WHOLE ride. it was fucking wet too. madness. but good. tootled across the tops, managing to find my way by memory the whole way, and surprised at the speed i made Mt Fitzgerald and the Port Levy Saddle in. then from there towards Herbert, getting to a couple bits quicker than i'd expected but the plod with the bike on the shoulders was long and painful - still, rode lots i maybe wouldnt have expected to.

i've never been so happy to get to the top of somewhere, but i was very relieved when the summit of Herbert rolled under my tires. zero visibility still, i txtd T and let her know i was still alive. the whole ride i was in this world of cotton wool, with occasional dark shapes looming up, whether they were trees, hillsides, or cows...

2.30 and off down the front face of Herbert, with visibility slowly increasing and once i'd gotten to that bit where it veers right onto the singletrack i could even see down into Purau, but once i'd got a little lower (into where all that gorse used to be) the fog descended again and i was in my cotton wool world til the very bottom. a few minutes to 3pm as i clambered my weary bones over the bottom stile, with still the last section of track to get to the main Diamond Harbour Rd ahead of me. bombed that, up road and then down past the broken Godley House and minding out on the corners (wet road) bombing down to the ferry which was juuuust about to leave, but i made it... phew. 3.5 hours all up, Pettigrews to Diamond Harbour, in less than clement conditions. a worthy trip, methinks.

didnt see one single other person the whole trip until Diamond Harbour.

and mega bonus, got home to the new issue of Spoke Magazine! w00t!

Peninsula Tops, View, Sinclair, Fitz, Herb

Spent Boxing day to the 4th at Little Akaloa. other than tootling about the bay, i did one big(ish) ride whilst there, then the biggie on the way home.

Cant even remember what day it was now, but back in the last days of 2008 i headed up to Chorlton, and on up View Hill Rd. it was hot, damned hot. schlepped on up to the end of the 'legal' bit, thru the gate and on up to the peak. the Hill really lives up to its name, with a view down into Little Ak, Raupo, Okains, Akaroa harbour, out over the plains to the mountains, across the whole peninsula, the porthills behind Lyttelton, right up the coast to the Kaikouras... with a weird sea fog banked up off Little Ak, Raupo and Okains. mint. had a little explore on the south side, then bombed back down, minutes top to bottom.

Yesterday, got dropped at Pettigrews Road. headed up over Sinclair, Fitzgerald, across the tops over Mt Herbert and into Diamond Harbour. Awesome ride, awesome views, awesome weather. Saw only 3 other bikers, and 5 walkers.

about 20 minutes in, after a bit of climbing, i was stepping off a stile into Whatarangi Totara Reserve when my foot went into a hole and wham the pain shot through my left ankle. "FUCK!" i thought, "not now". it hurt like hell, but i figured i just had to go on with it. it twinged a bit whilst pedalling but mostly was okay. definitely felt it but the pain seemed to keep at bay most of the time. anyway, i soldiered on, not letting it take away my enjoyment of the epic trip i was undertaking. little bit of walking up top of sinclair to where i met the first two bikers by almost being run into by the first. i'd just climbed over a stile and was testing my ankle when this guy came honking in. he took evasive action and avoided hitting me. i had a wicked descent from there to the saddle between the two peaks, flowy and beautiful, with cool singletrack (that we'd always avoided in the past) for a time. the grunt up the back of Fitzgerald was a grunt as always, some walking. on the fast descent off the top i said g'day to a walker.

little bit of walking through the tight techy bit, then nice descent down and grunty wee climb then nice fast descent again to waipuna saddle. walked a bit again then fast down to portlevy saddle. VERY disappointed to see on the DOC sign a biker with a red slash through it from here. ignored that and continued on. steep wee bit then all riding til the attack on the back of Herbert's sub peak (913m). walked up that, carrying bike mostly, sometimes walking it ahead or beside me. talked to a walker couple on way up that. rode across and peaked Herbert (919m). then for the descent. 17:44 and i was aiming for the 18:10 ferry... talked to a couple of walking girls, then right down in the sweet singletrack valley talked to a biker.

made the ferry wharf at 18:15, ferry already half way across back towards Lyttelton... damn. only one thing for it, Godley House, where a pint of Monteiths Golden hit the spot bloody well. as did some fries and another pint... after sitting there for the good part of an hour, when i stood up again, the ankle screamed. T picked me up from the ferry in Lyttelton.

Overall, i climbed the equivalent of Mt Herbert, all up 917 m of altitude gained, but i got to relish a grand total of 1380 m of descent...