Saturday First ride post-Covid, Camp Troll Swim

First ride since my second dose of covid. Drove to Lyttelton, pedalled over to the ferry and found the next one wasn't gonna be for another 45 minutes, so back to the car and I drove to Diamond Harbour instead - arriving a good 15 minutes before the ferry was going to leave.  Parked about halfway down towards the cafes.  

Headed up Waipapa to the very top, left down Bayview - quick steeep gravel down then right onto the sweet singletrack trail to Purau that I hadn't ridden for years (since an early Herbert trip, must have been pre-blog), stopping for a call, then scoffed a few blackberries. On down thru Purau and onwards, seal first, then gravel, around above Ripapa Island and around to Camp Bay, first time ever, where I coasted down and made the beach.  Carry/pushed around the rocks to the main beach, parked the bike, grabbed my togs, sarong and travel towel that I had bundled up in my seatbag, and wandered across the beach, changed and went in for a swim.   Lovely.   

Back onto the beach and changed back into bike shorts, back to the bike and pushed it up the narrow steep track, over the fence to the carpark and then climbed back out of the bay and around, hitting lots of nice rolling back, up and down to Purau then back into the single-track for the climb.  More blackberries in here.  At the road end I explored a wee track, which had two sets of steps and one too-techy rock section, otherwise lovely gentle bush track, which took me down to Rawhiti St.  Around onto Te Ra, short climb, then back down Waipapa and back to the car. 

An efficacious 15 kms journeyed with 400m conquered

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.