Sunday, Fatty and Skinny ride Reynolds Valley, Bossu Rd, Railtrail

At the bach for the weekend and I'd planned to ride with Nelson, so I drove back out to Little River and met him early Sunday morning.  LAk was in the fog when I left, but up valley I came out into basking sunshine.  Pigeon was full of fog too, but Akaroa not, it holding off at the heads.  Down into LR and it was cold - frost on parts of the old railway carriages.  We got riding and headed around into Okuti Valley.  We met one car down here and no more for a long time.  Up valley then into Reynold's Valley, steep and narrow, very smooth packed gravel and a tunnel of bush.  Beautiful.  Lonnnnng climb - maybe an hour and a half to get to the top.  Was quite good, a few steep pinches with flatter gentler bits in between.  Ends up very high up on the ridge, and then climbs around a couple more corners some more once on Bossu Rd too.  Little bit of frost in shady places on the way up and up top.  

View out to the west...

At this stop we were overlooking Te Oka and the Devil's Gap to the left, Okuti Valley to the right, the Southern Alps right the way across.  You could see the backs of Bradley, Herbert, Fitzgerald, Sinclair, all the way across to Mt Pearce and View Hill top of LA.  I heard voices, then spotted some Gravel riders on their way up Bossu Rd.  As we took off down and came to them they were saying "ice" (i thought they were saying 'nice' about my bike) and sure enough around the corner, ice on the road.  No biggie.  Some speed and a couple more riders, and more speed, fun blasting down, and chilly!  Views were spectacular.  Approaching Kinloch Rd spotted some motorbikes coming up.  We hit the climb (on much deeper gravel) from here and they caught and overtook.  Further along they were stopped for photos and we got ahead of them then.  Lonnnng bomb down down down, sheep encountered, all the way down.  Such a long way.  Quite heavy gravel so not really trusting cornering traction much.  More amazing views half way down, looking straight up the Little River main street.  Then dropping down over towards Birdling it got very cold, with fog rolling over the township.  Down to past the cool homestead and onto the flat, across the bridge and into the gravel, bogged.  Walked a bit, then eventually it firmed up enough to ride - you'd never get a 2wd car through it.  

Onto the road, a km or so to the rail trail then the slog along this, eventually me slipstreaming behind Nelson, getting totally knackered.  We stopped at Caton's Bay for a snack and then rolled on the last 3 kms at a flying pace.  Back to the cars at 11.40 or so.  "Nice".  

A tenable 33.6 kms (or probably more like 34.6 km, cos MMR was being a pain in the ass in LR and wouldnt start til we were around the corner) and rather good 960 m escalated.

Friday afternoon 'Tour'

Youngest deSpa's 21st birthday party being held out at Little River Campground in the Okuti Valley, and my family headed out earlier in the day, so I figured I'd bike it.  Headed from work at 3.30pm, straight down Lincoln Rd, brief stop at the Halswell Supermarket for a couple of beers and some Powerade, and then headed out round the Old Tai Tapu Rd.  Wind nicely low around here, nice countryside views of all the fancy houses along there.  Golf Links Rd to the main Highway briefly into Tai Tapu, then towards Lincoln for a km or so.  Turned left into Davis, then River Rd meandering around to the start of the Rail Trail.  The head-wind started here and never let up, getting stronger and stronger as I approached Birdlings Flat - reflected in my ever lowering average speed.  Met two touring cyclists racing towards me along here, then further along I caught up to a guy with a pack on his back (and totally crossed gears), headphones on so he couldn't hear me til I went past.  Park Rd past Motukarara then onto the original bit of the Rail Trail.  Onwards for multiple kilometers, into the fricking wind, through Kaituna and then around past Birdlings and towards Forsythe, the wind turning around into my face again.  Ugh.  Getting pretty sore by this stage.  Halfway along Lake Forsythe spotted a few ripe blackberries, so I stopped and gorged myself on them, giving me the energy to continue.  On round past  the pub, then the final stretch to the road where I hung a right and headed up the Okuti Valley.  Final hill climbs really tapping out my sapped legs.  Rolling in 3 hours after I'd left work...  Beer, water, dinner and a good evening had...

58kms, bugger all altitudes. 

Sunday solo lap of Forsyth, forsooth

Bit of rain overnight so trails were gonna be mucky, as would Blowhard etc, so went for something different.  Watched the weather radar all morning, and around 12 there was a big lump heading for the peninsula, so timed it right to let it pass through and drove, parked at Birdlings Flat around 1.30pm and headed on bike, for a start, across the gravel beach to the lake mouth, to check that it was able to be crossed.  About a hundred metres I had to walk, the rest was sort of firm enough to ride.  The 'road' was open, so I headed back, passed the car 1.40ish and rode an excellent southerly tail wind to the rail trail, and on up the lake.  The odd cloud of midges once I was next to the lake, and a bastard magpie got me twice on the helmet.  Little shit.  Gave me a fright both times, but didn't make me wobble.  Otherwise a pretty uneventful trip along the lake trail, pumping hard the whole way.  Only met one couple coming towards me.

Avoided Little River altogether, turning right onto Kinloch Rd, past Okuti Valley and on upwards.  Years ago when I last drove this road, it was gravel the whole way.  Now it's sealed the whole way, which was a pleasant surprise, cos it's a long steep road, and gravel would have made it that much more exhausting.  2pm when I started the climb, and I ground away in 1st 2nd and 3rd most of the way.  Occasionally standing in a taller gear for a stretch.  Pretty much an hour from bottom to top... whoo-wee.  600 m altitude in only about 5 kms.  All very scenic. 

So, around 3, I'm up on the top of the road, spectacular views, and a bit of a southerly blasting across the saddles.  Slight descent to Te Oka Valley Rd, then a last wee pinch to the top before a non stop rolling descent through all the altitude over about 8 kms back to the Forsyth mouth, across the gravel, and back at the car about 3.20.  Nice.  Hopefully a good fitness ride.

Sunday Family Rail Trail

no mtnbike ride to speak of this weekend. But today, T, H, O, Tane and me droved to Kaituna, new carpark, and hit the Rail Trail. Small was on the tagalong behind T, and O rode his Norco. Tane's a fit little fella so he rocked out ahead, and O was worn out from their late night, so was struggling a bit.

We cruised through round the Birdlings bend and then half way along the straight hugn a right and rode down the gravel road to the Forsythe Power Boat Club where the Radiofliers were having a meet. some cool flying action going on. Hung out for a couple hours then headed back with H tagged to me. there was no way O was going to manage the journey back we hooked T and O back up and they all treadled off to Birdlings Flat beach, and i spun my way back to the car - no hands most of the way.