Saturday Morning Heated Steeps

Nelson, O and me left our place and headed up Vic Park Drive, O powering off and causing Nelson to comment as to what a hurry he seemed to be in.  We went up to the main park area and dropped down the old access route to the top of Loess Rider etc. Across the road and O dropped over the normal entrance, whereas N and me took the new way straight off the road into Capt Cooker, dropping down the rocks and around, finding O waiting at the Karma/Shred/Loess start.  

I led off down Loess and at the first corner, pulled up and peeled off the trail.  O continued on down while Nelsie and me explored this new (to us) access trail across towards the 35s...  Several options off the left of it, and maybe 2/3rds along there's this massive rock wall with a route down it, leading into a jump and a berm and off down.  Nelson pushed to top to check it out but decided against the drop.  Who knows the speed you'd have into that jump and corner!?  We continued on across the trail, eventually getting to the 35 zone we knew, and were pleased to see cool 'rules' signage up here "Dont talk about it, dont facebook it, dont instagram it..." (So, officially, i'm not talking about it here).  Dropped in, holding on to the right hand side all the way down, weaving and dodging.  Nelson left me behind and then I wondered if he'd peeled off to the left somewhere because the dust had cleared and I couldn't tell where he was.  I caught up eventually.  I think we'd ridden the bit we finished on before, but who can tell?  Rolled out, much nicer end to it now (not having to climb up to Loess, for a start), finishing down at the skills zone.  Rolled out and around up to the base, spotted O, filled up water, cruised in and caught up with O and friends, then left them to it.

Down the carpark and into the climb.  Foosh...  First bit to the base of long zipline is a prick, but then it's not so bad, zigging and zagging, zigs and zags getting tighter and tighter and tighter.  Passed a few walkers up and down.  Eventually up the ridge and then nice cooling descent and around into the later climb, reminiscing about Daves (ACJoint) track and Fight Club and the likes...  Through the gate and up the Worsley.  Oh joy.  Cooled off in the shade next to the Park gate and then hit the body bag.  Ugh.  Nelson cleaned it, amazingly.  I failed at the usual spot then kinda caused another rider who'd snuck up behind me to fail too.  He practically ran the rest of the way to get ahead.  Nice cool breeze at the top. 

Climbed up to the top of the Nuns and decided on the Gnar.  Nice start, quite easy and relaxed corners, nothing too tech, then you hit the rocks.  We stopped and examined several sections before (or after) riding them, giving a couple of bits 2 goes to get the best lines sorted.  Then, across the Park track and bloomphity bloomph bloomph down the roughest line, near the bottom of which I'd taken a new (to me) line and just perched on top of a ridge of rocks between two nasty bits I did not want to fall into.  Then, as I re-entered the Nun proper, my front end bottomed something wicked and a very weird noise emanated from it...  ugh.  Rest of the run was fast and fun, until the exit to the road, some dipshit had left their bike right across the exit...  I commented "pretty dumb place to leave your bike" as I rode past.  Wish I'd ridden over the back wheel.  Filled up water at the Kiwi, and off up the road we went.  

Into Vic, usual down and around over the jump, loads of people standing around the jumps, and then next to the see saw, guy said "watch how the pros do it" as I went over it, lookin' good.  haha..  First few BrakeFree jumps and out down the rabbit paddock, and hard right over the cattlestop, into the pines, Nelson led down over the log and then I led down through the gums, usual route, swooping back and forth on the edge of traction.  Onwards down, then quick right and walk out the top of the CAP track, and up over 19th, down, around the road, into the carpark track, (broken window glass all over the carpark), bombing, swooping, getting to know this well now, and final climb before final blast down behind the houses...  

A hot af 13.5 kms with, what felt like a lot more than, 541 m climbed.

Tuesday Night Rambling Sneaks and Climbers Before the Squall

Met at Nelson's after work and we rode around Centaurus not really knowing quite where to go yet, but formulating a bit of a plan as we rode.  Turned left into Rossmore Tce, riding up this with my bottombracket creaking like a mo'fo.  Pushed up the steep steps and then rode out Whareora Tce, across Dyers into MacMillan, and up the Whisby 'Rd' walky-steep.  From here it was up Dyers Pass Rd, left into Hackthorne and I grabbed a drink from the fountain at Takahe (cos I'd left my backpack at home).  Up Dyers around a few bends, and we dived into the Sneaky-35 trails.  Last time I kept right, this time we dropped into the left (which proceeded to swoop across the right hand lane).  Back and forth we dropped, swoopy swoopy.  I lost my front wheel momentarily in some loose loam, but kept it together.  A couple of quite greasy spots were interesting.  We travelled further down and to the right than I did last time.  Eventually tho into the lowest section I'd experienced then, and finally across the bottom of the valley, over the log, and up onto Loess for a flowy fun finishing finale.

Across the bottom of the park and straight into the bastard Uphill track.  Nelson motored away, as usual, and I just plodded away as good as my legs could handle.  The whole time we were in the park, from 35 through to this climb and beyond, a helicopter was hovering over (probably) Lord of the Possums.  Cleaned all the zigs and zags, no dabs, and by the time I got to the easier 4wd section, Nelson was miles ahead.  He waited at the top, before the quick speed down then climbing again as the chopper flew over and away.  Around and up to a locked gate, so we pushed around the fence, and on up Worsleys.  Nelson totally gapping me again..  Ambulance and CAP quad came down the road while we climbed.  Up the Body Bag, a couple of guys ahead.  I managed most of the way up, whereas Nelson obviously cleaned it.

Up to the Nun, and we decided on Gnarly Nun.  First time since the scorched earth of yesteryear, was vaguely overgrown, but we picked our way down, cleaning everything very nicely, including some good rocky droppy sections I probably wouldn't have on the Turner.  Then across the 4wd track and onto the super gnarly rocky dh descent down to lower Nun.  One non-rollable, pop-the-front-wheel jump that I mastered perfectly, and we zoomed through the first swoops of lower Nun.  Nelson pulled up with a flat, leaky pig of a tubeless tire that wouldn't seal.  Pumped, rode on down, up road above Thomsons and pumped again at top of Vic.

Could see a big squall making its way across the city towards us from the northwest, so we bailed quickly, straight down to the rabbit paddock, rain and wind howling in as we flew into the rockgarden, and around through the gums.  Felt like trees could come crashing down with the wind thrashing around us, and indeed, a couple had lower down before the last sweep across to the skidder site.  Straight into Shazza's and bombed out the bottom of that straightlining down to Sneaky Ridge, bombing the rocks and through this, over the jump to Bridges and straightlining across and down to Hospital Corner, before fanging it down the valley bottom and out.  Road wet with rain as we made our way back around to Nelson's whereupon the weather fined up again.

Lots of climbing, for not a lot of downward rewards.  19.6 kms, and 712 m climbed.

Friday Solo Sneaky Park Gov Vic Skool

Parked on Ashgrove Tce and rode around and up the trails behind Princess Margaret, up onto Lady Polson Lane and on up Hack and Dye.  Above the Takahe I stayed on the road and at the 35 km sign, just out of the houses, headed down a trail someone (here at work) told me about.  Upon entering I found a gazillion trails to try from, so mostly kept right, with the occasional crossing of other trails, made my way down the steeps.  Some excessively steep stuff in here, and eventually across a log in the bottom and a short clamber to the lower reaches of Loess Rider.  Into the park and up the lift, chatting with Josh and riding with a couple of his mates (who are trail volunteer crew for the park (and who told me of lots of plans)).

Off the lift, and Slummit Connector into Nun, then across the road and dropped into the Gov's Bay Trail.  Dropping down this, it's running pretty smooth and then decided why the hell not all the way down, and zigged and zagged to the road corner driveway and dropped into the lower reaches, only my second time ever down this, first in daylight.  Good wee trail down tho not as fun as it possibly should be, considering the climb it is back out.  Which is what I did next.  Ugh.  Long bits of walking cos it was just too steep and hot.
On the way back up, looking back down.  Nice bushy shade to rest in.

Up and up and up, riding as much as I could.  Finally, out the top, across the road into the lowest end of Nun and then up the road and into Vic Park, dropping down across the rabbit paddock and into the rocks and gums, then Spazza's into Sneaky Ridge and bridges, off new bridges into old and down to hospital corner.  Then up the hidden link into Old Skool.  Finally following the roads back around to the car.  Good spin.

20.96 kms ridden (and lifted), and 990 m climbed, of which 400 odd was lift...