Sunday Urumau Ups'n'Downs

Met Nelson around 8am on Fosters Tce, Lyttelton for a steep, as usual, blast around in Urumau.  

New climbing trail (that I'd exited last time, but it's finished) up onto the sunnyside-lowers cross-trail, back up to the usual zigs, all machine widened now, deviating onto the looper back and forth to the top.  Nice climb. Into Stormer for a start, biff baff boff, taking a bit to get back into the groove of the place.  Warmed up a bit into Grommies and jumped off the log like usual, but missed the lower end steep rock bits.  Onto Sloanstar for the grindy climb.  Ugh.  Back up and around and up the zigs, this time taking the top all the way to the top.  

This time down Jackasaurus over the steep drops and jumps, tho, both avoiding the jumps this time round.  then down into the Zombie Lurch, lurching from one feature to the next.  Stopped to explore a new/old looking sideline, but continued on down, corners getting more and more insane for me.  Both avoided the log drop, rolling down through onto the boardwalk log thing and then it was time to climb again.

Up up up, Nelson getting ahead, but then taking the longer way to both meet at the regroup breather spot, before we headed around again and then up the zigs.  Looper top and Nelson decided he wanted to do the rockdrop bit next to Sunnyside.  He did, i filmed.  Then back up and over Jackasaurus and back down Stormer, bombing it better this time and meeting some walkers with a couple GSPs and this time taking the right hander into the steep rock zone, which scared me into baulking the last drop.  Climbed back up to where the couple with dogs were and then climbed again, this time Nelson completely dropping me and disappearing completely until the regroup breather spot.  Final blast down the way we'd entered, fun back to the cars and off to Lyttelton Coffee Co for some refreshment. 

Hard work, only 7.26 kilometres, with 440m climbed.

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

Thursday Steep'n'Hot Ups'n'Downs in Urumau-ns

Parked up on Fosters and rang Nelson.  Him and Craig (who'd parked at the gondola and ridden over the Bridle Path (in 29 degree heat)) were at the top already so they headed off for a lap while I climbed to the top.  It was hot going.  Right to the top, I perched myself on the top of the rocks and waited.  Eventually I saw them come into view below, and saw Craig head off down, but Nelson coming up to me.  

We set off down Stormer, and veered into Zombie Lurch.  Nelson did the log ride.  I just wasn't feeling gungho tonight, so I stayed on the ground.  All the steepness tech was fine, but trickery like logs and big gaps were beyond me this evening.  Into the climb back up Sloanstar and ugh, but my puff was clear having had 2 blasts of asthma-begone before I left the car.  Around the front and up the zigs again.  

From the not-quite-top this time down Sunnyside, with Nelson taking a turn on the super mad steep drop off to the right.  I went down the top of Sunny and he rode to meet me there.  Then down this, loose dusty steep goodness.  Corner that's always got me before was fine and then we took a slightly further line out and down.  Climbing again, zig and zag to the top top again.  

This time into Jackasaurus, dropping over the droppy starts.  I really wasn't feeling 100% confident and so what looked like a gap jump but wasn't, spooked me.  Down to the gutsy dropzone, steeper than I remember getting to it.  I rolled in several times and then still chickened out...  Down from there and I cleaned some more good steeps that were probably just as bad as the piece I chickened out on.  Into Grommies, nice hoon down through here, not even hesitating to drop the log drop.  Around into the Slabstacles, rocky wall drops.  Good for a bit of a freak out but easy as...  Climbing again.  This time just up around and off down the new exit trail (which meander-flows nicely). And down to the car.

The ups are steeeep and the downs are tech.

Extreme ups and downs, minimal distance... 4.94 kms with 309 m (according to MMR -  but my calculation based on low points and high points is 351 m) climbed.

Saturday Morning, Climby AF megatech

Saturday morning, before the rain came, Nelsie and me met at Fosters Tce and headed up into the Urumau.  Climbing the 4wd steep pig section bumped into James and Caro, had a good old catch up and was fresher for the rest of the climb.  Then, remembered to turn on the MMR at the junction point (thereby missing 60odd? m of climb).  Up around, dropping into the usual down the steeps and yumpies, then off down Stormer for a refresher course in Urumau.  Down into Grommies, which has been smoothed and honed.  I dropped the log drop first pop this time making me smoother and quicker.  At the 'bottom' we continued on down all the way to the road, just to check out for any new lines...  Climbed back up, walking a bit here and there.  From the 'bottom' we got back into the climb with the first switchbacks tidied for easier climbing (but not so much the slightly later sections).  Around the front and up the open zigs for round two.  

Dropped down Jackosaurus this time, trying to session the rock step part way down.  No matter how much I told myself I'd be fine, I kept baulking.  Meantime, Nelson rode it like 3 or 4 times.  I ended up carrying down.  The rest of it was sweet, and we bailed out eventually into the bottom of Stormer and on down Grommies, this time trying out the new line to the right which is intimidatingly steep dropping over these solid rock slabs ("slabstacles" as coined by dude we met at top after this).  Mint!  climbed back up to the main bit and on up the climbing mode again.  Around the front and up the open, catching a couple of dudes and a young son up here, chatting and checking out a mega tech drop line over the left.  ugh, no way.  

This time, all the way from the top, down Jack ridge then into Zombie, blazing this (carefully dodging onga-onga galore).  I bailed on the jump at the bottom, and then we rode the wooden feature out and climbed out again.  

Back to the top and checked out a drop over from off the side top here.  Nelson did it a couple times and I took Sunnyside, meeting him eventually lower down.  Took a call in here from T and realised it was 12pm, so time to get rolling home.  Dropped down the overgrown steepline exit and out.

Over 500m of climbing in a little over 7kms... High climbing to distance ratio. 

Tech too, and how, Urumau.

Thumurau Ursday

Met Nelson on Fosters Tce and up we rode.  Ugh, what a climb, every time, grind grind grind...  No lights til we got up into the trees at the top, sun long set.  Started off down the ridge, initial baulk at the 2nd drop, rolling it no worries then and into Stormer for a fun blast down.  I didn't do the log drop on Grommies this time round.  Climbing, evil climbing, back around and up to the top again.

2nd lap, down the ridge and into Zombie Lurch, drop cover and hold, nice riding, then Nelson did something weird and instead of continuing down we explored across the Traverse Track all the way and then all the way down the extended Connector out to Evan's Pass Rd.  Instead of riding down the road and up the other connector, we headed back up this.  Not too bad a climb.  Back onto Zombie Lurch, I was tentative and a bit of a muppet on most corners, cleaning them but carefully.  Back up the climb, ugh.

3 time lucky, from the top, down the sideline, then Stormer again, way more comfortable this time, even dropping the log drop, showing myself I could do it.  Climbing back up again, and in no time off to the left sidling across and ending up right on the descent to the cars.  Fun times.  

A very uppy-downy 7 kms with a slightly ridiculous 480 m climbed.  Steeperer than the usual 1 in 10 ratio that I'd define as normal.

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.

Wednesday Night, Lights On in Lyttelt-On

Washington Way post-work pick-up and a quick stop at RoundAgain to get me a new Spoon to replace the torture implement that is the saddle that came on the Rocky... One last ride for it then, we headed through the tunnel and negotiated the steep maze that is eastern Lyttelton, parking-up on Foster Tce. Rode up and down a bunch of times on a bunch of trails all very steep and nicely technical, that's what you do in there.  A couple of young fit guys without shirts were pushing their bikes up behind us and were jealous of our lights.  Up the usual, down the ridge, I walked the steep cliffy bit, good blast down, then back up the climber (Sloanstar?) and around and back up to the top again, and down Zombie Lurch, steeeeeeep and cornery, a few of which caught me out because of the lighting.  back up the climber and around and back to the top again, and down the easier descent this time all the way down again, and then back up with a few explorations, connecting things in our head to previous times, we ended up pushing back up the top into Looper and around to the top again, and then down that way, ridge, then Zombie turn off and Stormer, detour to the cool droppy steeps, then around, small explore again, and then down back to the car.

4 ups, 4 downs tallying 550 m in 8 kms

Finished off the evening by stopping into the new Eruption Brewing premises on London St.  Their Fresh Hop Eruption IPA was mint, and the new digs is awesome - decor, brew tanks, etc...

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.