Sunday Short and Slow Dog

Took Jet to Nelson's and we headed from his, up the hill to the first cul-de-sac and down the walktrack, then around Centaurus and up Holliss.  Up the singletrack below around the houses, checking out a new unnoticed-before track, then on up along the barbedwire roots into the dog park where Jetty had a nice play with all the woofs he'd met a couple days earlier.  Up past the rangerbase and up the steep skidder, past brakefree and up Worm to the top of Vic.  Into the Traverse, meeting a drone following a rider just before Lavaflow, then down the jumpy grease to the grasslands, and then down the next jumpy with some grease to the top of Hunts.  From here it was slow, down the road, and then down Vista and down the Whaka Tce track and back around to Nelson's.

12.something kms, 490m or so climbed. Good dog. Woof

Friday Night Weird Runnings

A post work-week ride that involved quite a bit of walking, many weird ways, steps, and slippery mud and slippery rocks.

Started from Nelson's new place, me on the fat bike and him on his 29er, and headed up Parklands Drive, hanging a right into the first cul-de-sac, to ride down the walkway (that I'd ridden up a couple weeks or so ago).  Along Centaurus to Whaka Tce, and left up this.  It just gets steeper and steeperer as you go, then hits the walkway and steps to carry your bike up to the top of.  At the top is Vista Place.  Cruised up this and discovered a small area where kids have cut a wee jumpy track in some bushes - it was a bit greasy to ride properly, so will check it out some other time.  At the top, on Huntsbury Ave, we headed across the road into the Huntstbury Walkway.  Never been down this before.  The entry is a massive filter of gnarly rocks - designed, and enough, to put most cyclists off - but not us!  Carried down these and then the trail below was a swoopy fun sweeper of a beast, steeply rushing down the hill in nice regen bush and some big pines/macs down below.  Weren't really sure where we were heading, so explored off to the right, proceeding up the valley, into the canyon that's off the end of Albert Tce, below Farm Track.  Eventually got onto the walkway in the valley bottom and followed this up, lots of carrying and pushing, tiny bit of riding, up valley to connect to the Dry Bush Track.

Back down-valley sidling and climbing to the Farm Track, then headed up this steep pig.  Climb, climb, climb, Nelson miles ahead, and the southerly wind howling across here (whereas everywhere else was mild and calm).  Midway up to the track that heads under the pylons, across this up and over, then the fun steep downhill into the Rapaki valley, getting steeper as you go.  Then we sidled down onto the valley track and followed this techy goodness (and badness) down.  Just above that weird shelter thing, I misplaced a foot and toppled head-first over, getting my thigh wedged between my frame and handlebar, other leg on top of frame holding me down.  Was quite painful and difficult to extricate myself.  Helluva bruise now.  After recovering a bit from this, from the shelter, we carried our bikes up the hill to the track that's above (and peels off waaaay earlier from the valley track), riding this sidling track across to the Vernon walkway zig zags, down into the Hillsborough Tce.

Down this to Charlene and Leonard Places, Albert Tce and around into the alleyway that heads up to Aotea.  Rode up this, another one that just gets steeper and steeperer and steepererer, eventually pushing up the steps at the top.  Hoo boy - thems some climbing.  Then up Aotea, up Huntsbury, down Vista and into the Whaka(?) reserve dropping down the fun trail next to all the little flights of steps (that I'd only walked up once before).  Some super greasy shit down the bottom, I ended up rearwheel overtaking my front at one point.  Then down around the pond in the bottom, and back up to Major Aitken, down, round Centaurus back to Nelson's.

Arnica for the leg, and a beer for the head, then home...

A very interesting 11.1 kms, and 531m climbed...

Monday night the long way home from work

Left work, on the Troll, and headed Selwyn St towards the hills, hung a right at the end, Aylmer and then down Young to the river, right again, and crossed the bridge off the end of Studholme and straight across through Ernie whatsit's Reserve, then Whitstead to the Shell Z station on Colombo.  Then down Malcolm Ave to the river, taking the walking track along to whatever the fuck that street's called, over the bridge onto Waimea Tce, then crossed the bridge at the end of Bowenvale, and around to FuckerWhaka Tce.  Up this, for the first time ever, not really knowing where I was going, but up it I went.  Steep it was too, hard work even in the lowest gear on the 8 spd.  Up to the end, then up a driveway a bit and onto the FuckerWhaka Tce Walkway, which takes you up to a driveway off Vista Pl.  Up this, steep grunt, and then up Huntsbury Ave all the way to the top, surprisingly cleaning even the last section in 1st.  Then it was grovelling up the gravel, bike handing it fine, no slippage even with the super slick worn rear tire, and on up the whole way.  Not a bad wee climb on this bike.

Onto the Summit Rd, and rolling down around Mt Vernon, a bunch of blue tents set up at the top of Farm Track. Cruising nicely, slowly gaining more and more speed til ripping through the top of Rapaki.  Stayed on the road, all the way round and up and ever upwards.  Top of Castlerock, again with the rolling, rolling, ever increasing speed til really blazing through the top of Bridle Path and then moseying around under the Gondola and into the wind and up the hill around through the cutting to the highest point.  Stopped a bit before Broadleaf, out of the wind, and changed into a long sleeve merino.  Wasn't really sure where I was gonna go down the hill, so I got rolling, wondering whether Mt Pleasant, Moncks and Glenstrae; or continue on down to Richmond; or what?  Passed Mt Pleasant Rd and rolled on down the Summit Rd, easterly cold, almost giving me an ice-cream headache.  Pulled off the road at the big pine trees - over the stile, and down the old mtnbike track towards Clifton Hill.  Fun on the singletrack, over the next stile beside the pine tree (magpies lurking but not bombing), then down a bit more singletrack, bald tires gripping fine, and around to the right on the Frog Pond Track, couple of quite hot runners here, then left and onwards down the singletrack to the top of Clifton Hill.  over the fence, and down around Panorama Drive and then left into Clifton itself.  Onto the Sumner Rd and along the containers, through Redcliffs, and onto the causeway, what a blast.  Top gear, totally relaxedly just cruising cruising cruising.  Around under St Andrews and then over the Ferrymead Bridge, and hung a left into the new/old track.  Flew down the wee hill and YIKES!!!  big crack holes on the right, no, on the left, no, on the right, aarrrggh.  Managed to scrub off speed while surprisingly avoiding the first few, then ended up managing to stop without crashing in the 3rd or 4th hole.  Phew!  Round the back on the tow path, then ducked out at an opportunity and across the road into the Mega carpark, around the back of Mega and into Charlesworth Reserve.  Rode through here and up onto the rise in the middle, where I stopped to check out the 360 pathway website to see if it went around the front of the oxidation ponds...  alas not.  Also discovered here that fucking MapMyRide, which I'd started at work, hadn't been talking to my GPS and had recorded NIX of my ride...  bugger it.

So, thought I might as well head for home, albeit slightly exploratively.  Linwood Ave, then hung a right on Kidbrooke, around Bayswater Crescent, right on St Johns, left on Maces, and into the Old Bromley School Reserve, across Cyprus Garden Reserve.  Right on Keighleys Rd,  and along, then up into Linwood Cemetery.  I'd never been in here before.  The view from the top is awesome.  Nice rolling downhill through the cemetery and then across Bromley Park (avoiding the glass) and across Buckley's Rd into Sewell St then homeward bound down Woodham Rd.  But, first, hung a right into Woodham Park and through to Lionel St, then tailwind down Retreat Rd, Swanns Rd Bridge, across the redzone to Vogel St, nearly home, but thought I'd get Chinese.  Bugger, they were closed, so, around the streets and home.  8pm ish.  nearly 3 hours riding...  Quite a ride.  Worked out on a mapping programme that it was about 35-40kms...