The Heaphy, Friday 15th to Monday 18th May

What a TRIP.  Couldn't have gotten better weather, given the time of year - and we missed the shit weather by a day.  So mint.

Thursday night, left work at 3.  Nelson showed at my place and we loaded my gear into his car, departing 4ish, and I took the Fiat north a bit (going back from just past the Palms for my water bladder - putting me nearly 20mins behind Nelson), parking in Geisha Rd just this side of the Ashley River, so's Nelson wouldn't have to come all the way back into town to drop me off. Drove north and got into Karamea just after 9pm, stayed at Rongo's Backpackers on recommendation of Wazza (who's truck was parked there while he was northwards on the track (in the rain)).

Pissed down overnight, but dawned fine with slightly higher cloud.  3 other bikers from chch eating breakfast with us, were flying to Brown's Hut and would meet us at Mackay.  We headed north and then Nelson started faffing - taking about an hour to get his Thule freeloader rack set up and both ready we set off about 10.

Kohaihai to Mackay
Trail a very well built chip, the odd wet spot, and native bush all around.  Across the first of many big wide easy swingbridges then through jungle and onto the climb.  Met a few riders early on, then after the saddle over to Scott's Beach we met someone who knew Wazza and then eventually Wazza himself, on his first dry day, riding out from Heaphy Hut.

Got rolling and along the coast.  Heaphy hut in an hour and half or so, washed sand off bikes, re-lubed chains, chatted to DOC worker guy, then 12ish off up the Heaphy River a few ups and downs but mostly flat.  One 'narrow' oldskool cable bridge to cross. Then flat bits and one up and steep down then flat and Gunnar River crossing on big swing bridge, then massive massive rata tree just off the track,

(bike set ups visible here, my Ground Effect El Taco bag (with sleeping bag) on the handlebars, and Twin Needle fluoro orange bumbag on the seatpost, Nelson's sleeping bag on front, a few clothes on back)
After the tree, more flat and massive Heaphy swing bridge and a minute later the Lewis Hut.  Stopped here and put a kettle on for the first of many dehy meals.  Motorbikes turned up with DOC guys on them, one of whom came in and chatted to us.  They'd just had the wettest week of work working in muck up on the track.  Got rolling again at 2 and hit the climb.  Steady as she goes.  Long and slow, lower back getting more and more sore from the weighty backpack, but managing somehow.  About half way up, one mudhole nearly sent me over the bars when my front wheel disappeared into what I thought was just a shallow dip, and it was so gloopy we actually got the squirty bottle out and cleaned it all off.  Another 45 or hour and we finally made the James Mackay hut 4ish.  A couple of trampers in residence already, and then umpteen more bikers and hikers turned up.  Later I think I counted 14 bikes parked out front (all going the opposite direction to us).

Tales told and night slept.  Kiwi heard during a trip to the toilet in the night.

Mackay to Perry
Saturday dawned sunny and clear, quite cool.  Amazing views all around, stunning landscape.  Hit the trail 9ish and were welcomed with minimal climb then nice descending through wicked landscape of subalpine and stunted forest and open bits...  Climb for a bit then quite a descent, running into Hut Warden Steve, then more descent and boardwalks and boardwalks then maybe a gentle climb to Saxon hut for a snack, meeting more bikers coming the other way here.  Got rolling again, bit of climbing then quite a long descent down into the Gouland Downs, talked to an american girl riding on her own after watching her get her feet wet crossing the Big River, so for us it was on the cable bridge to keep our feet dry, and master our cable bridge techniques - Nelson's sit seat in pack waist-strap, hold top tube with one hand, cable on side with other - me (here in action), wheelie, bouncing over the bracey things...

 Spotted a falcon here, chasing smaller birds, one of which disappeared as he passed through them...  Onwards short climb into the scrobbleforest, short limestone karsty bit all in mossy forest, very cool, then openlands and the Gouland Hut.  Moar snacks.  Down to the Cave Brook and then climbing up big lonnnng ziiggs and zaggs on open red tussocky low scrubby rocklands, past the boot pole, and on up then back into bush, rocky trail climbing, couple rode past, and then my knee incident.  Following Nelson, possibly a downhill?, and his little tool bag fell off so I holla'd and stopped to pick it up.  Caught him up and as we got moving again, a strap on my pack caught my seat and unbalanced me, making me tumble to the left, nothing but my knee stopping my fall with a very large rock.  Smack.  Ouch.  Thought what a terrible place to be broken, but rode on and it was sore but manageable.  Another 20 mins or so, and 12.30 we were at the Perry Saddle Hut.

Bunch of bikers through, we ate lunch, claimed our bunks, left gear, got set up with minimal and hit the trail for Brown's Hut.

Perry towards Browns and back
Kinda rough hard track, quad-bikeable, indeed evidence of days prior quads visible.  Slight climb from hut then highest point of the track at 915m and the down began.  Back and forth in and out of valleys, patches of windthrow allowing views to the valley below, and a few kms down the Aorere Shelter.  Met a three, then a Paul on his Pugsley, then the four women, all three groups of which we would get to know over the rest of the trip sharing spaces with them for the next couple days.  All were surprised at our choice of riding down and back up.  Rode and rode and rode and slowly the valley below got closer to us.  Finally at a bench  not long after the Shakespeare Flat turn off, we thought "just another 10 mins or so", and continued on down to pretty much the last big corner, maybe a km from Browns Hut.  Nice view over the Aorere Valley, with still a bit of altitude we didn't want to have to claw back.  I took off on my way back up, as I was by this stage tired and running on not enough food.  At one of the big scoured out creeks, Nelson had spotted a Chamois up above, which scarpered into the bush above.  A km or so later there it was on the track, and from here on up, past the Aorere Shelter, we encountered it regularly, - round a corner, he'd see us, pronk away around the next bend, and then we'd round that and he'd pronk away.  Graceful and fast and effortlessly.  According to my mapping done at work, this is the northern most Chamois seen in NZ.  He disappeared at the highest point and we rounded the corner and had a fun rocky descent to the hut.  56kms done and dusted for the day.

Perry to Heaphy
Sunday, relaxing start to the day and got going 9ish i think.  Another beautiful sunny day, tho cool.  Clambery rocky climb to start then rock garden start to a long lot of descending, through forest, then eventually out into the open with views galore across the Downs.  Caught up to Pugsley Paul out here. (note a change in my set up, with sleeping bag in backpack, and minimal stuff in the El Taco, which now sits on top of stem)

Met a few riders on their way back through.  Stopped to look for whio on Cave Brook, no dice, and then we were at Gouland Hut, with a couple of the previous night's trampers stopped there too.  Snackage then on into the scrobble forest and out onto the flat, Shiner Creek, no whio, across the ford, and then Big River, over the bridge, and climbing for a bit before descending with a few creek crossings.  I'd lost sight of Nelson along here, and then one of the ladies came into view.  Just about on her when I blazed through a creek crossing and lost my chain.  When I put it back on I could hear the air leaving my tire, and as I'd not long passed the Hut 1km sign, figured I'd walk.  Took a while and finally made the hut, Saxon, patched, and ate, and chatted.  Paul riding through while we were there.  Then we were off again, passing Paul on a bridge, and at one stop further on I could hear a quiet hisssssss from my rear tire.  Wasn't going down fast so just kept riding and stopped about 5 times to put air in it before Mackay.  On the way up the flanks of Mt Teddy ran into the group of three and Hut Warden Steve and someone else.  Finished this climb off and then swoopy fun descending began, for ages down down, one or two ups but mostly down and all the while scudding fog rushing by, my beard picking up moisture galore.  Closer to Mackay hut and it got colder. Finally, in full on cloud rushing through, lunch at Mackay, change of tube, and warming up.  While here most of the others all rolled in at various times behind us.  Also, while here Paul must have snuck past without stopping.

Ready to go, descending time...  What a trip.  Best part of the whole ride.  Flow, and berms, and a little tech, and speed and caution and bliss.  Paul's Surly Nate tires had left a nice phat tread in muddy sections ahead of us.  Descended for aages.  Total descent took maybe 40 minutes, maybe longer?  All the way thinking, when is it going to end?  But the views through the trees of the river miles below ever telling us, much longer.  Eventually, Lewis Hut came into view, and we pulled up here to find Paul.  Chatted, snacked and then got going again following him a over the big Heaphy River bridge.  Then it was Speeder Bikes zooming through the forest.  Nelson and me kept a really good pace from here on to the Heaphy Hut.  Blazing.  Any ups slowed me right down but the flats and downs I kept a high cadence and we just blasted along.  No time flat and we were at the hut.  Both had a wash in the river, and cleaned off bikes, and set up shop and chilled out.  One by one the various riders and walkers dribbed and drabbed in, up to a few hours behind us, and a pleasant evening was had.

Heaphy to Kohaihai
Final day, early start on account of wanting to beat the high tide at Crayfish Point.  Left about 8, and got into the groove again, blazing along.  Weather starting to change, tho still a bit of sunshine around, we got our only rain along here too.  Caught Paul maybe 20minutes in (as he was taking this shot!), and rode on.  Got across the beach no problem, tide still low enough, and still sign of yesterday's footprints and tire tracks in the sand.  Snacked half way up the climb from this beach and was here we donned jackets for the rain.  Scotts Beach finally, and the last climb (where we met Wazza on Friday), to the top, and descending again, around throught bush and across the big bridge,tide high, 9.45 we eventually rolled into Kohaihai.

Brilliant 3.5 days had.  Changed, dried, packed, chatted with Paul, who had realised he'd left his phone behind at the Heaphy so was changing his plans and going back through.

Hit the road, saw the american girl from Big River in Karamea and did some much needed bike maintenance for her, real food, then driving to Westport, more real food, and Christchurch bound.  Home just after 6pm Monday night, just in time for dinner.  Yum.

Tuesday night, Happy Blog-iversary, and Worsley Playtime

Ten years today since this blog's first post. Ten years ago I started this voyage of documentation.  Happy blog-iversary, blog.

Tonight, Nelson picked me up outside work, in hideous levels of traffic, it being just after 5, and the neighbourhood utterly full of road works, closed lanes etc, not to mention a fuckload of fucking idiots all driving everywhere...  Nearly 6, maybe quarter to, by the time we made the top of Worsley's Rd.  A bit of faffing and changing and just before 6 we headed up the track that starts through the gate directly off the carpark.  Mellow start then straight into the steepness.  Granny gear selected and lung and heart rate increasing markedly to the point of nearly exploding.  Up up up, nice scenery, what we could see.  Up past all the trails I explored with Jet, and the length of the Braille track seemed to go on forever.  Then, finally, the last whoopdedo and onto the Worsley main drag.  "Forest Closed" signs greeted us at the entrance to the climb, which we duly ignored, it being after hours, and ventured ourselves forth to explore what wreckage has ensued at the mercy of the foresters.

Followed caterpillar tracks up that entry, they continued straight up the fenceline, we took the singletrack climb, all the way up, meeting the tracks again near the very top.  Into the entrance to Hangloose (or Goat) and within metres had met the machine responsible for the tracks.  Massive it is, with maneuverability and the cutting handle head thing on it's end, with it's path a swathe of destruction, cleared trees placed to the side and many more all the way down Hangloose, with X's on them ready to go - demarking the boundary of the next area to be logged.  Good bye Hangloose with your groovy swoops and pops, good bye Yoda, not that we ever rode you...  Down we flowed, bypassing the second log jump, and enjoying the steepnesses.  I had an off, where I entered a steep-ass corner I've bailed on before and decided mid way through that I didn't want to go where the bike was going so stepped off the back, but it being so steep I fell backwards, one foot still attached to the pedal, striking my calf on the hot hot brake disk (not realising til later), and landing ungraciously on my ass.  Nelson was stopped metres away at a tree across the track.  Under this an on down the last few steep corners to the bottom where climbing began - easy to start, but getting increasingly steeperer.

Gasped up the internal guts track, walking some before the pylon-gap, then managed to ride, albeit with a gasping break, the rest of the way to the clifftop.  From here, up the original trail, one section where the caterpillar machine had been through, rarking up the place, then Nelson quite surprisingly managing to clean that rocky outcropping near the top that nobody's ever cleaned before, and then we proceeded out to the top, where we found Pete, Andy and Robin.  They'd not long gotten up there on their first climb (having met at the carpark at 6.15), and had lost Tony to a broken derailleur (via loose stick) on the way up.  They headed down Original and FightClub and Nelson and me headed on up to the entrance to Debbie Does Dallas.  Nelson took Nick's new one, while I took the original.  Fast run down here through the dark douglas fir bit then into the bigger open pine section below the cliff face, and around into Alice's Restaurant.  Good for the first couple of corners but then the steep stuff gave me the heebeegeebees and I walked a couple of bits.  Got riding again, and then the last steep bit just before a wee bridge, Nelson crashed - hitting the deck pretty hard (even broke the end off his brake lever), and burst open his zip on his bag.  Fixed up off down again, into the final couple whoopdee's and then through and caught up with the other guys down as they'd just finished Fight Club.

With them headed on up to the Junction where Robin said good bye and the 4 remaining rode up the guts track and into the lower entrance of Fight Club.  Here, Nelson discovered his rear brake was dodgy, not applying any real pressure to the disk, so, unable to fix it on the spot, he headed off down the way we'd come up, and the remaining 3 of us headed for an excellent blast down Fight Club.  I really hope the logging doesn't kill this track.  Climbed out to the Junction and then down the finale and back to the cars.  Andy headed down the road to home (via Fluffy Sheep where we saw his light and stopped to say See Ya)

Number 3 Noodle Canteen and a Garage Project Pan Pacific for tea.  Nelson had Nasi Goreng, and the same beer.

Sunday Fat road to Planting

Felt like a bit of a change and rode the fat bike around to Pete's for a 9am meet with the rest of the crew.  No sign of Pete, then Steve turned up and Wayno was running late so we found him out on the road.  Down Avonside Drive and Kilmore through the 'Harmony Run' in the park, all the way my tires humming like an angry box of bees, and we met Tones and Andy at Kilmarnock and the railway.  North up the railway trail all the way to the end, then the usual streets with a stop at Cosy Cafe for coffees (and tea) and then onwards to Styx Reserve, past the no bikes sign and in, lots of dirty looks from walkers, even tho we were on our way to plant trees for them!  Planted for pretty much 2 hours, ate sausages and then hit the road back home, same way all in reverse, bees buzzing angrily all the while.

Thursday Birthday Fat Jet Beach Explorations

Bit of a weird one yesterday.  Skipped off work early, on account of it being my birthday, and took the Fat bike and Jet out to Pines Beach.  Parked out at the end of Reid Memorial Drive and headed back into the forest, vaguely north, on a nice wee track, then through trees for a bit then hung a right and out towards the beach when my left crank started feeling weird.  Damn thing was loose and I didn't have the right tool, so jimmy-fixed it up a bit, but not perfect, got going again out to the beach, found certain sand better than other bits and eventually back to the car.  Drove through to Kaiapoi, stopped a the Bikes and  Mowers shop and bought the 8mm hex tool I needed, then drove to Spencerville where I well and truly tightened up the crank.

Parked out the end of the main drag, beach access, and tootled around a nice wee track to the Surf Club, then found the beach a bit small, big pumping sea, high(ish) tide and lots of detritus making for no where to ride, so, turned back and headed back to the car then out onto the beach there, and avoided wave action along the narrow strip of driftwood and the dunes.  It all got a bit much, so I pushed up the dunes and over through to the quad track behind, and proceeded to follow this north, eventually all the way to the mouth of the Waimak about 4.35pm.  Really nice out here, then rode all the way back along this track back to the car and headed home, getting there at 5.30pm.  Jet had a nice run, and I enjoyed my nature explorations and riding the fatty on the sand.

Sunday's family and Monday's Sunday rides.

Sunday Family ride.
For weeks or months, H had been asking to go to Castle Rock, so Sunday afternoon, I piled the bikes on the car, and T, O, H and me headed up Dyers Pass Rd, then round the Summit.  O and me got out at the start of Vernon and rode down the singletrack to Rapaki Top, meeting the other two here.  We then toodled along the closed-to-traffic portion of Summit Rd, steadily climbing around, with O handling the final climb well, but T and H walking a bit.  Got to the top and looked at the views and then headed back down.  After the Tors, I got up onto the new walking track just above the road and rode it all the way back round.  It's quite neat with one or two wee techy interestingnesses.  Then I took the Witch Hill section of singletrack, really enjoying the flow without a bag on.  O put the pressure on from down on the road to try to beat me back.

Anzac Day Observed, 
The crew were departing Steve's at 9, and he'd let me know we were riding out east, so, because I knew I had to get home by 12, I drove to Ferrymead Bridge and awaited their arrival.  Marie, Wazza, Tones, Pete, Steve and Robin showed up, and we headed up St Andrews Hill (via the temporary stairs).  Up most of Marama, and on up St Andrews.  Good wee slog up here, feeling quite happy and content on my bike, we spaced out a bit, but by the time we regrouped up in the parky bit below Britten Reserve, it wasn't long til Robin and Marie showed and off up the last we went.  Over the new stile onto the Britten climb, which wasn't mucky, just dampened nicely by last night's rain.  Into the clouds, scudding all over the top of Pleasant, and Jackets on for the descent.

Down the road and onto the lower entrance to Greenwood.  Slippery cattlestop, and the odd slickness of the rocks, but the dirt I didn't trust, even tho I never really had any issues with it.  Nice flow around here, and a regroup at the 4wd track before hitting the descent.  Starting off carefully-does-it, but finding my groove and letting the rear end skitter around as it was want, getting on down the hill nicely, thank you.  A few slick spots before gloomy gulch, a dab on the rock just after, and then a short group up at my usual spot - nicely out of the wind.  Then the final run, a good one all the way down, no real sketchies.  I bollocksed the first of the rocky ups, it's really eaten out, but the second was fine, and the final blast was sweet.  A woman runner and dog arrived at the gate same time as me, so she opened it, then I held it open for the rest of the crew as they rolled in.

Next down, das Kapitan.  I led the way into a nice rolling start, and round the first corner there's a cyclocrosser coming up...  oooops, cheers, squeeze on by and onwards and down, opening the dumbgate and passing the message back, "last one through close it", and onwards again, taking it a little easy.  Pete had a front wheel wash somewhere down here behind me, but kept it together.  Down the first 'tech knuckle' rock no probs, and then Pete, then looking back Tony's running with his bike, then they all paused out of view.  Robin and Marie rode past.  Then Steve, with a leaky tire, leaving wee spots of goo on the trail every rotation.  Finally, Wazza and Tones turned up and it was onwards down.  I bailed early on the second of the rockies, and then watched Pete ride it no trouble - dunno what it was that put me off - the grease I guess.  Last blast, down through the hairpins and into the valley and the others all awaiting us at the final stile, all fun and games.

Down the road to Dotcom and coffees all round ('cept Steve, of course).  I bailed early and hauled back to the car and was indeed home by 12...

Thursday night solo jetted bottle fat

Ate a little dinner then headed out to the forest with the Cooker and the dog on and in the back, respectively - musta been sometime after 6.30.  Left the carpark and peeled right onto the blue walking track for a start, following it through til it crossed the bike track which we then got onto for a bit.  Crossed the dump access road, then through the woods for a bit, then hung a left onto the walking track, cruising along this for a while, passing two lots of stunned walkers with small fluffy dogs that Jet bowled on up to, sniffed, and continued on.  A wee while down here I spotted a singletrack off to the left, so leaped onto it and followed it, twisting here and there, til it crossed the access road again and twisted and turned through the forest til it found the original walking track i'd started on.  Followed this for ages, til it eventually crossed the central bike track.  Stayed on the walk track for a while longer til we got to a horse track, which I mistakenly took.  Too bumpy for easy riding.  Got to the bike track again and rode it for a bit, til the walking track crossed it again, so rode this for a while through, crossing first a road then the bike track again and following the walking track through backtracking a little south, then out towards the beach and following a sub internal road parallel to the main trail nearer the beach, still southwards for a bit, then followed my nose through the pine-tree'd dunes to the main bike track.  Followed it north for a bit til it rose up onto the top of the dune, the sea high up the beach and the front dune eroded, i think from the remnant of cyclone Pam.  At this point I headed south again, on the dune-top trail, following it to it's end where it came back to the main trail, and then turned around and followed it again north, then continued on through the main drag, hanging the left back into the main park trail, a 29er dude on my tail for a bit, then when the bike track went right, i continued on through til I got back onto a walking track and headed north, spotting the other guy's lights now and then over on my right, and then across muddy road as I descended of a sweet high dune down to it.  From here we just followed the usual drag through, not liking the usual bit I dont like, and Jet slowing right down through these final legs.  Where the trail heads left and through to the cleared area before coming back to the carpark, went straightahead along a forest road, then along main forest roads right then left and with one little last blast through some trees into the back of the bmx pumpy jumpy tracks area and back to the car at 8pm.

Mt Greyrillas in the Saturday Mist

Jet and me jettisoned ourselves from the city in a very smelly leaking-damp Fiat, making good time to Sefton by 12.05.  Nelson turned up not long after and we transferred to the 'Rona, round through Balcairn and up the gravel to Lake Janet.  12.40something as we rode off up the hill.  Long grind, always longer than you remember, into the mist.  Evidence (fresh tracks) all the way up of a 4wd having gone ahead, and finally up in the fog, as we were wondering whether this was the last corner to round before the tower would loom, there appeared said 4wd on it's way down.  Tower then loomed in the fog, and the temperature and wind were unfavourable for hanging around so straight onto the singletrack we went, and down, taking the steeper scree strewn line from the ridge down to the sidling trail.

Feet were soon soaked through from the wet tussocks overhanging the singletrack, but the trail was sweet and we cruised at a comfortable pace down.  Jet loving every minute of it, sticking just behind Nelson who was leading the way.  When we stopped, he'd go sniffing off up or down the hill, locking on to the scent of pigs or hares or deer and having to be called back before he buggered off too far.  First couple of sets of hairpins and we were still in the fog, but not too much farther down we got under it and could see sun soaked hillsides across the valley - very local this cloud was.  Nelson rode the rocky drop that avoids a couple hairpins, but I was feeling chickenshit-cautious and rode the two switchies. From here it was around to the wee saddle and heading into the bush.  Very damp down here, with roots and rocks slippery-as, making caution my middle name.  Fun though, fun fun fun in the bits between the switchbacks, most of which had me just keeping left foot clipped, and manhandling the bike around in a couple of steps (plant front wheel, swing back round, maneuver front around...) and riding on. Nelson cleaned heaps of them, but got off on a few too and crashed on at least one.

So many different environments encountered down through here it's hard to keep their sequence straight in my head.  After the initial bunch of switchbacks, a couple of longer stretches, then finally the best long one after the step-to-rocky-corner Chris crashed on one time.  One more switchback and then the run down to creek crossing.  After this, dryish rocky bits, pungent smell of beech dew, then into an ever-shortening-distances-between-switchbacks sequence down towards the creek lower down, and then more longer drier bits onto the ridge (off which goes the track back up to the fire lookout and 'Lake' Janet and also the lookout on the ridge) and then into pine which was probably the best condition I've ever seen, and then more jungle and slick roots, and more dry beech and then open -what's normally a quagmire but was still dry-ish from the long dry summer - then back into beech jungle, more slick roots and ruts, and the eventually the flatlands and bridge and then out to the end.  All very nice.  Mud spattered and happy we emerged from the woods, encouraged Jet to grab a big drink from the river, and we were into the climb up the road that never ends.  Finally back to the car 2.40pm, 2 hours solid riding - I guess cos we hardly ever stopped..

Thursday night eastern jam

Ended up being able to get out, so Nelson turned up to my place and installed new cleats into his new shoes, and I installed the new 40t Revolution Components replacement for the breakage of a couple weeks month(!) ago, as well as a brand spanking new chain -  which meshed nicely - indicating my drivetrain wear was not left too late.  We headed out to Scumner, encountering weirdly heavy traffic (especially for 6.30 pm) out Humphreys Drive and over the Ferrymead bridge.  Settled down a bit after that  (only thing i could find that might have explained it was a TEDx thing at Sumner School, but that started at 6...?)  Parked up Evans Pass and hit the trail.  Ugh, first rocks caught me out but Nelson cleaned it up.  Gasped for a fair bit of air all the way out, and the new chain on the front ring was a bit noisy in the lowest gear, but not too bad.  Heaps of merino lambs along the climby bits too - totally getting in the way.

Descent to Livingston Col was smooth, but not majorly fast.  A few more sheep just after the boardwalk, but they cleared pretty quick.  Climb round to Breeze was tiresome for me, but Nelson creamed it, and then crashed off on the flat up top, distracted fiddling with his light then caught a rut...  heheh.  Descent to Breeze was smooth and pumpy but again, not that fast - this time mainly due to the tall dead-head grass tops making it difficult to navigate by reflecting heaps of light back and blocking the view of the trail ahead.  Nelson close-shave slid a little on the cattlstop at the bottom.

He did more fiddling with his light here at the Col and then we took the original trail below the road around and out to the end, watching for holes but not finding any.  Pretty good run, but again. long grass tops.  Across the road and up the hill for the Breeze Bay trail, me sweating up a storm here due to lack of wind and hot climbing.  Bit of a break just over the stile and I delayered.  Got going and this trail was REALLY hard to see.  Lonnng grass tops and narrow, with the big exposures below and hidden slippery rocks (from dew and previous days rain and lack of sun), was a little dicey, but fun.  Cleaned most of it, then blasted the final bits back down to the next stile.  More lighting adjustments here by Nelson, then off down for the blast down Anaconda.  Not too much dust while following Nelson, but I backed off a little.  Good speed all the way down, brief pause on the tail then off again, to finish it all off.

Up the road, and onto the singletrack off up steeep, walking only a couple of small sections, in the guts/switchbacks, and then up alongside the fence.  Up the gravel, chuff chuff sweat, around the road and then up the farm track to Godley track again, for the final blast down back to Evans.  My head light ran out of juice on the descent, leaving me with just the handlebar light for all the fun rocky stuff of the last several hundred metres.  The rocks' shadows were like mountains receding as I approached.  Was surprisingly rideable, tho it had allowed Nelson to majorly gap me.  Back to the car about 8.30.

Sunday morning ramble

Was allowed out of the cage this morning, for a second ride in 2 days.  Made Steve's by 9am to find Wazza and then Steve came out and then Wayno arrived.  No sign of anyone else, so we headed up the gruntsbury to the top.  Warm morning down on the flat, but as we got higher the wind got stronger and colder, til at the top it was nasty.  No where to stop so we kept on round Vernon, finding Mark (on the Wo) and Marie part way down - chatting to one of the Gov's Bay dudes. One by one we continued on, with Steve the first to depart.  Then me.  Good wee blast down here, riding off the track to let climbers by a few times.  Straight across Rapaki-top and straight into the Witch.  Feeling pretty good, cleaned everything climbing around, looking for somewhere out of the wind to regroup.  Paused briefly to let a woman ahead of me walk up some rocks, then followed her up and around til she let me by.  Then caught quickly up to the dude she was riding with, who was riding rather slowly through the fast bits.  Stopped out of the wind in the lee of the bank on the road and awaited the arrival of the rest of the crew.

Up the road, riding with and chatting with Mark about the fatness.  At Castlerock the slow couple were paused, and two guys dropped in ahead of us.  I gave them a bit of a start then chased.  Progressively reeling them in til I was right on their tails at the first hairpin.  The rock just before this tho, my front end bottomed out and as I went round the hairpin I heard some hiss, which very quickly developed into some whoosh, then the front end was really hard to handle, fighting me while I tried to scrub all my speed off.  Stopped, wheel off, replacement tube in while everyone rolled on by (second front flat in 2 days!, grrr).  Mark stopped to keep me company and we caught the others up at the road and on around under the Gondola we proceeded.

Clambered up Mt Pleasant, which for some reason was very hard work.  I guess a little washed out from yesterday's ride, plus the 32:36 granny is quite a push.  Finally, glad to be at the top, sat out of the wind to recuperate.  Others all rolled up in ones or twos and after a time away we went off down.  Fantastic blast down here, I was ducking and weaving my way really enjoying it.  Into Greenwood and again with the rocketship.  Somehow overtook the (slow) couple from earlier (they must have taken the road around to the old Greenwood entrance) and bombed on down.  Paused after Gloopy Gulch to see about a break and Wazza turned up and Steve wasn't too far behind, but could see some people below going slow, so the challenge was set to catch them.  Fanged down the rocks and swoopy bits, but sconed my pedal which kicked both feet out and smacked the same pedal into the back of the foot it'd been kicked out of.  Luckily I was perched above my seat and not thrown.  Around Dave's bits and caught the green/yellow fluoro woman before the creek corner, overtaking her guy there, him walking the rocks and saying "don't make it look so easy" to me.  Bombed down to catch their other two at the rocky ups, cleaning the first, but screwing up the second due to them being stopped right at the top.  Final weave and blast down to the stile and there are the two I'd chased on Castlerock...

Regrouped again, slow couple to pass again, and into Captain Thomas.  Good blast down here, with Mark and me catching up to a guy on a shiny Nicolai at the shitty-gate.  Followed him at a distance all the way down, cleaning all the rocky bits, including my usual nemesis the top one.  Nicolai guy got off on the lower of the two lower ones, which made me ride it really slowly, then he walked up the climb after this, which I held back for and cleaned most of.  Mark, fatly, managed about the same.  Final blast down the openwide stuff, and into the switchbacks, Mark taking all the vertical shortcuts, then full speed ahead across the slope and into the valley for the last blast down to the end, all on the tail of Nicolai guy.

Coffee and some kai at DotCom and then into the wind home, dragging out Linwood Ave about as slowly as is possible.  Tired getting home about 10 to One.

Mucky Saturday Hanmer trails

Spent Thursday and Friday nights in Hanmer.  Had the 5Spot, and was too busy being dad on Friday when the weather was good, so left with Saturday morning after the exit from the rental house to ride in, with rain having not long finished after a night of it...  Low cloud and mist around the place.  Headed up Chattertons Rd past the camp and up the gravel for a while, then onto the walking track at the end and along this for a bit before hanging a right back up the hill towards, eventually, the pylon.  Walked the steep up under the pylon but rode the rest, with caution within the slick woods.  These trails had not seen much action of late, with no evidence of tire tracks anywhere.  A few nice swoopy bits and a fair bit of climbing and past the beehives and then out to the Jacks Pass Rd and the water tank.

Across the road and into Tank Track.  Much changed since last I rode it, ie, all the trees gone...  (It's 4 years since I'd last ridden in Hanmer, on the return to Canty on our Westport/Reefton PFMTBC trip - and longer still since last on the Tank).  Lots of fun, tho, cautiously on account of the grease, and the end is different to memory as it turns up at the intersection of Flax, Swamp, and Swoop.

A couple of dads and their boys were here, chatted briefly then off I went up Yankee Zephyr.  Good climb, young trees in place where last time it was all freshly cleared.  Lovely once up in the Fir forest as it loops into a wee gully and back out into the open.  Then into the swoopy swoops of the Yankee, and a few corners in my front wheel started to behave weirdly.  Ugh, slow leak...  Stopped and made a very mucky extraction of tube and patched it.  Couldn't for the life of me find the perpetrator in the tire, but patched what was probably a blackberry or gorse leak in the tube, reassembled and got riding.  Swoop swoop the rest of it and onto Swamp Track.  Not fond memories of it from last time, tho the surface looks better than when it was first built, but decided to ride back up it to Swoop.

Down (and up) Swoop, lots of fun, some interesting sketchiness, blasting down the hill and around and back and forth eventually getting onto the flat, and heading across to Timberland for the climb.  Steeper and longer than my memory had made it, but cleaned it all no problem and decided to give Red Rocks a good blast.  This was sweet.

Nice climb in really dark tight douglas fir forest, then everything else on the rest of it has grown so much since I's last there.  Cool track this, even when the roots and rocks are slippery as shit.  After the Eeny Meeny trail turn off the main track gets a bit boring, but FAST.  Long straights down hill smooth and flowing.  Out the end and up the Dog Stream track.

All the way up to Detox, then climbed this, again, longer than memory, and then down.  Sweet run down here too, with only one dab out for a super slick sluiced clay section, which wasn't actually as slippery as it looked.  Straight across into Mach1 passing a dad and son here, and then catching up to a family (mum, dad and two young girls) who let me pass and on I went, weaving and swirving and generally avoiding slipping out or crashing into trees. 

From here I took flat simple tracks, Easy Rider mostly, but found my way onto Alligator Alley at one stage too, getting back and rolling into town, mudspleckled and happy, a couple hours riding under my belt.  Wandered into the Hot Pools (as a spectator ($2)) and stupidly didn't have a soak (even tho I could have so easily).

Twosdee night, first-lit Hunt Traverse Nun

Bit of posse action last night.  Top of Huntsbury there assembled the group at 6.22, me finding Steve, Pete, Robin, Wazza and Tones ready to roll.  In twos, for a start, we climbed - with Wazza, Pete and me reaching the top first.  Felt pretty good riding up, all that 'weight' training I've been doing on the fatty must be helping.  Big group of riders were approaching on Vernon so we hit the Traverse, and I had a good spin around here, tho lost my chain in the dipper round under the 'loaf as we passed a few riders coming the other way (one of which blinded Tony (seemingly deliberately)).  After this I was behind Pete and Warren, and finally got to see what they were on about with regards the dust raised by the riders in front!  A couple of times the trail completely disappeared behind Warren (on account of his skidz!).  Regrouped top of Vic and then headed into the Thompsons, swoopy wee blast through these, then across the road and up the Summit.

Progressively strung ourselves out along the road, with Pete and me pausing to regroup just before Worsley Rd start, then riding off up with Tony and Wazza, all regrouping up top of the Nun.  3 other riders here, who took off not long after we arrived.  Then once the others had assembled some other lights were pressing up behind so we dropped in.  I took the lead and rarked up the dust for the rest.  Managed not to drop my chain down here, but down in the squiggles below the rockiest section, but before halfway, I swooped through an armoured corner and a missing flagstone made my wheel catch the next one, snakebiting instantly.  As I got started to get sorted, Pete stopped to lend a hand then Tony arrived and flatted at exactly the same spot!  So we fixed and got riding only to catch up to Wazza who'd flatted further down.  Bloody Nun!!!  (Steve said that's 8 punctures between 4 riders in the last two rides down here).  Steve and Robin were waiting at the halfway mark (not sure if they'd been all the way down and back up or not...?).  Short regroup here (my chain had popped off again, i think here(?) - sorted that) and we continued our merry ways down, me attempting to be lightweight on my back end...  Good run down the rest and managed not to drop the chain again.

Up the road to top of Vic, except for Wazza who took the second Thompson.  Tony peeled off up top here, to head home via the top of Vic Park and down Crashmare.  The rest of us headed back around the Traverse, into the wind this time.  Big posse at the old rest spot, who Steve and Robin stopped to chat to (unbeknownst to the rest of us who waited for them wondering where they were further on).  Anyway, Pete, Wazza and myself took interesting lines through the tussocks off piste down to the landing strip then scattered bunnies across here, where we waited to see the other's lights.

Over the fence, and down through the tussock-tight singletrack and over the gate and down through the jumpy drops riding some and bypassing others.  Back to the car, 8ish?  my lights having held out quite well considering I'd only managed a half hour top up charge before heading out.

Yeaster Monday View Hillage

About 10am took myself off on the Fatty up the road to Chorlton, and on up View Hill Rd seemingly into the cloud.  But, as I approached it it lifted and the sun broke through as I climbed the steepest section.  Fatty climbed the steeps all good, and I managed to too.  Under the big pines on the intersection that had collected their own moisture from the clouds I stopped and adjusted my numb crotch, and my seat too.  Took about an hour to get up to the gate, then another 10-15 to the top.  Spent a bit of time up there absorbing the view and then donned the helmet and skedaddled down.  Immediately became splattered by the dewy spleckage flying off the tires.  Bumpy track!  Stopped part way down to let more air from the tires.  This improved grip and relieved some of the bumpiness.  Little bit of off piste and a lot of on.  Once through the gate the momentum built and the grip and the smoothness of the trail due to the fatness of the tires was phenomenal.  Bike just felt so planted, bombing down.  Stopped a couple times for breathers.  Below the pines the gravel started and so did the speed.  Flying down, so planted, so fast.  Epic speed, and confidence inspiring braking too.  In no time flat I was down on the last fast blastings of gravel before Chorlton and the tar seal.  Then it was rocket ship speed and humming down the road, avoid the cars coming up (giving a couple of them quite a fright), riding in the swale on the side of the road a couple times and along the edge for some of the ways.  Then, into Lukes Rd and up, over down, more roaring speed and then across the neighbour's paddock and up our drive.  1 hour 45 all up.  Straight into my togs and to the beach to meet the family and into the cold cold sea.  Excellent.

Monday night Jetster in the forest

Jet and me headed up top of Worsley Rd after 5.30. I's on the Turner (for a change), with the granny back onto 32:36 (awaiting a new 40t), which certainly hurts when you're not used to it, but is actually pretty rideable. Up the main rutsville main drag, all the way. Cleaned it all bar one breather. Just before the bottom of the 'bag I hung a right and headed down the Braille Trail. Rolled over or skirted round every jump, discovering that most of them you could roll - although the ones you can't roll all have big holes so it's probably better safer than sorry... All the way down across the 4wd access trail, and below (like the last time I explored it) to the pylon track, then back up both of them, not struggling too bad.

Eventually back up to Worsley's and on up the access entry track to the Tommys et al.  At the usual resting spot, I found another rider. We chatted for quite a while then I went up and he headed down. I checked out Nick's new access to Debbie Does, which proved too scary steep, so walked it, rode some, walked a little more then rode on.  All the way down thru the darkening forest into the taller stuff below the cliff, and just before the corner round into Alice's Restaurant, I detoured across onto another new one (something knuckle...(MOOSE)), which also proved too steep for me on my own. Walked a bunch of it, rode a little, and walked a bunch more, eventually making it to the bottom - trail junction central, bottom of Tommy's, Goat's, Alice's and Fight Club.

Up the exit trail then straight up the steep gnarly internal guts track, managing to stay on top of my gear all the way except for one gasping-breathing stop not far below the pylon gap.  Onwards up from here, right on up, standing and cranking, to the cliff top lookout and light starting to get pretty damned low, straight into Wayne's World, much difficulty seeing, but going with the flow, and then blazing into Fight Club, parts of which were sweet, others, dark as hell. Dropped Jet and had to wait for him just before the log feature. Onwards down and out after 7.30 by now and by the time I made the top juncture, it was really dark in the final forest descent, out to the car and home just past 8.

Saturday evening, beached

Quick fatty ride this evening.  left home well after 5 and ended up parking out top end of North Beach, rode in and up the trails, exploring non-bike trails and the beach and the dunes and all over the place.  Was interesting.  Found some quite cool wee gems of trails, perfect for fat tires, that would be useless on regular tires.  Meandered along the beach, into the dunes, along trails, back onto the beach.  Ended up right up at Spencer Park, and then rode various trails back near the beach again, til eventually took the wrongway trail back in round the back of the Closed area, then along a road for a while, then into a walk track that ended up crossing the southern trail before the Gazebo Hill.  Here, took a trail along the fenceline and climbed back up onto the hill and down chasing a couple.  Then it was through the last section of trail before cutting out and back to the car.

Brief stop at Parklands for a couple of brews I've not had before, and then a dvd from Shirley and I was home just after 7.

Tuesday night quick fatty and skinny hills

Nelson met at mine and we were thinking we were meeting the crew up top of Huntsbury at 6.22.  Steve, who'd organised it (as usual) had remembered he was busy, and so had announced he wouldn't be riding.  We got there at 6.15 and were well ready to ride at the appointed time, and no one showed...  Txt went out to Wazza and Andy, and Wazza rung me from the top of the hill above us.  Andy's text I didn't see til later. Decided with Wazz to go our own ways as he was doing the full flat-hill-flat loop ride from home.  So.  Me on the Fat and Nelson on the Skinny Singlist, we were definitely coming from both ends of the riding spectrum.  We both struggled our way up the jumpy singletrack and then onwards up the single to the landing strip.  On up the gravel, fat gripping good, and keeping a good clip, especially Nelson on the one choice of gear not actually capable of going slow.  A few looks of shock and awe by other riders parked up on the road, as we rolled on through and onto Vernon.  Bit of a roll through til a big bunch of climbers rambled past, then we got going down the old line with rocks and switchbacks.  Steering under braking on the fatbike was interesting, and disconcerting, with the steering becoming kinds stiff.  Down the fast bits and around, another pause for someone else just before the wee pondy-dam thing, then blazed off again and through the finish.

More smiles and awed faces at our apparent insanity, fatty and skinny, as we rolled through the top of Rapaki, and straight into the Witch Hill climb.  The rocks and the fat tires made this hard work work for me and so, Nelson pulled away, and I lagged behind.  Really, what my problem was was too much air in my tires.  Onto the road and Nelson stayed on the new walking track above the road while I rode the first bit then stayed back down on the road.  Up under the Tors and then into the Castle Rock descent.  Feeling a little smoother in here, and getting some good speed, and rolling and bouncing over the rockies, but still struggling a bit - thinking well it's not designed for this kinda riding, and that's what I've got the Turner for, right?  Round the switchbacks, not too much of a gap between the two of us, but into the climb and Nelson's dropped me again.  Fat bikes aren't racers.  Down the last rocks and then onto the Bridle Path top.  Short rest and on up the road back to the top, then mega speed down under the Tors, into a tuck and the big wheels really got rolling!  Down the road, and into Witch again, tires gripping on the rocky climb betterer than anything else, and then I started to actually remember how to ride a rigid bike and down through the rocky lumpy shit I was popping and hopping properly and getting into the swing of things again.

Light was starting to fade and Nelson didn't fancy the singlespeed up the first steeper bits of Vernon (and tbh neither did I), so we stayed on the road from Rapaki, but at Farm Track we hung a left up onto the singletrack again and climbed away, Nelson gapping me as usual.  Bouncy bounce down to the road and here I released some air from my tires.  Into the singletrack and oh my fucking god what a difference.  Grip.  Control.  Comfort.  All three and man what a difference a few psi makes.  Into the steep descent then bombed it down the gravel road and I've never felt such grip on that surface.  No skittering or ricochet, just planted grip, control, and speeeeed.  Down onto the landing strip and speed carried on through to the fence.  Over this, and down the singletrack through the tussocks, grip and rocks not a problem this time.  And it was even quieter.  Then over the gate and down the jumpy trail, me missing all the jumps as I'm still not 100% confident of my control of this beast.  Over the last fence and to the car at 7.40. 

So, ideally, a bit more air for any roady bits and climbs, then down a few psi for the tech.

Thursday Fat Bottling

Nelson picked me and Jet up and we left my place about 6 for the Sandpit. Good spin round at a good clip most of the way. Jet was super fast for the first half but started to wane after our brief visit to Spencer Park, as did I. Hard work keeping up with Nelson on those big fat tires.  I played a little with air pressures.  Putting a bit of air in while we were at Spencer Park.  Changed the handling and speed quite markedly.  Just before the 'new' section towards the end, which is really shitty bumpy, I let the air I'd carried from Spencerville out, and some, and continued on.  Bump compliance was improved, but resistance and self-steering was increased.  The fatty definitely is not gonna win any races, but hell, that ain't what they're for... They's for fun.  After a bit of a muck around and Nelson having a go on the Fattster, we got home about 8.

Sunday Hog's Fat

Family weekend at Castle Hill Village, wandering around the limestone monoliths on Saturday, and a quick look with O and H up the Castle Hill end of the Hogs Back in the evening, as well as rolling around the village on our bikes.  This morning, T took O and me around to the Cheeseman Rd and dropped us off up at Texas Flat dead on 11am.  From here we ground our way up the Hogs Back, O walking bits and bobs, and me enjoying the climb on the Cooker.  Awesome day, sunny and warm, we stopped at Picnic Rock for a few snacks before O led the way over the back and down through that weird moonscape.  He did pretty good, but was very careful, which is good.  The fat tires stuck to the trail like glue, and really do provide a much smoother ride than a normal sized tire rigid bike.  Had a great run down into the bush and down through to the bridge, then a sweet flowing roll down and around, talking to the first people we met, a walking couple, who were interested in the big tires.  Onwards and through the ford then up a steep grunt, O walking that bit too, me cleaning it all.  Met a rider as we went across the open country before the final climb.  Amazing views all round.  Fun blast down the semi-rutty ridge track, O nearly crashing due to the ruts, the fat tires just eating them up not phased at all.  Two more riders just emerging from the bush as we headed down, fun blast down through the bush here and then back into the village and back to the house at 12.20...  No time at all.

Afternoon, we walked up through the Cave Stream, which was awesome, then went back down to the start (stream exit) and had a great time swimming in the river just down stream from the cave.  Spent hours there.

Thursday night Godley Snake breakage

Rode from work to Nelson's work and then we navigated the rush hour with traffic finally easing as we eased down the causeway and made our way to Sumner City.  Through this and up the hill to Evans Pass.  Riding from here, up the grunter of Godley start.  Just about to enter the rockiest of the guts I shifted from third to second, and shortly after heard a clunkity clunk then a tinkle and so stopped to ponder what it was.  Seems by shifting into 2nd the chain had overshot slightly and grabbed a handful of the 40 toothed granny gear cog which then proceeded to snap off about a third of it...  musta been slightly bent and my immense torque was too much for it??  Oh well.  will have to try a different brand perhaps, or I'll see if Rev-Comp will help me out with a fresh one.  So, had to be careful for the rest of the ride to only go into the 36t.  Cleaned out the rest of the climb and onwards, Nelson forever increasing the gap on me.

Brief pause at the landing strip then onwards down, an excellent blast down to Livingston, and good climb (Nelson gapping me again) over and blast down to Breeze.  Straight into the climb around the side to the narrow little sheeptrail around above the road, stopping at the start of that to sit on the hillside and look at the sun shining through the clouds on us, and the hang-gliders cruising around from top of Scarborough launch spot.  Off again, focusing closely on the narrow track, then up the hill towards the 'round the back' track.  Stopped again briefly, this time on the concrete gun-emplacement or whatever it is.  On up to the Breeze Bay track, over the stile and onwards.  Awesome run round here, both of us flowing really good, our rock feature from last time totally in place and rideable, and all the tight pinches.  Cleaned all of it except a couple of tight bits before the flax bush (which was no problem to ride round and past).  Sweet sweet flow on from here and down and around to the stile at the end.

Straight over and into the Snake.  Tight on Nelson's tail we bombed down here, scuffing and weaving and blazing.  One of my best runs down here for a long time.  Into the 'Tail and I was close behind all the way til the last bit where I finally lost my chain, stopped, quick reload, and then bombed out down the last bits, into the paddock and across to the car park.  Nelson had chased a cat down the trail for the last few hundred metres.  Also, somewhere along the line he'd bust a rear spoke.  Stopped at the toilet/changing block to tape it up, then hit the climb up the road.  Ugh, grovel grovel to the walking track part way up.  Up this, struggling without granny, but cleaning it all much higher than last time, not having to walk til the last 10 metres or so near the top.

Up the gravel to the hangglider/parasailer launch site, round the road, and up the grind back to the Godley Track.  I led down this back to Evans cos Nelson wanted to baby his rear wheel.  I had an excellent blast.  Every rock feature I picked a good line on, flowed, with the tail wind everything just seemed quiet and smooth.  Fantastic.  Round about 7.30 as we got back to the car.

Welcome the Phatness

Picked up a very large box from Fastway on Saturday morning and assembled it as soon as I got home.  A Charge Cooker Maxi 2 Took it for a spin out into the redzone and enjoyed the ridiculous traction and go-anywhere capability.  Very wet overnight so the usual Sunday was cancelled and as the day cleared up I realised the mood I was in was due to not riding for such a long time... 

So, opportunity knocked and I chucked the Cooker on the back of the car and headed out to the Ache with the dog.  Straight in and to the right, catching up to a woman on a flash carbon 29er singlespeed, following for a short while then getting by and ahead.  The 4.25 inch tires sticking to the trail like nothing else.  Practically steers itself round the corners.  I took a couple of off-piste lines through here, and any of the sandy blow-outs, the bike just floated right over.  Into the climb to the gazebo and then speeding downhill and through into the bit that'd been closed and then out to the dunes. 

Along the front and I took a couple of lines that regular tires would have sunk right in to.  The sandy blow-outs along the top here proved un-eventful.  Further along I tried out one of the hare-trails off the left and bombed over a back dune into some pines, but then spotted some other dogs (big ones) being walked, so hauled up Jet and turned back to the main track.  Once at the forest section I took heaps of off piste lines, finding adventure left right and centre.  Eventually found one that climbed out to the top of the dune way before the main track does, and followed it along the top.  Sweet riding on sand.  Found the regular track again, where it rides along the top of the dune, then hung a right and ploughed down the path onto the beach.  Fun descent and then with a tail wind we cruised for a km or so along the beach til I spotted a saddle in the dune easily ridden up, finding it to be a horse trail, loose sand though still rideable, and then a right hander back onto one of the main drags in here. 

Along this for a while then took a line off to the left where there may have once-upon-a-time been a track but no longer.  Up and over through around back up and then into a thicket which I had to turn back out of.  Then over and through to a drop down back onto another forestry road further in again.  This one ended up being very close to the singletrack that heads north into Spencer Park, so followed this for a while.  Then, did some more riding around in the forest finding how close various trails actually are to each other, and was on the trail heading back.  Lots of cool lines, wall-ride type things, extra high berms to be ridden, that due to their sandy nature normal bikes would get stalled in.  Lots of fun.

Finally back to 'Muddy Rd' and back into the usual loop trails, taking every old disused track I could find.  Jet starting to tire a wee bit, and me a little.  The fatbike rolls just as easy as a regular bike.  And if it is a little harder, that'll only make me stronger, right?  The last sort of new section that was built to avoid logging is seriously shittily made, and was okay last time on the 5-Spot, but not okay on the old singlespeed, proved not so bad, but not as good as the Turner.  Once back at the final return road, I took one last blast off into the forest, riding randomly in and through and back out, just for the hell of it.  Big tires make interesting echoes when sticks and stones whack them.  Tis quite an experience. 

So.  Test number 1 successful.  Where else can I ride this thing???

Saturday morning Jet in the Forest

Quick one with Jet this morning.  Not much time due to things doing, so left home a bit after 9 and were hitting the trail at 9.35, parking up top of Worsleys Rd and heading up the same one Nelson and me took on Tuesday.  Jet doing his usual lope along ahead.  Beautiful morning, and was thankful for the shade provided once up under the forest.  Rode all the way up scoping out where trails off the side were, but getting to the last big corner where the jumpy track crossed.  Just looking at it, wondering where to go when a guy on a 29er came up, also only his second time up here too.  Chatted a bit then he headed on up and I took off down below the main track following the swoopy jumpy track, with easy lines either side of each jump.  Dropped down a ways, using the altitude well, back and forth then sort of petering out after crossing a pylon access track.  Followed this down to the pylon thinking there might be another way out of there, but nope, so, back up the pylon access track, seemingly not that long back to the main track I'd left earlier.

From here I headed back down it, and checked out first one trail above it, which ended nowhere, then off another corner another pylon type track down, which I never got to the end of, then back up this, and onwards down the main track, finding a singletrack dropping down, which I followed, finding that when it reached it's bottom it turned around and headed back up, too steep to ride...  back to the main track, and down hill a bit then down another singletrack, this time it was promising but didn't really amount to much and headed back across and ending at the intersection below the powerlines.  So, all possibilities explored, I headed back off up hill, with roughly 15 minutes to spare.  All the way up to the top, saying gudday to these young groms on the jumpy track, then hitting up the main Worsley Drag, straight up the entry to the BeeLines, and straight into Tommy's.  Good swoopy blast down this, holding the right hand line most of the way down, then taking it all the way down around the bottom and coming out onto the guts track just above the pylon gap and below Fight Club entrance.  Down through the gap, hung a left, kept right and dropped across the guts track and down the old favourite that had the steep droppy bit but doesn't go all the way down anymore, but pops out not far down from the Junction.  Up to this, and down the final stretches back to the car.  1 hour's riding all up.  A hot and happy dog in the car on the way home.

Tuesday's Social Worsley Nun Guv'nor

Had left my cellphone at home today, so never got a message from Andy about riding, and had organised with Nelson for something so he picked me up from work and we cruised across to Worsley's and up the hill.  5.45 by the time we unloaded and hit the trail.  This time something new.  Over the gate by the carpark and up the double singletrack through the gorse and broom strewn field, past the bottom of that jumpy trail and into new country.  Good steady climb on well trodden 'singletrack', stopping to check out potential trails below this track.  A guy on a Pivot appeared and told us a bit about the trails, and we cruised on up the hill with him, chatting away now and then, and us in awe of this cool new area.  At a big corner a trail crossed the our track with jumps visible, and it was parallel to our track the rest of the way up.  I'd been in the top of this area another time with Jet.  The jumpy track crossed our track once or twice, and eventually we made the top, across the top of the forest and we were on the main drag of Worsley's just below the Body Bag.

Up the BodyBag we went.  I struggled to keep my lunch down, Nelson and the Pivot dude rolled on apparently effortlessly to the top.  I stopped in the steepest section and breathed very heavily for some time then got rolling again and managed to clean the rest of it, wanting to puke so bad as I laboured across the carpark and just getting it in check as I followed Nelson up the entrance to the Nun.  He was a ways ahead and got off to walk...  Puncture number one.  I rode past him and collapsed at the top of the Nun and he arrived and got to fixing the leak.  Some other riders turned up and we all chatted friendly like for a bit.  One was even on a Switchback, and his mate was on a brandnew XC type bike, first time ever mountainbiking.  One or two other riders cruised through and these guys took off.  Then another guy on a Santa Cruz turned up and was from Rotovegas and after chatting with him for a bit he asked if he could tag along.  No problem, so off down the Nun I led, then Nelson, then him.  Lost the chain just before the steeeep corner, so, got that on again and off down we went - keeping it in a spinnier gear.  Blast down here, swoopy swoopy fun times, easy going, and Nelson sorta holding back a bit to allow the other guy to keep him in view.  I paused at the halfway point, waited for them both to nearly get to me then took off again.  Good blast down the lower section with no sketchy nose wheelies due to the kicker part way down.  I paused again down in the lower swoopies and heard Nelson curse, then spotted the other dude, so got rolling again out to the end.  Our new friend turned up and indeed, another flat for Nels.  Saw him up at the corner on the road waving and fixing so we rolled on up and he patched that.

Rolled on again, up the road, and at the carpark the guy decided he needed to make tracks, timewise, so we gave him directions to the Worsley trails and said goodbye.  Nelson and me headed off over into the Gov's Bay track, which was rolling pretty good.  Nice and tight and close knit, it was good rolling down round that side of the hill, having been practically a year since the last time.  We decided we didn't have time, again, to go lower down and explore into the valley on the new(ish) section of trail, so continued around and up, me cleaning most of it, Nelson all of it, including the very top, which I fluffed and puffed-out on.

Onwards up the road again, this time all the way, with a short singletrack detour on the last section of the walktrack above the road before Worsleys Rd.  Up this, and into the the descent.  Hussin' down the Bodybag, nearly losing it just below the flat (was what a quagmire) spot but just saving it.  Up into the B-Line trails and on up to the top of these.  Short exploration looking for the supposed trail from the top, no sight of it, and then we hit Tommy2's... Awesome blaze down here, brakes getting hotter and hotter, some sketchy moments, but good descending.  Two corners caught me out, and I ended up stopping, perched off the back of the bike, barely able to climb away from it, but rolling away straight away and riding the rest out.  So steep!  At the bottom there was an audience, and as I rolled through announced "woosy lines, me" in case they were expecting me to jump stuff.

Climb climb climb up to the junction then up the Guts track, gasping yet again, but cleaning it all up.  Another chat stop with a random under the power lines, then onwards and upwards to the cliff top.  Into Wayne's World, taking a couple of weird corners but then finding the one I wanted and across and down, Nelson not knowing where he was, thinking I was leading him down the shit track descent shortcut, but no, across to Fight Club and swooping down this, relishing the pump and the flow.  All the way down and through then back into the climb out, faster this time, for some reason, then into the final descent, some time around or after 8 back at the car.  Good ride.

Thursday Slippery when wet

Nelson picked me up opposite work and the traffic was typically heavy, slowing our journey to Mt Pleasant, eventually we parked up top on the Upper Major as the rain began.  Paused briefly in the car thinking it might desist, and it did, until we actually got riding and then it just opened up properly, but we were riding, Nelson had his jacket on, and I just resigned myself to getting 'a bit' wet.  Up Britten Reserve and then around on the first (of many) rocky slickages, around the original Britten track.  Brief pause in the dry under the trees deciding where to go, then onwards around, slick-as greasy-arse rocks squirrelling us all around the show.  Onto the road and a slow (to avoid splecky splashage) descent to Cavendish Saddle.

Up the climb, nice pace, trail in good nick, water just starting to flow down it in spots.  Near the top, some fucking imbeciles in a 4wd have obviously driven over it - dicks have run down all the tussocks on first one side of the track then the other.  At the top, the rain was still falling and so we figured the descent might be a bit dodge...  It was.  We picked our way down through the first rocky sections, getting the hang of descending, braking and not braking, and squirellations, before the stile.  Over that and down through the first steep rocks, hmmm... no problemo.  Onwards down and sweet running, allowing the back wheel to make it's own path down and hoping it wouldn't make that path too far from the one the front was taking.  Once in the open tussocks section the rain continued, but the trail was less pin-bally, tho the dirt looked to have potential slickness (but seemed to flow okay).  Some quite eerie low cloud through here too.  Then, in the even heavier rain, on the 4wd bit down to Greenwood, we stopped for Nelson to eat something.  I was utterly drenched to the skin at this point.

Onwards down, past the ruins and into the trail, rocks dicey but we were getting used to it, and speed was not high.  All the way down, bit of water starting to run or pool in places, rocks pinging wheels about the place, but not as bad as it could have been.  Rain continuing to fall heavily on this lee side of the hill.  Lower down, where the nasty quag was before the wee valley, the clay here would stick to the tires, but the rest of the browner dirt was good to go.  Bollocksed both rocky ups.  Neither of us trusted them.  Last blast to the road was fine, tho a bit of pooling on the swoopy stuff before the last corners.

Up the road, the rain easing now that we were off the singletrack.  And almost gone by the rounding of the corner under the pines, but returning as we climbed to top of Britten.  Final descent: dirt looked untrustworthy and so we were careful.  Nelson said it was slick, but I didn't really notice it so much.  May have just been the one corner tho.  Back to the car, and the rain stopped...  typical.  I was totally soaked, so instead of him dropping me at TFC and me biking home, he dropped me off at home and I had to hustle to get back to the meeting at TFC a little late.

Sunday's easternlinguists

No riding this week on account of Robin's Wednesday's 50th bollocksing up my form disabling me from riding with Nelson Thursday night, then Mum going into a freakin' coma - which I'm glad to say she's out of now, but still with a long road to recovery.

Met the posse at Ferrymead bridge.  I drove there, whereas they'd all biked. There, were Pete, Steve, Andy, Wazza, Wayno and Marie.  We battled road cones around to the Causeway then cruised through to Scumner and up Bitch-mond Hill.  Usual staggering out of the group and regrouping top of road and then the trees at the top and then it was up the 4wd track to Greenwood and a nice long rest.  Headed into the singletrack and I seemed to be on fire.  Good flow most of the way, one or two weird stall-ups but mostly just blazed down the hill.  Very good.  Dropped the chain just before the wee valley near the bottom, and then again just before the very end.  Pete practically had a flat front tire by the end.  Tiny hole in his tire pissing air and goo, which stopped once it got hole side down.  Air inserted.  Steve complained of a bad run, but most others seemed chuffed.  Re-assembled here and rode across Evans Pass to Godley.

Nice and easy into here, tootling up the first bits, and then I dug it in and cleaned up the grunty rocky climb.  Dabbed in the second one up top but felt pretty good having got the first one.  No one else had my luck, and Steve had another bad run out the climby bits.  Re-grouped at the 'landing strip' top, and Marie continued on through, Steve and Wazza jumping in behind her, while the other 4 of us just hung back for a bit, Andy pumping air into his now-low pressure tire.  I took off and had an awesome run down here.  Everything flowed, was mint.  Across Livingston, the others in view on the climb.  Passed Marie before the rockiest section, spotted Steve ahead and gunned it but didn't catch him before the end.  His riding had improved and his descent to Livingston and the rest was goooood.

Another regroup at Breeze and off down Anaconda.  Again.  Speed was my friend, with very few dodginesses.  As I got lower I contemplated the, shall we say, risk of my endeavours and would have crossed my fingers to not crash had I been able to.  Seemed to work cos I jettisoned across the final stile into the field at the bottom at a ridiculous speed. Cant remember the last time I had such a good run down here.  The others all agreeing they'd had pretty damned fine descents too.

Regroupage and off up the road.  Pete and me gapped the others, keeping a good pace all the way and got a nice rest at the top before I led everyone off down through the new-ish route through Nicholson Park that Nelson and me have done the last couple times.  Awesome blast through dirt sections and fun wee hoon down between the houses.  Finally flying down Whitewash and onto the road around the water front and kai at Dotcom.  Got word here that Mum was out of the coma, which was good news.  Last but not least, a bit of slipstreaming across the Causeway and me back to the car, home around 1.

Sunday Bottled Klunking

Maybe some of the boys met at Steve's and rode, but i know Steve, Pete and Wazza were all out.  And I pulled out last minute cos of wedding in Ashvegas yesterday and only getting home at 1.40am - not enough sleep.

So.  Somewhere between 10.30 and 11 - O, Jet and me got out to Bottle Lake - me with the Klunker for the first time.  I've been using it round the redzone plenty regular, but this was it's first 'trail' outing.  2:1 ratio perfect for out there, and the back pedal brake was fine, except for one little steep out near North Beach (re-opened trails) that was a bit of a sketchy locked up skid.  Ooops.

So, we headed in and hung a right.  Kinda followed a family for a bit, but their boy (who looked bigger than O) was slower than O was, so eventually they let us past.  Me and O bombed the first section through towards the pagoda hill.  I managed to grovel up to the pagoda, but was sure breathing hard at the top.  Next section along the top and down was good, tho O could have gone faster on that descent.  I was having to feather the brake a little.  In hear for the last year or more we've been having to head through past those ponds, but now it's opened up again to the right, through some trees I cant believe are so big then into major clearance since last we were in there.  Looks like that jump might still be in existence, but shit's sure changed.  Along where i had my moment, and then short regroup before heading north along the beach trail.  At the top where the sand blow-outs always are (and were today) we stopped and headed onto the beach.  Jet went in to cool off, and then so did we!  I stripped to my gruds, O was wearing boardies.  Dived in and it was magnificently refreshing.  Got out and whipped off the gruds and back into my short liners then shorts and off we went again.

Along the beach north, then in and back onto the usual trail, taking in all the older less used trails where the splits happen later, then along 'muddy' road and back towards base.  O slowing down, and it getting pretty hot for Jet, but he was lapping it up and loving it all.  Ended up back at the car about 12.30?  Nice








3 years of the Troll...!!!

Wednesday Spriving Lings

Nelson collected me from across the road from work and we crawled through the usual muppetry that is rush 'hour' towards the hills.  Up and over Dyers Pass Rd and through to Bamford Rd, parking up under the macracarpas.  TWO years since we'd last visited!  A warm and windy evening.  Through the gate and across the creek and on around the foot of the hill with the rutty downhill and through the tight bermed corner before the first grunty climb to take us up to the Pines.  Plodded our ways up this and into the trees where it was rather dark for shades, dead on 6pm as we entered here.  Left the sunnies on for a while but about 2/3rds of the way up there was a small pine across the track, which we shifted and shoved out of the way.  Sunnies off here.  On up to the top and a brief stop for air on Rhymes with Orange.

Then we detoured around the Outdoor Camp area looking for trails we vaguely remembered, not really seeing any, and looking further up the road a bit for trails I thought were meant to be going in there, but nope.  So, back past the camp and down onto Mississippi for the swoopy loose and tight-as-tight-can-be descent before winding around and back up a bit and into Zanes -  again with the swoopiness and looseness and tightness.  We were thinking a 29r with 800 wide bars would be treacherous.   A leaf got caught in my marshguard and buzzed annoyingly, so stopped to back it out.  Then off again and down.  Out the bottom, launching nice air on the hump by the bridge.

Second lap, around the bottom sidling trail, this time taking in the wee 'canyon drop' and then turning around heading up the steeeeeeep track in the middle, me walking 3 times, that takes us to the top of Mississippi and around onto Rhymes with Orange where we stopped for a well earned rest.  Into the Pines for an, at times, skiddy descent.  But mostly nice and flowy.  Turned around at the bottom and rode back up it, me gasping more this time.  Resting again in Oranges, watching a falcon cruising the thermals, looking for rodentia.  Then across and down Mississippi again, Nelson in the lead this time, and both flowing much better.  Round and into Zanes and fanging it down here, a leaf getting stuck, again(!), I stopped to release it, and then squashed a testicle on my seat - much pain - which lasted til the bottom.  Nelson got well ahead due to my agonising pause.

Third time lucky, across the sidler again, canyon drop, and down, then up up up to the pines, me slowing riiight down for these climbings, and Nelson doing reps or sets or whatever, going hard then buttoning off, going hard etc.  Resting again in the Orange Rhymes.  Final descent, into Mississippi, really getting the hang of it this time, the trees all mysteriously having stepped back from the track to make room for us.  All tightness loosened, and way less sketchy.  Powering up to Zanes and me staying tight on Nelson's tail this time, no bollocking and no leaf.  7.40pm back at the car.

Sunday scorcher

Early start to beat the heat, meeting at Steve's at 8.15.  Four of us - Wazza, Andy, Steve and me.  Around Aynsley Tce and up Crap Happy.  Man, what a crowd...  Just a constant stream of people, on bikes, walking, running, as far as the eye could see, all the way up.  None of us gapping out too much, brief regroup at the top then into Vernon, chasing down the large group a fair ways ahead.  I caught the last of them up on the top flat before the road.  Across the road and another pause letting the big group and some other guys get ahead before we headed off.  Caught up the three oldies, confusing them each time I caught one them thinking that I was one of their buddies...  Slowed descent down and I finally passed the last one at the pond.  Alas, at our old regroup spot there's the biiig group ahead, clusterfucked on the rocky sequence just round from there.  I got going and caught their tail end Charlie not far round and so at the highest point I stopped and let the boys catch up and they kinda paused too, and let the muppets get ahead.  Good enough gap, so got moving again, not a bad run around and at the next high spot, just after the cattle grate there was Mark and Marie.  They turned back and joined us back to the forest where we had a nice long cool break in the shade.

Down the Thomsons, Steve leading the first half, me the second.  Nice wee blasts, then across the Dyers Pass and into Old Dyers (first time since September (and 18 months before that!)).  Fast blast down the first section, and I could hear someone on my tail.  Finally I buttoned off and it was Mark.  Continued our way down all the way, gleaning some shade, and strangely a few spits of rain as we rolled through the lower section before the climb to the road.  Across the road and up into the trees, for another shady pause for regroup.  Climbing together we topped, across and into the wee singletrack that leads to the skidder site.  Another pause here, and then decided to hit up Cool Runnings, which I hadn't been down since 2012(!!!).  It's quite unused, by the look of it.  Some massive jumps, and in a couple of spots no bypass, but was a fun wee doddle and next into Flow and Bridges blasting out the bottom (again, catching someone), then into the Hidden Valley Link Track.  Cleaned the creek, cleaned the first hairpin, then botched the second hairpin, balance rolling me off to the right.  Cleaned up the rest of it, gasping for air and stopping in the last shade for a regroup as each team member caught up.  Over the fence and another rest, Steve shooting the shit with some guy. 

Marie headed on ahead, and Mark led the way to catch her.  I nearly bollocksed one of the big corners (the one with that had a slip in it a year or so ago), but otherwise had a good run, passing Marie not long after the stile, then bombing it, chasing Mark all the way.  He cleaned the final rut, but I baulked just before it.  The others all hung a left avoiding the messy hole, and re all regrouped finally in the shade next to the jump park.  Where to have coffee???  No local cafes appealed, so Elevate was decided on, and we (nearly) all ended up having an Erdinger - well earned.  Home well before 12.

Tuesday Lapping up the laps

An hour or so to use tonight, before a PFMTBC trip organising meeting at Pete's, so Nelson picked me up from work and we twisted and turned through heavy traffic to Worsley's Rd.  Parked up just round the first corner, at the bottom of the Farside tracks.  First lap, up the old skool dirt track close to the road, puffing like crazy, gasping in fact.  Then took Valhalla, first time down here, not having any idea where it was taking us or how.  Steep few off camber corners, dropping quite a bit of altitude, close to the old original zig zag track that used to be in here, then it peeled across the slope, dropping now and then, and climbing a little towards the end.  Lots of interesting features, but quite low speed on account of the off camberness.

Back onto the road and up for lap 2.  This time, the next track on the left, 1 Trick Lucy.  I'd been down the top of this once before, but peeled back across to Farside that time.  This time, all the way.  Somehow it squeezes in between Valhalla and Farside and finds it's way down in a similar nature to Valhalla.  A few very cool wee features on it, lots of fun.  Ends up joining Farside towards the end.

Back onto the road and up for lap 3.  This time, skipping over Farside, and taking Utopia.  Woot.  Had done this once before with jet back in November, so it felt vaguely familiar.  It blends into lower end of Fluffy Sheep which we got onto the next lap.

Back up the road for Lap 4.  Into Fluffy Sheep this time, the first time either of us had been down this (tho I'd been up back in Nov.)  Sweet wee blast down here, quite flowy and swoopy.  A couple of really small 'jump' features, and smooth.

Lap 5, into the original Farside.  Bloody brake ruts in the first steep section, but the rest of it was alright.  Usual woopdewoops and squirrelly drops.

Lap 6, gave Valhalla another go, with me in the lead this time.  Good spin down here again.  Gonna take a while to get used to those off camber corners tho.

Lap 7, final lap.  This time 1 Trick Lucy again.  Haha, this time, Nelson missed the entrance, so I led the way down with him well behind me.  Had a good run down and finished it in no time.

Each lap was about 5 minutes or less up, and 5 minutes or less down.  Seven round trips done in 1 hour.  Total altitude of the trail network is around 60 metres, so we did a bit over 400 m in total.  Not bad for an hour's up and down. (updated with more accurate information from the boys doing it a week later and MapMyRiding it, measuring the altitude more accurately(ish) than my Topomapping guestimation).

Grabbed Noodle Canteen and a couple of beverages on the way to Pete's and made it there only minutes late.  Wellington seems to be the go for the Annual Trippage this year...

Swansong in the woods, Tuesday Worsley

Well, quite a nice wee ride tonight.  Met the boyz on the flat approaching Worsley's at 6.20 or so, Andrew and Tony rolling in from their nearby abodes, Steve and Robin in the TFC van, and Wayne, Warren, Pete and me all in our own vehicles.  Bikes all onto racks of Wayne and Warren and we drove to nearly the top of the road, riding from there up into the woods to find a sign saying Forest Closed, and Danger Keep Out tape that we promptly decided to ignore, riding up the guts of it all. Andrew had been through in the weekend, so how much could they have done in 2 days?  Put up some tape or something???  Yeah, nearly.  So, grunty grunty up the guts to the clifftop where a well earned break was had, then onwards up to the top of the forest, and up the steeeep to the top of Debbie Does...

Into here and one or two difficulties for one or two but a great run had.  As we came into the darkness of the spruce, and the old stone ruins, I noticed how low the forest was, way more branches than usual kinda in your face.  I led the boys up the garden path, peeling left onto the wee exit traverse track, but hell it was overgrown, and they, as usual, gave me stick (pun intended) about "Richard leading the way again".  Weird, considering only 2 and a 1/2 months ago it was sweet...  Anyway, once out of the dark forest it was alright, and back into the bigger woods and down a short bit of The Original B-Line before hopping over onto Tommy's, where I chose the left hand choice, bombing it down, swoopty woopty through veering very slightly left as far as you can swoop towards the pylon clearing then leading back to the main guts drag.

From here it was decided to have one last swansong on Fight Club, seeing as how it might all be shut up and ruined, so, short climb and then into it.  Awesome run, swoopty woopty again, down and down, dusty as all get up, out to the exit climb, only to be greeted with a Closed Keep Out sign and tape.  Also a brit Blur TR rider was coming down, and we gave him directions back up, so he was ahead and round the corner there's the bloody big skidder machine and a fair bit of forest already cleared - removing all the windthrow from last year's storm.  Met him again at the junction and followed him down the exit trail out, then down the road, again giving directions to Farside.

Past the cars and down the road to Farside.  Straight into it and what a wee blast.  The brit on Wazza's tail on Pete's tail on my tail.  Both Pete and Steve were first timers on this and enjoyed the crap out of it.  Finally, down the road to the cars.  Ribulet feeling the ride with a bit of an ache.  I took the other two shuttle drivers back up while the others very kindly waited, and then Pete and me stopped at Poms for well earned beverages.  Yummo.

Tuesday evening East End meander (700th Post!)

Welcome to post number 700!!! (coming up on 10 years of this blog too...)


Nelson met at my place and we cruised out to Slumner, parking up at the beach.  Headed up Stoke St and on up into Scumnervale and up the Captain.  Insta-wheeze kicked in for me, and Nelson dropped me after the first corner.  Top of the switchbacks I wheezed past a couple of guys waiting for us to roll through and it was up in the rocky ups that I caught Nelson, who was waiting for a couple more guys.  Ride from here was okay, less wheezing but still struggling.  Realising as we climbed and further into the ride that my rib was inhibiting my breathing, allowing me only to breath shallowly.

Top of Captain Thomas finally and a bit of a rest before we hit the Godley entrance.  Nelson cleaned it all up, and I just about did.  Paused briefly in the middle, but continued on up from where I'd stopped.  On up and through, the ribs getting sorer and sorer the whole way out.  Into the descent for Livingston, hot on Nelson's tail we flew down here.  I had a couple of wee moments towards the bottom but survived it and rolled through the col and into the climb.  Nelson pulled away again and then was waiting at the top again before the descent to Breeze, fun times on the rolling trail, but Nelson got some thistle splinters in his leg.

Decided to head up the little trail that climbs above the road, around the tight narrow sheep path, then up to the cool ass track that heads around above the harbour back to Breeze Col.  Stopped and fixed up a rock feature we'd done before that someone had wrecked, and then rode on around, reveling at how much longer it was than we'd remembered it.  Great ride around here and then a short break for food at top of Anaconda. A woman turned up on a bike around the road and headed down the snake as we sat, and so we sat for a while waiting for her to get a bit further ahead.  Then it was into it, Nelson ahead.  I was on his tail, just cruising along for a start, but once we were over the first cattle stop and around a couple corners I lost my chain so stopped to replace it, letting Nelson get miles ahead.  From here on down I went pretty good but no chance of catching him.  Into the 'tail and I could see the woman on going through the gate on the walking track, and then further round I could see Nelson ahead.  Bit loose down this last section, hands holding the bars too tight and rib really starting to bite.

Into the climb, I delayered at the first corner, and then it was onwards and up and over.  Catching the woman half way up Nelson chatted with her as I slowly gained on them.  At the top she headed down the road and we headed into Nicholson Park, taking all the faster lines down, and then onto the hairpins and steps, then finally out the neat wee 'secret' trail out to Whitewash Head Rd, then down and back to the car around the waterfront... 

Friday quick Sharlands

Swimming in the Maitai again wth the family I scarpered back to base, grabbed the bike and then drove back up past them and parked up at the bottom of Sharlands.  Rode in, in the heat, about 3pm, up the road for a while, then pulled off down onto the creekside tracks, moseying up and finding the bottom of What The DOCtor Ordered, hung a left and followed the Sharlands Creek Track up cos it looked okay.  Wasn't long and it got steep, so rode til I had to push a bit, ride and push for a bit, singletrack which seemed to become more and more overgrown.  Then I passed the exit of Supplejack, then a couple more ups and downs and the exit of Matai.  Continued on up for a bit to a bit of a juncture.  Hmmmm, figured I wanted to look at one or t'other of those previous two so kept left and ended up pushing a lot, and riding a little, up some unknown to me trail, all in native forest, very nice, thinking all the way up, 'this'd be nice.  this'd be tricky...' until I eventually got to an intersection of Matai and the one I was climbing, Rimu.  Carried on climbing til I reached a fire-road and from here the view looking across towards Fringed Hill was telling me I was probably pretty near 400m up (actually only about 300 and something - ed).  Headed back down Matai, and actually followed it all the way.  Looked totally unridden for ages, and yet Ian had said they'd ridden it earlier this week.   The leaf litter on it was undisturbed and it obviously doesn't get that much use, whereas Rimu had been well trodden.  Quite a few corners I wasn't game to even think about attempting, too steep, too much exposure into the bush below, and my rib wouldn't thank me.  As it was, I scuffed my wound on my thigh with my tire (exactly how it came into existence...), yowchy!  Eventually got to the bottom of Matai and continued up Sharland's Creek Track which involved a few walky bits, and then crossed the creek where another one meets it, and climbed up for a bit and through to eventually where What The DOCtor Ordered 'officially' begins.  Seat up here, and headed down this, at full tilt...  Fast scuffy descent.  One or two close calls, but mostly pretty good control.  Lots of vegetation overgrowing the track, scraping me a bunch and killing sight lines.  Blasty flow on (semi) familiar trails.  Ending up back out to the car just after 4 and I went and joined the family and hit the swimming hole, cooling down nicely.

Wednesday First Ride of the Year - Peeaaking

In Nelson for the week, so met Ian and Leigh (Lee? Leah?) on the Cathedral steps at 8.50am and we headed for the hills.  Usual route through town up the Brook to Codgers and up the main drag to Tantragee, turning out to be a bit of a scorcher...  Easy, but good pace all the way, then up Fringed Hill.  Hot, baking sun, pounding down on us; no shade round here.  A good grind, grovelling away in granny, but chatting most of the time except for the few grunts.  Shade in one valley, rest and water, then onwards to the top.  Walked the steep approach to the communication towers and sat for well earned feed and rest at the very top of 793m.

Off into Black Diamond Ridge.  Short riding section then steep climb, ride, steep climb up to 839m and then a good descent with a few wee walky up sections thrown in for good measure down to 732, then a last climb up to the 812 intersection.  Another rest here then into Sunshine Ridge...  Hooo.  Roots, roots, roots, drops and more roots.  I walked once or twice.  Was a lot longer than I remembered and was goooood.  Rib was holding together, but getting pretty sore the further down we went.  All the braking and twisting and controlling was flexing it something wicked.  I'ma be sore for a few days from this I think.  Many many features down this ridge, with roots being the predominant one.  So many roots!

Finally we made it to the top of Peaking Ridge, must be on about the 670m point.  Waaaay better signposted to the first time I ever rode it (possibly this one?)... Off down here with the steepest bit about to hit.  Of course Ian just flew down it - I got a little way down it then bailed and walked, as did Leigh.  From here tho, it was all pretty good.  One or two sections walked but mostly a good roll.  Lower down I was getting pretty peaked, looking foward to the bottom.  Once section in the manuka which I'm sure I've ridden in the past just looked too much, so walked that and we watched as Leigh psyched herself and then cleaned it down.  Great blast from here down to the finish, hot and dry in the manuka.  3.5 hours to this point. 

Off down the Maitai, staying on the singletrack alongside the pipeline and then leaping into the bottom of the 629 trail to the road.  Down the road, gravel becoming seal and then down and down til past Sharlands Rd, found my family having a picnic on the Maitai, 4hrs riding done..  Said seeya's to Ian and Leah and joined the family and coooooled off in the river.