Saturday Cracker Day

Nelson met at mine and we climbed up Amherst, through the empty section, up to the Dog Park Carpark and on up Vic Park Rd.  Past the Finish Line for the Port Hills Ultra.  Skidder, and up, me doing pretty good not blowing out, but huffing a lot.  

Top of Vic and around the Traverse, past the badly parked BMW that'd wrecked off the road I guess the night before and onwards.  Good run round here and into the Huntsbury DH, fourpause first, nearly landing on a couple of old ladies who'd taken it upon themselves to walk down the bike track.  Across the tussocks, through the new cattlestop and around rocky ridge and down, jumpity jumpsity jumps and swoop to the bottom.  Checked out a new climbing trail off on the west side of the ridge, lot of potential in here, bit of pushing up through tussocks, then continued our exploration on the westside up to the cattlestop and then on up Huntsbury, clambering out to the top.  

Across the road into Vernon, good blast down here, pulling up once for climbers, then straight into Witch Hill, one dab, good climbing.  Brief rest then onto the down to the road and up the road to Castle.  Port Hills Ultra signs everywhere.  Wicked blast down CAstle, me on his tail all the way, pushing hard, til the climb when he just powered away as I got bogged down in the rocks.  Still felt good tho, and climbed out, then we headed up the road.  

Stayed on the road, coasting fast (runners on the Tors track) til the little singletrack above the road, tech goodness around to Witch, and climbing this, brief breather, and on, blast down to Rapaki, and up the road from here.  

Onto the Traverse, good blast around, still plenty of power, but by the time we got to Vic was starting to feel it a bit.  Down over the jump, over the sea-sore, into Brake Free, water top up, then into Sesame.  I baulked the big jump, rolling over the left side of it but yumping the rest of everything til the gap, then taking a lefthand slowlane down to skidder.  Cruise down the road, and into the DogCarPark funtimes, swoopy swoopy down and across, picking too high a line but getting out and climbing up the short bit of road again, before blasting down behind the houses, and around home.

Grand total of 24kms, with a whopping 892m climbed

Sunday Regroup with the Crew

Parked a ways along Cashmere Rd, near Opihi St, Nelson pulling up behind, and we rode to meet the kids at the bottom of Penruddock. Wayne and (friend? workmate?) Ben in Wayne's car, and Andy in his van, arrived, then Jenna hooned past off the hill and jetted onwards, After a little faffing Andy followed her and Wayno and Ben followed us around the river, then up through to Happy Home Rd and we caught up to Andy a little further along.  

Around Cashmere Road, Jenna still well ahead (we eventually caught her up on C2), into Halswell Quarry Park, and up the trail to the Crock Entrance.  Climbing away, Nelson, as usual, leaving us all behind.  Up C2, up the Crocodile, bit of a rest and regroup at top of Kennedy's Bush Rd, then on up the Low Road, Siberia, and up the evil grunt that is Kennedys.  Nelson well ahead, steaming.  I plodded away, overtaken by a guy on a Meta (titanium?) and one on a Switch-enabled Yeti (not sure which model).  New (temporary) brakepads obviously(!) dragging me back.  Cleaned the whole climb in one sitting though, ouch, gasping for air, really struggling and only just managing it.  At the top I sought shade next to a parked car and rested and we waited for the others.  

Around the road to the Nun, Jenna bailing to meet us at the Kiwi (sore back?).  At the top of the Nun, Robin was waiting for us (having come up Huntsbury and across).  Good blast down this, me trying to a) chase Nelson (marginal, but I kept him in my sights) and b) stay ahead of Andy (which I managed).  Dusty, and rough as guts below the Park exit.  Refilled my empty water bottle at the Kiwi and we headed up the road to top of Vic.

Down and around over the jump, then I followed Nelsie around and did the see-saw, and a couple jumps on Brakefree, then across to the Gums, dropping down the quicker entrance to this, bombing down back and forth and out to the Skidder.  Andy and Jenna split off here, across towards Cool Runnings, Nelson jumped into Dazza's, and I led the rest of the boys off down Shazza's.  We dropped out and down to Sneaky Ridge, hussing down the rocks (on which Robin crashed, uninjured), and Nelson took the No Road Bikes drop in front of an audience of girls.  I wasn't even gonna think about it, so took the usual route around.  Into the oaks and out onto Bridges or Flow or wtf, and then bombing down Nu Bridges back and forth out to the bottom of Hidden Valley Link Bonus, where we waited in the shade.  Wayne and Ben showed up, then Robin, then a call came in from Andy...  Jenna had crashed! Hard.  Faceplant and suspected broken wrist (turned out later after ED, not to be).  

Robin bailed down, Wayne rode back up to get Andy's keys, and Ben came with Nelson and me (having never ridden bonus or oldskool before).  Grunt arse climb up Hidden, then excellent blast down Old Skool.  Popped and weaved, pumped and cleaved our ways down leaving Ben at the end of the road and jetting back to our cars.  

A much longer than I'm used to 25 kms, with a worthy 730m climbed.  I sure felt the effects of it for the rest of the day.  My legs were rinsed.

Windy Wednesday Evening Oriented Pleasantries

Parked on Parkridge behind Nelson's car (discovering I'd forgotten (after fetching it and forgetting it multiple times before I left) to bring my water), and we headed up into the Orienteererers...   

Climbing Britten with insane winds, tail to start, round into a nearly-stopping headwind, then pushed the rest of the way around and up to the top.  Around the 'front' "long way," me in the lead, battling the worst of the wind on the nor'west face, nearly hammered off the bike, then pushed like an e-bike towards the hill, to finally battling across to the cutting, wind attempting to push us onto the rocks, me going hammer and tongs in the lead, trying to stay ahead of Nelson (he said he could barely keep up (yeah, right!)).  Through a clusterfuck of orienteerers at the road and over the fence. 

Climbing up the side of Pleasant tail wind mostly pushing, pushing, pushing, but not pushing me fast enough to keep up with Nelsie.  Finally at the top some stretching was necessary and a rest out of the wind ensued, a few orienteerers  wandering through from time to time.  Into the descent.  Lovely push down, first few rocks below the stile nearly getting the better of me, but we stopped (for a picture) in an area with NO wind.  Amazing.  Then moving again, around and into it, Nelson surprising (read, nearly taking out) a situationally unaware Orienteerer.  Blazed across the tussocks to the end, then I reminded Nelson, or at least pointed out to him, the jump and berm exit back up the trail a bit.  So, treadled off back up a bit to drop in, over the jump and then around the thistle infested berms before leaping down into the start of Greenwood. 

Bombing.  Tail wind pushing all the way down the first stretches, we flew, railing the rocks, Nelson nearly losing it in one bunch, me tight on his tail  but then he started to get away.  Around the front and when it flattened out, so did I.  Thankfully Nelson had stopped just after Gloomy, so a good rest had here, watching and contemplating the few gungho hardcore Orienteerers who had scrutinised this side of the hill.  Let a couple through, before heading down.  Man the rocks have boned up.  Mega, at that point.  Better flowing lower down, rolling the drop, then back and forth, flying through Dangerous Dave's zone, around into the gulley and then down the final slope, very quick.  Finishing off to Evans, and resting in the carpark overlooking the Quarry.

Climbing, road.  Grinding away, feeling pretty good, though.  At Jollies Bush we talked ourselves into riding it, walking steps then riding across and up, over the fence, and into Richmond Pines track bombing down across then into the Sheepshit Alley climb, Nelson dropping me big time.  Onto the road, final climb, big slurp of water from the tap, then down Britten (Vee Twin (pah!))...  At the corner I helled and yolla'd to Nelson and pointed, and kept going straight across.  He turned up and followed, and I led him down my 'new' way, bombing across and down down down, back to the cars.  

A good ride.

A laudable 13.2 kms, with a veracious 551 m surmounted 

Sunday Super Short

Minute, as in tiny, 1.7 km lap with H, who's rather reluctant to do any uphill riding.  My Rocky is in the shop, so was on the Fatty...  We trundled up the hill from ours, into the Dog Park Carpark and down the fun trail towards Harry Ell, then up to the road, and home again.  Afterwards, I swapped to the Troll and we bombed down to the South Library just before closing so's for him to get a book or two.  T came picked us up.

Wednesday Night Climby McClimbface, Vic Gov-Crash Nun Vic.

Great spin last night with Nelsie.  We headed down from mine, down the zig zag and across Daresbury Lane, then across Longhurst into the Latters Spur track, dropping for a start then climbing up the steep zigs and zags, below the houses.  My lower pulley wheel ate a cabbage tree leaf and ceased to work so I had to stop and deal with that.  Nelson had ridden on ahead and was walking back to find me by the time I got going again.  We continued up and he bloody cleaned the whole lot of rocks and roots along the barbed-wire-roots track.  We explored a bit into the forest and ended up sidling across to the bottom of the dog park and out onto Vic Park Rd, bugger all higher than if we'd come straight up from mine.  

Up to Skidder and on up the death-by-breathing climb, gasping I was barely able to stay ahead of another dude who was slowly winding me in.  Stopped for a breather at the waterfountain at Brakefree, then on up to the Thompson and Thomsons.  

cross Dyers and up the road to drop into the Governors Bay descent (which Josh told me the name of today but I cant remember).  Good drop down here til after the boardwalk, a volcanic bit of rock diagonally across the track threw my wheel to land on the dirt right on the edge and down I went.  SMACK on the knee, elbows, left hand, onto my front, bike off down the side of the track, my right foot still attached.  Nothing broken, extricated myself from the pedal, dusted myself off, grabbed (all I could reach) the back wheel of the bike and dragged it back up onto the track.  Ugh.  Yowch.  Got riding, somewhat gingerly, again and we rolled around til we were above the guy's house, looking good down there.  Amazing stonework.  A runner passed through, and then we got rolling again.  Nelson bloody cleaned the whole freaking tech-knuckle climb.  I cleaned lots for a start, then dabbed lots but rode some more, then walked a bit. In.Suff.Icient. Power.  Huff huff huff.

Onto the road again, climbing, climbing climbing around and up to die at the top of the Nun.  Big breather rest stretch here and off we shot, railing it and multiple times having weird off-balanced moments...  Crossed the Munter Park trail and proceeded to nail the lower section of the nun til we got stuck in behind some rubes.  Sidled out and hit the road.

Last substantial Climby McClimbface up the road to top of Vic, sloooowly gaining on a girl on a brand new Trek Slash (which looked very nice), brief chat with her, then a pause at the top before dropping in, popping the jumps, and down to water.  Then I led down to rockgarden and across to find a dead spar across the track...  darn.  Wasn't there last week!  Checked out a line above this too, then proceeded on down into the Gums, bombing back and forth out all the way down to 19th.  

Final coast down the road and into the DogParkCarParkLeader, tight and twisty, nice blast down and then last climb up to lower dog and in behind our houses, bombing down and seeing Tra'y and Jet out for a walk...  

Nice Trillium Deciduous on arriving home, yum!

A reputable 12.63 kms, and not a bad 483 m climbed 

Sunday Urumau

Met Nelson on Fosters Tce and we headed up, and down, and up, and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down.  Ugh, what a lot of up.  The downs are fun, but the ups are all serial killers.  Struggle street for me, but managed a nice wee ride.  Nelsie did the gap jumps, I bypassed them.  We both tried out the new NS log ride, easy.  Stormer and Zombie were both very fun.  Sunnyside was surprisingly good, tho short, but man that second to last corner, steeeep run in to super loose dry dusty nearly-lost-it foot out to save yourself adrenalin jolt.  Otherwise, huff huff, zoom zoom

A veritable feast of 6.5 kms, with over 380 m climbed.

Thursday Escaping Taylor's Godley Snake

Arranged to meet Nelson in Taylors around 8.30 am in what turned out to be a pretty hot day... I arrived to find him assembling his bike, then witnessed his discovery of no pedals!  Ugh.  No ride for him then.  We headed up, him on foot, me pedalling, up the new Taylors Escape track.  Pretty rudimentary, a lot of work to be done.  Mostly rideable, but some sections are so off camber your inside pedal strikes every rotation, and grip is tricky.  He soldiered on and we stopped for chats a few times, then he bailed and I continued my merry way.  The riding was definitely better higher up, less slope steepness.  Got to the road, and rode around to Livingston Col, climbing back towards Breeze Col on the trail, fun climbing, cleaning all the techier sections and enjoying the descent to the Col.  Straight into the climb around above the road, hitting the sketchy narrows, doing okay around here then seriously in need of shade, headed for the lookout thing and bombed down to the toilets, finding respite from the sun under the pines.  Big drink, refilled bottle, and half a OneSquare set me right, and off I tootled back around below the road, nice spin around here too.  Started on the road but then spotted relevant sheep tracks below and hit them around climbing to the 'new' Taylors entrance.  Good bomb down here, spotting what looked like road bike tire marks in the dirt.  "Hmmmm?"  Into the original snake, and speed and gall increased til I was railing like a pro.  Into the tail and across, stopping to admire the view at one point, before heading down the last where I met Shay the DOC ranger walking a wee measuring wheel which accounted for what I'd seen prior.  We shared a laugh.  

A meagre 10.10 kms and 419 m climbed

Fat Local Tuesday

Up the hill on the fatty with no bag no water. Sucked down some water at the Skidder and decided to mix it up a bit by heading off down Shazza's to the 40, easy rolling, gently gently on the fat tires pinging, then climbed back up the zig to Skidder again. From here, up the fucker-puker-climb, nearly at the top of the steep when my nose blew it's foo-foo valve which made me have to stop to stop the bleeding.  Took a while to settle it down. Once under control I got going rolling again, up past Brake Free and on up round to drop straight into the top Thompson's.  Rolly roll down this and then back up the road to the top, and hmmm, no bikes you say?  is a fatty a bike??  up the walking track to the cool stonework shelter I think I've never seen before and then up to the Sugar Loaf carpark, and on across the trail across the front (Cedric's Track).  Techy drop down to the Gilpin's track and across to the road.  Across back onto the Traverse, back to Vic Park, dropping down through Brake Free, left into the Gums, usual gummy trails in here all the way down through to 19th, then angry bees down the road and into our new local Dog carpark descent, climb, up to Microwave tower and down the back of the houses home.

Sweaty Fatty, 8.6kms, with 350 climbed

Rides Three: 27th, 30th and 2nd of the Nu Yeah

So, yeah, Picton for Xmas. After my ride (previous post) with fam and O, I did 3 more: 

first one a solo.  I headed down through town and explored up the trail I'd wanted to the first ride, Marina to Reservoir track, climbed up this to the reservoir, turned around back down, down the zig-zag track we'd previously climbed, quite good in places, so surprising amount of climbs too, turned around back up that, then down the way I'd climbed, and back to base.  Short and sweet - 8kms, 160m climbed.

Second one, a big family all started on out to do the Link Pathway.  Joy and Jerence headed out ages before us, as usual the 'other' teenagers took forever to organise themselves.  So, G, Ph, H, T, O and Soph and me all headed out, straight down across to the start and climbing.  Ph and Gryph never have been much of cyclists, so Ph was really struggling and before we even made the look out she'd bailed out.  The trail starts just after the look out properly, and is quite nice.  Descends and climbs around and drops into Shakespeare Bay then into some nice patches of bush all along.  Gryph bailed along here, threw a hissy and pissed off.  Then H was struggling and whinging, and we heard from Joy and they were only a km or so ahead so they waited for us where this section hits the road.  T and H decided to head back from here.  J and J decided to take the road to Ngakuta and get Anth to come get them, and O and S continued with me.  A good climb ensued and eventually we were up the top and sidling, descending, climbing, sidling through very nice trail and very nice country.  Hot too.  Fun descent down to Ngakuta where we found J and J.  Anth turned up shortly thereafter and the kids joined the oldies in getting a lift back, while I turned around and headed back the way we'd come, finally riding solo.  Great ride back, going a good pace and arriving back within minutes of the camper full of the others.  They actually couldnt believe I'd got back so quick.  A grand total of 24 kms (mmr was started late) and about 860 climbed (started mmr at 50m).

Then, on the 2nd of the year, O had hurt his back somehow, so Sophie and me headed out for a ride.  Rode down to Marina, up the Reservoir track along the Ridgeline, Western, then up Lion Centennial, quite a slog this direction, but not bad, nice views from the top, then down the switchbacks to Kanuka which was awesome in this direction, and back along Kanuka was also good in this direction, then along the ridge back towards the road, but dropping into Sues track thinking it would be mostly down, but finding a 3rd of the way into it it climbs back up across the hill, ugh, steep too.  Eventually down again and we're out on the Waikawa-Picton track, which then climbed again! quite a bit around and finally down across and down again to the Marina...  A fun 15.1 kms with 376 m climbed.

Wednesday Picking Up Picton.

Family and Lynne out for a ride before the rain was to start this morning. Rode into town, over the coathanger and around to the start of the trails.  I stopped along the marina to check Trailforks and they call got ahead of me so when I finally caught them up they were well on their way around the bottom of the hill on the trail heading for Waikawa, whereas I would have preferred to have led up the climb to the left, which they'd missed...  So, anyway, we ended up where the road heads up onto the Snout Ridge and the zig zag climbing track started so off up that we headed.  Was a nice climb with one or two downwards bits and plenty of switchbacks.  Right at T's level said she.  Lynne was struggling with her knees, while Otis just jetted ahead.  

Eventually we made the reservoir tank and from here headed up Ridgeline track.  Lynne took the road and H bailed out to the road halfway along.  At the end of the road (where it heads down again) T, H and Lynne bailed out, while O and me took Western track along to Kanuka, then continued along this, which was pretty good this direction, til we got to the zig zag climb (Lion's) up to the top.  Reasonable climb, good views at the top.  Into the Lion's Centennial down back towards town, not bad, some switchback sections that don't flow as well as they could.  You can never really get massive speed up anywhere, but nice riding, and nice environs.  Back down onto Western and not as good in this direction, more climbing grunts.  Out across to Ridgeline again, good in this direction too, then eventually we hit down Leicester Track, which is somewhere I may once have ridden in the vicinity, or bits thereof, a lonnnng time ago - tho maybe The Doctor track is more in keeping with that?  Anyway, lots of interesting corners, but still not enough flow.  And back along the Waikawa Picton track back to the Coathanger and back up through town.

A worthy 17 kms, with 380 m climbed.

Sunday Morning Tops

Nice one on my own this morning... Headed up from home almost dead on 9am, climbing okay, pushing pretty good, and really forced my way up the steep pig from the skidder site.  cleaned it all but nearly puked by the top.  out the top and out Worm and onto the Summit Traverse.  Pulled over for anyone I met coming the other way, not too many thankfully, and made good time, and pulled up at the top of Four Pause just as two asian dudes with all the gear headed off down it, skidding and going very slow...  I let them go until they were nearly at the bottom before I launched in, and bombed, no skids, jumping all the jumps and generally enjoying the crap out of it.  9.30am at the landing strip when I pulled out and turned back uphill, grinding off up back to the top.  

Across the road and into Vernon, cruising around and then bombing, letting a couple of folk through at places, and rolling out across the bottom, jumping straight into Witch Hill, climbing, slowing down, slower then popping and weaving over the rocks, juuuust cleaning them all before onwardsly cruising around up, over and down.  Onto the road, bitter southerly hussing out of the harbour here, gale force across the saddle before the Tors.  Pushed the last stretch to the top of Castle where it was 10am.  Brief break out of the wind here, snack, then, spotting some (fast) riders entering the other end of the trail, I dropped into it, blasting and blazing, down around, and pulled up just after the first hairpin to let them through.  The first two were E-bikers, the 2nd 2, accoustic.  Got going again, kept a good pace on the climb, then out and down to the Bridle.

Back up the road, grind grind, then at the top, checked there were no walkers or runners around, and pushed up to the Tors track.  Then I spotted a million walkers on the road before the saddle...  time to get moving.  Nicely nicely across and down the steep tech.  Botched something past where I used to always botch, dabbing over a bit, then struggled to get my foot in til the last few metres, rolling through the crowd of parents and kids, and clambering up onto the wee-singletrack-above-the-road.  Once peaked, good roll and cruise through this back to Witch, into the teeth of the gale across the road and onto Witch, climbing, then continuing, non stop.  Down to Rapaki-top and steady pace around the road, riding with then pulling away from a bunch of older riders.  Was overtaken by a couple of bolshy E-bikers as I overtook a group of 3 riders (one of which on a Levo with Rohloff combo).  Watching later as those bolshy ones went down the gravel road of Huntsbury...  i mean! what's the point!?

Into the Traverse and bomb bomb bomb around, good pace  still on the climbs, but starting to feel a little jaded.  Into Vic and popped the top jump, then down past the see-saw, couple jumps of Brakefree, and back to the Rockgarden and Gums, favourite line, all the way down single to 19th, then down road, and into the new bonus, strugging past a car parked nose up fully into the entrance to it.  Final climb, then bomb down behind the houses, having to bail up to negotiate a clusterfuck of walkers at the end.  

20 kms in 2 hours, with 771 m climbed.  Pretty good.

Thursday Evening East End Rinsing

Just like old times... a good sized ride of an evening.

Met out at Scumnervale, and got riding about 5.40, up Capt Thomas.  Wasn't feeling the hottest, given the heat, and food, and sleep and whatevs.  But, tootled on none-the-less.  Up, grovelling up the first steeps, minor recovery across the sidle then grovelling up the second lot of switchbacks.  Was nearly holding my own with Nelson, until the that last bit.  Caught him up, breathed, and got going again, around the easier bits, into the rocks, clambering then riding and cleaning it all to the gate.  Stopped here and waited for a descender and my legs had lost all their steam for the last couple of climbs...  

Out the Godley Head Rd, to the climbing 4wd track up to the trail, then we engaged in the good descent down to Livingston.  Nice to get the flow on again, tho I was cautious on the ball-bearing gravel.  Swoopy swoopy down to the bottom and into the climb, rocks become more rocky than ever, rather tech.  Over the top and down to Breeze Col.  Here a couple rode through and up the singletrack, so we decided to follow and go back that way rather than the road.  Nelson chased and caught then waited for me, while I struggled up the climb, not going as fast as I would like to.  This was the moody view:

As we descended the couple were riding along the road towards us, which seemed strange.  But from Livingston we headed up the road and then realised why they were going that way.  They were heading the the entrance/exit to a new track (called Taylor's Escape) which we stopped and watched as they descended.  Definitely on the cards for next time we're in the 'hood.

Up the 4wd again to Godley Track and back towards Evans through a moody sky, easterly cloud wafting around the valley heads, quite spectacular.  I had to stop and eat something halfway back, but that, and the rest, gave me the energy to make it the rest of the way out.  Finally, into the Captain, a swoopy and hair-raising fun trip back down.  Good blast, felt great.  Back not sore at all, just have to maintain it, ride in such a way as to not exacerbate it. 

A smidge over 15 kms, and 631 m climbed!  I felt every one of those metres.

Tuesday Evening Vic Old Skool

Quick hot local blat.  Up from home, through to the Skidder site, and dropped into Shazza's.  Nice flow in here, popping the first few jumpies nicely, and swooping round all the corners, wary of the loose dry dust and leaves and bark shards.  Across the 40footer space, and into Sneaky Ridge, flap flop down the rocks, boogity woogity through and around, oak leaves strewn asunder, and whoosh over the fence into Flow or Bridges or whatever, and around into Nu Bridges, ziggy zaggy down into the valley, tech rock flowstyles.

Feeling pretty good, flowed around into bonus Hidden Valley climbing, cleaning all the switchies, huffing and chuffing up to the open lands, spotting another rider departing the stile as it hove into view.  Straight over the stile and caught the guy as he switched back up towards the pylon for the oldskool bastard climb, while I bombed on down the Old Skool descent, enjoying the fuck out of it.  Some awesome pumpstyles across the upvalley slope, tail hot nor'waster behind me.  Then bombing on down and out the bottom, straight back into the climb.

Ugh, up, up and more up, then K2, ugh, walked to the sidle turn off, climbed back on and rode up to the 23footer zone and on upwards, quite a few stops for breathers, as was getting tired by now.  Eventually, got to the start of Rad and a couple riders passed by, climbing from Cool Runnings area, talking to one, then following him up to Skidder, wherein I dropped over to the wee climber track back up to 19th, down the road, dropped into my upper dogcarpark newby, bombed down that, climbed out to lower dogcarpark and bombed down the last, getting some nice air on the ramp behind the houses...

A worthy local 9.5kms, with 378m climbed.

Quick Vic with Otie

Ffffff is how I struggled up the hill.  Out with O.  He blasted off ahead, young and fast, I gasped up behind.  Stopped before the dog park to help a bro out with some air (his front tire was losing air), and then we rode on, up past 19th, up through Skidder site and up the steep.  Cleaned it, phew.  Then up top of Vic. 

Bombed the first of the Thompsons, and back up the road.  Then into the down, bailed on the jump, walked back up and we both did it nicely.  Check.  Down past the seesaw and first few jumps of Brake Free, then across to the gummies.  I lost O in the top, but then he found me, and then down my fav line through the gums, and he pointed out where Sophie crashed last time they went up.  Swoop swoop around and back to the Skidder site where we bumped into a few guys i know. (Nick Sutt., and ex Cacti Daryl).  O and me headed from here up the trail to the top of the 19th Memorial, and over down to the ranger station, around the road and down to the newby from the dogpark carpark, fun swoops through there, then up and over the last down behind the houses and home.

Quick, 5.7 kms loop with a couple hundy metres climbed.   

Super short Local on Fatty with Shorty and Dog

Very short local loop - nearly our shortest 'block'.  We'd walked the day before and H wanted to do on bikes...  

I was on the fatty.  We rode up Amherst and through, past the fencing, across the empty section, up the back-of-the-houses track, then over the fence into the Microwave Tower park, across to the trees and down the fun wee trail to Harry Ell Drive.  Jet was with us, enjoying his 2nd or 3rd walk of the day, then down H'Ell Drive and back around Longhurst home.  I left on MMR and went and dug up some of my garlic, as well as wandering around inside a bit...

Thursday Evening, more Testing of the Limits

Met Nelson up thi hill at what will be our new house in a few weeks time, for another test run on my fitness for riding.  I've been riding to work every day this week so was already a little tired so wasnt expecting massive results, but was surprised with how it came to pass...  

We headed up through Vic Park me only remembering to turn on MMR in the approach to the Skidder Site above the 19th and Ranger Station... (all that altitude wasted!).  Up the grovelly K2 next to Sesame St, nearly getting the better of me but I chuffed on through it.   Nelson is at 'race weight' at the mo, just with a little less strength, so he hauled ass up the hill.  Up past Brake Free and on up to top of Vic.  Thomsons, 1 and 2, and then up the road heading for Marleys.  My ass was starting to get rather sore on this climb.  Slow up the last bit of road then big stretch and rest at the top before heading up the entrance to Nun... 
Into the descent.  Felt pretty good, but trying to get my head around holding my body differently to how I always did, and this affected traction, balance, weight distribution a lot.  Tricky getting used to all that.  Good blat down and we pulled out road for a break and to let some Park rubes down ahead.  Once they were clear we dropped in and I was amazed at how sore my forearms were getting.  Really sore by the bottom...  Got a lot of condition to get back.

Up road, drudgy climb and into top of Vic, down around, dropping through rock garden into Gummies, taking the old line (which gives way more bang for buck than the droppy swoop trail i did the other week) then out to Skidder Site and up top of 19th again, dropping over down and out next to the Ranger Base.  Around the road and into the top Dog Park carpark, finding the new-to-us trail in the bushes, which, super fun, swoops back and forth down into the oak forest above the 35 corner Harry Ell track.  Into a brief climb up to the lower Dog Park carpark and then the last blast down the back of the Amherst Pl houses.

So, if you add in the extra bits, about 10kms with 360 or so metres climbed. 

Finally, a ride. Vic Park Quick test.

Finally got out last night, to test the back with some climbing and descending.  We'd taken a bunch of bikes up the hill (to our new house!) last week to clear ours for open homes and so I went up and helped Nelson with the doors in the new room, then rode off out the driveway into what will be my new playground.  Up, climbing feeling pretty good, not bad at all, no back twinges or pain.  Rode up the dirt track next to the road for a start, then up the road past the 19th and into the skidder site, then straight up the guts K2 next to Sesame St, grunting and climbing and actually cleaning it all.  Sweet, still no pain.  Up past Brake Free, and up the Worm and around up to the very top, short and sweet.  

Into the down, around, bailed at the last minute that first gap, then bypassed the seesaw.  Straight down the Rabbit paddock and into the rock garden, around into the gummies, fun, and took the new line which shortcuts the old (favourite) traverse there and back.  Probably wont ride that line much, will favour my favourirte in future, down and through to the 19th again, then back up around a trail taking me to the top of the 19th, above it, a way we've ridden with the Thursday Night Gheybois a few times, but then cut back towards the ranger station and down a line I'd spotted on my way up.  Spits you out by their gate.  Around the road, then past the picnic shelters, past the no bikes sign and around the back of that slide, down past the dog park, then into the descender next to the big microwave tower, spotting a dark, tight, bush track which was not really rideable (but there's promise in that area, just needs work - along with the other side of the road, from the dog park car park pylon zone down to the Harry Ell..., scope for a descending trail in there no one uses that area at all).

Totale Grande, 5.2 kms, with 175m climbed... good first effort

Slowtober

 Well well well...  Still no riding.  Back is much better thanks.  Have ridden the Troll around the block a few times, and even cycled from Carlton Mill Rd across the park to work last week, and am thinking I'll ride into town this afternoon to work too.  Middle of selling the house.  Getting antsy, and wanna go for a ride ride, which I'm going to sooooon. 

Hocktober, Post Hoc Post Op

Well.  Visited with the Surgeon yesterday, he gave me the go ahead with life.  Still sore, but getting back to it all.  
Last night we rode to dinner, possibly I wasn't supposed to, but the Surgeon said take it as you feel it and I felt great on the bike.  After dinner I took the dog for a bit of a meander, and this proved slightly more difficult. It's left me a bit sore.  My core, and back muscles are obviously not up for this yet.  (Plus dinner gave be a bit of a guts ache...  blah).  
So, more taking it easy...

Phase-Shift

Entering a new phase of my riding life, I sense. I've only sat on a bicycle once since the days before the surgery. It felt amazing. I took it for a tiny spin out onto the footpath, looping back to the driveway effortlessly. So, so good. 

I can't physically imagine how much damage a longer ride could do. I don't know the complexities of the viscera and whether tears- or undoings of healing tissue. I'm assuming that I'm not riding because the damage I could do would put me back to square one. 

So. That brings us to the Phase Shift I so endearingly capitalised. My riding is going to have to be something new. Slower, more gentle. Exploratory; for interests sake. For example, I could make it my mission to ride every street in the city. Take notes, rate them for rideable enjoyment. Or, do the same for "beginner," and on up the grades, mountain bike tracks, as my body returns to a greater level of robustness and healed-ness.  And suddenly (or not so suddenly) I find I'm not averse to the idea of electric assist.  Have it handy for less fit friends and fam, or take it out on solo (or not) 'leckie' rides. (Another benefit of that would be a reconnection with my biking peeps).

Just a few thoughts...