Wednesday, last of January, Nun for Breakfast

Last chance to get a ride inside the month of January.  I was awake, so got up, dressed and was out the door at 6.15am.  

Muggy, up through Vic - usual route, and into the Thompsons 1 and 2, down through Kiwi and up the road.  As I climbed, looking back at Lyttelton I could see through the mist a new pack of floaters ship being docked down at the port.  The mist was hugging the valleys and tops towards Gebbies.  Up Worsleys Rd and I hit the top of the Nun at 7am, deciding on the Nun (rather than the Gnarly) and dropped into the descent - taking this pic first... 

and 

Railing around the 2nd rocky corner I started losing it on the rocks.  Dew from grass coupled with dust from trail were conspiring to give me fuck all grip!  Yikes!  Nearly cooked it but got rolling again and was slightly more wary of the shitshow rocky corners.  Swooped through the swoopy bits and faffed around through some of the faffy bits, into the lower reaches, pumping and flowing sweet.  Across the Kiwi again and up the road, plodwise to the top of Vic, swooping in down around through the jumps, very nicely popped, and over the see saw, railed through the first of Brakefree then peeled out down the rabbit paddock, into rocks, gums, bombing, all the way down to 19th, below the road, back up onto it, into 235 swoop swoop over cooking and nearly losing it then jumpity jump and down out through.  Home by 7.20...

Nice and early 10.15 km with 335 m clambified.

Friday Snout, Out and About; Snout wrong with it

Couple days at Waikawa, hauled the fatty out of the car and rode out the snout and about.  Rode the road from the bach, past the boat ramp, beach, down a cul-de-sac across a bridge past the marina and onto the Waikawa-Picton cycle path, peeling off up a zig zaggy climbing trail (Sue's?) up onto the ridge, then onto the Kanuka trail along the side, chasing a ferry for a bit, out all the way to the end of the Snout.  A few tourists in residence, I took in the view and got back on the bike.

Back from there, meeting a son then dad on their way down, back around Kanuka and then left into the horridly steep Lions Centennial trail (didn't remember it being so steep last time), climbing up onto the tops of the hills down and up and over and down.  Finished the fun by sliding into the GDS trail for a fun wee bomb down some rooty tech back to the cycle path, and back the way I'd come.

15 kms round trip, with 530 m climbed.  Not bad.

Tuesday Knuckle Sandwich

Drove myself round to Whanganui Inlet and parked up to ride Knuckle Hill track. Very nice easy climb, sometimes granny steep but kinda rolling a lot too and a couple of downhills before final climb to an intersection; Kaituna route straight ahead and Knuckle Hill to the left. Rode 150 or so m til I couldn't anymore and  then started walking, sans bike, up up up trudgery climbing into semi alpine, to the 506m summit. Spectacular views 360 degrees - the back of Mt Burnett (dolomite mine) and right round down the west coast, Mangarakau swamp, Whanganui (Westhaven) Inlet, Kaihoka Lakes, Wharariki, Farewell.  Walked back down and back on the bike and bomb bomb bomb...  able to get way faster than was comfortable, wide quad bike track, climbs were nice and short.  Met one walking lady (german?) and continued on.  Fun.

Just under 8.4 km, 460m climbed

Monday Rameka Pack Expectation Klicks

Great ride yesterday with Tony, father of H's gf Holly. We parked at the bottom of Rameka valley and rode up the Historic Pack Track (one I'd only ever ridden down once before). Great climb, out the top of the Project and up the gravel road to bottom end of the Rameka proper. Into the Packtrack, me on Tony's tail for a start, thinking I might be slower on the fatty, but no.  Asked if maybe I could take the lead and then took off, hauling. Great hoon down, then over into Great Expectations for a switchback city wunder-ride. Loads of fun. At the bottom, into the Klicks for some good times and eventually back to the car.

Hot stuff, 13kms with 526m clambered

Sunday Aorere Golden Hour

Steep hot today.  Parked at the end of road past Devil's Boots, and got riding, up the 4wd track.  Steep bastard that.  Only one tiny bit walked, managed to ride the rest, with lots of rests.  Fricking hot, but early enough that there were shadows to lurk in.  Took the second shortest route, (not straight to the caves) but up to Druggan's dam for a good rest in the shade.  Then on down the water race track, more overgrown than in the past, and getting a bit more tech.  Dropped down to Ballroom cave, had a poke around, then back up and onwards for the fun bomb down.  Techy rutty good, then mega rocketship blast down the last smooth bombsville.  Final wide section passed a couple of walkers then bomb down to car.

Golden, 9.3 kms and 260m climbed

Saturday Para Para Golden Steel

Druv round across the inlet and parked up. Rode up the road and into the steep hot dirt, climbing up all the way to the seat view. Very hot and dripping. Bombed down to the singletrack and leaped in. Rutty to start which caught me out a little, resulting in a weird tip off unable to clip out just after catching my wrist on a branch. Rolling again, more carefully this time, cruising, rolling down and through. Lots of little explores and findings of interesting features and then out the exit and along the gravel back to the car. 

Fun fun, just under 9 kms, 250 m climbed

Couple days before this, I rode along the beach to the Excellent St walkway, carried the bike up the steps, steep as fuck, hot as fuck, and up onto Excellent St for the cruise down past the historic cemetery and into Gibbs and down this to town back round to the house... a short 4 kms with under 100 m climbed.

Monday Short Fat Dusty Climb; Car Pick-up

In the morning we drove up to top of Waiharakeke track and walked 8 kms back to Totes.  After a couple of beers, some popcorn and a swim, I jumped on the fatty and headed up the road. Hot. Sunny. Dusty as hell every time a car went past, which there seemed an awful lot of. Made the top and nice free coast cruise down to the car - not nearly as far down as I had climbed.

4 kms on 200 m altituded.

Thursday LA hill and View Hill

Long, hard, fat ride up the valley and over View Hill. Hot stuff.  Ground up the valley, stopping many times for breathers but cleaning the whole lot.  It was HOT, so shade was sought regularly.  Didnt see many cars.  Once up on the summit there was a little more cloud cover now and then, and then I peeled onto the ridgeline, long grass and very runny poo, walking a bunch, eventually seeing the herd of cows, steers, a bull and some calfs hanging around towards the end of the ridge paddock.  Over the fence and up then across, and then up up to the top of View Hill, practically IN the cloud, tho a view out to the northerly down into the LA valley was forthcoming.  Snacked, and got riding, for the fast bomb down.   Just over an hour of riding time to the top and less than 20 minutes down.  Fantastic speed down past the Eagle's nest and then more down the road...  Got home, into togs and straight back to the beach for a cool dip, sharing the beach space with 3 other people, one of whom was a Hector's Dolphin!  Nice.

A viewsome 17.5 kms and a smidge under 800m climbed.

Wednesday Burnin' the Craigies

Nelson met at mine and we drove to meet Pete and Alistair at the Yaldy for to convoy to Broken River carpark. Grey day in Chch, drizzly on the plains side of the pass then gorgeous day in the valley. 

Parked up, a few but not so many campers, but lots of bikers in place, we headed off up Sidle73, taking it a little easier on the first climb as I remembered it usually catches me out with the lungstuff...  Cruised around this to CV road and up for a whiles.  Very warm to boot.  Stopped at the bottom of our Ante-Luge entrance and chilled for a bit, some other rider dudes riding through heading for the Edge.  We set off, Nelson first, didnt see him again (tho he tells me he could hear me for quite a while), in for a gutbusting climb.  I stopped several times to breathe and get the heartrate down but cleaned all but one rock.  Thought I was suffering angina or something at times.  Bastard of a climb.  Re grouped at the intersection, a couple walked through with their bikes, riding further up, and then Nelson cleaned off and the rest of us rode and pushed (a bunch of) the next section before riding out into the open and good to the saddle. 

Luge was fun fun fun but initially felt slow for some reason. I got a pinchflat on the front tyre from a misplaced root. Tubed it, pumped it and onwards. Trail got funner - real fun.  Ended sooner than memory would serve too.

Next, climb to Dickson's, all the way up to top of Bridge where we over-the-stiled and blitzed it.  Nelson lost the track briefly, Alistair and me got past, bombed for a bit, then regrouped and he took the lead again, then Alistair lost it and I got past and it wsa all on from there.  Railing the lower open stuff, super funtimes. Superb riding. Finished along the road back to the cars where we ate some grub.  

12.5 kms with surprisingly only 505m upped.

Into the cars and drove around to Cheeseman Rd. Gravel to Texas Flat (where there was bikes and people and cars and camp and stuff) and a little bit further, parking below the bottom of Cockayne Alley. 

Climbing climbing climbing, such a long steep crawl. Riding for a time with a youngish dude from QT who peeled off at Cuckoo Creek.  Also met the dudes we'd seen on the CV road.  They wondered how we'd gotten so far ahead of them, they'd done Edge, Luge, Dracophlat, and were up for Cuckoo too.  We continued to climb.  And climb.  Eventually we broke, admired the view, and dived in for the fun to begin and we blazed it.  Across the face, then swoopy swoopy, jumps, down through the tussock, then the whole thing changes and into the steep rooty awesomeness.  Hands and forearms cooking, quads getting sore.  Stopped a couple of times for a bit of a regroup and allowance of blood back into arms. Again, super superb!

This time the riding was only 7.63kms and again surprisingly only 465m clambered. Both sure felt way longer and higher - musta been the thin air at altitude, right?

Xmas Eve Troll-ofa Sugarloafer

Short hot hoon on the Troll up to top of Sugar Loaf and back.  Usual grind, 19th, skidder, walk, grind.  Thompsons, then around the road and up to the carpark, then up through the no access road to the top corner and a little bit off to a knob on top, overlooking Kiwi and Govs.  Very nicely.  Then, bomb down to gate, off road down rocky single to stile, around to that wee stone shelter for some stoney time and then down through Vic, bombing through skidder at a million miles an hour, down the road and into the DogParkCarPark '235' trail down down down, clambered back up to road and hooned down here to warp speed before peeling right into the driveway.

Sugar sugar, 7.5kms distanced, 270m altituded

Thursday Loco Local - Nun (much improved) to Short Vics

Hot day, thankfully cooling a bit by the time I got out.  Cooked dinner and headed out the door about 7.20pm. Up usual, road from home, 19th, Skidder, stopped to change into singlet on gutser, up top and into Thompson's #1, road, Thomson's #2, across below Kiwi and up the road for a slog to top of Nun.  

Dived in and, "whoooah! Huh!?"  Stopped, pushed back up and dived in again, this time taking the new left rock armoured section.  Into the rest of the old, it's all betidied very nicely with more-flowing jumps and better armour.  Somebody's been busy.  Once lower down, just above the CAP exit it reverted pretty much to the old boney I remembered.  Bombed all the way down back to Kiwi, onto the road again and climbing up to top of Vic.  

Down around the two jumps, hard right into Worm climbing back up to Traverse to dive down into Upper Fenceline, swoopdeswoop, around and across to climb back up the short amount to then hang a right into Razza's, dropping down, plompteplomp, nicely nicely, then dived into and over the Rad^Sick jump, peeling out to climb back up to try out the new extension to Shazza's.  Smooth as, not tech, and the berms aren't quite high enough to rail big speed through them...  Peeled right again to climb past 40fter and back up the steeps to skidder, over 19th again, dropping down road and into 235 for a nice hoon, riding good, climbing out, up road, dogpark dropping behind houses, fast, home.

Worthwhile 11.5 kms, with a smidge under 400m climbed.

Saturday Trolling Ada

Quick spin up and back on an empty stomach.  Fueled by coffee (and a banana just before I left), I chugged the Troll up through Vic, walked a bit above skidder, then up onto Thompson's #1 and a bomb down Summit to Kiwi.  Across and onwards up the road, catching a guy below Worsley's on a well packed 'packing rig heading out for a hundred kms or so.  We chatted as we cruised around and at Kennedy's I peeled left up the quad track to the top of Mt Ada.  Been planning this ride for ages so was good to finally grab it.  Made me think maybe I'll aim to peak all the tops along here on the Troll...  Mt Cass next!  Apparently Ada was Cass's wife.  Anyway, brief carry up the rocks, two asian women were up top, and left not long after I arrived, leaving it for me on my own.  Took a couple of good pics 

and brief chat to Doug.  Then hit the down.  Tight single long grass track to start with, then fast bombing quad to road...  then, road road road aero, pedalling keeping speed then aero speed down to kiwi, across Dyers and up up to Vic, straight in, down the 4wd, speeeeed through skidder and road home.

Nice and warm, 14.25 kms, 472 m climbed.

Sunday Mounting Greyness

Picked up Nelsie, headed north to meet up with Pete and Alistair at Stalker Park, Woodend, to convoy to "Lake" Janet.  

Hot day, 28 or so.  Nelson's brilliant idea was to ride the walking track.  Scorched earth policy had been through, no trees lower down now, we clambered in up the steepest shitface of the trail and zigged our way up. Hot and hot, tho the breeze was coolish once we were higher up.  Met various walkers and runners and dogs various spots on the way up.  Stopped for a breather in the shade of the look out tower, then hit the singletrack from here.  Much better riding, less steep, but techy and balance-requiring, spectacularly clear views all out everywhere every direction.  Took it all in from the top and then it was time to head down. 

Glorious descending, glorious single-track. Rutty near the top, and man the pigs have rooted the shit out of the open land before we headed into the forest.  Techy switchback city in the trees, nice and cool.  What a blast.  So much fun.  Mucky section not so bad, much drier than last time.  Heaps of tree carnage lower down too, tho the biiig one of a couple times back is fully cleared.  

 Followed by the grunty wee gravel thrash back up to the cars, noticed one area where the trees have been hammered by the big winds of a few weeks back. 

All up 676 m clambered and 11.74 kms. Steep!

Wednesday Night Lava Skool

Picked up Nelson (only a couple of weeks out from having Covid) and his bike from bottom end of Bowenvale Ave, leaving his car there, and we drove up to mine and hit the hill. Up the usuals, Vic Park Rd, 19th, Skidder, and gruntsville (I walked a snip), all the way to the top.  Regroup and down around, popping the two jumps nicely then straight into Worm, climbing smoothly to the Traverse.  Around here, pulling up multiple times letting (assumedly, the 'Slow Riders) lots of riders through all the way to the saddle, then mostly we got the track to ourselves after that.  Stopped at the top of Lavaflow, climbing up to the fenceline.  Good chat, rest, hang-out up here in the wind, taking shelter behind a couple of matagouri, and then due to cold, got moving.  

Down the Lavaflow.  What a blast.  Loved it.  Tech rock, tricky lines.  I dabbed a couple of spots, took smoother less steep lines when Nelson took big drops.  Only didn't ride one feature on my route.  Below the open section, into the Kanuka, lovely swoopy back and forth.  A couple of rocks I dabbed through, but will ride next time, then after the lowest one, tiiight rooty steep to the Hidden Valley 'bonus.'  Climbed up through the steep pines onto Old Skool, around to the high point and then dropped in.  Excellent blast down here.  My weight to my advantage, rolling, coasting, pumping, no pedalling and catching Nelson all the way while he was pedalling to keep the speed.  Bony as hell, lots of it, with some blown out bits lower down that could catch us off guard (but didnt).  Finally the last few corners, drifting out onto the gravel and out down, coasting rolling to the car. He dropped me home. 

Good hoon. 9 kms with 260 m climbed (plus an extra 220 descended) - very similar to the last time we hit Lavaflow (20 months ago!)

Sunday Sumnervale Captain Godley Snake Escape

Spin out with some new peeps this morning. I was a bit hungover post the TFC Xmas do.  At 10am, I met Jon, Ian and Conor, the latter two for the first time, at Sumnervale and we headed up the hill on what proved to be a hot and cool ride.  Clambered up the valley switchbacks and onto the sidling climb, walked the rockiest bits, and slowly my hangover was replaced with sucking down a lot of fresh air.

Out Godley Head Rd, climbing up the farmtrack to the Godley for a sweet hoon down to Livingston and over to Breeze.  Tonnes of ebikers and the odd regular biker around.  Very busy out there.  Up the road a little and dropped into Anaconda where I set a scorching pace, none of them managing to hold on.  Regrouped at the bottom, then hit the snake and regrouped again.  

Up the Escape, horrid steep bits being horrid, but the rest of it smooth sailing.  From top, up road to decide to stay on the road (we'd already been 2.5 hours by this stage - lots of long languorous breaks), nice coast down to Evans, and into the Captain.  I followed Ian, because it was his 'local' (he lives in Sumner), but I would have ridden most of it faster than him. Due to timing, he bailed off down the zigs, where I led Conor and Jon down the oldskool exit.  A bit too tech for them, methinks.  I rode everything, they got off and walked the odd bit.  I stopped often for them to catch up.  Good wee ride tho, just taking it easy and popping through stuff and enjoying it slower.  

Back to the cars and said our goodbyes.

Around 20 kms, (I didn't start MMR until we were a couple kms up (at 150m), and total of 770 m (620m + 150m) climbed.

Sunday Tops Again but Mountained

Good leg stretch hoon along the tops similar and back similar to yesterday but on the single track on the mountainbike.  Up the usuals, 19th, skidder, gutser (brief breather half way up), to top of Vic, down around the jumpies and hard right into Worm back up to Traverse.  Into the long slog around here, going well, then over Vernon, bomb to Rapaki-top, into Witch, decently negotiated.  Along road up to Castle and bomb in behind a couple of other guys (dad and son) I'd crossed paths with a couple of times, after giving them a good gap.  I popped out the very end closer to them than I'd been to start with and straight into the climb back up the road.  

Up onto the Tors for a good waft down this.  Very overgrown.  Onto road again and good blat around to Witch, up and over again, then up the road around Vernon, catching and overtaking another rider.  Into Traverse, nice bomb, then through the jumpies, rabbit paddock, rocks, gums, road, 235 out and up and down behind houses home.  

Similar but different, 20kms, 740 m climbed

Saturday Ease Along the Top and Back

With T, on our Ebikes we shot up on top and out past the Bridle Path and back.  Her first ride for a long time, good to get her stretching out.  We stopped just beyond the Bridle Path and I sat down on the grass and lay back.  On our way back after Castle Rock it felt like something was biting me on my elbow and on my back...  ended up with allergic looking bites, spider?  ant??  no idea.  Beautiful day but windy in places.  Used 60 % of my battery.  as did she.

Easy hoon, 21 kms, 790m escalated.

Show Day Hill Troll

Quick spin down the hill to meet T and Ben for an Ernle Clarke walk then off up the hill via more interesting routes, just for a good leg stretch.  I love riding this bike.

Grand total of 7.6 kms, 212 m clambered.

Saturday Quick Trolling

Little spin into a storm.  What looked to be a wall of weather out on the plains was making its way towards the hills and I knew everything was packing in for Sunday so I jumped on the Troll and headed out and up.  (after first attaching my Fidlock attachment to the frame for bottle).  Stood and ground my way up, good pace and man that bike feels fast and light, so smooth.  Up over 19th, to the skidder and onto my feet for the steepest.  Just up from the Sesame wallride I took off my bushshirt, tying it onto the handlebars, and got pedalling again.  Up to Brakefreezone and across the rabbit paddock to my sunset-seat.  Watched the weather, took the photo, rain started to spit, so headed across Rabbit and into Rocks, down around through the Gums, slick-tech on the Troll, out to Skidder and them bombed down the road, rain spattering heavier, into Dogparkcarpark - 235, slick bomb down here, not as dry as it was the other day, all the way down to the bottom of Harry Ell, and carried bike up shortcut to VicParkDrive and bomb to home.

25 minutes riding-time, a smidge less than 5 kms, 154 m climbed.

Thursday Night Solo, Hunts and back

Up from home to the top top of Vic, half dying on the steep climbing.  Quick blat down round the jumpies and and hard right into Coffee Break climbing gently up to the Traverse.  Misty fog lingering in spots around here, with various views diminished, vanished or there.  Stopped up top of Huntsbury and had a quick snack and break.  Then dropped into top of Four Pause for a nice blat down this bony rutty trail.  Yumpity bump, missing the 2nd jump, and then whoah..., dude slowing me just before the bottom gap jump, bypassing it cos there's a guy lying on the ground on the landing pad. Not in a good way.  His mate was on the phone to the emergency services, describing where they were.  Raspy sounding breathing, so maybe his lung was punctured?  Nasty rasping sound... I couldn't help, wasn't carrying my space blanket (which I'd have given if I was), his mates had it in hand, so I took off, continuing down the 'easy' tussock route, through the cattlestop, part way down the singletrack then peeled left through tussocks and clambered over Rocky, nearly crashing, then down all the way, bypassing or taking various of the jumps, all the way to the bottom of the Huntsbury Track. 

Back up the gravel road expecting an ambulence up behind me or chopper flying over any minute, but none.  Eventually back up to the guys, dude still on his back, still sounding dreadful, - he'd cased the jump.  They said they were sending a chopper...  Ground  up the gravel grovel and up onto the Traverse again, bomb bomb, lots of runners and walkers, chatted with a girl in an Montana State Uni top, "MSU!  I lived in Bozeman in the early 90s. - started mountainbiking there, 30 years ago!"  On around Traverse, big group of walkers hustling out of the way, and then bomba domb down over the jumps, straight through the cattlestop and down the rabbit paddock into the rocks, and gums, wend wend, out to skidder, over 19th, then into 235 all the way through out onto H'Ell and down the road back up around to home.... 

Home about 10 minutes when I finally heard and saw the chopper past, weaving its route to avoid the foggy mist... that was a long wait for the poor injured dude. 

Vitally statistical 13.8 kms with 481 m climbed