Tuesday Night, Traversed Lava Skooling

Drove down to Bowenvale and picked up Nelson and his bike, leaving his car there, and brought them back to mine from whence we rode up into Vic.  Clean climb to the top and then popped off around the two jumps, onto Worm and up onto the Traverse for the hoon around here.  I was really struggly on the climby bits, legs weak for some reason.  We stopped at the top of Lavaflow for a good rest.

A dude on an ebike turned up about when we were gonna head down, commented, "good to see a Cotic," and he ended up dropping in with us.  I baulked at the first feature, having picked a dropping line rather than a flowing one and he bowled on past me, chasing Nelson.  I picked my way down, baulking at a couple of other features, dabbing a couple, and then stopped where Nelson was below two rather steep features.  He'd thought scotsman-ebiker was me on his tail and thinking at the time I was doing well!  I picked my way down to the trail ahead of Nelson, then we dropped into the corner next to the cabbage tree.  I baulked again.  From here I examined features, and cleaned them all, thinking wtf was I worrying about? after each.

My fat ass riding something steepish...

And nelson dropping down to me

After this it was down into the lower bushy reaches, and baulked again at the final rockdrop (which I have ridden before.  

Then it was climb to Old Skool, and dropped in for a rapid and enjoyable (and fresh in the memory) descent, holding on to Nelson's tail the whole way.  A couple of big dings on the back end seem to have resulted in a flat (which I noticed the following morning).  Down the road to the car and home.

Not massive, but massive, 8.75 kms with 261 m climbed (meaning a around 460 m descended)

Saturdaze Epublications

Bit of healthy socialising with workmates, riding from pub to pub.  Due to the climb home, I took the ebike and just stuck to the Eco setting until the Turboboosted slog home.

23 kms in all, with 270 m climbed.

Thursday Mental Health Ride

Bailed work a little early, got home, set something running once home and headed up on the Jeht (with the new tan-wall tyres). 

Gaspingly hard to start with, but once I was going it wasn't quite so bad.  Struggle street to the rabbit paddock and above, then dived into Thompsons #1 and flowed down here, then back up the road.   Dropped around down into Vic-top, over the jumps and around into Worm, then stopped just through the fence on the start of the Traverse...  Hmmm, where to go??  

Boffed off down through the fence and hung a right, down Upper Fenceline, nicely nicely, then across top of Cool Ruinings, climbing up across to Razza's, dropping down this, then up the track to where Pedalfine crosses, and dropped down here, hanging a left on the 4wd track back up to bottom of Razza's, to drop into the extension of that, through across Brents and out the bottom of that.  Then up the Corporate Ladder, stopping to move some sticks on the singletrack bit (where i took this:

(everything is brown!)

Next into Sneaky Ridge for a bit of a hoon, talking myself through the ballbearings in the oaks, jumping out onto Bridges (or whatever it's called at this point) in front of a woman (orange top) and dog, then off down here into the pines, around into NuBridges, flowy flow, and fast down the valley.  Not sure why, but chose to do Hidden-Valley climb up to Old Skool at this point and clamber clamber, under howling pylons, nicely fun blast down, especially with the tail-wind bits (most of it), all the way, rolling out and up the valley for the climb, yet again.  Saw the woman in the orange top down here ("back up for some more, eh?").  Crawled up the steeps, cleaned it all, with a good breather just above Hospital, then on upwards, getting overtaken by a very fit looking, slightly older dude on a very light looking XC hardtail just before the pono's pylon.  He made it look effortless, in comparison to my hugging and chuffing.  Up around past 40fter and up around to the skidder, all the while suffering, but coping.  

Then across skidder and into lower(gums) singletrack and out to 19th, below road flow, coasting, rain just starting to spit, into DogParkCarPark, nice under the trees, and flowy, blazing alllll the way down to H'Ell and clamber, down to home just as the rain started proper - timing couldn't have been more perfect.

A bittersweet 11.7 kms, with a valid 496 m wrought height.

Stoney-Owney Fatso Saturday Loopy.

Heesh, what a climb... Took Kuan and his friend Andre to Akaroa for them to have a look around.  It was Le Race day, so we passed a few stragglers before Little River, then one or two on the hill, and the Summit Rd was closed to cars, so it was lucky we were going to Akaroa and not LA.  Parked at the far end, just up from the Wharf, and the boys went for a wander while I rode back around to Stoney Bay Rd and headed up valley...  Long climb.  Gravel from part way up the valley and then big long switchbacks, in granny most of the time, crawling.  By the time I made the top I was pretty toasted.  Hour and a half that took.  

Then was onto the trail across below Flag Peak and behind the Brasenose, it was surprisingly hard going, given it wasn't very steep, energy sapping mown grass farm track, and I was HOT.  Stopped and had a rest in the shade of the pines on the flatter bits along the top, even taking my top off and lying on the damp grass and snacking half a onesquare, the first food since a bagel before we left town.  Was putting my shirt back on just as a walker lady arrived.  Bit of a chat then off I went, onwards further across the top then the trail dropped down, becoming very steep and narrower, more like a quadbike track, quite eroded out where water had been pouring and stepping down, a few interactions with gorse bushes on various parts of my body that then became a problem later.  Trail rounded off more level for a bit then climbed a bit and the final climb to the next top was very steep, too steep to ride, up to the 692 point.  Walked up to here, nice view, looking back towards Brasenose and the whole harbour, Akaroa kinda hidden behind the hill.  Fun descent (tho short) down to Flea Bay Rd, then onto Lighthouse Rd, for a mega-fast descent - catching up to a car surprisingly fast, then road flattened off a bit and they got away then thankfully they'd stopped for the view and I bombed on by and hurtled down the road, tires screaming on the seal...

Rolled around through town and got a big feed at the local Kaimoana takeaways.  Then went and picked up the boys from their Giant's House experience and we headed over to Little Ak.  A swim was relished, cooling down my heated brain.

A laboured-epic, 16 km in the making with 920 m heaped on top. 

Friday Night Fat Trail Fix, then Troll to Dinner

As the title says, rode up on the Fatty with the hatchet and cleared the Gum section with the tree down.  Hard(ish) yakka:

During  

After

(more of my handywork visible further down the trail too 😁)

Once cleared I pushed up to the Rabbit Paddock and dropped over to my sunset seat for a juicy beverage and a chill.  Once done, I pedalled back over and boffed off down the rocks and into the gums and through my cleared section and fun times all the way down.  Fatty popping and weaving nicely, then below road from 19th and coasting to the DogparkCarpark blast, lovely berm railing and jumps through the oaks and all the way out to the very bottom - doing a tiny bit of clearance just above the final drop to H'Ell.  Clamber to road, and home.  

Got a text from T saying, come on down to Pia's for dinner, so I jumped on the Troll and took some backways down the hill, zigzag, Kidson, Whisby, MacMillan, Rhodes to Garth, Crighton through the park then down river into Ernle Clarke and over the bridge, Studholme, park, Stenness and I was there, for food and some another beverage.

8 and a half km in total, with a measly 154 m escalated

Wednesday Ada Troll, Cratered

Shitty day, shitty mood, shitty sleep, shitty day at work, mood: glum.  So, to clear my head I took the Troll up the hill... Grunted up through Vic (same pace as a girl running (ahead) until above the first gate where it gentles off a little and I passed her before the upper dog park entrance).  Up through the 19th and over to skidder and the usual walk up the grunter.  All the way to the Summit Rd for the nice roll down to the Kiwi.  Across the Pass and up the next section of Summit Rd, jollying up and up til it settled off.  Nice cruise down(ish) around to the first saddle where I took to the Crater Rim walkway and rode (and dabbed and walked) through the slippery rocky trail along adjacent to the road.  Nice bush, lovely bellbirds singing.  Explored off down Bush Rd to the left a wee ways, then back up to continue through the next saddle and staying on the Crater Rim up around the flank of Ada (past Ella's) through the previously burned section.  Very overgrown, ended up walking quite a bit of it, but rode some.  View towards Marleys and town (Sugarloaf on the right).

Left up the Ada track to the top, riding and walking.  Excellent view up here. 

Off down from here down to the road again, some fun, narrow then at the bottom wide speed.  Onto the road and towards home, rolling start, then tucked speed through the first saddle and fast standing cranking around to sitting climbing gently back towards Marleys and then faaasstt rolling coast down back to Kiwi, through the top and up, climb climb to top of Vic and off down the usual singletracks, rocks, gums (log needs cutting - still), then out to skidder, over 19th, down to Dogpark Carpark and weaving and jumping through this, ballbearings!!! (acorns), and out to home.  

A nice jaunt, all round - 14(ish) km, and a little under 500 m climbed.

Scorched Sunday Thomas the God Botherer's Captaincy

Took myself out to Slumner with the Jeht on board and parked up in some shade before Scumnervale. Headed up the OG Captain and it was hot. Really fucking hot. Many times I thought, "it's too much" but each time I continued. Scorching, bit of walking right at the start then not so bad from there on out with the usual rocks needing the foot-use.  Sumner Triathlon was on and there were cones and signage and people all over Evans Pass, with Godley Head Rd closed to traffic, I headed out there with the knowledge there'd be no cars.  Climbed up the grass onto the trail - utterly surrounded by a kaliedoscope of butterflies (or was it a whisper of moths?).  Breather at the top here and chatted to a bloke on a Santa Cruz here (that I'd seen from below the wondering whether he'd been through or not by the time I got up there).  He asked about the trail, it'd been a while since he'd been on it, and then I gave him the lead off and waited a bit longer.  Off down after him and had a nice blast. Then at Livingston he was waiting at the big gate, opening it for me but (to him) I'd disappeared behind the rock, and was at the small gate (where the old cattlestop roll-over used to be).   

I felt better from here up and over, cleaning all the rocky tech on the up, nice flow down around, over pfmtbc rock to Breeze, then took the Breeze Bay walking track around the back, with literally a good breeze coming up off the sea round here. VERY Needed. Caught some walkers before the stile - giving the guy a heck of a fright. Over the stile ahead of them and bombed down to the carpark where I filled up my water. Then, around the front on the OG Godley section, enjoying, and crossing paths with the Santa Cruz dude again.  At Breeze I intended to head back on the road, started out that way but where the top Anaconda entrance is I climbed up the paddock to the Godley trail again.  Nice from here back in this direction over the techy rock and missing the wasted descent on the road to Livingston (which would have been a nice rest, I guess).  

From Livingston stayed on the trail and climbed it. My figuring was, it's the same altitude gain as if I'd ridden the road and up track. Hell of a lot more effort tho. Oh well. Received a compliment from an American-accented woman who'd stopped to let me tackle the wee bridge thing at the head of the gully up here. Impressed with my body-English manoeuvrings methinks... I didn't know what to say I was so toasted. I said, "no worries" like she'd thanked me! Then realised my error and said, "thanks, heaps" and continued on my merry way, then wondered if I should have stopped to chat...build some community, like??  Looking back a little further up I could see someone following me, way back, who'd pulled over to let her by.  He was present in my mind, chasing, for the rest of my ride (but didn't catch up til I was on the road next to my car). Blasted the tech rock all the way back to Evans, tho one sticky situation near the end that resulted in a nice lump on my shin/ankle.  My right foot was violent smacked out of my pedal by a rock at almost exactly the same time as my left foot hit a bigger rock, all-but stopping me in my tracks.  At the second foot-strike the pedal from the first intersected with my ankle...  ouch.

Through the pass and straight into Captain Thomas for a rip snorting descent. Had an audience in a couple of the crucial moments, a trio of walkers and dogs above the two rock dropdowns, and a runner who leaned out of the way with a big grin on her face as I dropped down the second of those. Cleaned all of everything except the short climb after the rocky techs, but made it higher on that than I have in a while.  Down in the OG section I stopped to have a single chat with Doug at the bridge and T rang wondering where I was.  Cleaned all the rocky roll-overs lower down here, and had a lovely lively jaunt down the trail.  Dusty finish, and across the road to the car. 

An efficacious 18.4 kms and 765 m climbed, unanticipatedly.

Resolute to ride more as this climbing lark was hurting me...  My playing-up knee survived nicely too.