Sun-Daylight-saved Brit-Cav-Cast-Pleas-Brit-Kent, More Down than Up

Great wee ride tonight, first of the non-Daylight Savings, Winter is Coming, ride.  I drove to his and chucked my bike on his roof and we headed up the hill, parking at Summit / Mt Pleasant Rds intersection.  

Headed into Britten and around the front, then rather than up onto the singletrack for the ballbearing descent, we headed down the road through the cutting to Cavendish Saddle, and climbed up the zigs and zags to the back of the Gondola building.  Off down the steppity-steppity-steps and rocknical techery through to the Bridle top and onroad to top of Castle.

I led down Castle Rock, keeping good pace and ducking and weaving the rocks and sketch.  Nice blast down and around then around again and climbing, slower than Nelson's usual pace on this bit, meeting an ebike guy coming the other way.  Onto the road again to head around under the Gondola, up to Cavendish Saddle again and this time onto the trail for the steeper-than-we-ever-remember-until-it-levels-off-a-bit climb up and around.  Between a couple of rocks I got stymied, wedged, feet not clipping out fast enough, and ended up toppling off and tumbling, leaving my bike standing.  Rolling again balance was all off, and I struggled up the rest, cleaning waay more than I'd expect, given those conditions.  Up to top of Mt Pleasant, couldn't see Nelson so assumed he'd ridden around the building to the top and over, but once I was up there I could see him down at the top of the trail...  I bopped down to where he was and he was gone, oh, there he is, up towards the trig.  

Dropped into the top of Mt Pleasant descent, biffing and boffing down, stalled and nearly otb'd on that 2nd corner, but survived and rolled on, struggling in the stoppiness of the rocks, and then getting my groove back in the grooves lower down.  Down above the ruins and hauling ass across the OG (original greenwood) entrance to the road again.  Up around to the car I suggested we leave and drive back for.  

Down Britten (V-twin) and across the front, then exploring all the techy rock features down the left hand side, eventually dropping down and entering ("i didnt see the any no bikes sign") Kenton track, for a fun, tech, speedy bash.  Excellent cleaning of the trickery, eventuating at the bottom of the steps up to Rockview Pl.  From here, Belleview, Mt Pleasant and Soleares to Nelson's.  He put his bike away and I chucked mine on the back of my car and ran him back up to his.

Good vibes, 13 and a half kms, with 420 m climbed (+ an extra 300 m descended).

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.