Thursday Evening Croc of Climbing

Buncha ups and downs out in Halswell tonight. Up to the trees, Download, C2, alllll the way up to Siberia and over, then back down across and dropped into Off the Cuff, up Upper Crust, down Murph's, up the OG Croc, down Spurious, back up C2 and down Mish Mash...

Less than 10kms and only 289 climbed, which seems a bit of a rip

Sunday Bowenvale Jeht Planing

Bonza, mate. Bonza! 

Left home at 1 on the dot and ground my way up the usuals to the top of Vic. Popped off down Thomson#1, enjoying the absolute cush and speed of the Jeht, weaving through the gap and into the hairpins to head back up the road to the top again.  Next, I boffed off round, popping the jumps and hauling straight back around and up the Worm to hit the Traverse for the cruise across.  I could see a couple of riders ahead, a long way ahead when I first got onto it, they were rounding the stile further ahead.  When I got there they were slightly less far away, then when I was coming around towards the Sugarloaf saddle carpark they were just negotiating the pond and then the rock feature after that.  I caught the young girl as we rounded towards Lavaflow and she stopped to let me by at that rock feature just after that.  I stopped at the top of HuntsDH and let her roll by to her dad(?).  

Dropped off down what was fourpause and had an audience just below the first jump, a guy riding up the gravel stopped to observe.  Wind behind me, quite quick down here.  First left into the swervy version of the landing-strip-adjacent trail, and enjoying the flow.  Onwards over the top of Ali Express, finding, after the cattlestop, a new route into the zig and zag, Sheepshit City it should be called.  Dropping down all the rest of the rocky sections, nice flow and bomb.  Strong winds on the zig and zag before the Old Skool proper, pushing or adjusting...  Stopped for a rest and saw a couple ahead.  Headed off, bombing, flowing, tailwind, fast and smooth, funtimes, the pedestrians were out of the way just before the cattlestop and I just rolled on through.  Nice flow, riding well.  Zig and zag back and forth flowing and pumping, flying then into the bottom and onto the grind, the endless steep, grovelling up valley, eventually out the top and over the skidder into the singletrack descent to 19thy, below road, through, coast, into dogparkcarpark, hello to Jo from work who was parked in my spot, and bombing through the curvy grooves, all the way down to H'Ell, clamber up, blast home

A congenial 12.5kms with 540m risen

Friday Towards Menzies and Back, on the Fatty

As per the title, climbed out of Little Ak, daydreaming away and enjoying the view, up to Brockworth then bombing gravel down into Decanter, across the bridge and climbing again, up and around and on up the downs all the way to Rehutai where I took a nice pic

(combo of Godley and Scarborough Heads in the distance there).
and then turned around and rolled and coasted and bombed back down, stopping for views - this one in particular:

(Long Lookout in the distance, The Decanters in front).

And also not stopping...  Down through Decanter again and climbing back up the other side, back over and then bombing again on the noise of angry bees down down down and fast, through the hairpin and down to the bach, then up the road to the house where I got into my togs, grabbed T and we went for a swim - her riding the fatty down and me on the old globecruiser.   

Minus the swim, 17 odd kms, and a juicy 670 m upwardly mobile

Saturday View Hill Part-way

T, Nik and Blair were walking up to Chorlton.  I ran Jet around a short loop with the bike, then rode up past them to the top and up the gravel road, walking the steepest bits then riding on up to the pine tree intersection. 

Rested out of the wind for a bit, took in the view and bombed back down.  Fast as all heck on the gravel, not feeling quite as comfy as on the fatty.  Once on the seal it was faster still, around the corner and into the wind, which slowed things a little.  

Windy, 10.66 kms and 468 m climbed. 

First not-really-Ride of the Year, Troll Dump

Dump run needed so I headed up on the Troll with the rubbish bag bungied to the front rack. 17 minute round trip, 4.7 kms total and amazingly 81 m climbed. 

Monday, Troll to the Bach, the Hard Way, With Inclemency

Miserably wet, but surprisingly enjoyable journey to the bach today.  Kitted up the Troll, 'guards and all, everything sealed against the elements.  Getting excellent use out of the 3 bags I used.  Encountered pissing howling southerly, trying to wrench control of the bike on certain sections of all of the tops I traversed.  

Left home 1.30 pm and headed up to the Summit through Vic.  Onto Summit Rd and headed around, with gales trying to make me crash below Sugarloaf, then Vernon/Rapaki-top, and most of the way from Witch, especially the saddle before the Tors - so strong!  Sections of wild tailwind too, and pedalling into the wind on a couple of the downhills.  Whiteout just before Bridle Path.   - all actions to be repeated on all the higher sections of the trip.  Troll'stopher rode much better than last time, brakes holding out nicely and new Fast Track tyres gripping accurately.  Across top of Ticehurst Tce and down the valley into Lyttelton and straight down to the Ferry, 2.30 pm for the 2.50.  1 hr in.

Off the boat, up the hill and grabbed a bite for later from the cafe above.  Patches of sun around.  Down into Purau nice, then into the climb.  This went better than last time, not being nearly as hot.  Hunger got the better of me part way up so I stopped on some dry dirt under a Kanuka on a corner and ate.  A few cars up, one or two down.  Got riding again and felt heaps better.  Slow and steady, grinding away at it.  A couple of short walking stints and lots of grind.  Amazing moody views everywhere, and long periods of time with the whole road to myself.  Gale just over the top, from the side, and behind as I was heading down.  Fast fast fast down, and brakes much better than last time too, scrubbing off speed before the 25kph at the bottom, then rolling around to the church.

Stopped here and looked for a tap, finding none, so I captured rainwater dribbling out of the downpipe - enough in the filter to refill my bottle and headed down to the waterfront and around.  Climb over into next waterfront and then up to the Pigeon Bay turnoff, a sheep leading the way.  Gravel began and biiig climb ahead.  Wetter and wetter as I climbed, grinding away, 

eventually I got to a dry spot under some macracarpas out of the wind where I stripped off and put on dry singlet, longsleeve and windvest under wet raincoat, and my hat.  Much better.  Texted T from here too, it was 5.30pm, 4 hours since I left home.  Onwards upwards, short walk up around the corner, higher and higher then finally over the top, gusty winds on the initial descent then down down down narrow gravel rd, fast and controlled and fun as heck.  Nice and long, then around down and through Holmes Bay and over to Pigeon.  Not a single car encountered all the way until a local in Holmes Bay.    

Up valley here it was dry, and I think the sun tried to come out, but moody and dark over Mt Pearce and the rest of the tops.  Stopped in at Hays Reserve and ate a OneSquare and explored the tracks a little - lovely big podocarps, then riding again, on up the valley, a lonnng grind, walking, riding, walking, riding, taking a call from dad, and texting T "nearly at the top" (it was 7.10pm) and only finally making the top at 7.30pm -  not 'nearly' at all.  "Nearly" if you were in a car, for sure.  Fun steers all running to see me and follow me up the last paddock to the top.  They were great company.

Onto the Summit Rd here and the final leg.  Seemed surprisingly flat around to the old water-trough corner, then that tight wee climb and surprisingly flat around to the corner that's just been cleared of the big macracarpas.  But then seemed to take ages to get around this corner and up to the logging entrance, then encountered the first 2 or 3 cars I'd seen since the bottom of Pigeon, climbing up around the tight corners before Little Ak. around the last tight bushy corner and a mac was roaring in the wind but I wasn't feeling it, then the powerlines were screaming and I was barely buffetted, then around the corner, uphill straight, gale wind pushing me along.  Spectacular!  Over the top and the tailwind pushing me down hill at a rate of knots, it wasnt until coach corner that I felt the wind in my face from the speed of my descent.  Fast down, very enjoyable rolling with speed down the steeps and then through the lower rolling valley section, finally up the drive to the bach, 6 hours, 45 minutes since I left home.

The long and hard way, 60 kms, 2150 m in dead-slow ups and exhilarating descents.  Added bonus of 220 m extra down - steep as they were. 

Christmas morning, Bike to collect car, with an extra

On Xmas Eve T and me had left the car up at the Awaroa turn off to walk down the road and out the Waiharakeke Track. Xmas morning I rode up to the car, then continued all the way down to Awaroa, around as far as I could on the beach of the estuary, then back up the road to the car.  Merry Chrissmast

Total of 12 kms and 430 m climbed.