Labour Sunday LA OK Maxim(ili)um Labouring

Big loop ride with Max from the bach.

Had the Troll and so Max and I headed up valley.  I was amazed I cleaned it all, just needing breathers a few times.  If the Troll can climb that stuff it can climb anything.  Took us a while to get to the top, lots of stops for air, in the shade, trying to keep cool given it was so hot.  But, we made it!

Max just behind that sign on the left...

And then it was off around the Summit Rd.  I weighed up cutting it shorter and slogging across the back of View Hill, but we voted on the continuation of the Summit, hitting the final climb to the highest point on the road and the cruisy blast that followed, down to Okains Bay turn off.  

Dropped down here, nice rapid speed followed by the cruisy rolling valley-bottom - so much longer the L.Ak has.  Got to the Museum and shop and stuff, and continued all the way to the beach, where we rode out onto the sand to take in the crowds (relatively).  There was even a small plane on the beach, which we'd seen flying around earlier, and then it took off once we'd made our way back into the shade of a tree to scoff our half-empanada left-overs.  

Time to ride again and back up valley, across to the bridge and hit the hill.  Longer and steeper and hotter than memory allowed from last time, but eventually made it and we bombed down into Stony Bay, seeing one biker on his way up.  Then the next climb, where we were passed (towards us) by a couple of bikes.  Once the steep was over I was rolling along ahead and I heard Max talking to someone.  Turned out it was Nick, white-beard guy who I've seen multiple times on the Summit Rd, has a bach in Lukes Rd.  Rode with him for a bit, he showed us a water tap on a bach up here, then rode with him to the high point of the Chorlton Rd, up under that house at the top of the valley.  I waited in the shade for Max and Nick took off.  

Nice roll from here then one fast blast down into Chorlton, through the two or three dips and climb to then blast down into LA, what a hoot.  Paused on the waterfall creek bridge and Max was not far behind.  Finally made the house, and headed down for a swim a little later on.

Thirty-seven and three-quarters km traversed, and 1138 m climbed.

Wednesday Solo Stooge, Vic'n'Traverse'n'Vic with a Smash

Doozy wee ride tonight. Up road, in at the carpark, down into the climb, wee extra over past the bit I crashed back in March (the irony), then up to 19th, back around over it into Skidder and straight into Upper-Rooted. Nicely done in here now and out the top. Meandered up to the top, being nice and saying hi to the various 2s or groups I saw.  A loop and water at the carpark and dived off into it.  Down over the jumpie and onto Worm, climbing up to the Traverse to spin across here.  I seemed to have heaps of energy and was keeping a cracking pace.  Riding with Nelson on Sunday must have really boosted me. Made it around to Lavaflow and seriously considered it, but unsure how much fun it would be on the Stooge.  I considered Huntsbury down and back, or Old Skool, but decided I didn't want all that extra climbing, so turned back on the Traverse for another very nice blast, tail wind, keeping good pace and pump.  

At the top before the trees I dropped into Upper Fenceline, across, then rather than dropping down I moseyed across above Cool Runnings, catching a guy here, I said, "not really sure where I want to drop in tonight" and so we rode across.  I boffed off into Dazza's to peel right into Razza's while he took Shazza's.  I cleaned out the top Razza's and just about to drop across the 4wd track when a pelleton of speed whizzed under me.  Bloody lucky I noticed them or we would have collided.  They'd shot through and I dropped down into the lower forest, picking up some speed, when suddenly my right hand jumped/bounced? off the handlebar and I was going down in a big jumble.  The ground was quite steep, so from where I was going over the bike there was a long way to the ground.  I think I travelled a little way on top of the handlebars, maybe glanced off a tree, and the wheel turned and flipped me over to land in a heap entangled in the bike.  Scrapes to elbow, both sides of my front torso, both legs around the knees, massive lump on the thigh, right forearm...  Ouchy. (and strangely, tweaked my right calf again).  There's an interesting unidentified bike-part shaped mark on my rib (which feels tweaked underneath).  Perhaps maybe I'm testing my limits a little too often these days...  I'd been feeling so strong and fast!

Dusted myself off and the guy I'd ridden across with turned up, then I followed him down Macros, down around and then I headed straight into the climb (ahead of a bunch).  My chain was making noises, so I stopped to check that and they passed, then I proceeded to catch them and sit on their tail until just above where I crashed.  I rode through them and continued, making sure I was keeping pace ahead once they'd started, although, one of them (not the ebike one) did catch me by the top.  

At Skidder I headed down and got more water, then decided to continue back up Upper-Rooted again.  At Brake-Free I headed down the paddock, stopped and upsidedowned the bike to tune the gears a bit better, and then off into the Rocks, Pines, Gums flow time blast all the way down for a rest at the gate.  Then it was into Heavenly Creatures for a lovely jaunt, climb, jaunt Sleepy, nearly forgot the climb to pylon and 235 drop down around, then blast through the final cut.  Love it.

Chafed and tender 11.5 kms, with 390 m climbed.

Sunday, Flow and Punishment. A Stooge Odyssey

Drove over to Nelsie's, loaded the Stooge on his roof rack, then we dropped my car at the bottom of Soleares, and took his up to top of Mt Pleasant Rd - giving us a 400 m advantage.  

From here, we rode round Summit Rd and straight up Broadleaf to the top of Mt Pleasant for a view over the harbour, whereupon the battle ensued... Stoogey's such a capable bike, but man the peaky rocks tweak it up.  Mammoth effort required to float over everything so you end up getting beaten around.  Still lots of fun, and the smoother sections are a dream.  

Down the upper Greenwood Nelso got ahead, but I kinda started catching up again, whipping through the bermy tussocks.  Above the ruins we bumped into Finlay, and Jo and Ben, and a couple others I didn't know.  They were walking Sumner to Lyttelton.  Brief chat then we took off again and hit Greenwood.  Surprising how well I handled this.  Kept pretty good speed and Nelson never got too far ahead.  Some bits were a total beating.  Hauled up after Gloomy and had a short rest, then got going again.  Surprisingly good flow down this next section, and I took the single x dropover, around into the swoopy zigs and zags I was staying right on Nelson's tail until one rockgarden.  Then last blast to Evans was a hoot.

Onto Godley, dab-walked the rocks at the start but cleaned everything else out there, nice flow to Livingston, where we stopped and watch a para-sailer wafting back and forth, grabbing an uplift, sliding across and down, then back around.  Looked cool.  

Good climb followed over to Breeze, turned around and climbed back up.  Sweet.  Then back up from Livingston, bit of a grind, but maybe better than the farmtrack from the road, and then into the flow back to Evans.  Once past the rockwall it's such a blast.  I had one very sketchy moment in here, hoo-daddy!, then the rocks towards the end were punishing.  

Onto the road, through the pass and into das Kapitan.  Again, flow, and punishment.  Cleaned everything I didn't expect to, although I took a nana line around one of the drops I normally do.  Great blast.  Past the No Entry sign (they're new and obviously everyone's ignoring them) and into what has to be one of my favourite sections of trail in the Port Hills.  Such a blast.  One hard bottom out I thought might flat me, but turned out okay.  And the final sections were a dream through pines.  

Finally, out onto the road and a nice cruisy meander back along the coastal pathway.

Initially forgot to turn off MMR unti we'd driven back up to Nelson's, but snipped it now, only, a little early, but close enough.  A valid 22ish kms, and around 360 m climbed overall...

Saturday Travis Ebike Planter

Final planting of the year, planting trees for Canterbury at Travis Swamp so I ebiked there much faster than I expected... 

Forgot to map my outward journey: Dyers, Colombo, Malcolm, Martin, Eastern, Wilson's, Charles, Grafton, Olivier's, Worcester, Rowecliffe, Kerr's, onto the glorious new red zone Coastal Pathway from the Rowing sheds. New bridge to New Brighton Rd, then Anzac to Travis. Such a direct route, practically a straight line! 

Did the planting, many great plants in the ground and nice networking, then scoffed 3 sausages and a couple hash browns and headed home, this time sticking to the new pathway all the way to Medway bridge where I stayed on Avonside Tce side around Jet's old sniffing ground, after the houses were gone.  Quite an emotional journey around here, melancholy for the huge loss of humanity that had lived their lives right through there for so many years.  Then Stanmore to Nursery to Wilson's and Eastern all the way round Beckenham loop, through the school and back up the hill home, ending with 16% battery left... I wasn't scrimping on power. 

17 or 18ish kms each way.  This was my pathway home. 

There was an attempt...

Broken ride last night.  Stooge BB needs replacing, and I only received the new cassette for the Jeht yesterday, so haven't chucked it and the new chain on yet, so...  I dug out the Ritchey - first time since November last year.  Lubed the chain, pumped up the tires and I thought he was good to go.  Chucked it on the car and headed to Sumnervale to meet up with Nelsie.  

We headed in, it felt weird, like the front was gonna tuck under me, but that's just cos I haven't ridden it so long.  And I stopped and pumped the tires a bit more before we hit the hill.  Into it, around the first hairpin and !tink!, and my freewheel was freewheeling both forward and backwards.  Fuck.  Oh well.  That was it.  Turned around and scooted back to the cars.  I offered Nelso to continue on his own, but he opted for option 2 which was to go to Two Thumbs.  So, we went and had a beer instead of a ride.

Just for laughs, didn't even make a km and a half!

Sweet Sunday Stooge

Quick chuff up on the Stooge tonight.  

Cruised up the road, lovely mild late afternoon after a morning of working, and tired laziness after a late night.  Dropped down into Sleepy from DPCP and cruised up this, then up to 19th, backtracking to pass over the top of it, then through Skidder and took the 4wds across to pop down Cool Runnings.  Some funnings, then straight into Up-rooted, all the way to the top of both, then up to the carpark at top of Vic - basically saw no-one in Vic Park the entire time (there were a couple people rode down through Macros as I climbed, but no-one else on the trails).  Some ladies in the carpark were the first I'd encountered.  

From here, dropped off down, first jump, then down rabbit, into rocks, pines, gums, nicely nicely, then cedars, through to 19th, into Heavenly for a lovely buzz down through here.  

Out the last and up straight into the lower half, good flow, Sleepy Hollow then climbing, attempting a little bit of line building in the climb to the pylon, then down oldskool 235, new line, around onto old, drop, oaks, and final blast to H'Ell.  Clamber, road, home - in other words, all the usuals.  

A nice local schmooze about.  A needed, and welcome wee blast of 6.77 kms and 285 climbed

Wednesday Evening Local Loopies

Mellifluous spin tonight taking in all the tight (and right) local singletrack and putting together a nice loopy pattern. 

So cool tonight to realise the various works being done in the below-dog-park-carpark-zone have made a sweet wee extra loop.  Basically, the bit I've been diving into recently, before heading up the Sleepy Hollow section, is actually meant for climbing - and loops around under the pylon to head down what was the 235 - I'd been puzzling the nature of the curve under the pylon.  This now turns left before dropping down the rocks towards the wetzone, peeling back and dropping into the lower new section just below where it peels off above.  It's very cool (and reflected in the end of tonight's ride).  

So, headed up the road and dropped down into the oaks and up across the wetzone through the bypass track I'd cut (which is drying out, seemingly (finally!)) and that's where I found the new connection from the rock drop.  I headed in this, meeting and chatting with a runner and dog, climbed up into Sleepy, meeting and chatting with another walker with dog, then out and up the forest track to pop out at 19th.  Back along the road here, up and over 19th into Skidder, and into Upper-rooted, a bit more work done in here, then up to top of Thompsons #1.  Dropped down here, nice flow, down into the #2, with a good blast here too.  

Down through Dyers and up the Summit to the Nun saddle.  Left off over onto the Governor's Bay track for an interesting wee blast down here.  It's becoming a little overgrown in places, the natives are doing too well.  Across the level bit and into the techie climb.  Did really well for a start then started muppetting, cleaning some, walking a little, and clambering out the top.  

Dropped then, over onto lower Nun, finishing this off then back through Dyers and climbed up into the Thomson twins, topping out Vic.  Brief puffing loop around the carpark, much to the bemusement of the groms up here, and straight in, down for the jumpies, but!!! my brake hose came unstuck and started buzzing (grinding, more like) the tire.  Grahh!  Semi-repositioned it, but didn't trust it, so rolled down to the drinking fountain and asked some young'uns here if they had any zipties...  nope, but one girl had some excess electrical tape!  Yuss!  

Sorted, I headed down into the rocks/pines/gums for some fun times, then across Skidder and into Dazza's-start, peeling right into Razza's (bazzas) and popped off down these steep droppy roots, across the 4wd into the continuation, down through Macros and up onto the sideline, stopped to move a tree, down some newly cut bench (part of what turns out to be a walk track they're building from that new bridge Nelsie and me encountered), and straight into the bottom and into Uprooted ahead of a couple of young women.  Clamber clamber here.  Once up to the first corner, the girls had started and I felt their pressure (even tho I gapped them) all the way up.  Young and fit, obviously - cos they were chatting away.  Up at the Rad zone 4wd crossing a group of fellas entered the next section of Uprooted ahead of me and I followed them the rest of the way.  2 non- plus one e-bike gapping ahead, and another non-e rider struggling to stay ahead of me.  

Out through Skidder, across, and dropped into cedars for my usuals home.  Excquisite blast down Heavenly, it's really been trodden and scuffed, so nice and free of leafy detritus, great flow.  Out and up for the continuation, then great flow and into Sleepy and beyond, where rolled into the 'new' climb from the pines, up to the pylon (only one little section of a switchback levelling needs adding), and around into the oldskool '235' for a lovely hum down here and around and back and around the new onto the lower sections to roll down all the way through the oaks and then the last fast blast beauty out to H'Ell and my clamber to road (where I ripped out the broom bush growing on here) to rip down the road to home.

 

Transcendental 10.5 kms with 411 m upped