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

Saturday to Bain's Bay and Back

Staying at Moana with Steev'n'Meeg, 

Steev'n Me headed over the Arnold and along the lakeside Scenic Trail. Fun ride. Cruised until there was no more to cruise, washy deep gravelly sand impeding us to a walk, and we explored a little further, but couldnt see whether there was a way beyond.  Sign said "Track Closed from this point due to bridge removal."   Not really sure if this was true or not, but we weren't getting the next step to Mitchells.  So, Bain Bay it was.  Then we turned back and hooned.  

two bike pics, nice swampy forest ponding reflections behind...

Nothing tech, just a nice cruise. 20 odd km, with sweet F. A. (115 m) climbed.

Tuesday Evening Wandering

Too much other life getting in the way and I hadn't even realised it was a whole week undone.  

Short jaunt up in the local trails with Nelson tonight. Up road, over 19th, Skidder aind into Upper-Rooted, not a lot of progress made in the bit I've ducked out on, with stumps still in the ground, but push a little further up and the trail is all but finished, bar maybe 2 corners.  The final exit is practically done, and they're even extending it to join the wee zig zag feeder return for BrakeFree.  Topped out Vic, turned around in the carpark and dived off down jumpies, back up Worm, and dived down into Fenceline, pelunking down here, Romey, and into the bottom.  

Back into Uprooted, all the way up to Skidder again and this time down Shazza's, across into Pono's, which felt like aaages since (which was a surprisingly similar route - nothing new under the sunset).  Out at the 23/Texaco, and this time into the walking track (Eastern Valley?), nicely nicely bar the longish step section (which really wasn't that bad, and out to a hairpin where, "hang, on, what's this?"  A new section of track heading across and slightly down into the Sneaky oaks, even with a brand-new bridge installed.  Quick wander, and speculation where they must be taking, then rode up from fence jump, around to climb back Uprooted to Skidder. Light was going, and I was taxed by the climbs, so we headed out the road from Skidder, and ducked into Heavenly Sleeps... down my super familiar homeward trails.

Only 7.5 kms and 350 m clamberated, but was nice to get out.

Quick Sunday Local Pruning Spin

Sweet wee ride with the pruning saw to tidy a few stray branches about the place.  Headed up the road, over 19th, then dropped over Dazza's for a biff baff boff.  Then climbed across and dropped into that wee section of Pedalfine that had the branch across it.  Someone had kinda taken care of it, but not done that good a job, so I got to it with the saw and cut it off near the bottom, then cleared it right out of the way.  Continued my way down here into the bottom of the gulley, nearly losing it in slick muddy dirt.  Into Uprooted, with it's nice new carved sign,

climbing all the way up and out to Skidder, then into the new section, which was about where I'd left it last time, a couple weeks back.  I knew they'd been working on it so I didnt understand until I was further up the grunter and I could see they've been working on the middle-upper section isolated.  Not a bad idea that - stop people riding it before it's ready, by not connecting the bits being worked on.  

Climbed to top of Vic, headed down Thomson's #1 and turned back up it to the top again.  Then down around the jumpies, down Rabbit into Rocks, Gums, down and out.  Into Heavenly and had a lovely spin down here, cruising nicely.  Where T crashed the other week, I stopped and cut off a wee stump that's always bothered me, then took off a piece of the branch that took out my light the other week, whiplashing me.  Continued, more nice riding, then in Sleepy I stopped and cut a few more pokey-outy stump-branches, which will improve the flow both directions.  Downwards again, through, and in the final corner before dropping to H'Ell I stopped and explored for a way through.  Feel bad tackling this section because there's so much re-gen going on.  5-fingers and lancewoods all self-sown coming up...  Might just leave it and live with the clamber.

Short'n'sweet, 6.4 kms, 250 m climbed

Sunday, Speedbombing the Ghosts of Lyell.

Packed out of Carter's Beach and hooned up to Lyell to take in the first 11 kms of the Old Ghost. Very nice it was too!!  

We treadled our way up and up and up, in and out of valleys, checking out the historic sites all the way.  I was remembering back to the very first time up here on one of the boys' bike trips, a trail of lore for me at the time, and just started-on as what is now the Old Ghost Road.  At the time they were barely even across to the Ghost Lake and wondering how to get the next stages built.  

Tra'y loved the ride, the e-power helping her so much.  I just plugged away at it, remembering the first day of my full Ghost trip with Nelsie and the Wellingtonians.  They'd let me lead and I'd felt the pressure from behind and tried to keep a stupid pace in a far too hard a gear, blowing up in about 10 minutes.  Someone else took over and pretty much grannied it and we all slowed down and it was much easier.  I took that advice this time and kept it slow and steady.  I was therefore surprised when I spotted some riders ahead, and proceeded to catch them up!  Overtook; a couple of slightly older ladies from Wanaka, heading for the Lyell Saddle Hut; and left them behind.  Maybe a couple of kms later, we made it almost to where I'd gotten the first time with the PFMTBC crew, nearly to the slips, just past the 11 km marker.  Stopped in a sunny aspect, had a snack, and then turned to head back.  

In this pic, I'd stopped for T and she'd ridden past and I just caught her (see the red)

Not long until we passed the two ladies again and the bomb began.  What a flow.  Speedbomb lived up to its name.  It handled gloriously, so much fun.  I'd rocket forward, careening down the straights, hangin' on around the corners, always keeping an eye ahead for climbers (none).  The most fun possible.  I'd stop at the bottom of a straight and wait for Tra'y to appear, check she was good and then blaze again.  Sometimes there was minimal wait, she was loving it too.  Sometimes there was a long wait and I'd wonder if I was gonna need to turn back to see, but then she'd appear.  Fun times, and then they were done.  Across the bridge and back up to the car.    

Amazingly, somehow, 1129 m of climbing over a total altitudinal difference of maybe 800 m (really not sure where the rest of it came from).  Gloriously beautiful.

Coastal Kawatiri, Carter's to Charleston with a Comeback on a Cooperating Wind

Left the unit at 9.30 and headed out to the beach into the wind south to take in the Kawatiri Coastal Trail.  

Composed of a few quite long, quite boring sections of farmland, but also some very lovely regen bush bits full of birds and reportedly with kiwi in them. Some spectacular coastal formations, incredible seascapes, and lovely bush.  First bush section was from the Cape Foulwind was very nice, as was the largest bit in the middle.  River crossings were pleasant swing bridges, and there were various shortish sections of nice boardwalks too.  All very nice.  

Only complaint; in the bush at one stage the overwhelmingly disgusting smell of dairy effluent permeated everything.  It somehow got into my nose and just wouldn't shift.

Heading home was incredible.  The tailwind just powered me along and we made very good time considering the distance and how rinsed I was from the Mokihinui the day prior.  

Super easy trail compared to yesterday, reflected in the 68 kms with only 489 m climbed. Head wind was hard heading there but the tailwind home was perfection. Home at 4.45, so a pretty long day. 

Friday Ghosting Forks, Mokihinui GOATs

Awesome ride today, with Tra'y on the Electric Cooker and me on the Stooge. We were the only car to park at the Mokihinui end of the Old Ghost Rd, and in we rode. 

Initial climb followed by instant bliss.  "This is the best thing in the world!" I holla'd back to her.  So nice.  Then, onto the end of the road, down to the gate and onto the trail proper.  It was beautiful and spectacular and the weather held and the river roared, or was eerily quiet. It all felt so good.  Even the climbing wasn't terrible.  Not horribly tech.  Speedbomb loved it; it carries momentum so well, rolls over everything so nicely.  Couple hours to the Specimen Hut, so many good views of the river, roaring or quiet and sedate, quite varied.  Steep drop offs, in places, and Tra'y had a few scary moments.  She ended up with some quite juicy bruises from nooby mistakes.

Managed to get all the way to Forks Hut. Ostensibly 20kms in (but our total of 37 might beg to differ slightly). 1226 m climbed tho, so that's quite something given the lowest point was 22 m and the highest was 188 m. Long tho, Started at 8.30, 11 at the Forks Hut, 11.15 departure, 1.55 back at the car. 2.5 hrs each way, pretty much...