Galeforce Thursday night short tracking

Bitterly cold southerly gale blowing across the tops of the hills, roaring through the pines and flax bushes when we parked up top of Worsleys Rd. Some wetness about, but good grip up the dirt. I was struggling for air but Nelson seemed to just cruise on ahead. Wind was blustering but not affecting us too much cos we were kinda in shelter of the noisy forest surrounding our climb. A few dabs now and then, blowing several sections I'd normally clean. The ruts are certainly a little ruttier from some of the winter pressure its been under of late.

Start of the bodybag has massive mucky puddles which we made our ways carefully past then into the grovel. Up, up, up we grovelled, wind buffetting, then suddenly half way up an eerie calm while we were down wind of the trees (and house) on the right. Nelson pedaled out the top while i got off and walked the last 20m or so, ugh. Caught Nelson on the final climb to the top of the Nun and we tucked down into the grasses and broom for him to have a feed, from whence we watched the clouds hauling ass across our view of the moon.

Off down Flying Nun. I had me a pretty sweet run down. Traction was dubious in spots, front wheel seeming to juuuust slide in greasey soil, but I didn't let it worry me. Popped some air on some jumps but the gusts were temperamental so took it a bit easy in other spots. Pulled up at the halfway spot to wait for Nelson to catch up then off we shot again for the last of it. Fast swoopy run down here, railing and popping most features.

Back up the road at a nice mellow pace, the lights of two riders zigging and zagging on the Nun above then popping out at halfway just as we cruised by, greetings exchanged between gusts. On up to top of Worsley we treadled, deciding against another lap on account of neither of us riding enough lately and neither of us feeling much up for it.

A fast, as usual, blast down the bodybag ensued, followed by the usual grinding up to the start of the 'hidden' track, or B-Line, if you will. Nice and swoopy through here, back and forth through the trees, round the berms, over the rockpiles, then across the clifftop, back into the forest (under a severely leaning pine) and back and forth again, over those big rocks and flying down to the whistling pylon, under the powerlines, first left, then keeping right and crossing the 4wd track into our favourite down down into the swoopy steepness, dropping through that tight bit that i never have trouble which seems to catch nearly everyone else out, including Nelson tonight. Out onto the climb back up and we hung a left back up the 4wd track in the trees to the powerlines, doing a U-turn and heading back down for a second blast of that fun section. Back up, and out the lower section, hanging a right at the watertank and finding some riders walking up through there as we finished ourselves off down back out to the car... wind still howling across the ridge.