Thursday Evening, up over and beyond

Nelson and me ventured forth and proceeded to ride something kinda similar to what the boys did on Tuesday, only, extended higher and further...  We parked up top of Worsley's Rd and headed up the multi-choice singletrack.  I chuffed away, sore from yesterday's spill, but managing the climb okay.  Nelson wasnt stopping and so i had to just plod along behind.  Turns out he'd spotted some guys we'd seen as we were getting ready at the car, and was chasing.  He caught them at the bottom of the 'bag, where they were stopped when i plodded through.  Nelson was about half way up by the time i got going.  Eased into it, but when the going got steep i decided my seat was too low, so stopped (and rested a little) and put seat up a little, then got going again and got a fair way up, doing okay, til finally i could do no more.  Walked the last 20 or so metres.

Cruised through to top of Nun and Nelson led off.  We both took it pretty easy, having not been down here for a while (well, over a month, anyway).  I found myself riding it rather effortlessly, not really pushing it too hard, but trying not to brake too much, so i'd be coasting round the corners quite slowly, then letting the speed just build up, very little pedaling.  A good run, with speed definitely gaining, for me, towards the bottom, and surprisingly catching up to Nelson lower down (in all the new stuff...) 

Trundled up the road to the 'halfway' spot and headed over to check out the trail down into Gov'nors Bay.  Hmmm... Closed due to rock fall...  yeah right.  Trail's been cleaned and it was actually a pretty sweet wee run down.  Cut grass a bit slippery, but otherwise sweet, not a skerrick of damage evident.  We continued all the way down to the driveway on the hairpin, and discovered the trail that continues down from there, but it's shut, and kinda barricaded, and cos it's private land, we left it alone and headed back up.  Ugh, what a climb.  My tire was getting soft so i pumped it up, and ended up walking pretty much all of the switchbacks.  There was a time when i rode most of them, alas.  On up we went in the direction of the Kiwi, cleaning most of the trail.  At the top, we turned around and headed back down, then round and back up the way we'd come down earlier.  My tire was getting low again, so stopped and pumped it, rode it abit longer and then finally it blew...  Walked from below the boardwalk/bridge to the top, where we changed it and wrapped electrical tape around my rim a few times (rim tape had slipped).  The tube i put in blew just as i'd gotten it up to pressures, so patched the first one and slapped that in.  This is the one that had the slow leak, which continued to slow leak making me fucking well pump it up another 5 times or so.  FUCK!  Shut up, Steve, yes i know this wouldnt happen with tubeless.! From here we headed up the walk track above the road, and it was fun.  Then up Marley's and over Worsleys.

Dusty blast down Worsleys, saying gudday to a guy on either a Jeffson or a BlackSheep, anyway, lovely machine, and then up the sideline to top of Hidden.  Pumped more air in, and off down we went, like the boys (linked above) took the old route down.  Awesome!  More air part way down, then off down the trail that shall not be talked about, topping up air near the top, and loving the swoopy blast down, to... a Keep Out tape, and trees cut across the trail.  Into 6 inches of powdered dirt, loose climbing til we got back onto the old track.  Tootled up and swooped on down to the end, and back to the car, just on 8pm.  My tire was flat when we got back to mine.

Wednesday dawn Jet patrol

Sick of the lack of riding and flab that's been building up on my front, so got up at 6 and took Jet out to Bottle Lake in the Fiat, singlespeed on the back.  We blatted down the first avenue and hung a right.  He's so fast, but once on the singletrack I kept him in behind and we hoofed it round and out through the slowly lightening forest.  To start off with it was nearly too dark to see any trail detail, but by the time we'd gotten to the gazebo on the top of the hill it was okay.  Fast blat down from there and into some new trails on account of logging, then along the beach front, slowing down on the wide track for him to just lope along happily.

Headed back in and where the internal trail meets we hung a left and headed back through the new section towards the pond and then finally back to the car, Jet cruising a fair bit slower for the last little while.  Good boy!

KEE-RASHHH!!!
Then, having a nice ride to work, enjoying the wrecked city scape along the poplars past ex-Centennial Pool and i rode over a beer can on the road which clung to my front wheel and rotated up into my mudguard, so i tried to knock it out with my foot which sent it wedging even harder into my tire and 'guard, spinning up, locking the front wheel, mangling the 'guard and sending me straight over the handlebars, smack-down onto the road, bike clattering over on top of me.  Lucky i was wearing gloves or my hands would have been mangled.  Elbows got garked.  Nose hit the ground and immediately started bleeding, visor part of my Surface helmet cracked, shin got garked by something and was leaking blood down into my sock.  Front wheel is toast, taco'd and bit crunch in the rim.  Mudguard is toast.  Got my shit together, removed the mudguard and managed to ride home slowly, wobble wobble wobble...  The worst of it all?  I scratched my brand spanking new Oakleys.  Damn IT!

Thursday up the hill

from work, trundled across town on the Troll, and headed up Hackthorne Rd to the Takahe, then on up into Vic Park to the big field with the slide for an extended family fush and chups.  Quite a climb on a heavy townie.  Managed about 8kph most of the climb, with occasional bursts of 10-12kph.

The internal workings of the Alfine?

Toosdy nite Townie

Nelson and me townied, me on the Surly, him on his skinny-tyred singlist, across to Steve's place's vicinity where we found Wazza, Pete and Robin awaiting us.  Away we trundled, Ford, Fifield, over the river along a path, over the river along Eastern, through Beckenham Park, back up to Fisher, cross Colombo, backstreets through to Somerfield Park where we picked up Andrew and Tony, then straight line northish across Brougham through to Hagley Park where we found Wayno and onwards around South Haggles, through the middle of North.  Wayne found some dog poo and put it all over his tires, then tried in vain to remove it.  On down Armagh and through Vic Square, somewhere none of us had been for a couple years, and out via the Pallet Pavillion, then Peterboroughed Kilmored to Poms...  Beer was consumed, and Trip plans discussed.  To Kaiteriteri/Rameka and Nelson we'll a-go.

ThursNight Packhorsing Springs

Cotic'd to work, then got to Nelson's work and we trafficjammed our way to Dyers Pass Rd and Gravel road in is obviously very well used now, by lots of logging trucks.  Then the open singletrack is overcrowded with thistles that are very conveniently at handlebar height - yowch!  Sweet wee blat down into the forest, loose and rooty and sketchy, dropping a ways before the clamber up to a stile.  Over this and up the paddock edge and over to a massive stockpile of logs where once was tall shady forest.  The trail has changed here, quite good, bombs down and meets the old trail where it goes into the dark fir forest.  I stopped and got the sunnnies off in here and chased onwards, walking up the tight switchbacks then getting going again, up and over past the wee bach in there, then on into the last climb that goes on and on and on.  Over the stile and a little bit of a rest, then up round the open exposed edge trail.  Awesome, keeps you on your toes.  Cleaned all the rocky sections and we were at the hut about 40 minutes after we left the car.

Didnt spend too long at the hut, and hit the trail back, picking our way round the slope, carefully but interestingly.  Into the forest and the speed gets up quick, flowing and rolling and swerving and swooping.  I shoulder/handlebar barged a tree (that'd knocked off Nelson on the way up), and had one close call on some particularly sketchy roots that were scattered all over the track just after a fast corner.  The climbs made me suffer, but the descents were sweet.  Return to the car was 1 hour 20 after we'd left.

Drove down the road and round and parked up Bamfords and headed into Living Springs.  Round School's Out, checking out the wee "technical" 'drop' side trail, then up to the pines.  Swapped bikes on the climb and i got to see what all the fuss is about these new fangled full suspension bike machine things.  Sag was a bit soft for my fat arse, so the pedals kept clipping the trail, but i liked the way bumps were absorbed...  Swapped back at the top of Rhymes with and we headed round into Mississippi.  Sweet flow motion tho lots of sheep shit.  Then round into Zanes and fun times.  Bottom of Zanes we headed round and did the droppy thing again then up the steep bastard farmtrack leading to Mississippi.  Walked a bit, and tried forks down and up, and down was definitely easier climbing.  Then it was across Rhymes With, and down through the Pines, 8.30ish, and pretty dark in parts of the forest, then blitzed down to the bottom and clambering the last shreds of power out of my legs round to the car.

Waitangi Day Taylors Godley

Having stayed over at Taylors, and it being a public holiday and all, i managed to get out in the afternoon.  Headed up the snake's tail and ground my way up the snake proper.  Cleaned it all but man it got me huffing.  Out to Breeze and on round below the road, picking up a good pace and climbing pretty well before the descent round and out to the end.  From here i climbed up above the road and on up to the closed trail round the back.  I knew the rock guys had been blasting it in recent times so figured it might be okay to go.  It used to be such a sweet run.  It still is, except for the few big fuckers of rocks semi-blocking the trail, and the section in the middle where all the rocks have tumbled down, chewing up the trail.  A couple more boulders, and the rest of the run back to Breeze was good, other than the long grass.

Back at Breeze, and only a half hour in, figured it'd be piking if i headed back down 'conda then, so headed on up the trail towards Livingston.  All the way over.  At Livingston, i explored the trail that heads towards the Harbour, strange W's on posts...  Had always wondered about this trail.  It sidles along for a while, quite nicely, climbing gently, but around the hill it heads up.  Couldn't be arsed heading up so turned back and rocked back down to the trail, headed up over round to Breeze, then offered an in to a couple other riders who were 'chewing the fat', they declined, so i headed on down the snake, having a better run than the day before, flying down, then cruising the last of the snake nicely.  Back up the road to the car, sequestered bike inside it, then trotted down the steps, into my togs and on down to the beach and straight into the water.  Beautiful.

Tuesday evening Taylors Lap

Quicky for me on my own cos people no one showed.  Thought Wayne and/or Warren might, but they never turned up.  So, headed on up the sweet wee grunt up from Taylors to Godley Head Rd, cleaning everything except the two usual hairpins, and having one wee breather before the small ribbonwood-land near the top of the singletrack.  Up the gravel grind, round the road, and up up up.  Txt from Marie saying she couldnt make it and it was off down the hill.  Excellent turn of speed down to Livingston Col where i noticed my rear tire getting softer, and softer, til finally just before the climb out i had to stop and change tubes.  Fucking rim tape...  Got moving, then more air needed, then got moving again on up the hill, over, past the spot i tumbled off last time, then on down to Breeze, where it really was pretty breezy, and a fast blast down Anaconda, still not grooving on the new bit, then along and up the lower track into the bach. Still all under an hour, even with the flat...  The rain of Monday, and Tuesday morning had done nothing to the trails.  It was amazing how dry they were...