Friday Night Captain Greenwood Up and Back

Back to Aucks from Raro yesterday, and home this morning, Nelson picked me up after 5 and we cruised out to Sumnervale.  Departed the car roughly 6.30pm, headed up past the horse paddocks, over the bridge, up the steps, and onto the trail.  Slightly less mucky than the first time in here, but mucky nonetheless.  We slipped and slopped up through the valley and up onto the new switchbacks, me cleaning all but the end.  Then off onwards up, Nelson ever pushing onwards.  I was off-form, pretty much from the start, balance out, oomph factor on low, and total lack of condition.  Clambered up the usuals, and then some.  Muckiness in the same spots as last time.

Out the top and onto the road for a bit of a rest, then we hit up Greenwood, doof doof heads below us on the road. Left them behind and meandered our way up the trail, Nelson soon increasing the gap on me as I struggled, stallingly on every rock I came to.  Later I decided the 30psi i put in the tires before leaving home might have been the culprit...  25-27 is optimum, methinks.  anywhoo, struggled all the way to the ruins, where we stopped for a rest, then onwards upwards doing a little better, but still having a hard time.  Up through the tussocks, up through the rocks, which seemed harder and harder.  At the stile we stopped, finally.  Had a rest, relieved my tires of some air, and off we shot.

Down down down down down down, finally getting my game back on for a bit after the ruins, seemingly wafting weightless over the rocks in the top section, but by gloomy gulch my i was getting tired and sore, shoulders, lower back, neck.  Stopped for a bit of a stretch then kept going, Nelson now a fair way ahead, but me closing again, til i got to the cattle/sheep stop in the fence, and the mucky bit after that, where i slowed right down.  Til i got round over the creek then it was on again, excellent control down the trail to the two rocky ups, juuust cleaning the first, and no worries through the second, and into the final swoopy finish, lots of pain as i lifted the bike over the stile.

Captain Thomas, down...  too sore, too careful.  Nelson pretty much cleaned everything.  I walked my usual one, and then walked a couple more i'd normally ride.  Rest of the way was okay, but half way down before the switchbacks, KEEP LEFT!  big hole in the track that if you keep left you're fine.  Nicely swooping down the switchbacks and then into the muck, splecky splatty squagmire and we were done, 2 hours after we'd started, ~500m altitude gained and lost..