Wednesday Night, unexpected solo.

I collected a new mouthpiece for my camelbak from Bivouac then headed to Nelson's work for 5pm.  We waded through the quagmire that some would call traffic at that time and eventually got up Dyers Pass Rd and over the pass into Governors Bay and around to Allandale, planning to ride a few laps of Living Springs.  Alas, it was not to be.  Upon arrival, Nelson's slightly tweaked back of earlier was now in full blown agony-making spasm, and there was doubt whether he was going to be able to ride.  After some attempts at stretching and resting, it became obvious that it wasn't gonna happen, so I drove us back up to the Kiwi and we parked up.

I sorted myself out and, leaving him in the car, headed up the road to the Nun.  Climbed the road fast for a while, keeping a roadie ahead of me in sight for the first half, running out of puff a little in the second half.  Up Worsleys Rd to the dirt then climbing comfortably to the top of the Nun.  Could see a couple of lights down on the road below.  Stopped to adjust lighting, then hit it.  Popped and grooved down the first bits, slowing right up into the first big rocky corner, then blitzing down and through.  The rest of the ride down seemed to be like this: periods of quite good speed, flow and roll, followed by bits of slow, near-muppetry.  Pretty good, not the fastest, but not the slowest.  Lower half was mostly good too.  And no pinchflats, which is always a bonus these days.  Stopped in on Nelson, still resting in the car, and he was doing okay, and hopefully would be able to drive, so I headed back up to and hit Old Dyers track.

Rolled down the first section quite nicely, loving the flow through those corners below the Kiwi.  Then around and through the pumpy bit, slowly gaining speed, then meeting some climbing riders just as I climbed out of that wee valley.  "gudday" and onwards down, rolling it easy, slowly gaining speed, but never quite trusting the grease.  Around the 4wd section, there's been diggers working up here, obviously for the Park, then climbing under seemingly bigger trees to the road, across, climby climb climb up and through to Vic Park Rd, and a piss here (only a day late for Pee on Earth day), then into the singletrack climbing around to the Skidder Site.

Contemplated heading straight down from here, but headed up instead, climbing the grovelly steep 4wd track, cleaning it, gasping for air, then up to top of Brake Free.  Messed with my light here mounting it betterer, then headed down into the rock garden and gums.  Lovely flow down through here, tho what the fuck is it with that really humpy section in my wee favourite trail on the left..?  Don't think they're braking bumps, but they kinda act like it.  Anyway, popped and weaved my way down, back and forth, down below, then back up to the Skidder Site again.  Now it was time for Shazza's, kinda following some dude into it and pretty much staying on his tail.  At the Brents crossing I headed down the ridge onto the new section of track, and explored.  Nice.  Some steep challenging bits, and some random off camber back and forth zig zags lower down, then the wooden jump ramp onto the Flow?Bridges? track.  Stopped and checked it out first, but it was sweet, pop straight off it the drop is like a foot!  Onwards down familiar trails back and forth, the dude from Shazza's before me just ahead, following the progress of his light below me, then chasing him down the bottom of the valley, and following him through the creek and up Hidden Valley Link, always just out of striking range.  Gasped my way up the steeps and stopped over the stile to breathe and txt.

Then on around, clearing my throat loudly just as I rode under the dude who'd been ahead having a rest.  "Gudday" and onwards, no flats, having a good run down here, tho, similar to earlier, some smooth fast flow, some slower 'what am I doing?' moments.

Finally, the cruise back across town to home.

So, all told, over 20kms and less than 300m climbed (on account of it being mostly down hill from the Kiwi)