Wednesday Slickery El Capitano Livingstoned

Usual pick up from work, with more diabolicalness than ever before on the traffic front.  But, eventually we made our way to Scumner and up to Slumnervale, whereuponst we parked and changed and got riding.  Up past the horse paddock and around up the steps and onto the Captain.  Clamber clamber, me not dying as hard as usual.  However, just after the cabbage tree diversion exit I snot-rocketted my nose and proceeded to bleed from said nose...  annoying.  Staunched it a bit then got riding again, sniffing the blood for a good while up through the hairpins, finally settling it down along the flatter bits.  Through the first rocky wee descent and up the first of the techy challenges, and the drizzle set in, finally wetting the place up a bunch.  We debated what to do and continued onwards up, the rocks getting doused slightly more than was desirable.  Dirt was still okay, although it was starting to sort of cake a little on the tires, still dry underneath.  We took a break under a tree up at the old stile (to the road) and watched roadies negotiating their climb in the wet.  The drizzle kinda eased, but was still there in a very light manner, so we continued up, desperate to have some altitude.

Across Evans and up onto the Godley track, cleaning entirely all the first climbing bits, and onwards still.  Nelson I think managed everything, but much further on I dabbed once or twice, but never stopped.  Eventually to the high point and overlooking Scarborough and south-east towards all the headlands and View Hill (above Little Ak), we were out of the drizzle, but up the harbour and Mt Herbert was engulfed.  While we stood there it seemed to be looming so we thought to Livingston and back would be okay. Off down and a great speedy descent, traction all good and trail our friend.  Lower down they've lowest-common-demoninated the fuck out of it, somewhat pointlessly.  The swoopy cornery stuff near the bottom was still raw like it should be tho.  At the col we could see the drizzle approaching again so we headed on back up, straight up the face and then veering slightly to the right.  Nelson cleaned it all, but it was too steep for me a couple of times so I walked.  Rode out and spotted that they're building a zig and a zag, which will be good for the climb in the future.  On up and around and the drizzle increased a bit, and we peaked and then skedaddled for the Pass.  Rocks were slick as slipperiness, and pinged our wheels leftwards, rightwards, and centrewards.  I baulked twice, dabbing to a stop, but also flowed and grooved some of the hairiest rocky sections, pinballing down the track.  Nelson blazed ahead, seemingly not worried about the wetness at all.

Across the pass again and into the Captain, slick rocks and nice friendly dirt, all the way down.  Cleaned 2 of the techs, but saw Nelson blow out the bottom one, so walked that then watched him do it again (nearly getting pinged off again).  The rest of the descent was pretty decent, and we rolled through the bottom and back to the car in due course.

12 and a half kms, and 485 m climbed there and back again