Saturday Solo Jet Grey

Nelson organised to ride Mt Grey on the weekend.  We (and I invited Derek) were going to ride and Kirsty was going to run.  Then she pulled out.  Then Derek said he couldn't make, then Nelson decided he had too much to do at his old place, so I decided I'd just go do it myself (with Jet).  Left home just after 9 and took about 45-50 minutes to get to the "Lake." Only a couple of months since last time, and a year (almost to the day) of the previous to that

Left the car at 10 and cruised up the road, not detouring to the singletrack this time, just sticking to the gravel climb.  Met one woman riding down.  At the Look Out I stopped and took a couple pics

 and then walked the steep singletrack to the road above, crossing over and riding the upper singletrack sidle across what, if it isnt, should be called, Sunrise Face.  Gorgeous day up here.  Warm, sunny, windless - mostly.  Tight in the trees, fun climb.  Wind over the top was howling in the towers, but so sheltered on my side.  Fantastic views.  Got to the top at 11.

Took the immediate descent track to the saddle, a few very steep techy rocks to start, then the wind was absolutely blasting across the saddle, nearly pushing me off the bike.  Quite tricky.  Around into it, dropping down the guts to the singletrack the other direction, around the face, wind lessening a little but still strong in places.  Wetspots were still wet, but not bad.  Met a quite a few couples walking/running up this section.  Switchbacks, then rocks, and then into the trees.  Jet on my tail, happy as anything.

Switchback City.  Cleaned some, didn't clean some.  Usual percentages.  Awesome descending.  One corner I went round, quite quick, and there's a woman down in the forest below the track.  "Hello!" I said, and was onwards cruising, popping and weaving downwards.  Creek crossing, more switchbacks.  Met someone I knew (Rowan) and her partner(/friend?).  Descendy McDescendface.  Another couple in the thick of the busiest switchbacks, then good rolling cruising down into the pines and then into the open usually very muddy section, was a bit muddy, but there were greasy 2-wheel-slidey dry enough bits to stay on.  Passed a couple of young girls walking up here.  Blasty lower sections, stopped to move a few branches off the rutty rooty part, and flowed out the lower half no probls, no more punters.  Big drink for Jet in the river at the bottom.

Time for the road.  Grindy McGrindface, climbing climbing up and around, met one guy riding a bike down hill towards me at some point, and finally back up to the car, just after 12.  Hit the road, and was home by 1.

A very enjoyable 14.14 kms of country riding 729 m climbing

Thursday Night Eastern Struggling Singletrack Goodness

Met Nelson at Slumnervale... Traffic on Linwood Ave getting there was a shocker. 

We headed up the Captain.  I felt weak and useless.  Either not recovered properly from Sunday's ride, or I was suffering from too much sugar during the day at work...  Either way, I felt bad.  Once above the switchbacks tho, everything gets a bit better until the trail heads up again near the end.  We paused for a bit at the (crappy) gate to let an XC Yeti woman through, then got going to the top. We watched some lights coming down Greenwood from here.

Through Evans and onto Godley.  Cleaned the first rocks but then was so wiped from that effort that I buggered up the next lot.  Managed a bit better further up, still struggle street though, while Nelson powered off ahead.  I'd totally lost him by the time I was up the top, tail wind pushing me a long.  At the ridge, he was crouched down out of the wind.  Brief stop here and the 3 Greenwood lights climbed up the 4wd towards us, then continued on down towards Livingston.  We gave them a headstart then headed in.  Nelson chased hard, but I just rode my own buggered pace.  Once on the down, I was a bit better, swoopy swoopy fast through the lower descents.  Past the 3 boys at the col and straight on up the climb, up and around.  Nelson was waiting at the top, and we headed down the same triangle of paddock to the road, and over to the new Anaconda entrance.  Brief break here.

Into the descent.  Lots of sheepshit and the dirt still unused since I was through on Sunday, I reckoned.  Bomb bomb bomb, then fast and airy through the original lower Anaconda.  Then around and climbing again, stopping to watch the 3 followers descending, making lots of noise and 'aaaaah!'s as they swooped.  They ended up following us up this walking track.  I was starting to struggle more on this climb. 

Then from Breeze, up the singletrack ever more.  Struggle struggle struggle, then fun descent, then reeaally struggling on the final climb.  Rain started to fall a little bit up top.  We put jackets on and headed around.  Good run down to Evans, me taking the high walking line at the end. 

Then into Captain Thomas.  Excellent downhill.  Feeling sore, but enjoying the down.  Blasty blasty, cleany cleany.  The tree root at the start of the Cabbage Tree track nearly stopped me...  then the final blast into the bottom of the valley was gooood.  So glad to be done.  I was aching all over.

An expeditious 17.15 km, with a quite thorough 713 m climbed.  

Sunday Solo Brit Green God nuSnake God road Brit

Parked up Parkridge and got riding at 8.30. Up Britten, into the clouds, everything grey and a little damp. Down the road and into Greenwood OG entrance, where shortly I took the Sheepshit City trails down around towards the Richmond Pines and then around and mostly climbing back up to the Greenwood ruins.  9 am on the dot, into Greenwood proper, and down (seeing reasonably fresh tire tracks on the odd rock (but no sign of anyone ahead)).  As I rounded one of the first corners I noticed a guy chasing me down.  Huh! I thought.  Better put the pedal down, so I started honking a bit harder, and increased the gap.  Around Gloomy and through I looked back and I'd made the gap massive and he was dab-walking through the worst of the rocks up there.  Got bombing on into the next rocky descent and swooping through the swoopies and off the drop jump, and around into Dave's Zone, and then looking back he was way up there.  Kept the pressure on, blasting through the turns, all good, even where there was grease.  Around into the wee valley and then the shot for the end.  Dab through the first rocky up, and then down to the new end, passing a climber in those lower reaches.  Across Evans and a wee breather break, 9.10am..

Into Godley, climbing and (nearly) cleaning the first rocks.  Slightly better luck most of the rest of the way, just one or two dab-scoots.  No one else about at all.  Over the top and blasting down to Livingston where I passed a couple of runners (one was Meg - James and Caro's daughter).  Climbed up towards Breeze to just before Breeze descent where I peeled off for the new entrance to Anaconda, dropping down through the open gate next to the cattlestop, little triangle of paddock above the road, across, and into the newly signed downhill.  Swoop swoop, all finished now but needs more tires riding it.  Fun, bar all the sheep shit, and lambs jumping out of the way.  Onto the old Anaconda and a sweet bomb, jumpy jumpy, around into the valley, back and forth, nearly lost it in one corner, front wheel squirrel, then out onto the walk track a the bottom and climbing up the new walktrack back up to the original snake entrance, Breeze Col, and back up the road for a bit.

Up the triangle of paddock I'd come down, walking, then onto the singletrack again, heading up and over to Livingston, then the grinding climb up, up, up.  At the top I looked at my watch, and discovered it was 10am, 1 hour since I'd been at the top of Greenwood!  Continued on, having a great run down Godley to Evans, roughly 5-10 past the hour at the pass, and climbing again, for the long slog.  Towards the top my left leg was getting a bit peaky sore.  20 minutes the whole climb took me to the top of Britten.

Final fang down, easy to start then ramping up the boost as I descended.  At the hairpin corner, went straight ahead, exploring a new line, which took me all the way across, nicely flowing, and down to just before the final droppy descent under the pylon to the bottom.

Back to the car 10.37 or so, and home just after 11 am.  Nice.

A rather lengthy 23.5 kms, with 999 m of altitude gained...

Saturday's Park Lot

O and me headed for the Park. Nelson was at the top when we got there, so said he'd wait.  He was on his DW DH Rig.  O and me got to the turnstiles and no swipey! - I discovered I didn't have my card, so I sent O off up to meet Nelson while I went to the office and sorted out a spare. They came down Yeah Yeah and Jandal, and I didn't have to wait too long. 

Up we went, and off into Summit Connector, across Nun and down the lower Gnarly rocks into the lower Nun, bombing it.  Into Choir and bombing through, fast fast fast, then climbing round to Captain Cooker, dropping down and into Shredzilla.  Chasing Nelson, O on my tail, we all cleaned everything smoothly.  Good fun, fast run. 

Back up the lift again, and this time into Swinger's Party.  Another good run, tho some groms caught me up and I let them through.  Otie did good again, and then we hit down DOHC, which was better than the last time I did it...  Slightly less rough.  Good finish for me, and O's hands were blistering cos he'd decided he didn't need to wear gloves...

MMR output.  Basically none climbed, that's all the lift.

Tuesday Pre-Meet Quick Lap

Last Tuesday (10th September), forgot to post, as have been away all week since...  Nelson and me parked after work up top of Parkridge and headed up through Britten.  Was still rather wet, tho not quite as bad as the my previous excursion through said zone.  Climbed up and around.  We had our lights with us but was light enough to ride the whole ride without them.

Across the road and up Mt Pleasant, some pics up here, then over and down, swoop swoop, bomb, through and around, then the trail towards the Richmond Pines and then back up climbing, some mucky spots, then up the road and down Britten again.  Back to the cars by just enough light at 6.22 (sunset was 6.13pm)

Reasonably short, 9.43 kms with 316 gained.

Went and ate Thai at Talay, then off to the Trees Meeting.

Sunday One Mucky Lap o' th'Adventure Park.

Took Hunter and O to the Park.  Hunter had a brand spanking new Trance.  It'd been raining overnight so there was only one route open, Summit Connector, Choirboy and Loess (and Shred).  Trails were mucking fucky, and greasy not-easy, so Hunter was a bit out of his element.  I followed him and it was amazing watching teenage 'confidence' being outweighed by lack of innate ability.  He surprised me a few times down the Nun, but wasn't going nearly as quick as O was, bombing off ahead of us.  At the Kiwi, we continued on down.  Hunter was surprisingly quick through the first few bits, but around the big corner into the woopdedoos (before the wee valley and climb up to Old Dyers Pass Rd form) he lost his front wheel to the left, the back wheel spun round and he went down hard.  Scraping a big gark in the track a good 4 metres long.  Scuffed his knees really good, and hands (no gloves) were numb with pain (and scuffed too).  Blood appearing through mud on the knees.  Took him a while to regroup.  I checked over his bike, and eventually we got going.  Him being a lot more cautious from there on down.  Rocks were pingy and slick the rest of the way, til the sidling clay and climb.  I made sure O rode with him for that stretch, and they chatted.

Then it was into the descent to Loess.  Reasoned against Captain Cooker, on account of grease.  Descent to loess was sketchy.  Loess itself was the worst I've ever seen.  Quite dodgy.  Slick as.  I let him go ahead (O disappeared immediately, and occasionally I'd spot his fluoro orange jacket below us).  Hunter took it very easy.  I'd wait, bomb, jump, haul up, wait, bomb, jump, haul up...  Good run in the end, but we pulled the plug and headed home to hose off bikes and bodies.

Around about 6 kms riding.  Almost all downhill.  Didn't map it, but registered...

Sunday Coupla Lapsa Th'Adventcha Park

10.45ish O and me met Nelson at the bottom of his first lap for the day - on the DH rig.  Got Otie a 5 pass and we headed up the lift.  First off into Summit Connector, down the nun and down the Choir Boy.  Stopped and adjusted O's brake levers just past 3rd Base.  He was struggling cos of a hand injury from crashing off his board last weekend.  Into Captain Cooker and then Nelson headed down KarmaSutra while we took the easy route down Loess Rider.  Good fun run. 

O wasnt up to another lap, hand hurting too much so he went to the cafe and socialmedia'd with his friends while Nelsie and me headed back up the lift.

Into Swingers, nice run down this.  I stayed pretty close on his tail most of the way.  And at one point these young guys were on my tail, putting me under pressure, which kept my speed up.  Excellent fun this trail.  Bombed on down it all and Nelson was surprised when he stopped thinking he'd wait and I was right there.  Into Handle and we popped and floated and flowed all the way down.  Good times.

Forgot to start MMR til the top...