Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Windy Wednesday Evening Oriented Pleasantries

Parked on Parkridge behind Nelson's car (discovering I'd forgotten (after fetching it and forgetting it multiple times before I left) to bring my water), and we headed up into the Orienteererers...   
Climbing Britten with insane winds, tail to start, round into a nearly-stopping headwind, then pushed the rest of the way around and up to the top.  Around the 'front' "long way," me in the lead, battling the worst of the wind on the nor'west face, nearly hammered off the bike, then pushed like an e-bike towards the hill, to finally battling across to the cutting, wind attempting to push us onto the rocks, me going hammer and tongs in the lead, trying to stay ahead of Nelson (he said he could barely keep up (yeah, right!)).  Through a clusterfuck of orienteerers at the road and over the fence. 

Climbing up the side of Pleasant tail wind mostly pushing, pushing, pushing, but not pushing me fast enough to keep up with Nelsie.  Finally at the top some stretching was necessary and a rest out of the wind ensued, a few orienteerers  wandering through from time to time.  Into the descent.  Lovely push down, first few rocks below the stile nearly getting the better of me, but we stopped (for a picture) in an area with NO wind.  Amazing.  Then moving again, around and into it, Nelson surprising (read, nearly taking out) a situationally unaware Orienteerer.  Blazed across the tussocks to the end, then I reminded Nelson, or at least pointed out to him, the jump and berm exit back up the trail a bit.  So, treadled off back up a bit to drop in, over the jump and then around the thistle infested berms before leaping down into the start of Greenwood. 

Bombing.  Tail wind pushing all the way down the first stretches, we flew, railing the rocks, Nelson nearly losing it in one bunch, me tight on his tail  but then he started to get away.  Around the front and when it flattened out, so did I.  Thankfully Nelson had stopped just after Gloomy, so a good rest had here, watching and contemplating the few gungho hardcore Orienteerers who had scrutinised this side of the hill.  Let a couple through, before heading down.  Man the rocks have boned up.  Mega, at that point.  Better flowing lower down, rolling the drop, then back and forth, flying through Dangerous Dave's zone, around into the gulley and then down the final slope, very quick.  Finishing off to Evans, and resting in the carpark overlooking the Quarry.

Climbing, road.  Grinding away, feeling pretty good, though.  At Jollies Bush we talked ourselves into riding it, walking steps then riding across and up, over the fence, and into Richmond Pines track bombing down across then into the Sheepshit Alley climb, Nelson dropping me big time.  Onto the road, final climb, big slurp of water from the tap, then down Britten (Vee Twin (pah!))...  At the corner I helled and yolla'd to Nelson and pointed, and kept going straight across.  He turned up and followed, and I led him down my 'new' way, bombing across and down down down, back to the cars.  

A good ride.

A laudable 13.2 kms, with a veracious 551 m surmounted 

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