Wednesday Evening - Captain Godley's Escape Plan

Good ride tonight. Met Nelson at Scumnervale and we treadled off up into the Thomas.  I led the way up, gasping like a mofo but doing okay, getting the wind back on the flatter spots.  Short rest at the seat (top of zigs) then along the way and into the rock sections.  Nelson cleaned ALL of them!  Remarkable to watch.  Whereas I biffed all of them.  With Nelson in the lead from here, we cleaned up the rest of the trail bar a couple of dabs, my suspension or my fatness was making for a LOT of pedal strike which kept putting me off.  Balance was all out of whack.  

A gale was hitting the gums above Evans when we got there, and this proved to be our lot for most of the way out Godley, a godforsaken wind.  Nelson leading the climb, then giving it to me for the nicely wind-pushed blast down towards Livingston.  I caned this, albeit with some super sketchy moments.  Bit of a fiddle with my rebound settings (not sure I've got it right yet) and off around the back from Livingston towards Breeze Col.  Nelson leading the climb again, and me super wary of pedal strike through here with all that exposure ('specially at the start).  I took lead on the descent, my suspension feeling a bit deader than it had been (settings now out of whack), but a good blast, although the cross wind at Breeze Col was scary with all the speed we were carrying.  

Onto Godley track back up, into the howling gale over the top, then down towards Livingston, bailing over the fence at an opportune spot.  On the road heading around to the (known to us) entrance of the Escape and we see more trail below, so turned back and headed up to Livingston Col proper finding a newly marked out zig then zag back towards the rest of the trail.  Nice rolling through here, me in the lead and man what a long downhill.  Minutes and minutes went by as we descended and still we were high up.  Trail nothing to write home about, no tech, but still fun.  On the switchbacks, coming back around into the wind proved pedally, but mostly gravity was sufficient to keep some speed on.  Down into the valley and a nice blasty tailwind down to the carpark.  Fast.  

Finally, up the sodding road, grind grind grind over Scarborough, but wasnt so bad.  Then dropped into Nicholson park dropping down the rooty steep (which really wasnt as bad as I recalled), steppy zig and zag on Flowers, then the access way out to Whitewashhead Rd, bombing back down and cruising up Sumner back streets to the cars.

All told, nearly 17 kms and nearly 600 m climbed.

Monday 69r Singlist Short Shred

Quick blip up and back on the singlespeed tonight.  Just needed to get out after not doing so on the weekend.  29r on the front, so back to 69r.  Grunty climbing up standing til the dogparkcarpark then a couple seat adjustments and sitting a bit.  Clambered up into the 19th pines, small detour to explore a future potential (and a quick chat with Doug), then on up and over to Skidder, and up the gutser...  Walking from the usual walking bit, then riding once it levelled off a bit, pushing hard.  Another short walk above the next cattlestop and then riding through Brakefreezone and up into Worm across.  Back across to top of Vic and seat down dropping into Thomson's #1.  Nice blast down here, around the bends at the bottom climbing out, then back up the road to the top again.  

Down and around, past the first jump, brief pop off the second, down through the gate, down Rabbit into Rocks, Gums, back and forth...  Lack of shocks in here a bit jarring (I think bigger front tire/rim combo, or back to T's 27.5+ on the front might assist in here... or a shock fork?).  Not a bad blast down through here, tho as I say, a little jarring a couple of times.  Onwards down through to the gate then a cruise down the road around and down and into the Dog Park Carpark, flying into the singletrack and bombing down here.  Wetspot dry enough now, then the jump. I rolled up on it, checked out the landing, dry, so walked back up and hooned on in.  Next *new!* jump, nice gappy number, again, rolled in, checked it, walked back, rolled in popped it, sweet as, then on down through the oaks and out all the way to juuust about the bottom of all the new stuff, before bush-bashing back up to the road, and riding home.

5.63 kms with 209 m of altitudinal gainage..

Thursday Night Across the Crest, Poached and not

Sweet ride tonight.  Nelson was still at work at 5.20, and therefore bailed, so I was out on my own.  Fog was rolling over Huntsbury as I was getting ready and had ploughed into our place as I left home, making me think it was cooler than it was.  Rode up the trail (not road) and it was wafting overhead, and then I got above it just after the Dog Park.  Peeled off onto my over 19th route, down through skidder, and hit the climb, getting super super warm climbing, and so at Thomsons entrance I stopped, sat, and peeled down a bit.  That let me settle down a bit too.

Got going again, feeling fresher, around the Traverse, pushing ever pushing, the city a pool of fog and me riding towards the sunshine.  Rather nice up here.  Met one or two oncomers, giving me short rests, and got to Huntsbury-top no problem.  DH mode on, dropped in, bombing with an audience of riders up the maindrag, jumps performed nicely, then down and out the landing strip section, rolling up to the edge of the fog, a wall, seemingly full of voices (wafting up from the maindrag just over the ridge).  I turned and rode back up towards the sunshine, staying ahead of the talking group and catching another dude by the top.  

At the road I turned right, and headed up onto Scotts Knob, over the "no-bikes" stile, and up into the forest, nice section of trail this.  Amazing sunset shining through the trees, just before the trail got interesting for the bomb down to the next saddle.  Very brief jaunt on the road then up onto the next climb, steeper and a few unrideable (upwards) steps or rocks (but eminently more rideable than it used to be).  Once up in the trees tho there's only one rock corner I couldn't manage.  Then the descent was awesome, rocks, roots, tech good bombo down down.  Another very brief spell on the road (near the pond) and up onto the next section, and into fog!  Getting darker too.  Good climb on this trail, lovely surface, one mega-tech rock, then over, lost in fog, took a left without realising it and into Mitchells Track, not realising it was what it was.  Some fun techy, and greasy rocks and dirt, lovely bush, good smells.  I could barely see anything so lights on and fog made for tricky vision.  Got to a fence/gap, and I knew this trail gets super techy beyond this, and it wasn't going in the direction I wanted (I'd initially thought I was on the upper trail, and would skirt round the front of Sugarloaf), so I turned back, less rideable in this direction, and popped out at the carpark.

Across the road for the last section of Traverse, nice cruise, then before the trees, dropped down through the fence and into the entry of Pedalfine/Cowabunga and Old(?)Nats DH (or upper fenceline if you stay hard right).  Looked down Cowabunga but decided on Pedalfine, finding sweet steep tech.  bomb and drop, drop and bomb, then whoooah!, wtf is that!?  Super steep rocky section straight down with a dropover at the bottom.  Obviously a good run out, so couldn't be too bad.  Backed up a bit, rolled in again and baulked, again.  Decided to walk it, which proved difficult.  Then I heard someone behind me, so dropped into the next section and found a rather intimidating looking drop over, stopped and he rolled through below me.  

    "Good to see someone who knows this trail - It's my first time down here," I said.  

    "Yes, this line is somewhat easier," he replied.

I sidled over onto that line and proceeded to roll over a super tech rooty drop, with him watching, proving myself perfectly capable.  We stopped below here (on a sort of 4wdish track) and chatted a little, me quizzing him on where we actually were, and these gnarly lines, a couple of which dropped off down below us.  In the end he headed off down the '4wdish' track we were on, over a jump, and I followed a moment or three after, finding myself popping out at the entrance to Rad^Sick where Raceline crosses!  Huh, here!

Up the steep grunt 4wd, catching him near the steepest corner, then I decided to peel off down that bonus track (before Dazza's) I rode a couple weeks back.  Cleaned it all perfectly this time, nice!  Crossed the Rad^ bit and dropped over down through a section I'd never seen before, which ended up spitting me into Brent's zone, back and forth a couple times out here and I was somehow riding up into the valley, then down a non-track, sconing my helmetlight something wicked, and out to the top entrance of Bridges.  Turned upwards and grunted my way back up steep bastard 4wd trails ughhhh through Rad^zone and out to Skidder, sweating and breathing heavily.

Over onto my usual downhill (lower gummies?) and then below 19th onto trails below road, up onto Tawhairanui and through dog carpark into 235, peeling left on the new line, but finding it changed and weird, and through to unfinished bottom of it, then dragged bike through branches and folliage out to the soggy oaks, then through and all the way down the new line to Harry Ell and down it, down the last steps, Dyers Pass, past Takahe and up home.

Long post for 12 3/4rs kms, with 540m climbed.   

Sunday A Circumnavigation of Sorts, the Pleasant Tor-Pirates

Great ride today with Nelsie and Pete.  We met at Ferrymead bridge (Nelsie and me in our cars, Pete having ridden from home).  Reminding me of the PFMTBC days, we headed up St Andrews Hill, right on Marama then continuation up Canon Hill Crescent to the park, up through this (the steep way) then on Major Hornbrook up through to Long/Clear/Ridge/-views, over the fence where the bath used to be, and on up through the cute wee lambs on Britten.  Pete not been on the bike a lot in the last 6 weeks, neither had Nelson really either (still a whippet tho)... 

Around the front of Britten at the top and over the fence for the short climb up onto the descent of Mt Pleasant track down to Cavendish Saddle.  From here, up the steep walk track for a start (old lower zigs overgrown), cutting right, through the tightly sprung gate onto the old zig zags, more of them than I ever remembered, up the back of Mt Cavendish and over through behind the Gondola building.  Onto the steppy track, I took the lead, and we bomboed down, then took all the lines through over, cleaning all but a couple of spots, to the Bridle-top.  Through here and straight up the road.

At Castle we schluffed up onto the Tors track and took a short break - snack, feast on the view, and to allow a couple of runners through on their track.  Off again, I led the way, and we headed across and down through the good tech - dabbing the usual(s).  Across onto the walk-track-above-the-road, enjoying it's flowy tech around til we got to the gap in the fence to climb up to the top of the Pirate Duncan track.  

Picking our way over the top, was bloody hard to see where the line used to go.  Obvs not many people are using it of recent times.  The worn-in track near the fence seems to have seen some use, but the tech offshoot lines not at all.  Nice run down the easier bits, then we diverted up to do the wooden feature which Nelson dropped, I detoured around and Pete baulked up on.  Down then sidle up onto ridge and fun tech rock Alex' stylez.  Very enjoyable.  Lower down, into the grassy bits, really hard to work out where the lines were, found a couple features we used to drop down but no way to piece them together.  Over the fence into the trees, a well trod line down through the right hand top across then down into jumpszone.

Out the bottom, down next to the horsey paddocks, mud, then split from Pete around through Heathcote under the railway down past Ferrymead, brief play in new pumpzone and back down BridlePathRd to bridge and cars.

A rather interesting classic style, up around and down - 16.36 kms, with 713 m elevated.     

Thursday quick Single 7+6r, or is that 67+r...?

A quick short up and back on the BFe after work.  Running the new 180 disc set up, and trying out T's Cooker's front 27.5+ wheel, third wheelsize in as many rides on the single. Standing to the dogpark carpark, then raised the seat and sat for a bit then around up over top of 19th, nice sunset views, then over to Skidder.  Pushed as hard as I could til stopping and walking up the steep track (the 'road gap' below the wooden wall-ride on Sesame St) into the gums, then zig and zag up through there.  Here's from the top of the pines:

Rode up the rabbit paddock, noticing sheets of rain over in the CAP.  Into the trees and as I headed across Worm it started.  

Quickly turned tail and bombed, down through rabbit, into rocks, gums back and forth, just starting to get slick in places, then down through and below road below 19th, kicked up onto wheelchair track then onto road around to 235, bomb through here, seeing they've rebuilt the tree jump, but avoided mud across oaks, then new continuance through to H.Ell extension back up to road, bomb down and up drive, home.

My kinda HIT, less than 5kms, with 160m gained. 

Sunday Stelliot Pincair Slyx Aunting

If the kids had been skiing (as planned - but, weather), or I'd communicated with T better (ie, me knowing that I didn't need to 'rush' back home to 'parent'), I had been planning to take the Fatty in the back of the car to the planting then heading to Mt Grey for to ride it, then was possibly going to head further north for a visit to the Sanctuary. 

Instead I ebiked to the Elliot Sinclair sponsored planting, planted lots of plants with some very nice people, scoffed a couple sossies, then ebiked home via a slightly different, and surprisingly (slightly) longer, route.  Going, I took Strickland - Antigua - Rolleston - Hagley Park (where there was a running race clusterfucking the bikeway, making me ride on the grass which made my bungy unhook which could have caused all sorts of carnage for me.  Rossall St, then up the Railtrail allll the way, and beyond, up the gravel block, into an assortment of wee park trails to Regent Spark, straight to the planting.

Fun riding at walking speed through to the actual site, til it got too soft of dirt...

Then Homewards, same route back through Regent Spark, but at Sawyer Sarms Rd followed that bike route through Pap, Rutland, Trafalgar to complete the entire length of Colombo home.  

15ish kms there, 16ish kms home again

Thursday Night Windy Pleasant Greenwood

Blowy evening's ride tonight.  Nelson and me met at Parkridge and headed around and up, over the fence where the bath used to be and across.  I was really gasping, struggling with the climbing and breathing, mainly due to sleep and maybe hayfever issues.  Bloody annoying tho, considering how I'd been feeling like I was doing alright when riding on my own...  Maybe it's just cos Nelson's that much quicker, I was pushing to keep up.  Anyway, up Britten, then across into the gale and over up Broadleaf where he took a call to organise his weekend, and on up the gravel to the radio towers.  Still plenty of light til this point, I think I took my sunnies off up here.  

Dropped over into the descent, a good blast, but man she's getting bony, and the wind was pushy at times, good on the tail, but from the side - nearly off course a couple times in the tussocks.  Down to the start of Greenwood, we hung a left out the original entry across, pushing hard into the wind around and then dropped into Sheep Shit Alley, tail wind dropping down nicely nicely and around into some shelter from the wind beyond the pines.  Sat and took in the view of the ships and sunset lightings with a snack.  

Into the traverse across towards the ruins, up the bastard climby cornerers up to Greenwood again.  Lights on medium to start, and dropping in.  Wind, Rocks, Visibility, I was struggling.  One point I clipped a rock and it nearly stopped me dead, the impact resonating right up through my bones and jarring me something wicked.  Was almost like I'd blacked out for a moment, and nearly threw me off.  Helluva shock.  Picked up the pace a bit after that around, catching Nelson as he squirrelled on an angled rock, then he dropped me across towards Gloomy and obviously had a great run through there, ditching me.  I didnt, rocks fatiguing me, but got my groove back on the steeper descent, popped the drop at the bottom and Nelson was waiting for me here.  Into the lowers, Dave'sZone, blasty blasty, good pace down and out.  Gale winds massive at the bottom just before Evans in those last corners.

Up the road, lonnnnnnggg grind, then into Britten where I led for a change and we had a good blast all the way down, wind died down a bit now, but still pretty strong on the final face.  Super bony down to and under the pylon, and finishing at the cars.

Windy windy ziggy zaggy, 14 kms with 611 m gained.

Monday Super-short Quick Single69

Commiserating the end of Lock Down (ish) with T by bunking off work (a little) and taking a nice walk in the afternoon.  

Then later, after chucking the 29r wheel on the front of the singlespeed BFe Cotic I got out and went for a quick short blat with Go-go on O's bike.  He struggles with asthma so was a wheeze'n'cough on the way up, but it was only to the dogparkcarpark to come back down all the not-so- and new singletrack.  Sweet wee blast.  Riding up the hill on the singlist was sweet, and the 29r front end sure felt nice.  

Looks enormous here! MOdeRn gEoMEtRy!

Geometry is better with that, but - next step is get a 180 disc (or two) and then I can run the 27.5+ wheel off T's bike in there and have some 'squish'.

Not even 2 kms, and 61 metres elevated.

Sunday Locals Climb Descend (climb, descend)

Crappy night's sleep, worrying about Legionaire's Disease, of all things, after gardening / compost on Saturday, also maybe hayfever.  Anyway, was after 11 by the time I made it out the door and up the hill.

Up Vic Park Drive as usual, steady pace, by-passing my '19th' detour staying on the road then up through the skidder and straight into the grunter climb.  Good pace up this too, muscle memory working well, keeping the puff and chuff at reasonable levels.  Up through the top and into Thomsons #1, (after waiting for a walking family).  Fun bomb down through here, then easy climb out, coast down road and bombed into the second, feeling the grip down through the trees and felling smooth.  

Down through the Kiwi ("huh, it's open," I thought) and up the Summit Rd, round up Worsleys and up to top of the Nun where I needed a rest.  Another (older) guy was here and we chatted a bit, then I launched off, enjoying the fang.  Boney, but bomby.  Felt good for most of the way, but always the rocky sections before the GromPark crossing wore me down.  Into the lowers, could hear either the guy or another dude on the trail above, so I kept the pressure on.  Into the lowest Gnarly section shortcut then the proper Lower nun, rolling and popping and bombing it nicely, eventually clambering out the end, and back through under the Kiwi.  

Up the road to top of Vic, dropped into the good flow, around for the jumps, 3 groms bombing through below me, following them over the jumps (they didn't do the 2nd one which I do now), the peeled over the see-saw and entered Brake Free, one of the groms having to bail up for me (I apologised), then peeled out to head down through the gums.  Over the rocks, into the trees, dropping down my usual fun way, bomba bomba bomba, exit through the gift-shop over to Skidder, climbing the middle road over through to about Shrooms, watching and listening to other bikers all bombing through these DH tracks in here, then riding back and dropping into, for the first time, Upper Rad^Sick, not really knowing where it would take me.  With a bit of practice I might pop most of these jumps, but took the nana lines on each, and ended up down on the 4WD track, climbed and dropped over to the right, into the track that's kinda parallel to Dazza's (but before it on the way up).  Nice steep tech, fun roots, drops you out at the Rad^Sick zone, so climbed back up Access tracks back to skidder, over Skidder into the tail out below the road to 19th.  

Below 19th, dropped into the old bike track, down round up onto our walking route, out to corner of road, and up to loos for a coast down the road.  Straight into 235, hooning through this, taking the new line to the left all the way down, loose!, then walking back up it cutting over to the main line, across the oaks, and into the new route here, following it across the walking track (H.Ell access) all the way to it's end out onto Harry Ell proper on Dyers Pass Rd.  Climbed a short steep (dragged my bike up) section to the Vic Park Drive, and bombed home.

A gratifying 11.57 kms, with 375 m altituded.

Thursday Early Tops Refresher 1st Ride of Spring

Awake at 6.30, got up and got out the door at 3 minutes to 7.  Usual climb up, doing alright, gasping like usual up the grunter.  Low clouds just above the dog park skudding pink in the dawn's early highlights.  Stormy and grey to the west, and gale winds found once up on the Traverse and heading around to the saddle below Sugarloaf.  Howling across the saddle, head-on while approaching then pushing me along afterwards.  All the way along, facing the same problems, gale head, then tail winds at various points.

Up over Vernon, lovely push along to start with, then on the Rapaki side, gravity barely holding out against the wind near the bottom, and pushing sideways across the top.  Into Witch and good technical ability shining through, one dab crunching front spokes.  Stopped at the high point briefly, out of the wind, and took in the view.  On down cruise cruise, then stayed on the road because the cross wind along here was too insane, til I was well up under the Tors.

Top of Castle was a respite briefly, then dropped in, speed-factor-warp, blazing down the trail, feeling super good, weaving the good weave, with a pause at the hairpin.  Off at a cruise but pumping more speed up before the next before another cruise into the climb, cleaning nicely and then just meandering around to the end.  Straight into the climb, wind all around, back up to the top of Castle, and clambered up onto Tors track.  8am on the dot up here...  Into this and the sun came out and was glorious.  Stopped just below where I usually dab, but didn't to get this.

Down onto the road and bypassing the squirrelly singletrack above the road (on account of the wind) and stuck to the Summit Rd battling the wind back to Witch Hill. Up the climb, over around and down to Rapaki top, sticking to the road again up and around, horrendous wind as I approached the Traverse.

Onto this last blast around the top, winds again, but sunshine at least.  Low clouds to the west.  Top of Vic, across, all the jumps, the second one actually completing properly for once, then See Saw, Brakefree to start, cutting out onto the rabbit paddock down through the rocks and bombing through the gums.  Out to Skidder, climbing up over the 19th dropping down and around the road into 235, bomb bomb bomba, trying out a new line across the next bit to Harry Ell extension, road, up onto our wee trail behind the stone sunset chair, final blast to driveway, and home.  It poured with rain about a half hour after I got home, so, lucky I missed that!

A pulchritudinous 19.67 kms with 728 m climbed.