Saturday a m. El Kapitano Sheepshit Gods Snake Escape

Birthday treat ride I got to share with Nelson and Pete. 

Met Slumnervale and toodled up the Kapitano from the valley bottom (pony school).  Zig and Zag making for gasping, but once up on the level all was good.  Good rate of knots most of the way and then out the top and onto the Godley Road.  Cruised out the road to the entrance to grind up the sheepshitted paddock track climb to Godley track proper.  Turned left, and dived into this for an excellent blast across the wooden bits and down, with looseness in the weaving towards Livingston.  Through the col and onwards, upwards, enjoying the crap out of the techy rocks on the climb, along a bit, then jumped the fence and dropped down to the 'new' entrance to Anaconda.  I dont think Pete had ridden this way in before.  It's a little rough, but good weaving, with me leading the way, keeping a jolly good clip all the way down the snake, big front wheel carrying speed through all the rough.  Into the 'tail and Nelson was finally caught me a little.  

Straight into the Escape climb, taking a wee break just before the worst of the grind at the head of the valley.  Good timing as the guy who'd followed us from Evans to Livingston was coming down.  Above this, once up on the zigs and zags goings improved, resulting in a good climb all up.  Nelson gapped Pete and me as we struggled along.  From Livingston, it was up the road, lots of parasailers around, back to the shitty climb up to Godley proper again, this time the turning right.  Blazed along, humming the rock features for a fun and action packed blast to Evans.  

Across the Pass and into the Kapitano for a superlative blast down.  Met 3 running girls all spread out and then into the 'old' bit, fantastic blast through this.  In the lower sections I was momentarily distracted by some people with a dog, on their way up, peering past Nelson to see them when !WHACK! my vision went black for a split second and stars were seen, vision fading back in I realised I was heading off track - eeee! - reeled it in pretty quick, and was like "woooo, that hurt!"  Curse words were heard, tho I was aware of the young child with the people and dog.  Kept on riding, worrying a bit about concussion, not feeling quite right as we proceeded.  Made it down tho, and as we were cruising back towards the cars, crossing that 'creek' drainage ditch Nelson took it first and slashed his front tire.  I rode it, okay, then Pete came through it and slashed his rear tire.  Walk for them back to cars...  Tree 1, helmet (and my brain) 0.

Until the brain smack, a jolly 18.85 kms, with 90cm shy of 700 m climbed.

Thursday Nightlights Gits and Shiggles

Big gap due to trip to Nelson, Picton and Arapawa Island...  

Tonight, however, Nelson bailed with a crookguts so it was a solo up and back for me. Out the door 6ish, so sun well and truly set, lights mounted and on low for the climbing.  Up my usual Vic Park route, 19th, Skidder, Gruntster, Worm.  Into the Thompson's both, then through the Kiwi saddle and up the Slummit Rd.  At the first col, dropped over into the Governor's Bay trail, losing my handlebar light within the first 50 m and stopping to readjust.  Mounted better, got going again, down and around.  Fun techy rocks, and tricky riding under lights again - first time since September.  Around the back and into the climbing.  A couple of extra steep bits got the better of me (same as last time I think).  It was a little greasy from shade and dew.  Finally out the top and back onto the road for the trek up to Worsleys and the Flying Nun.  Stopped at top for a bit of a stretch before dropping in.

One little slickage on the first big rock corner made me wary, then a hare jumped in front of me and bolted along the track.  Couldn't seem to get out of my way and I even hit him at one point.  After about 30 m he finally bolted left off the track and I was on my own again.  Slightly sketchy ride down, not as fast as in the past cos it's been so long I wasn't remembering it right, and it's become quite a deep rut in places, and bits were slick, and long grass, and night lights, and bony rocks.  Handlebar light went out again, so stopped and re-mounted the battery- better again (but still not good enough!)....  Crossed the CAP exit and rolled on.  Immediately here they've built up a big berm and cut off an extra little bit (I wondered if that was being used elsewise - as an exit from another trail perhaps?).  Not a bad bomb down the rest of it.  It's certainly wider and more blown-out than ever before.  Bony as hell.  Pulled up to road at Kiwi and headed back up to the top of Vic.  

Dropped in, good blast down into the jumps, second one didn't quite have enough speed, but landed it okay.  Then bypassed the see-saw, dropping down the rabbit paddock and into the rockgarden around into gummies and blasting nicely down through very familiar turf.  Rail, slide, rail down down and out.  Below the road below 19th, rolling down then poaching the Tawhairanui walking track, which looks amazing under lights.  Across the dogparkcarpark and straight into 235 for a fast and fun blast down this, jump, jump, ballbearings!, then climb, climb to big tower and faaasstt down behind the houses, bloody battery mounted on frame having rattled loose again.  Home.

Good first night ride of the year: 11 and three-quarter kilometres, with 444 m of altitudes. 

Easter Sunday Fat Jet Up and Back Down

Quick dog run on the Fatty with Jetty-puss to exhaust his old bones.  Clamber clamber, hum humm.  Round back of 19th, up the bastard grunter from skidder, over to and down the gums, much funs, then below road briefly and across the grass down to dogparkcarpark, into the sweet singletrack, mildly greasy and tight down here, then back up to bottom of dogpark and down the back of houses trail.

A little up and back, under 5 kms, with 160 m climbed

Good Friday Good Local

Good Friday for a steep up down repeat local spin.  Up the usual, 19th, skidder, Worm, around for the couple of jumps, over the see-saw, hard right and across along to top of Upper Fenceline.  Nice spin down this, staying high across and across, then right into Razzas, the ending has changed slightly, but the closure of the other week hasn't wrecked it.  A right at the bottom of this, climbing briefly to the corner to drop down the lower Pedalfine all the way through to the bottom of Brents.  Horrible climb up side of Brents, then into Sneaky Ridge, great drop down here, then flow bridges nu bridges, and back up K2, ugh ugh guh. to skidder and down usual ways funtimes...  hard and steepo

Steep AF, 8.08 state with a measley 320 m clumb

Saturday Lush Sinclair, Fitzgerald, Sinclair

Good ride from Pettigrews... I'd popped to the bach to collect a "rabbit-control device" and some walnuts, and went for a ride on what I thought was going to be the way home.  Parked and rode, up the steep farm track between prolific onga-onga.  Quite tough going the whole ride because the grass was so lush following the wettest summer in decades.  Climb climb climb, a lot of granny or second gear, just plodding away.  Over the stiles and across the ridge, up through the nice bush reserve, stile, farm track, climbing ever climbing.  Next stile I met a large group of walkers just as we all got there.  I lifted the bike over the fence (surprising the woman who'd just asked "do you have to lift the bike over every stile?").  I was puffing like crazy from the hard climb prior, so took this moment to catch my breath and the walkers all walked through over the stile.  Once they'd cleared over I went and got riding again.  Steeper and steeper, little bit of walking on the steepest bit, then riding further up .  around the top of Sinclair, skirting the north side, nice bush which I ducked into to see what it's like inside.  Very nice totara cloud forest, surprisingly tall in places.  Somewhere up here I realised I'd forgotten to get the "rabbit-control device."  Damn...

Fun roll down, some steep techy fun, then onto the weaving singletrack across the ridgeline.  One or two features of difficulty, but very rideable in this direction.  Past where I turned back in May last year. Over to and up the final long sidling climb, walking the gnarliest steep bit, to the ridgeline flank of Fitzgerald, and up this in long grass to the highest point on the track.  Short stroll out onto the rocks where I sat and ate a muesli bar and listened to the bellbirds in the bush below the cliffs to the west.  Back to the bike and ready for the descent -  very similar to the time before last on the fat bike.  

Fun blast down the stuff I'd just climbed, weaving down the ridge, then around into the tech-in-places steeps walked on the way up, now fun techy bombing - little slippery streams, and erosion lips and steps, with aplomb.  Across the ridgeline between the peaks was tougher going this way, then the climb up through the totara forest too steep to ride now I was tired, walking a bit, then riding again up Sinclair around the north side.  Down to the gate and into the descending again, bomb bomb bomb steeeeep, fun around over stile, fast farm track, stile, Whatarangi Bush reserve, fast, stile, ridgeline, final climb, stile, and bomb to car, stopping to check out the big mushrooms (which were past it) before the final blast through the onga-onga to the car.  

I then had to drive back to the bach, get the air-rifle rabbit control device, and then drive home...

Grand total of 13.7 kms with 656 m climbed, somehow more altitude and less distance than the fat 2nd to last ride up here... weird.