Wednesday Night Lava Skool

Picked up Nelson (only a couple of weeks out from having Covid) and his bike from bottom end of Bowenvale Ave, leaving his car there, and we drove up to mine and hit the hill. Up the usuals, Vic Park Rd, 19th, Skidder, and gruntsville (I walked a snip), all the way to the top.  Regroup and down around, popping the two jumps nicely then straight into Worm, climbing smoothly to the Traverse.  Around here, pulling up multiple times letting (assumedly, the 'Slow Riders) lots of riders through all the way to the saddle, then mostly we got the track to ourselves after that.  Stopped at the top of Lavaflow, climbing up to the fenceline.  Good chat, rest, hang-out up here in the wind, taking shelter behind a couple of matagouri, and then due to cold, got moving.  

Down the Lavaflow.  What a blast.  Loved it.  Tech rock, tricky lines.  I dabbed a couple of spots, took smoother less steep lines when Nelson took big drops.  Only didn't ride one feature on my route.  Below the open section, into the Kanuka, lovely swoopy back and forth.  A couple of rocks I dabbed through, but will ride next time, then after the lowest one, tiiight rooty steep to the Hidden Valley 'bonus.'  Climbed up through the steep pines onto Old Skool, around to the high point and then dropped in.  Excellent blast down here.  My weight to my advantage, rolling, coasting, pumping, no pedalling and catching Nelson all the way while he was pedalling to keep the speed.  Bony as hell, lots of it, with some blown out bits lower down that could catch us off guard (but didnt).  Finally the last few corners, drifting out onto the gravel and out down, coasting rolling to the car. He dropped me home. 

Good hoon. 9 kms with 260 m climbed (plus an extra 220 descended) - very similar to the last time we hit Lavaflow (20 months ago!)

Sunday Sumnervale Captain Godley Snake Escape

Spin out with some new peeps this morning. I was a bit hungover post the TFC Xmas do.  At 10am, I met Jon, Ian and Conor, the latter two for the first time, at Sumnervale and we headed up the hill on what proved to be a hot and cool ride.  Clambered up the valley switchbacks and onto the sidling climb, walked the rockiest bits, and slowly my hangover was replaced with sucking down a lot of fresh air.

Out Godley Head Rd, climbing up the farmtrack to the Godley for a sweet hoon down to Livingston and over to Breeze.  Tonnes of ebikers and the odd regular biker around.  Very busy out there.  Up the road a little and dropped into Anaconda where I set a scorching pace, none of them managing to hold on.  Regrouped at the bottom, then hit the snake and regrouped again.  

Up the Escape, horrid steep bits being horrid, but the rest of it smooth sailing.  From top, up road to decide to stay on the road (we'd already been 2.5 hours by this stage - lots of long languorous breaks), nice coast down to Evans, and into the Captain.  I followed Ian, because it was his 'local' (he lives in Sumner), but I would have ridden most of it faster than him. Due to timing, he bailed off down the zigs, where I led Conor and Jon down the oldskool exit.  A bit too tech for them, methinks.  I rode everything, they got off and walked the odd bit.  I stopped often for them to catch up.  Good wee ride tho, just taking it easy and popping through stuff and enjoying it slower.  

Back to the cars and said our goodbyes.

Around 20 kms, (I didn't start MMR until we were a couple kms up (at 150m), and total of 770 m (620m + 150m) climbed.

Sunday Tops Again but Mountained

Good leg stretch hoon along the tops similar and back similar to yesterday but on the single track on the mountainbike.  Up the usuals, 19th, skidder, gutser (brief breather half way up), to top of Vic, down around the jumpies and hard right into Worm back up to Traverse.  Into the long slog around here, going well, then over Vernon, bomb to Rapaki-top, into Witch, decently negotiated.  Along road up to Castle and bomb in behind a couple of other guys (dad and son) I'd crossed paths with a couple of times, after giving them a good gap.  I popped out the very end closer to them than I'd been to start with and straight into the climb back up the road.  

Up onto the Tors for a good waft down this.  Very overgrown.  Onto road again and good blat around to Witch, up and over again, then up the road around Vernon, catching and overtaking another rider.  Into Traverse, nice bomb, then through the jumpies, rabbit paddock, rocks, gums, road, 235 out and up and down behind houses home.  

Similar but different, 20kms, 740 m climbed

Saturday Ease Along the Top and Back

With T, on our Ebikes we shot up on top and out past the Bridle Path and back.  Her first ride for a long time, good to get her stretching out.  We stopped just beyond the Bridle Path and I sat down on the grass and lay back.  On our way back after Castle Rock it felt like something was biting me on my elbow and on my back...  ended up with allergic looking bites, spider?  ant??  no idea.  Beautiful day but windy in places.  Used 60 % of my battery.  as did she.

Easy hoon, 21 kms, 790m escalated.

Show Day Hill Troll

Quick spin down the hill to meet T and Ben for an Ernle Clarke walk then off up the hill via more interesting routes, just for a good leg stretch.  I love riding this bike.

Grand total of 7.6 kms, 212 m clambered.

Saturday Quick Trolling

Little spin into a storm.  What looked to be a wall of weather out on the plains was making its way towards the hills and I knew everything was packing in for Sunday so I jumped on the Troll and headed out and up.  (after first attaching my Fidlock attachment to the frame for bottle).  Stood and ground my way up, good pace and man that bike feels fast and light, so smooth.  Up over 19th, to the skidder and onto my feet for the steepest.  Just up from the Sesame wallride I took off my bushshirt, tying it onto the handlebars, and got pedalling again.  Up to Brakefreezone and across the rabbit paddock to my sunset-seat.  Watched the weather, took the photo, rain started to spit, so headed across Rabbit and into Rocks, down around through the Gums, slick-tech on the Troll, out to Skidder and them bombed down the road, rain spattering heavier, into Dogparkcarpark - 235, slick bomb down here, not as dry as it was the other day, all the way down to the bottom of Harry Ell, and carried bike up shortcut to VicParkDrive and bomb to home.

25 minutes riding-time, a smidge less than 5 kms, 154 m climbed.

Thursday Night Solo, Hunts and back

Up from home to the top top of Vic, half dying on the steep climbing.  Quick blat down round the jumpies and and hard right into Coffee Break climbing gently up to the Traverse.  Misty fog lingering in spots around here, with various views diminished, vanished or there.  Stopped up top of Huntsbury and had a quick snack and break.  Then dropped into top of Four Pause for a nice blat down this bony rutty trail.  Yumpity bump, missing the 2nd jump, and then whoah..., dude slowing me just before the bottom gap jump, bypassing it cos there's a guy lying on the ground on the landing pad. Not in a good way.  His mate was on the phone to the emergency services, describing where they were.  Raspy sounding breathing, so maybe his lung was punctured?  Nasty rasping sound... I couldn't help, wasn't carrying my space blanket (which I'd have given if I was), his mates had it in hand, so I took off, continuing down the 'easy' tussock route, through the cattlestop, part way down the singletrack then peeled left through tussocks and clambered over Rocky, nearly crashing, then down all the way, bypassing or taking various of the jumps, all the way to the bottom of the Huntsbury Track. 

Back up the gravel road expecting an ambulence up behind me or chopper flying over any minute, but none.  Eventually back up to the guys, dude still on his back, still sounding dreadful, - he'd cased the jump.  They said they were sending a chopper...  Ground  up the gravel grovel and up onto the Traverse again, bomb bomb, lots of runners and walkers, chatted with a girl in an Montana State Uni top, "MSU!  I lived in Bozeman in the early 90s. - started mountainbiking there, 30 years ago!"  On around Traverse, big group of walkers hustling out of the way, and then bomba domb down over the jumps, straight through the cattlestop and down the rabbit paddock into the rocks, and gums, wend wend, out to skidder, over 19th, then into 235 all the way through out onto H'Ell and down the road back up around to home.... 

Home about 10 minutes when I finally heard and saw the chopper past, weaving its route to avoid the foggy mist... that was a long wait for the poor injured dude. 

Vitally statistical 13.8 kms with 481 m climbed