Sunday Shortish Nun and back.

Testing the Jeht out as a non-mullet, running the 29 rear I got off trade me around the time I got the frame. It's only running a 2.4 Minion on a 30mm ID rim though, so is a far cry from the balloon I normally run. The minor change in geometry felt minor but it was noticeable but probably was hardly anything.  Handled ok, except the tire was definitely lacking sufficient grip in some dust-on-rock corners. I'll try the 2.6 off the front some day soon for size, see if it fits in the frame and if it does then get a new front, otherwise a 2.5 for the back (which is what's recommended as the maximum size)...

Off up through Vic, climbing from skidder made harder by the low gear now turning a bigger wheel.  I was slow, and puffed, but managed everything with only one breathing pause halfway up.  Thompsons one and two, then through the Pass and on up Summit Rd, grinding away to the top of Nun, where I peaked and looked at the view.

Nun was sketch dust, but bike handled mostly nicely, albeit rear wheel slide due to lack of bite, and then some dudes came in from the park, looking hot, but actually slow-bos, and got on the lower end ahead of me, making me have to catch up, hold back to increase the gap, then catch up again... 

Good faff up the road to Vic-top overtaking a bunch of riders, surprisingly cos I was feeling pretty spent - it was HOT - and then dropped down into a nice jump thru, down to the rocks, and gums (doug), and on down the usual below the road from 19th - coasting into the dogparkcarpark for a nice cruisy roll through here, trail riding well.  Just ahead of the final corner, the end of the trail before dropping onto lower H'Ell, there was a dead log across the path.  I stopped and moved it, and in the process, tweaked my already sore wrist - not to mention putting a nice vertical scrape on the back of my calf.

A whopping (not) 10.5 kms, and 345 m escalated.  Got home hot and was hot for hours afterwards.

Thursday Gilded Gloaming (predominantly) Singletrack

Good night out for a ride this evening. Drove to Nelson's and then in his car we drove up to Upper Major Hornbrook to find a bit of an easterly blowing, but once riding it wasn't too cool. 

Rode up through Britten, me leading and, as usual, pushing harder because not wanting to hold him up.  Took a new sidle onto the 'round the front' track from just before the top, all the way around and out the "Cutting" exit.  Across the road and over the fence and up the overgrown grass (I rode the other day) to the main track, this time turning right and dropping, ball-bearingly, down to the stile and then down through Cavendish Saddle, climbing up the Crater Rim for a start, then hanging a right through the wee gate onto the old zig zag climb up to the Gondola building.  Checked out the view then down around behind the building and up to the left-hander for the dropping down steps and steps and rocks and good flows.  Tricknical down, taking the main trail (due to the old line down to the fence being overgrown now) and nearly losing my front end on one bit.  Through the top of Bridle Path and we stayed on the crater rim trail climbing up around above Whakaraupo track and then up to the top above the Castle and then dropped down below the Tors for yet more techy goodness - very hard to see the trail in the gloom of sun ahead, shade below the long grass and tussocks - "where are the rocks!?".  Nelson had a close call down near the bottom, tipping somehow off, but saving himself well. 

Back up the road to Castle, into the single-track at inordinate speed, flowing smooth, railing and bombing, slowly reeling Nelson in, but also wanting to stay back a bit to avoid the dust he was raising.  Around the hairpins and into the climb, started well but I started to really lose steam on the last of the climb, while he just blazed on ahead, disappearing from my sight and waiting for me on the road.  

Onto the road, around under the Gondola and into the wind, that seemed to get stronger the closer we got to the gate.  Then it was howling through the Cutting, and we dropped into Britten, I was feeling my way on the singletrack cos tussocks were overgrowing.  Nelson picked the high line and we went up over (below Broadleaf) rather than around the front, then onto Vee Twin as usual for the bomb down, peeling off the usual corner and across the front.  Once across we explored sheeplines, some interesting connections here, and ended up above the last dropdown to pylon and exited the park at Longridge, climbing back up to the car via Clearview and Ridgeview.   

Unquestionable 11.79 kms and peculiarly only 487 m shimmied

Coincidentally, Andy, Wahayno and Wazzah had parked near us and were riding Greenwood at approximately the same time.

Fri Day-after-Waitangi, Wood of the Captain Green.

Took the Jeht to Scumnervale and headed up Das Kapitan. 2 weeks since covid and as a result of this I struggled pretty much the whole way. Especially up the road above and then even worse up to the top of Pleasant.  Climb was uneventful, apart from a horse between the gates on the OG Captain.  I gave him a wee fright rolling over the beside-the-stile fence rock roll.  Luckily, he turned around and had his head at the trail (rather than the kicking machines), and I talked nicely and let him sniff me to know me as I passed.  Up from here was nice.  Up the rest was alright, but struggling began in earnest higher up.  Then, up the road, and by the time I made Jollies Bush I was a bit toasted, then up Sheep Shit Alley, and back onto the road and around Britten, the longer way, then up over the fence from the cutting and it looks like no one rides there anymore.  Grass all overgrown to buggery.  Onto main trail and it looks like a trainload of bikes has been through (- an event?).  Clambered and had a rest at some rocks, ate something, then moseyed on, struggling away.  Utterly spent by the top, thankful it was downhill(ish) the rest of the way.

Trails really look like some event has been through recently, do they still hold the Crater Rim enduro??  Top section, rocks, more rocks, and then some rocks thrown in for good measure.  Down through the tussocks was alright.  Lots of new fencing, and through Downhill got better and better as I descended to the point where I was very much enjoying myself.  Good roll down all the usual techs, and into the OG zone, very nicely indeed.  Horsey McHorseface had gone when I came back through.

An undiminutive 16.78 kms and wondrously 663 m upwardly mobile

Saturday First ride post-Covid, Camp Troll Swim

First ride since my second dose of covid. Drove to Lyttelton, pedalled over to the ferry and found the next one wasn't gonna be for another 45 minutes, so back to the car and I drove to Diamond Harbour instead - arriving a good 15 minutes before the ferry was going to leave.  Parked about halfway down towards the cafes.  

Headed up Waipapa to the very top, left down Bayview - quick steeep gravel down then right onto the sweet singletrack trail to Purau that I hadn't ridden for years (since an early Herbert trip, must have been pre-blog), stopping for a call, then scoffed a few blackberries. On down thru Purau and onwards, seal first, then gravel, around above Ripapa Island and around to Camp Bay, first time ever, where I coasted down and made the beach.  Carry/pushed around the rocks to the main beach, parked the bike, grabbed my togs, sarong and travel towel that I had bundled up in my seatbag, and wandered across the beach, changed and went in for a swim.   Lovely.   

Back onto the beach and changed back into bike shorts, back to the bike and pushed it up the narrow steep track, over the fence to the carpark and then climbed back out of the bay and around, hitting lots of nice rolling back, up and down to Purau then back into the single-track for the climb.  More blackberries in here.  At the road end I explored a wee track, which had two sets of steps and one too-techy rock section, otherwise lovely gentle bush track, which took me down to Rawhiti St.  Around onto Te Ra, short climb, then back down Waipapa and back to the car. 

An efficacious 15 kms journeyed with 400m conquered