Stoney-Owney Fatso Saturday Loopy.

Heesh, what a climb... Took Kuan and his friend Andre to Akaroa for them to have a look around.  It was Le Race day, so we passed a few stragglers before Little River, then one or two on the hill, and the Summit Rd was closed to cars, so it was lucky we were going to Akaroa and not LA.  Parked at the far end, just up from the Wharf, and the boys went for a wander while I rode back around to Stoney Bay Rd and headed up valley...  Long climb.  Gravel from part way up the valley and then big long switchbacks, in granny most of the time, crawling.  By the time I made the top I was pretty toasted.  Hour and a half that took.  

Then was onto the trail across below Flag Peak and behind the Brasenose, it was surprisingly hard going, given it wasn't very steep, energy sapping mown grass farm track, and I was HOT.  Stopped and had a rest in the shade of the pines on the flatter bits along the top, even taking my top off and lying on the damp grass and snacking half a onesquare, the first food since a bagel before we left town.  Was putting my shirt back on just as a walker lady arrived.  Bit of a chat then off I went, onwards further across the top then the trail dropped down, becoming very steep and narrower, more like a quadbike track, quite eroded out where water had been pouring and stepping down, a few interactions with gorse bushes on various parts of my body that then became a problem later.  Trail rounded off more level for a bit then climbed a bit and the final climb to the next top was very steep, too steep to ride, up to the 692 point.  Walked up to here, nice view, looking back towards Brasenose and the whole harbour, Akaroa kinda hidden behind the hill.  Fun descent (tho short) down to Flea Bay Rd, then onto Lighthouse Rd, for a mega-fast descent - catching up to a car surprisingly fast, then road flattened off a bit and they got away then thankfully they'd stopped for the view and I bombed on by and hurtled down the road, tires screaming on the seal...

Rolled around through town and got a big feed at the local Kaimoana takeaways.  Then went and picked up the boys from their Giant's House experience and we headed over to Little Ak.  A swim was relished, cooling down my heated brain.

A laboured-epic, 16 km in the making with 920 m heaped on top.