Thursday Night Nun Victorian

Good ride with Nelson tonight. Felt like I was showing off all my new toys...

Rode out from mine, headed up the road (following a group of 4 others), peeled into the dog park carp ark and down the newish line onto Sleepy Hollow, then up and out to the walk track.  By the 19th I'd determined that Nelson hadn't hit the new one from here, so we popped off down there for a lap.  Back at 19th, through the gate, and into the singletrack climbing from here, then out to Skidder for the grind up the grunter.  A couple had been ahead, and were stopped at the water fountain chatting, we rode through and up to Thomsons, where they arrived as we were deciding where to go.  Nelson led, I followed.  He had some gear problems at the end.  Then down into #2, I led, and we flowed, and through out to the road.  Down through Kiwi and up the Summit, with the 2 from the fountain catching us up slowly, and finally pulling ahead just before Worsleys.  Didn't really talk to them much until the top of the Nun.  They dived in first.  

Nun wasn't as greasy as I was expecting, but I still trusted nothing.  Had a good blast down tho.  Then the lower reaches were closed due to the logging below.  We flowed out onto the road, then dived in the lowest from part way down where you can access it.  Good blast down here too.  Out through Kiwi again and I noticed the moon! - not the pest pic, but it was above Charteris/Diamond Harbour, just come up over the hill.

Up the road and at the top there was a group of about 6 young dudes on expensive bikes.  They were chatting so we headed off down, Nelson leading, round through and over the jumpies, then down Rabbit where I led into Rocks Pines and Gums, taking the left down steep, I'm pretty sure a new bit, and out to the corner, out over to Skidder where there was a massive group of riders, including the guy and girl from earlier, and up rolled the infamous Mel, friendly as she always is.  They were all climbing and we headed off down Dazza's.  Ages since down here and hooweee it's steeeep and rooty.  Fun!  Rolled out across the last of the nuShazza's flowing around towards Brents, and then hitting Macros down down out to Corporate Ladder ending and then into Uprooted, Nelson's first time.  Good climb.  One extra corner that wasn't there earlier, and then out the top (a little more progress?), onto the 4wd, out to Skidder and over to the singletrack we'd climbe earlier for the last blast down Heavenly Creatures and all the way home.  Nicely nicely.

Cogent 12.13 kms and a tenable 465 m vert.

Monday Night Head Fix Short'n'Sweet

Missed any riding opportunities in the weekend so took off for a quick jaunt as soon as I got home from work.  

Headed up the road into Vic Park, dropping down the wee access track towards Harry Ell that I usually ride up from the 235, taking this in reverse for the first time.  Mucky as hell under the oaks, and blew the steepest corner but climbed out the rest, surprised at how quick/short it was.  Up the road to 19th divert around the top and over to the skidder site, straight into the gutsy climb.  Up across Brakefree and up through the pines to the top of Vic.  

Downhill mode engaged, dropped around and down, over the jumps, past the see-saw and down the Rabbit Paddock into the rockgarden entry of Gums, bombing around, shortcutting down a line that hasn't seen much action, back around and down my lefty fun blast down and out, across to the skidder, and dropped into Dazza's (rather than Shazza's) for a change.  Not nearly as 'dangerous' as I thought it was, popped all the drops no problem at all and took a rather rooty line down and out to the 40footer. 

Brief look down at the first jump on Rad^Sick and thought, "yeah, could probably do that no probs," but not tonight, and rode on up, climbing climbing climbing out to skidder, dropping back over to where I'd come out of the gums, dropping down out to the road, then below the road and walking tracking it back up to the corner avoiding Tawhairanui (likely mucky af), down the road, into 235 dropping down nicely, careful across the greasy oak leaves, and up to the road for the final bomb down the seal, cleaning the tires centripetally.

Nice wee 5.6 kms, with a smidgen under 200m climbed.