Thursday Night Eastern Wild Side

Nelsie and me met at Scumnervale relatively early and rode down via the crazy-parasailers' (we saw them later) landingstrip, to, then up, the Captain.  It was tough, overgrown and steep, greasy af and tricksy too all the way up through the forested bit.  Once above that it was drier, but ffs people have obvs been riding the crap out of it whilst it's been wet in winter so the ruts are deep - same as Godley...  

From Evans headed along the Godley Rd, encountering car after car (of mostly 2 girls - tho one mentally deficient moron in an Evo) parked, watching the sunsets...  Headed up the farm track to the main Godley, cloying grass and heaps of new lambs abounding.  Bombed, then, down to Livingston, ruts and mums with lambs making it rather interesting, and lo the fences / cattlestops have all been re-arranged.  Climbed up towards Breeze to the high point like back on the longest night (tho that time we dropped into Taylors). 

Back down to Livingston and Nelson turned up the face, steep! Bit of walking for me, where he cleaned the whole damned thing!  Over the fence and we followed the walkway sidling ever up and around til nearly able to see into Lyttleton, basically we were just over the fence from the quarry, where we headed up skirting along the fenceline around the top of the quarry to the highest point then down through the gate and back down the long ridge (through mums and lambs) to the main track again.  Took this back to Evans, pinging and flowing through the bony rocks.  

Back at Evans, we headed into Rapanui Bush, sweet wee section of singletrack seeming longer than usual, then around it's tight corners and steps and out onto the Scarborough Bluffs track.  Super techy tricksy fun, meandering along above the road, challenges thrown at you constantly and lots of exposure.  Eventually crossed the road, dropping down to bottom of the Captain, and back to the cars..

A abundance of up, 13.7 km with 560 m climbed

Thursday Night Captain Windy Sketchville

Awesome ride tonight.  

Met Nelson at Slumnervale and we headed into the Closed Captain Thomas.  Not too greasy, a few wet spots, ie, too wet to ride down, but fine going up without destroying the trail.  Gasping for air as usual, we stopped at the top of the hairpins and I really struggled to breathe.  Didn't help that I could SEE the motes of pollen in the air either...  Up through the rocky sections, I walked once or twice - grease and rocks getting the better of me or my lungs not up to capacity.  Upper section was good and we made the road.  

Headed up into the Godley, but once up the nasty rocksection we got our clamber-walk on and pushed up the ridge fenceline walking track, wind starting to pick up a bit as we climbed this exposed section.  Some riding, some pushing and eventually made the top.  Short break and around the top over the edge towards the darkness that was the harbour.  Nelson found it entirely unfamililar thinking he'd never ridden it before but I knew he had, last year even, and before that in 2017.  Neat drop down, not as techy as I recalled, but around the back heading across towards Livingston it was pretty greasy, water running on the track a bit.  Bomb down the ridge to Livingston Col and familiarity returned.  Out Godley from here, good riding, with only the final paddock to the cattlestop at the end the usual quagmire which we attempted to skirt widely after pfmtbc rock.  Stopped at Breeze Col in the 'breeze' (read, gale), and watched as several spaced out riders came down the road and past us. 

We dived into the OG Godley, below the road, and headed outwards.  It's been tidied and benched better and rode pretty well, very few wetspots.  At the road end we headed up the 4wd track towards our bunker, wind pushing at us hard making the climb harderer than it would normally be.  Then across and over the stile onto Breeze Bay track.  I ducked behind some tussocks here cos the wind was doing my head in.  Nice break and snack here then off around the track, out of the wind, spectacular riding, easy going cruisey as.  Into the teeth of the gale at the stile here, nearly blown off, and pushing hard into the wind to get to the road.  Then it was back along the Godley Head Road, pushing hard into the gale, but once, eventually, around above the new Escape trail we got the tail wind pushing us uphill to Livingston, nearly plucking us from the bikes across there, then a bit of work up the rest to the Para-launch place, into the wind around then pushed all the way back down to Evans.

Down into Rapanui bush, definitely ridden it wetter in the past, and techy goodness around to Scarbluffs track.  This was tricky with the wind, and felt dangereux with the exposure, but mostly a pretty good run out across towards Scumner then dropping down the tricky hairpins, water running down the track towards the road.  Across and over for the last blast down below the road, fun times had.

An interesting and quite spectacular 16.44 kms, with 701 m climbed.

Tuesday Night Avoidance of the Muckeriness

Parked at the bottom of Mulgans Track and relaxed listening to music and watching the rabbits in the redzone while I waited for Nelson to show up.   He turned up, we got riding - an excellent ride ensued.
Up Mulgans, corners and steps getting the better of both of us.  Up the steps and steep, then up the steps to the water tanks and riding up past York's old place and into Brownlee Reserve.  Over the top onto Clifton Tce, climbing, climbing and over the fence at the first stile.  Took the singletrack down and across the valley around to climbing up around stormwater catchment gabions onto Richmond Hill, climbing up a walkway to a new cul de sac and then up the dirt, clambering ever upwards, around eventually onto the ridge and easy riding up to the big trees corner.  Had a snack here.

Next it was up the road and over the stile onto the Greenwood 4wd track, avoiding the soggy singletracks, climbing up to the gun emplacements on the ridge.  Bit of a cruise around these, then hit the descent, down the ridge track, tricknical rocks and fun to be had.  Across the top of Chalmers and Nelson's bike suddenly had weird gears - somehow the rear screw on his derailleur had unwound...  Fixed, and headed down the trail across onto the ridge above the Evans Pass Rd.  Speeeed (Nelson got 65 kph, (me, only 50 odd)) down to Evans, ended up at the old Greenwood exit.

Onto the road and out Godley Head Rd, meandering around to the new cattlestop and then climbing up all the way, crossing the singletrack, all the way to the top of the ridge.  Nice trail climbing up here, and mostly pretty dry.  Brief rest up top here, in the shelter of a rock (strong wind), and then down the techfun trail, dropping straight down to Evans Pass.

Dropped down into Rapanui Bush, skoodling around to the Scarborough Bluffs Track, where we stopped for another snack.  Nice dry mild spot here.  Then off, fun descent, waaay longer than I always remember it, across and in and out of little valleys and techy rock features and drops and then into the switchbacks, various levels of success for Nelson and not for me.  I cleaned the last one.  Onto the road and coasting, faster and faster (me 69 kph down here) descending down into Sumner, and cruising around back to the cars.

Good ride.

A quite acceptable 15 kms and 640 m of altitudes

Thursday Night Godley Meanderisations

Met Nelson in Sumnervale and we headed up the Captain. First time since February, for some reason... I took off while he faffed his MMR on and I was a wee ways up the singletrack above the stile before he caught up.  Instantly I was set to with wheezing, struggling to breath from here on up.  Bloody dire, and I've GOT to remember to take my ventolin inhaler when I ride.  Up round the bends and up over the rocks, wheeze wheeze wheeze.  Started getting into a groove the further up we got but was still struggling even at the top, and muppetting quite a few sections I'd not normally.

Across Evans and onto Godley.  Not bad going up here, a dab lower down but cleaned the rocky platforms before the going got better.  Nelson was doing good for a start but then blew it on a rocky bit, got out of my way and I cleaned up over it, leading from here til the break on the ridge.  Into the descent, a little muckhole right on a corner after the second of the boardwalk things, and slightly greasy down the Teddington Shit section, but from here on down we were smooth rocketships.  Absolutely fanging down through the curvy stuff before Livingston Col - felt like the fastest I've ever done (who knows!?).  Up the next climb, gasping again, then down to Breeze, all good. 

Up onto the tight narrow sheeptrack-singletrack around then return on the Breeze Bay track, this is rolling very nicely now, fast and getting a little narrower.  Still no tech, but fun.  Into Anaconda, and a nice roll through the top section, speed building, til, tight on Nelson's tail, we were rocketting down and through.  Around into the valley and !WHOOAH!, Nelson bailed, (his wheels had chosen different ruts and gone different directions),  I managed to pull up in time.  We bypassed the nasty muckhole and the rest of the way were a little more cautious, with no problems.  Then it was onto the new walking track to climb.  Always further than memory allows, but a good solid climb and back up to the col in no time. 

Now it was back up Godley, climbing, descending, and knuckling in for the last climb up from Livingston.  Into the last section, speed right from the start.  We both had fast and smooth runs down here, popping and floating over the rocks and no snarls.  I took the high line to finish, Then it was down through Rapanui Bush and around the tricksy wee walk track onto the Scarborough Bluffs Track.  Bit of a rest here, and then onwards, fun times flying.  Nelson failed on the techiest bit (he'd cleaned last two times), and neither of us did very well in the corners.  Nice riding tho.  Across the road and down the last zigs to the bottom of the Captain and then back to the cars. 

Grabbed dinner at the wee Indonesian Street Food place.  Not bad, tho gammy guts since.

20kms and 815 climbed...  Pretty good.

Wednesday Night Piecing it together to avoid the Closed bits

Cool wee ride tonight.. Pretty much all tracks out east closed (Godley, Captain, Snake, Greenwood, Britten) so we headed out that way anyway, figuring we'd piece something else together...

We parked on Nayland, and headed up onto The Zig Zag, but took Aratoni Track, first turning to the right.  A bit of walking, but a fair bit of riding too, eventually up some steps and out onto Clifton Tce.  Up this for a bit thinking to take the Zig Zag up to Panorama, but couldn't fathom the driveway entrance so continued on up Clifton til we hit The Frog Pond track.  This was greasy in spots but has some new drainage, and we managed to avoid most of them quite well, then up the ridge up to the big pines on the corner.  Stopped for a snack here and saw the ISS cruising by.

Next it was across the road up onto the climbing track which we took up to the Greenwood entrance.  Rolled into this and across and around, all in good nick, not mucky at all, to the 4wd track (before the ruins).  Here, we hung a right and rode up to the gun emplacements on the ridge which we toodled around for a minute or 5 before heading down the ridge on the 360 / CraterRim / Mt Pleasant Bluffs / Call-it-whatever-you-wanna-call-it Track.  Fast and flowy for a bit, then steep as hell and techy as shit, with a stile in there somewhere for good measure.  Across the top of Chalmers, over the next stile and on down between the macrocarpas sidling across the 360 walkaway section, all above Greenwood, across behind the bluffs they're messing with for the Evans Pass Rd, and then down the stupid-fast access track down the ridge towards the works buildings, to the end of Greenwood.

Through Evans Pass and decided against Godley Track (it being closed, and remembering how many bits I walked last time due to it being wet and closed) so stuck to the road, out, til we found a wee singletrack entrance which took us above the road for a bit around towards the 4wd track entrance.  Climbed over the fence before this following a natural line across to the 4wd track then up this.  And across the Godley track, on up the ridge (as per last time (too)) all the way to the top.  Nice views up here.  Here we were on the 360 track again.  Excellent descent ensued back down to Evans Pass.  (oh, while we were up here, we spotted some douchebag on Greenwood - much of his descending matched ours). 

At Evans again we headed into Rapanui Bush, hung a right and teched through to the Scarborough Bluffs track again (the Greenwood-douchebag seemed to follow us - but he missed our right-hander).  This time was excellent too, tho a bit wetter than last.  Nelson cleaned the lot, whereas I dabbed in similar places to last time.  Awesome descent, this track.  At the road we decided it'd be mucky below, so we hit the road down, high speed, flinging / clearing the mud from the knobs and down into the fridge of the valleybottom, then back to the cars at a cruisy pace.

An interesting 15 kms, with 570 m climbed...

Wednesday Night Mt Relatively Pleasant (out of the wind), Greenwood and Bluffs

Bike fits good in the new car.

Left work 4.30ish and drove to park at McCormack's Bay park, watching the big clouds and sunset drift away.  Nelson turned up eventually, parking, and we headed up the valley track.  Not a bad start, but when it got steep I started to struggle big time, gasping and wheezing up through the switchbacks, and then losing momentum on the bridgies (which have had their stupid posts removed, thankfully).  Food choices in the day, or general lack of riding fitness getting the better of me. Greasy as greasy in a few of the corners on the upper zigzags, but cleaned one of them, and didn't clean a couple of others.  Nelson dabbed once, I think.  Up the road, to the wee reserve steep climb then up to the bath-trough and up into Britten.

Good climb up Britten, trail in good knick even with the day's rain, and, for a change, round the top, then over the road and up the trail to the top of Pleasant, southerly wind blasting across this face as we climbed.  Bit of a rest on the top by the trig, nice views to be had, and a bit of shelter out of the wind.

Hit the descent before we got too cold, into the down, over the stile and down, a little greasy on the Lyttelton side, but good through the tussocks.  Around above the ruins and into Greenwood, which was boney as, rocks all bigger than ever, and not too slick except for puddle avoidance along the face before Gloomy.  Short break after this and then rapid descending from there, me stalling in the creek crossing rocks, before the final blast down the final face.  Bumpy as hell the last steep finish.. 

Stopped on the road and watched lights up on the top (as well as a couple riding up Captain).  Then headed down to a trail we'd never ridden before, the Scarborough Bluffs track... I figured it would be dryer than the Captain, and it probably was. Has some serious exposure, good tech, fun stuff, and tight switchbacks.  Down to cross the road, and a few more switchbacks with pushy bushes on the sides, down to the bottom of the Captain.

From here it was down Sumnervale and out around through Scumner and around back to the cars, completing an 18.3 km loop, and gaining 570 m total.  Nice night ride.