Keeping our Wits About Us on View Hill in Matariki Weather.

T and me left Little Brook at 10.15ish.  She walked and I rode at her pace. Nice conversational cruise. Sunshine and rain. Cold but well dressed for the occasion. 

(Around an hour and a half in)

Steep walking or if too slippy. 2 hours we were past the gate, another 20 to the top in cloud and bitter wind. 

(at the top - bitterly cold wind driven fog)

T set off down and I had to head over to the leeward side (where we'd just been resting) finish my half-half-one-square before setting off (she ate hers as she walked). Down the ridge, into the freezing wind and cloud moisture, to find T a little lost.  Guided her over and stayed with her for a while after that, keeping close until the gate, with riding treacherously slippery and rough. Her running was almost faster. 

Below the gate I got a bit more speed on, saying my goodbye to her. Rough as guts, and slippery to boot, speed and flow was not the way of the ride, until, the odd section. Then the smoother gravel. Lots of speed here but needing to keep it toned. Carefully, carefully down the concrete channeled section, feeling almost a little out of control but then gradually releasing the gravity beast and gaining velocity up, up into a crescendo, tires on gravel, wind, everything rushing quickly toward me. My old friend rapido-speed. Rolling rapidly, so comfortably, through past the Craw (Andrew? Was that you?) on the ladder, "gudday," "gudday."

Now the next gravel, a few pedal strokes once the speed was low enough for top gear, over the rise and coasting again, lovely brakes-unneeded descent to the seal, then down around main descent. Coasting faster and faster, no pedaling no braking needed until a couple of wee checks for corners. Bliss. Such a good speed and view and comfort level of flow and road and machine and body all working perfectly together.  And a rainbow that I rode into before coming round on the bridge and lovely trees and bush either side and there was rain, all down here lit by the sun, floaty-motey droplets. Past the church and around past a woman walking entirely unaware of my approach and likely just as unaware of my departure. Speed building, shooting down past the beach, easing around the corner and, find the gear, start cranking... Final driveway, stopped and chatted with Adrian for a bit., then cranked on up the drive...

A reasonable 15.15 kms, and at least 762 m climbed (even if MMR only says it was 746...).

Waitangi Saturday View Hill Stooge

Hot ride up the valley, passed by scores of amazing old barnfind-looking Indian motorcycle club bikes from above Misty Hills for the rest of the way up.  Spectacular, but stinky-smokey, many of them, making me struggle to breath clear air often - stopped many times, in shade or not, for rests.  

Then round the Summit Rd to the paper road, over the gate and across the ridge, mostly pushing, a little granny gear riding, chatting with the steers giving me the eye.  Hard work, all of it, with the lush grass and rocks. Stopped in the shade of a small Totara up at the top gate to flip the struts on the 8pack (I'd installed them the wrong way around).  Then continued across the sidle - so much of this section could be tidied to a fully rideable state. I really should do that - just needs a few rocks moved, maybe a tiny bit of digging.

Picked my way around then into the climbing, through a corridor gap in the totara/horopito matrix, riding up the farm track to the hairpin and then walking a bunch up the next section before the final ride up the ridge top to the peak. 

Took in the View then it was downtime. 

Bombing down the ridgetop, detoured across to the View Hill Moab rock then into the main track.  Stayed on the main zag from the hairpin and ended up on a dead end (which I'm sure I've done before, years ago) then picked my way down the hill, steep but grippy, sometimes following sidle tracks sometimes not, yellow flowers everywhere.

Dropped down onto the main track and Speedbomb from here, getting faster and faster the further down I got until insane speeds on the lower reaches of the gravel and a glorious coast down from Chorlton, ripping through the valley bottom past the beach and final wee chuff pedal back to Little Brook. 

Fullsome 17.26 kms and 784 m undertaken