Tuesday Night Eastern Wheezin' Noose

Nelson had a meeting til 6 which worked for me feeding the dog, so I sorted out my flat tire and then rode to Linwood Ave just past the K-Fry. He picked me up shortly thereafter and we proceeded to Sumner...

Sorted out MMR (Location on in my Settings was out of whack - and it still didnt kick in til up the valley (USELESS!)), then got chuffing up the Captain.  My wheezing was killing me, really making it difficult to climb.  Nelson powered off, rocketing ahead on his super fast lightweight bigger wheeled climbingly optimized machine.  I chugged and puffed and set the scene for the rest of the evening.  He was waiting for me at the seat at top of switchbacks and I rode his bike briefly, (rear tire needed air), and the on we climbed.  Nice work done where that slip was, and they've also cut into the rock on the upper of the old drops.  Finally made the top, me very slowly.

Across Evans Pass and up onto Godley - immediately I started muppeting on the rocks, just too weak to keep any momentum.  Eventually got rolling, but was gasping for air the whole time.  Nelson vanished off into the distances, I think surprising even himself as to the turn of speed his new steed gives him.  He was waiting for me at the top where I managed to gulp in some air before we trundled on.  Much better form on the sidle and descending, barely letting any gap form between us as we headed down.  In fact, I even reeled him in a little in the lower curvy bits towards the bottom of the hill.  Across Livingston Col and decided to hang a right, out the 360 walkway section.  Nice interesting, mildly techy sidle climb to a steep section up and over, then fun descent, a few sections of steps, and views all the different from the usual otherside slog.  Eventually to Breeze Col and back over the fence.

From here, we headed along above the road, on the skinny as skinny trail.  Overgrown, again, but perhaps not quite as overgrown as last time.  Played a little on the concrete bunker thing up top there, then bombed down to the carpark, and through onto the return below-the-road track.  Nelson dropped me again on the climb, and was all but vanished by the time I rounded over the top. Otherwise I had a reasonable run around back to Breeze Col where he was waiting. The final short and practically flat climb half killed me tho.

Into the Anaconda - shitty gravel to start, but further on it was as per the past.  Good blast down, tho my lower corners were a little untidy, then into the tail, starting well, but the rocks muppetted me a bit.  Big surf and lots of surfers in Taylors.  We trundled up the road and into the walking track, up which much I walked.  Stile to upper gate wasn't so bad.

Then onto the road and around for the final climb up the hard work track to The Godley.  Got rolling on this, back towards Evans.  Good run for me, mostly.  Not quite as quick as Nelson, but then down near the end I bloody pinch flatted, new tube, damnit!  Nelson was already on the road, and rode back up to me by the time I was nearly done.  Replaced it with my leaking tube from weeks previous, and off we were again.  

Through the Pass, and up onto the top of the Captain.  Pretty good roll down here.  By the time I'd gotten through the techy drops and through that climb for the sidling easy, my rear tire was feeling soft, so stopped at the seat (top of switchbacks) to pump up.  Good bomb from here, to the bottom (except for the stupid weed-eatings all over the track near the end).  Over the stile, and down the steps and along the horse paddock, my tire getting low again, to the point of being too low to ride normally, I limped to the car leaning forward on the handlebars, put my bike down, and the Pthsshhhhhhhhhhhhh - all the air out.  Perfect timing.

Pretty much a 20km loop, with 743m climbed.  Not bad for a Tuesday night.

Sunday Hot Stuff

Drove over to Steve's with the Fat on the back for 9am finding him and Wazz, Wahayno, Robin and Andy all ready to roll. Pete would be chasing...

Up the most busy Rapaki we've ever seen, Steve and me stopped for a good chat with Ranger Singletrack who was on his way down in a Ute.  The others treadled onwards up and took in the Monty Loop.  Meanwhile, STeve and me struggled our ways up to the top and waited for them, wondering how they could be so long.  Pete showed up, and then we spotted the boys coming up behind.  Bit of more of a rest for us, and then off up Vernon, hot grind, but Fatty handling everything pretty good.

Lost count of the comments "ooh, they're big tires"... "what's that for?"...

I had to bail early, so was keen on keeping it short, and Steve was keen on that too, so we headed around the beginning of the Traverse then took the new track down to the top of the Old Skool zig zags.  Pete rode on ahead a bit and got his drone out, and we bombed off down past him under it's buzz.  Here's where I said my good bye to most, and bombed off ahead, but on a new section of trail being built Pete got the jump on me and took the lead through sketched out cleared grass down the slope avoiding the worst bits of 4wd to the pylons.

Onto the Old Skool proper and fat bike was riding really well.  The dropper post works a treat.  I took off ahead from the stile, and left the boys to it.  Nice blaze down the rest of it, surprised at how well the fatty soaked it all up.  Tire pressures must have been about perfect.  Through the bottom and then down the road and around the river back to Steve's.  Then home and off Sailing for the afternoon.

My MMR crapped out so I had to copy Steve's,  - my finishing route back to his place was different - where I took Eastern Tce, over the bridge and through to St Martins Shops, alley way, bridge, Ford Rd., but other than that, the same(ish) (top speeds probably different).  16kms and a gain of 460m.

Tuesday Sweaty View Hill Road.

Holiday here in Little Akaloa drawing to an end, last chance for a ride, so headed out and up to Chorlton.  From here, up View Hill Rd, steep bastard that it is, it was so muggy and warm I was sweating like a pig.  Stopped for a few rests, but cleaned everything. Climbed to the gate then turned and bombed back down, high speed enjoyment and cooling breeze on the down. Detoured over Luke's Rd and through the neighbours back to our driveway.

14.7 kms with 612 m climbed, most of which was steep.

Muggy Menzies Thursday a.m.

From the bach, only remembering to turn on the MMR once I was a little way up Decanter Bay Road. Mail Van passed me on the way up, and I caught it up on the way down into Decanter Bay.  Passed it at the bottom and headed on up towards Menzies.  Nice steady climbing, into low cloud/fog as I got higher, eventually all the way around to then descend on down to Menzies Bay. Said gudday to the people in the first house (seemed to be packing up their holiday times) then turned around and rode back up again.  Up to Rehutai homestead and then the descending cruise began.  As I rounded towards Decanter I met some horses(7?) and 3 women.  I got off my bike and walked through and they were very thankful and pleased.  They liked the fat bike too.  After them came the fun descent, speeding gravel road, into Decanter and finally the last climb, sun having burned off all the cloud, so it was hot and bothersome.  Final descent into Little Ak on the seal, speeding down into the bay, ready for a swim off the wharf.

It was hot and muggy. Surprisingly 905 m climbed, over 22kms

Saturday's Sinclair Fitzgerald Tops

At the bach for 3 weeks.  Had a the fatbike with me.  Drove out of the bay and around the Summit Rd, parking on Pettigrews Rd and rode, up up up into scudding easterly clouds. Nice climb then over stile after stile, up Mt Sinclair, stopping to breathe, rather than walking.  Up to where I rode last time, and onwards down the other side, around the side of the cool bush up there, easterly clouds juuust above my head, roaring over the tops.  Across the saddle between the peaks, then into the climb up Fitzgerald.  Stopped to check out the walking track section, just to see how rough it was.  Looked rideable, so walked back to bike and headed on.  Here's where I met the first 'other people', a group of 4 older guys who looked familiar (from all my years of riding the Port Hills).  Then a tiny bit of walking and up to the ridge, then up the ridge to the top.  Meandered across the grasslands towards a nice bluffy peak, and parked myself out of the wind for a snack, cloud ploughing over top of me.

Back on the bike, back across to the trail, and decided to check out the walking track section.  Steep, and technical, with a couple of unrideables, and lots of scooting technique required, but plenty rideable, and on a normal bike probably a bit more.  Not long and I was back down to the main track, riding on, under the speeding clouds, and on up the back of Sinclair again.  Nice and sheltered downwind of the bush up this climb, and across the back and down again, around the last steep corner and there's three picnickers on the track.  One hastily leapt out of the way, while I said "don't worry, I won't hit you".  Back across the ridge and speeeeeed down the track to the car.

There and back again... 14.5 kms with 627m climbed

Tuesday CAP Lap.

Final Pfmtbc get together for the year, at Poms for 7.30, so Nelson picked me up from Washington Way and we went through heinous traffic to CAP.  Initially we were gonna park next to Cracroft Reserve, but then decided to just drive in.  Maybe not next time, the speed bumps are a total pain in the arse for 'normal' cars.  Headed up the steep Uphill track, both of us cleaning all the twisty zig zags, then it was into the howling sou'wester up the gravelly grovelly ridge, and around.  Where it used to spit you onto Worsley's, it now heads up the old guts track, sort of following it's old line past where Fight Club used to be, and sort of along where Tommy's used to be.  Man the landscape has changed from the past, torn to bits, desolate and wasted.  I walked a couple of times up the top of the guts and up another bit, it was just too steep for my lungs and legs to continue.  Nelsie cleaned it all I think.  Finally up the last climb to the top of the lift and Nelson checked out the map.

Into the Summit Connector, fun wee trail, tho Nelson put a hole in his rear tire and the goo came out a bit.  Stopped to pump up, then on downwards.  Met the Nun and he needed more air.  Then we got going, and half way down the lower Nun I pinch flatted on the rocks, so we stopped to patch (my spare tube was still holed from Sunday).  Time was ticking with them supposedly closing the Park at 7 and it was pushing on after this, so it was a quick patch and pump and off we rolled again, me being quite light in the rear end.

Fast down Old Dyers (now called Choir Boy, for some reason?), catching a guy and he let us pass and then blasted around and pedalled the climb towards the end, catching up with the last guy's mates who were wondering where he was.

Dropped into - new to us - Loess Rider, which proved to be a super fun, twisty, jumpy, corner after corner after corner downhill.  Good pace down this and it just went on forever.  Caught up to a girlrider, who let us pass, and then we were gaining on her mates ahead, pretty much catching them by the bottom.

A nice 12 km loop, with only 475 m climbed.  They were a steep climb in parts tho.

Then it was a cruisey drive through town to catch up with the crew who'd done a townie lap via Tone's and Andy'n'Jenna's.  Enjoyed a nice single pint of Hopwired (been a while).

Stifling Sunday Hilltop Loop

Hot morning, all to meet at Steve's at 8.30.  I had an appointment at 12, so I left home at about 8 and drove to Ferrymead Bridge, parking there, then riding around the towpath, up the Heathcote, through Radley Park, Chichester St, and around to Steve's, arriving in good time with Andy and Jenna, Tony and Robin all in attendance.  Soon after, Pete, Nelsie (with a new toy) and Wayno arrived, and out came Steve. We trundled around the various whole and half Ford Roads, through to the Ramahana and Aotea climbing, heat already pushing us down.   Up we strove, Nelson, me, and Wayne taking the singletrack diversion to the landing strip.  Up here I seemed to lose all power in my legs, suffering I was.  Managed to finally peak out and we all cowered in the shade provided by the roadside.

Onto Vernon, and through... Pete and me getting a lead on the others (due to a muck up with Nelson and another dude on the zig zags up top), through Witch Hill, heat a killer but I kept a good pace ahead of Pete through there.  Then I flatted, front wheel on a rock, so Nelson and me did the speed change, and we caught up with the others up top of Castle.

Into this, and excellent clip on Nelson's tail the whole way down round the hairpin and he heard a shout and Robin had crashed above.  Waited, he got moving, we got moving, and met Jenna in the shade of the stone building.  Cool down.

Up road onto Britten, around, grass heaps shorter now, then into Greenwood, and down the skinny singletrack, then across through the pines and down Richmond.  more crashes with people.  a close call for me before Frog Pond, and on down Panorama, Mulgans, and back round to the car.  good spin.

more details later, maybe.

A 28 km loop, with 800m climbed.

Thursday Night Easy Loop in the Park with the Boy

Quick blat up the lift and down the easy trails, first ride in the park since reopening week before last.  H and me parked and rode.  Trail is a bit boring. 420m of descent.  The place is a desolate wasteland.  Charred logs everywhere, stumps, dust, and easterly wind howling through everything, making us have to pedal into it downhill at one stage.  Views from the lift are improved because there're no trees in the way, but man, it's heartbreaking.  All the old forest we used to ride in over the other side of Worsley's, gone, or just bare black sticks in places - ie where the jumpy trail used to be.  And looking up the gully that Alices/Tommy2s/etc were in?  Mess and bare.

Sunday Evening Lyttel-Urumau-ton of heat

Needed to collect O from Lyttelton, and Paul was keen to ride, so figured a couple of birds with one stone. Drove thru and parked on St David's St. Headed up Stevenson's Steep and up to Fosters Tce, and up into the reserve...New switchbacks, then across with a rideable but steep path across to the climbing track, left on this and I was gasping in the heat and with my rumbling infected lungs.  Climb climb climb, which seems to be the norm in here.  Then up Stormer to the very top.  To get a feel for the place, we took Stormer (blue) down the ridge, this was swoopy and fun, eventually down and around onto Grommies.  I stopped a couple of times and Paul was having some challenge, which is good for him.  Grommies was a fun yumpy roll (bypassing the log drop).  At the bottom there's a Do Not Go Beyond This Point sign due to blasting etc.  So, up Sloanstar we treadled, steep switchback corners getting the better of Paul most times.  Around the sunny side, bit of descent and climb back to the hub.

Climbing again, this time, into Looper and following it down.  I'd thought it was going to be something new but it was one I'd ridden before - fun swoopy and easy back and forth back to the hub.  Another climb back up and Looper entrance cutting up to Stormer and I took the black ridge droppy track.  Paul took the blue Stormer down next to me, but I found myself heading to the right around the ridge on I think a trail I'd not been down before.  Found myself at the top of a massive rocky cliffy drop, which was very difficult to clamber down, then made it down to the main track where I found Paul.  We headed on down Grommies again, swoop swoop, bomb bomb, and then climbed back up Sloanstar and around the Sunnyside for the descent back down, steep through the grasslands to the entrance track and then across, bypassing the Fosters Tce exit and down lots of new steps to Reserve Tce.  Then bombed down this and Stevensons back to the car.

414 m climbed in just over 7 kms.  That's more than a 10%er...

Monday Night Big Hot and Grey

Met Nelson at Rangoon after work and we headed up thru Loburn, checking out Journey's End first, but finding lots of No Entry; Private Property; Tresspassers Prosecuted signs, so back down to Feathers and up Mt Grey Rd to park at the bottom of Paringa.  Had a brief chat with a local and his pitbulls then around 6.15, headed up the road, over the locked gate and up a bit to hit up Banks Rd.  Two wheel tracks, slightly overgrown in places, nice surface, easy rolling, up.  It was pretty hot, but mostly in the shade climbing up here, so not bad.  Then a nice rolling descent down to the Okuku Rd intersection, which then led steeper down past beehives, more beehives, another gate, and down to the campground and ford/bridge at the bottom of our singletrack.  The next and longest climb began...  Up up up to Lake Janet, about one hour in, then, instead of up the singletrack, (somewhat misguidedly) we chose the road to climb (thinking the switchbacks would be in full sun and HOT).  This road seemed to go on for ever nearly killing me, but at least it was shady.  For once I actually used my 'lock-outs' front and rear.  They worked pretty good, tho the rear had weird clunkiness when I stood and cranked.  Had a rest at the turn off to the fire lookout, and then headed up to the singletrack.  This was steep but eminently cleanable til much higher up, in the shade, good to concentrate on, and we made the top of the hill at 8.10 pm.  50 minutes left til sunset.

Into the descent.  I got super skittery on the gravel as we hung a left onto the main track, nearly losing it, but dropped a bit of air out of my front wheel and chased onwards, Nelson long gone.  Was a little careful down here, feeling super sketchy, but after the worst (of only 2) boggy bits, caught up to Nelson and we continued on down.  He was trying out his new gangnam switchback stylez the whole way, getting better (and quicker) all the way down.  I had variable luck with mine.  Nose wheelies with a flick to re-align.  Definitely the way to go...  Down through the spectacular forest singletrack, delightfully rocky and gnarly and the usual cornflakes scatterings.  Near the bottom of the pine section Nelson popped a jump and landed sideways giving massive blowout of goo and air.  From here on down, the lower we got, the more bugs Nelson was stirring in my path and the more I was having to contend.  By the last km to the bottom it was getting really bad, and I was having to ride mouth shut and blinking like crazy.  Made the camp site at 8.50, 10 minutes of sun left...

Stopped and chatted with some campers who'd asked for directions while we were climbing and then got climbing.  Long slog, but nothing on what we'd already done earlier.  Finally made the Paringa turn-off, then followed this all the way up (higher than Banks), and then bombed down.  Gravel road flying, well over 60kph and finally arrived back at the car at about 9.15 - 3 hours, of which 2 1/2 hours was riding time.  Not much mucking around...

A whopping 1115 m climbed, over 28 kms

Roasting Saturday Morning Cashmere Vic Blowenvaled

Had a little time to ride - had to be home by 10am. Parked on Eastern opposite Bowenvale and headed around to Lansdowne thru to Hollis and up. Steep grind up the seal, but with a bit of welcome shade part way up.  Into the walking track, stairs, ride, stairs, push, stairs. Across Longhurst into next section of walking track cruising up under the houses, up the zig zag, under more houses, and eventually into the barbed-wire roots next to the pines track up to the dog park. Up through this and then up to skidder site.  From here I followed a couple of other riders up K2, one walking, one riding and me stopping for a gasping breather before continuing.  Through Brake Free and I stopped for a rest in the shade on the rabbit paddock. It. Was. So. Hot.

Back on and down through rock garden, gums, and hung my usual left, but then further left into a new left off my favourite left.  Bombed down this, some nice wee bermies and a couple of pop-over jumps, then scrabbled into the lower sections of the usual, and then out to the skidder site.  Lots of people walking in here with tools, so I headed up the middle road over to Cool Runnings, that's been newly rebuilt. Passed more of the people heading in to work, apparently, on Tilted Sally. Cool Runnings was really dusty,but fun, - big table top jumpy flow. Then into Bridges where a guy came into the trail ahead of me off Sneaky Ridge jump and was a couple of corners ahead of me but I rounded one and he was gone, cloud of dust. Then I saw him on his back on the trail below! Stopped to see if he was ok. He'd pulled over to let me pass and had toppled over the bank!!  He said he was alright and started hobbling, said he was gonna take it easy from now.

I continued onwards down nu bridges then down valley and into the Hidden Valley Bonus climb.  Ooosh hot too, and up onto Old Skool for a good blast, finally cruising down the road to car. HOT ride.

11kms and 400 m altitude.

Monday night Godley 'Conda, out and back Solo Loop

Only opportunity to ride this week so parked up Evans and headed out the Godley. Fun techy rocky start, I kept my own good pace and cleaned everything after a couple of breathers retrieving my gasp back after the cold start on the steep.  Gorgeous evening and good rolling around the top and down, smooth blasting down to Livingston Col.  Momentarily contemplated hanging a right, around the 360/Crater Rim, but played nice and headed onwards on the legal trail and thru to Breeze Col.  A ship was heading out below me in the harbour, but lost sight of it as I got to the Col, so I popped across to see it but it had moved on.  Headed up the wee climb above the road, and onto the narrow trail which was totally overgrown so I took it very easy, wary of subsumption holes.  Rode across to the start of the Breeze Bay track, but then from here bombed down to the carpark to look at the backpackers.

Returning, I got onto the original trail below the road - meeting my first 'other person' here. Then down Anaconda, meeting my second person here.  Many blown out dusty corners lower down, and horrific traction on most corners, in the slick dust. Down the Tail, wary, as it's been a while, then straight up the road, and left onto the walking track above Joy's, cleaning this all the way up to where you're riding along the deer fence near the top (meeting my third and final person here). Finally at this point was where I was starting to get tired. Watched a parasailor take off and seemingly plummet, then headed up the gravel to the road, around the corner and up the paddock onto the Godley back to Evans. Careful too, cos it was overgrown and I was heading straight into the sun.  At the end, I took the walking track bit for the final drop down to the finish.

14kms with 578m climbed

Sunday Arvo Jet Spin

Like a week or so ago, took Jet across to Bowenvale Ave and headed up Major Aitken again. Huntsbury up onto the singletrack, then up the landing strip and on up the gravel to the top.  Bit of a rest and a stretch here, then onto the Traverse to just through the first cattlestop, before the Lavaflow, and down the new fun ridge track, jumps fun, and then for the first time in ages, down the old skool entrance to Old Skool.  Further and faster than I remembered to the first gate, where another rider rocked up and it was Matt (Tom's brother).  We caught up chatted a bit and then I led off down the zig zags, looking at, but not exploring all the old singletrack shortcut lines (grass waaay too overgrown).  Jet was a bit slow down here, so needed to wait for him, so when we got down to the pylon I sent Matt off on his way.  Didn't see him again.

Good run down Old Skool.  It's running really fun at the moment, with all the new air and rearranged rocks.  Jet plodded along at a good pace behind and I'd stop at the odd corner for him to catch up.  I's pretty concerned for his over-heating, so I was giving him plenty of drinks from my camelback too.  Into the bottom of the valley and back down the road to the car.

Looks like stupid Map My Ride fucked up again.  Must struggle to get a good signal in Bowenvale Valley and then not kick in until up the hill, cos looks like it only found me at 179m altitude, roughly where it found me last time.  And also there's lots of jumps/steps - gps failures.  So according to it, 8.2 kms, and 235m gained, but considering it started me at 179m, i'm calling it more like 420m, and closer to 10kms.

Friday night shorty with O and Tane

Parked at the Richmond Hill pines and with O, his mate Tane, and Jet, and we rode up the singletrack from that entrance, to the original Greenwood entrance.  Along this back to the ruins and then we dropped in.  I led the way, popping and weaving and grooving and cruising, while they battled their ways down behind me.  Jet just cruised with me - SO well behaved ignoring the sheep completely.  The boys enjoyed the challenge of the trail, and did really well.  We took our time, I'd stop and wait til they came into view then bomb off again ahead.  At the bottom, I sent the two boys off down Captain Thomas whilst Jet and me headed back up the road to the car.  He trotted along, panting away, and I was surprised at how slow this was, cos normally I'm chuffing to keep Nelson's pace, but with Jet I was barely raising my heartrate.  Got the the car and drove down to Slumnervale to pick them up.

7 and a half kms for me, with 240 m gained.  A bunch more descent for them.

Saturday View Hill Rd fatty downhill with the boy

At the bach for the long weekend.  On Saturday, T drove O and me to the top of the road and we cruised along the Summit towards Okains and hit the paper road across the ridge towards View Hill.  Bit of riding, bit of pushing.  I was on the Fatty.  Around the flanks and onto the proper trail.  Fun blast down to the gate, then we were technically no longer 'trespassing' and off we shot down View Hill Rd, absolutely bombing down to the gravel, then I shot further ahead for the blast down this to Chorlton.  Then it was down the tar seal back into the bay to the bach, tires screaming all the way.

Around 150 climbed, and over 670 descended in 11kms.

Wednesday Windy Windy Ridge Ride

That's both pronunciations of windy...

A week out in the bush, walking 10-15 kms each day off-track through usually wet forest.  Nice to get out and ride again, and all that walking seemed to helped my stamina, or something.

After work last night, Nelsie picked me up usual Countdown Carpark and we headed and parked at top of Huntsbury, Headed up, and hung a left, over Vernon, through the clusterfuck that is Rapaki-top, around Witch Hill, onto the walking track above the road (they cant actually put No Bikes on that, cos it's in the Public Road Reserve...  Up to Castle Rock and a good run down this, me in the lead, then from Bridle Path top took the singletrack climb up around the knoll, then down to the saddle and up around to the Tors track.  Bombed down this and cleaned all the droppy bits but not the up-and-over bits, then back onto the walking track above the road, excellent cruise down this and back onto Witch Hill.  Tiresome climb, good bomb down.  Straight through Rapaki-top again, no stopping, and into the Vernon climb which hurt.  Then across Traverse and into the new descender down to Old Skool 4wd start, across landing strip, over fence, down jumpy Huntsbry and back to the car...

15 or so kms with 620 m of gain

Sunday Jet Loop

Jet and me parked in Bowenvale Ave, headed down to Major Aitken and upwards... I only remembered MMR halfway up and then it didnt actually kick in until I was much further up so its altitude and distance are a wonk - add a couple hundred metres and a couple kms..

Hot day so was a tough climb, but got up and around the summit and Jet was a bit of a slow poke around the Traverse, holding up one tosser of a rider...  Further around near the pond, he was in one guy's way for a few metres, then he jumped in and had a good swim and big drink, and from there on he was fast.  Cautious on the cattlestops.  Into the top of Vic and down to the Rabbit paddock, then into the gums, nice blast down through my favourite (i notice a new trail off the left of it at the start), then through skidder and into Spazzer's, deviating some shortcuts and then into Sneaky Forest, fun drop down through this and onto Bridges etc.

Bottom of NuBridges, I hung a right and clambered up the steps onto the sidling walking track across to Hidden Valley Link, up this, huffing and chuffing, then into the Old Skool for a great blast down and then a long slow cruise with Jet along the footpath back to the car.

So,'d be 13 kms and ~461 m climbed.

Off to Lake Poteriteri on Tuesday for a week, so the Turner and the Troll's back wheel have gone in for some fettling with Josh, and there'll be no riding for me for a whiles.

Wednesday Evening Mt Grey(tness)

Knocked off work early and met Nelson at Sefton at 4.30.  Transferred to his car and headed around and up the hill.  Got riding at 5, up the steep bastard singletrack that climbs up the front. Not quite so bad once you've pushed up the steepest bit, it starts to do these biiig long zigs and zags, progressively shorter til we hit the Lookout tower.  Then I pushed and he rode about half of the singletrack up from here to the road, and then we were onto the singletrack that sidles along the eastern side around and up to the summit.  Awesome techy interesting hard and fun climb.  Took about an hour to the top where we had a rest facing the sun out of the wind (once we'd cooled down a bit) - and noticing a stickiness collected on our left arms from the broom on the way up.  This way up is only 4.3 kms, whereas the usual way

Into the down, brakes honking(!) to start with. Trail basically dry, but some deep ruts, and the usual wet bits were sloppy.  Awesome riding, down through the few switchbacks on this open section, then into the bush, and Switchback-City.  Native Clematis was in flower the upper switchback section, with sprays of it visible in the canopy of the forest - quite beautiful.  Cleaned a some switchbacks, and getting well practiced in the foot-down,-nose-pivot,-swing,-roll-on- ones we weren't cleaning.  The open boggy section was still pretty boggy, but starting to dry a bit, and the forest below this also had a lot of soggy wet bits, but also starting to harden up.  Lots of fun tho, techy rootsville.  Finally out the bottom, before 7.

And the climb began back up the road to the car, which I reached about 7.10pm. Nice 2 and half hours spent damned well.

13.8 Kms, 679m climbed, mostly steeply.

Saturday Captain Ridge Green Captain

Nelson was working til 3 and picked me up afterwards. Out to Scumner, parking in Slumnervale, and off up the Captain we trundled.  Not a bad climb, once I'd gotten over my wheezing, which took until about the short downwards bit, and the two rocky ups.  Rest of the way wasn't so bad.  Made the Summit and headed up to the Greenwood exit (or entrance, for us).  Here multiple people turned up down Greenwood, every last one of them having come up Rapaki and across.  Nelson knew one guy so we all chatted for a bit, then the two of us headed up the steep-ass ridge track above Greenwood to above where they're blasting for the Lyt-Sumner Rd.  Peaked along here then down to a small saddle, where we popped over the fence for a look.  Wouldn't be that hard (or stupid) to put a trail from here across to Urumau Reserve.  Could be quite a nice gradient with a couple switchbacks here and there below the cliffs.

Back on the bikes and up the walking track to the copse of pines and stinging nettle, then over the fence to top of Chalmers Track, and then walking for a bit, up the steep bits (where we met a mum and some boys walking) towards the gun emplacements.  Rode the last few hundred metres to the concrete embattlements, Beasterly wind howling across the tops, and decided here to head down to the singletrack that wends it's way across to the Richmond Hill corner pines.  Nice blast down here, with me pumping well having played at Kyle Park BMX track on the fat bike with Hugo in the morning.  I seemed to have much more easily gained speed than Nelson.  Once we hit the ups tho, it was another story.  Up the singletrack to the original Greenwood entrance (exit for us, today).   Around Summit Rd to Britten Reserve for a repeat of the long grass tricksy-ness we did on Tuesday.  Around the front and back to the cattlestop then up onto Mt Pleasant climb.  Peaked this and had a bit of a rest in the wind (or, out of it).

Off down, for the final blast.  Good flow down from the top, then around and down onto the Greenwood proper.  Feck it's boney.  The winter has made all the rocks bigger and it was haaarrrd work getting down.  We played good speed, but it was just such damned hard work.  Hardest damned downhill I've suffered in a long time.  Into Captain Thomas, and good run down here, not as bony as Greenwood.  Part way down we found these two indian guys, one of whom had crashed off the trail, and his bike was halfway down to the bottom of the valley.  We all had a good laugh and the two of us continued on.  Rest of the way down was fast as usual, but both were pretty knackered by the time we made the car.  

18 or so kms again, with 614 climbed

Tuesday Night Overgrowth and New Places

Countdown pick-up and down Ferry to the mead. Parked in the park and rode around to McCormack's whereupon we trundled up the hay-feverish asthma-inducing hill - me walking more than usual but then getting all but one of the upper switchbacks. Up the roads into steep under-the-pylons Britten.Up top, long grass overgrown round the top front trail; long grass up to our ballbearings.  Not much better once we were below the road with hidden rocks jumping out to catch us multiple times.  Up, across the road over the fence and quick zig to zag up to the Mt Pleasant trail, flying down this over the stile and across Cavendish Saddle, to climb the zigs and zags up the back of the Gondola building.

The signs up here now say that Mtnbikes are allowed on this section of the 360 trail, including the stretch down back to the Major Hornbrook track and Cavendish Saddle...  Anyway, down the steppy bits and on down the rocks cranking and clushing through to the Bridle Path.  From here, climbing up the walking track (Crater Rim / 360), up, up and around, brief jumpy-off-rocky descent and into a grovelly climb up towards the ridge above the Castle Rock.  Bit of a break here out of the (blasting) (b)easterly, and then into the fun descent below the Tors, cleaning the techy descent rock bits near the bottom, but not the poppy-over bits, which required small dabbages of foot on rock.

Down on the saddle, horrible wind powering through, and just before the walking track above the road starts, we jumped over the gate and headed up the ridge up a cattle track for the top, eventually pushing through the tussocks to a high point of rocks, where I found 'the track'.  Started off, a nicely scratched singletrack heading off down to the right side of the ridge, progressively exploring more and more interesting droppy features over natural rock.  This is Port Hills mountain biking at it's best.  Sketchy, techy, steep and interesting. Down then to the left of a rocky knob, with Nelson checking out a super sketchy wooden feature up on the right.  On down, a little further finding the trail to the right which took us down more techy drops, and on down the ridge.  Super long descent, at surprisingly low speeds, arses over back wheels.  Nelson rode most of the super techy stuff, while usually I found ways around.  Eventually, we got to the bottom, a big pylon, and fences and gates.

Proceeded over these, and followed a singletrack around towards the block of pine forest on the right, in which we found an insane number of trails and jumps, yuge jumps.  Down we meandered finally cruising out along the bottom edge of Mary Duncan Park, onto Port Hills Rd, under the motorway, then Martindales, Trustcott and through the park to the car.

18 kms, 710 climbed...