Boxing Day Craigiecheeseburning. Edge, Luge, Dicks On, then Cocaine Alley

What a ride... Journeyed out to Broken River in Nelson's wee Clarion-Vitz and headed around the Sidle73 to the CV road, climbing off up this.  Long haul up, with pursuit, two guys on our tails most of the way.  We seemed to drop them towards the top.  

Nice long rest at the skifield and they arrived, a son in his 20s(?) and his dad on a rigid singlespeed.  Nice!  They took off ahead of us on the Edge, but we caught them up sooner than we should have given the lead we gave them.  The dad first and then found his boy a long way further on waiting for him...  the screes were slightly nerve wracking but rideable (except for a tiny gulch on the last one (for me) and sooner than expected it was over.  Time for the climb of the Ante-luge.  Ugh.  I walked a bunch more than I ever used to.  Not sure why, (writing this long time after the fact so cant remember exactly why I wasn't feeling strong).  

Rest at the top of the Luge and then into it.  Nice run down this, good rooty bomb - again, different from memory.  Nice long enjoyable bomb.  

Next up, the climbing for the Dicks On DH.  Hot work, dropped over the first bit of ridge (rather than up the top, which we'd forgotten about) then in for a jumpy cambered crazy shot down.  Nelson lost it after one of the jumps giving me the lead for a bit.  I let him by as we headed into to the beech and we climbed briefly before dropping down through the scrubby section.  Some guts and ruts in here including wet muddy bits (where everything else was dry).  Down to the road fence.  Following along the singletrack to the gate then onto the road for the final push along and down to the car.  

Routed, 19.5 kms with 840 climbed...

Scoffed a nice healthy feed (by Nelson and Kirsty) here then drove back towards Cheeseman.

Up the Cheesy Rd parking at the bottom end of the Cheesy DH / Cockayne (cocaine) Alley.  Up the road, past the two other trails up here and super steep and long up to the corner we head across from.  I had to walk, my legs were just toast.  But, got there in the end, and across the traverse track for a while before a fun open frostlands roll down to the top of the forest.  In here it got steep and fun.  Super rooty.  Would be hell in the wet.  Loads of fun that just kept coming and coming.  Eventually, we popped out at the road and were like, wow!  

Coked out, 6.88 kms with only a 440m climb.

Tuesday Scorching Bluster to the Gee's

27 degree blasting nor'waster hissed me across the top from home to Mt Pleasant for dinner.  Hot climb up the Vic and then Singletrack all the way.  Too hot to bother with the wee singletrack after Witch Hill, but  good fang on the Castle, then around the front of Britten, then the main track til the hairpin which spat me into long grass and slight hard going til it pointed down enough to roll good.  Down the streets and into Joy's for dinner. 

Phew, 15.7 kms with 580 m climbed...

Monday Night Vic Explorations and Old Skool

Great ride tonight with more down than up. Drove down and met Nelson in Bowenvale Ave and we left his car there, driving his bike up to mine. We faffed a tad, oiling chains then got rolling, and in the process I completely forgot to turn on Map My Ride!

Up into Vic Park, observing the scour on the walking track from the previous week's month's worth of rain that had put all the gravel of the track down on Vic Park Drive and outside the Tahake.  Up the usual 19th route over to Skidder and up the guts.  

At the top of this we dropped for the first time (for me) into Radi Garden.  Steep and tech, but not as evil as some, not bad.  Spat out at that Rad^Sick corner, we drudged up to (what we now know is called) Razza's for a fun wee down this, buffing the rhoids.  Back up to the Rad^ corner and along the lower of the two 4wds, then up a steep one, which took us up to the top of Cool Runnings.  Nelson climbed his bike up a steep piece and we looked around up there, SO MANY TRACKS, and then I walked back down and he dropped it.  From here, strangely, we found ourselves riding up Upper Fenceline, all the way up to the fence and then pushed up to top of Pedalfine.  First time tried a new down - Cowabunga which may also be called Shrooms, looking at and choosing various options at each road, all the way down.  Eventually we got to the bottom after various harrowing or exciting adventures, and rolled out the bottom onto ?Bridges, taking the lower old techier line, then down Nu Bridges too.  Decided here to head up valley briefly and walked up the walking steps onto the surprisingly fun flowy zip thru to the Hidden Bonus for the final(ish) climb, to Old Skool, and down this at not quite warp factor 10.  I was following Nelson and noticing that he kept muppetting through rock sections incoherently, so now and then I blasted up behind him through smooth "dont take his line" lines.  Good blast down the bottom corners, and onto the main drag for a cooling roll down to the car parked in the shade.  

No maps, but estimate about 8-9 kms ridden, with around 300 m climbed, but an additional couple hundred descended...

Sunday Escaping Taylor's God-Snake

Slightly overhung ride after an awesome gig last night. 

Met Nelson just after 9 am at Taylor's and we headed off up the valley.  An orienteering / rogaine event happening around us (based in the valley), so we saw them running around looking at their maps (and gps's?) pretty much the whole ride.  Climbing proceeded to rinse the toxins from my system with lots of heavy breathing and heavy sweating.  A couple of steeps in the gully but mostly very nice climbing - it's a great addition to the Chch network.  Now, if they'd just build one in Bowenvale or Vic Park that climbs so nicely!  Across the top to Livingston Col, and we climbed straight up the steep, which got the better of me a couple of times, eventually looking for, and not finding, the trail across to the main track.  Onto the main track and climbing, up over the two boardwalk sections and stopped at the summit.  

Good rest here overlooking the ships and sea and grey haze, then we turned around and bombed back down the way we'd just come, staying on the main track for a smooth and fast fang down to Livingston, onwards climbing up over and dropping down to Breeze, long grass whipping our legs and arms.  

Across and up the trail onto the skinny trail super overgrown and surprising us at every pedal stroke.  Across to the lookout bunker, and a bomb down through to the road, and onto the below-the-road OG Godley for heading back to Breeze.  I kept a good pace, tho obvs Nelson was quicker, and when it points downwards a little bit I rounded a corner and there he was on the track.  Nice frontwheel wash crash.  Onwards again and we headed up the road to the top of the Anaconda 'new' entrance.  

Fun blast down the swoopy swoops, around onto the old and bombing, railing a good berm or many, down onto the Tail, for a very hard to see through the grass swoopy pump around to Briden's Bush and a rocky tech finish into the fast blast ending.

Hayfeveredly good (mmr belated start), 12 and a half kms with 480odd climbed.

Finally A Friday Ride

Jeez, that was a gap! Already a ten-day into December and the first ride of the month. Various weather, social commitments and mystery ailments being the reason... 

Anywho... Climbed up into the mist. Climbing, ever climbing. Across the Traverse, poached a bit of Crater Rim Walkway from the saddle, over the first hump to road (by pond) then into the next with a bit of walking ("if a biker rides a walking track and no one's there to hear it, did the biker make a sound?"), up in the trees for some down, then back across the road onto the Traverse again, around to top of Huntsbury DH FourPause, grabbing a bunch of down with some jumpies, down into the new AliExpress descending, back and forth, again and again, then the Old Skool, lovely pumpy flow down here.  Out the bottom and into a heap more climbing, climbing climbing.  Up K2, up through the Rad^SickZone, Skidder, and finally the garnish, a little down, out the 235 finale.

Not a bad wee 11.5 kms ridden, with 518 m clambered upwardly.

Saturday Morning, Climby AF megatech

Saturday morning, before the rain came, Nelsie and me met at Fosters Tce and headed up into the Urumau.  Climbing the 4wd steep pig section bumped into James and Caro, had a good old catch up and was fresher for the rest of the climb.  Then, remembered to turn on the MMR at the junction point (thereby missing 60odd? m of climb).  Up around, dropping into the usual down the steeps and yumpies, then off down Stormer for a refresher course in Urumau.  Down into Grommies, which has been smoothed and honed.  I dropped the log drop first pop this time making me smoother and quicker.  At the 'bottom' we continued on down all the way to the road, just to check out for any new lines...  Climbed back up, walking a bit here and there.  From the 'bottom' we got back into the climb with the first switchbacks tidied for easier climbing (but not so much the slightly later sections).  Around the front and up the open zigs for round two.  

Dropped down Jackosaurus this time, trying to session the rock step part way down.  No matter how much I told myself I'd be fine, I kept baulking.  Meantime, Nelson rode it like 3 or 4 times.  I ended up carrying down.  The rest of it was sweet, and we bailed out eventually into the bottom of Stormer and on down Grommies, this time trying out the new line to the right which is intimidatingly steep dropping over these solid rock slabs ("slabstacles" as coined by dude we met at top after this).  Mint!  climbed back up to the main bit and on up the climbing mode again.  Around the front and up the open, catching a couple of dudes and a young son up here, chatting and checking out a mega tech drop line over the left.  ugh, no way.  

This time, all the way from the top, down Jack ridge then into Zombie, blazing this (carefully dodging onga-onga galore).  I bailed on the jump at the bottom, and then we rode the wooden feature out and climbed out again.  

Back to the top and checked out a drop over from off the side top here.  Nelson did it a couple times and I took Sunnyside, meeting him eventually lower down.  Took a call in here from T and realised it was 12pm, so time to get rolling home.  Dropped down the overgrown steepline exit and out.

Over 500m of climbing in a little over 7kms... High climbing to distance ratio. 

Tech too, and how, Urumau.

Friday Morning, More Steep Tech

An annual leave surplus had me take the day off so ducked out for a short local. Up the usual grind of Vic Park, clamber clamber, using Worm across then back to top, down the Thomsons both, nicely nicely, then across the Dyer's and up Summit for Worsleys-top.  In the shade on the Nun climb I stopped and adjusted my seat, slid it forward and tilted it slightly more, thereby giving me much better climbing capabilities.  At the top the entrance to the Gnarly Nun looked pretty good, so I figured why not...  Metres in and I discovered nuh uh, not good, overgrown as hell, barely able to see the dirt (and therefore rocks and drops...).  A very nerve wracking descent ensued, with me cleaning everything, but awkwardly.  Finally out the bottom into the blasting fast lower Nun, bombing down and out, back across the Pass and up the road, good pace, feeling fine.  

Top of Vic, dropped down around over the jumpies, and see-saw, then back up the trail to top of Pedalfine for another go.  Dropped down this, cleaning nicely, and went to enter the one bit I missed a couple times but just couldn't bring myself to it, so detoured around and down the next section, bailing out at the climbing track, back up the steeps and over Skidder into all the singletrack.  From 19th, below the road and dropped into that new drop, down to Harry Ell where a very grumpy looking walker gave me evils for the 10 m of that track I passed him on, then climbing again, up around and back on the road.  Fanging into 235 for a good bomb, good jumps lower down, and then all the way down and out the bottom, carrying up onto the Vic Park Rd again and home.

Doubled the distance and height from yesterday, 10.7 kms, with 407 m climbed

Thursday Short Tech

Only back from Waitutu on Tuesday and a band practice last night, I needed to be a family man, so popped up the hill briefly with Nelson and we rode some trichnical goodness.  Climbed up and through and around to top of Pedalfine.  Bombed down this, skidding like mad again, and then continued on down all the way to the bottom.  One little section I didn't do in the middle.  Climbed back up through to skidder site and he was gonna meet Craig, whereas I bailed home, bombing the singletrack, road, and 235 as far as Harry Ell, and bailing out there to home, much to the pleasure of T who thought I'd gone and was grumpy.

A measly 5 kms with 214 m climbed...

Sunday MacBritten's Pleasantly Green Captain

Met Nelson at McCormack's Bay and we headed up thru the lush spring growth - amazing how much the green veg has returned to the previously scorched earth of February (first time up here since then too). A lot of breathing heavily up the steeps and zigs, but cleaning it all (bar one over steer on the upper hairpins that let him get past me), and then we got it the top on Craigieburn Place and on up Mt Pleasant Rd. Up thru the little reserve then up the road to the Britten entrance, gate kindly held open for us by one of a massive group of riders... Up, back and forth on Britten, feeling quite good and leading the whole way, a few riders coming down.  Around the front and pedal-strikey rocks to the cutting, over the fence and climbing around and up to Mt Pleasant aerials.  Riding up the 4wd road was a couple of guys, one with a blanket draped over his bars.  I had no idea what that was about.  We got up to the top and there was a cluster of a few people.  I didn't really click was was going on, but there was one very sorry looking guy and they were (I realised later) clustered around him.  As we came down through the gate we held it open for a guy who was walking 2 bikes up.  He told us the sorry looking guy had fallen, and suspected broken arm, possibly compound, elbow...  yikes.  He'd got his weight wrong, dislodged a rock and fallen a ways down.

Ride from here was (now, slightly more careful but still) a blast.  Nice descent, bombing ever bombing, through all the way and down.  Through some runners on the tussocks run (one of whom works here and said he recognised me but I was gone in a flash).  We stopped eventually a little before the Gloomy Gulch, and it was nice to have a different lookout view for a change.  Once recovered from the rapid descent, we got going, and this time was a lot fresher through the tricknical rocks at the gulch, and a good pump through before the fast rocky descent.  Nice pop off the rock drop and around cruising then accelerating through and around.  For the first time in, I think, forever, I pedalled through the first rocky up, juuust maintaining enough torque and balance to get through it no dabs!  Amazing. Helps that I'd only done it a couple days before. Finishing touches out to the road with an audience at Evans quarry overlook.

Into the Captain.  Leading again, and flowing well, all familiar from having only ridden it also 2 days before, cleaning all the usual rocks with aplomb and EVEN cleaning the techy tricky wee climb, for the first time in forever as well.  Woohoo, that's a first for many many years.  Smooth roll around to the first hairpin and straight through it to the gate (minding out for the big hidden hole on the right! immediately before).  Great riding this old section again, second time in 3 days after >10 years off.  What a blast.  Even the smells are familiar.  Nelson was rapt with it too.  Good flow through, tho they've put a couple of bits of fencepost across the top of one rocky overdrop feature, making it a definite get off.  Lower sections, flowing nicely, grass felt as if it'd grown even since Thursday night, and definitely fun riding down through the pines again and out the bottom.  The stretch behind the gabions felt like the grass had grown there too...  Finally, out the fence gap and onto the road for a smooth cruise, still with plenty of power, back to the cars.  

Good circuit, 17 and a quarter kms, with 672 m climbed.

Off to Waitutu on Tuesday, so an enforced week off the bike, walking in the bush.  Looks like it might be a bit wet.  Yay.

Thursday Night Captain Pleasant Green Captain

Surprise exit this evening. Glorious it were too.

Took a while to get going and was really tempted to just not ride, but got round to Sumnervale and riding by about 7.  Headed up, good pace, and managed to stay on top of the wheeze.  Good going pretty much all the way up, feeling strong.  Cleaned out the top, the whole time pondering where was I gonna go...??  The tops were in cloud so I thought it'd be interesting to get up in it, so, turned right and headed up the road.  Good grind up here too, steady as she went.  Plod plod plod, watching the clock, 7.43 was at the Richmond Pines, 7.59 at the top of Mt Pleasant aerials in the cloud ready to drop in.

Excellent run down through the fog, no visibility except the metres of track ahead.  

It's been buffed, looked like an Enduro had been through it, everything a bit worn, but was riding really good.  I was well down the tussocks pretty much at the ruins by the time any view came in.  Then lower, in Gloomy Gulch the light was fricking spectacular.  Total glow.  Good bomb down from here down the swoopy rocks, cleared the drop and on round, speed off to build back up back and forth, weaving up the banks down into the next valley then blast down (juuuust about cleaned the first rocky up, single dab) the last stretch to the back and forth at the end.  Nice.

Next down, Capt Thomas.  Usual fluff, nice bomb.  Cleaned everything nicely the way I always do, even the wee climb has been chipped away at and would just about be cleanable now.  Then across the face to the first hairpin, I'd heard the old route was opened up again (woman I was on a course with had done it on Tuesday) and I was interested to see how low down it went.  More than 10 years since I'd been in there.  Wasn't expecting what I found, that's for sure.  Awesome riding around the old techy rocks lines that used to be a bit of a challenge, and around the gulch and below the cliffs, through.  

(Looking back up there:

Some work's been done to make it more rideable, and boy it's good.  Further across, above the pony club, there's some big rock movements that are worked with, it's all done really well.  Swoopy flowy bombing, total joy.  Nice and narrow track, and with enough wee ups to keep you on your toes.  Further down it was IN forest, which I dont remember at all, and the walking track heads down but the bike track just keeps going around all the way to where it drops down at the end, where it always was!  Then you're down behind the gabion walls separating you from the road, only metres away, but you could be in this bucolic wilderness as you file back up valley to get out via the gap at the end of the fence against the cliff.  Then out to the road and up to the car.  

Awesomesauce.  Just about 15 kms, with just over 600 m climbed.

Saturday Arvo Local Blitz

Convoluted and interesting ride today. I was really tired and nearly didn't go but sure am glad I did... Lots of steep ups and some wicked downs.

Up road as per usual, over the 19th, up the gutser, through Brakefree and up through to top of Vic.  Popped down through the jumpies, flying both nicely, then peeled around over the See Saw.  Here, I hung a right across the fenceline up to the end, over the fence and I was at the top of Pedalfine.  Straight into this, rolling nicely, but then just couldnt seem to control my rear-wheel lock-up.  Kept skidding, sliding, which was weird (- rear tire so worn by the quartz of Paparoa?)  Anywho, it baulked me a bit, but I got a handle on it and managed to ride the rocky steepness that tricked me out last time.  Definitely a new go-to, methinks.  Next: to explore the rest of it!  At the Nats Traverse line I went left (as per last time) and climbed up to the inbetweener (between Dazza's and Rad^sick).  Dropped and popped down this, enjoying the steepness and techness, then into Rad for a baulk on the jump and out across to Sneaky Ridge.  Good blop down this, rolling around and through, jumping onto NewBridges, taking this all the way out and down the bottom.  Hit up the Hidden Valley Bowenvale Bonus link track clambering on up and around finally having a rest at the high point where the mmr photos were taken.  

Time for the descent.  Bomb bomb, gravity adding speed to my roll, cruising around feeling good on all the fun bits.  Blippidy blip, cruising good, popping and weaving my away to the bottom, and straight back into the climb.  Grind grind up the valley, then up K2, ugh, gasping for air and having a break a the usual spot before continuing around Pono's sidling climb to the 23ftr.  Here, I followed up the fenceline for an explore, eventually walking, and then carrying the bike up the steep hill.  I heard voices and glimpsed a rider over on a piece of hill there shouldn't have been a track on so I left my bike and sidled across the slope to there to check it out.  I didn't find an unknown track leading down from above, but one used for pushing up to the top of a vertical red-rock-volcanic face with a catch berm at the bottom of that people have been riding...  Far. Out!.  Wandered back to my bike and carried a bit more before the final narrow push to the gate (No mtbs beyond this point) and rode my way up the access/4wd track that led to the skidder site.  

From here, back up over the 19th, dropping down to the road, then around this coasting coasting down to the 235 trail, blasting into this and having a great roll out and through, jumping the jumps (first landing dry enough again) and all the way out to the bottom of all the new trail onto Harry Ell, onto the road and rolling this down to the wee corner park, up through the lamp-post gap and back up the road and drive to home.

9.8 kms with just under 450m climbed.

Tuesday Night Across the Tops and Back Again

Keep on pushin' on.  Out on my own tonight; only chance this week.  On the Rocky, headed up through Vic the usual route, pushing quite hard, and overtaking a group of 4 on the road (who, granted, were taking it pretty easy), then up through the usual grunter and around onto Worm leading me to the Traverse.  Good push across here with quite a few tail-winds helping me along.  Clambered up onto Vernon and had a nice blast around and down to Rapaki-top, feeling smooth and flowy.  Popped across here and straight into the Witch, cleaning all the way around to where I stopped to have my first break and a small snack I hadn't realised I needed.  Interestingly, the Summit Rd Society has bulldozed some tracks into that Avoca Valley block, scarring the land big-time.  I wonder what their intentions for those are?

On the road now, climbing around up to top of the Castle, passing a group of youth out walking, just before the top.  Dropped in and flowingly bombed it all the way, warp-speed in the lower reaches before the first hairpin.  Around this and picking up speed again, then easing off after the next corner on the last bit before the climb, which proved quite jolly.  Over and down to the Bridle Saddle, and back into the climbing, back up the road towards the Tors.

The youth walkers were climbing up onto the peak above Castle and Tors track as I climbed, and were in residence as I pushed then rode up to the track.  There were also a group of 3 Gravellers (one on a Krampus) at the Castletop donning jackets for their ensuing descent (of the road!).  I had a bit of a stretch, then into the groove of the Tors track, clipping the odd pedal in the tussockzone but flowing better down into the rocktech.  ONE spot got me this time.  I've gotten over all the older baulkers, but cant seem to get my head around this last one.  Good bomb down the last rocks as an E-biker cruised under me on the road...  Across onto the wee-singletrack-above-the-road.  Chucked on my jacket (which I'd had strapped to the frame), the breeze just getting a tad too chilly.  Got riding and had a nice tool around this tight wee trail.  Across onto Witch, still climbing really strongly, and feeling good.  A breather at the high point then another fun blast around and down to the Rapaki. 

Straight through and into Vernon singletrack climb, pushing, ever pushing and managing to hold onto the pace.  Up around, blitzy blitz down the last and then dropped the (newish) rock gappy drop thing down for the first time.  Kinda clipped the pedals, so need to pop more air next time...  Around the Traverse, rolling nicely on the downs and still with the power on the climbs; feeling surprisingly good.  Into Vic top and all the jumps, then See Saw, first section BrakeFree and out, down Rabbit into Rocks, Gums, flowy flowy bomb bomb bomb all the way out to 19th, then below the road, this time all the way down to try out that drop-off and down a couple of wee guts to the Harry Ell, then climbed back up to the road on the Corner where Tawhairanui starts, still coping well with the climbing!  Coasty coast down the seal to Dogpark Carpark and straight in - under the tree, then one of my fastest down here.  Wetspots still greasy, especially the Oaks.  Across into the last bit, then took the walking track exit out to VicParkDrive and final bomb home.

Just shy of 20 kms, and over 750 climbed...  Not Bad At All.

Thursday Single Tops

Up with Tracey and Jet to start with, her riding O's bike (cos I thought she'd need the front suss) and me on the Singlist.  We rode together all the way up to the Skidder site where her and Jet turned back.  

I trundled over to the grunter and proceeded to walk the bit I always walk.  Misty fog was ploughing across the tops, making for minimal visibility once up in it.  Instead of turning right up through Brakefree I continued up the walk track, pushing up the steps, through the two gates then up onto Worm, left, then right, through the trees and around to the top of Vic entrance.  Across the road, up the walk track pushing lots to where I could ride through the Sugarloaf carpark then onto Cedric's Track across the front, all in fog.  Over the stile and carrying up the rocks to the top.  Descent here is steep, tech, rocks - a bit hard on the singlist, marginal on the Rocky (I would think).  

Across the road to the Traverse and a couple of riders hove into view, the second one yelling out.  It was Craig and Nelson (doing the yelling).  We stopped and chatted a bit then they continued on and I headed in the Rapaki direction.  Stayed on Traverse all the way around to the road, then, still in fog, therefore stealth, I headed into Scott's Knob, riding over the top down, then pushing up the next section and riding the fun descent down and onto the next open bit through to the carpark I'd passed through earlier.  Back across the road here and back onto the Traverse, this time heading towards Vic.  

Down through the top of Vic, past the seesaw, down the rabbit into the rocks, picked carefully through, across top of gums, around and down my usual flowy wee way.  Then continued on through, across road below Skidder, around back up to road, coasting then 235, blitzy blitz til grease then down and out the H.Ell shorter version to road, blast down home.

Grand total of 9.38 kms, and 377 m climbed.  Okay for a singlespeeder.

Laboured, eh? Local Loop

Missed the ride with the boys this morning but Nelson and me managed to get out for a worthy loop this afternoon.  He turned up at mine about 4 and we headed up the road.  Usual climbing, around 19th over to skidder and into the gruntings.  Feeling pretty good, a week's rest after the Paparoa, muscle memory kicked in and there was plenty of power there.  Up through Brakefree and then onto Worm across to the Traverse.

Normal kinda cruise around the Traverse, I led for a start, then Nelson took the lead on the second half.  Dropped straight into the Huntsbury DH, dropping down nicely, quite rough up top now, and dusty(!).  Jumps pretty good, with number 3 my favourite, then the usual down beside the landing strip where you lose all your momentum for a bit.  Dropping down to Old Skool, nice rough narrow lines (had me thinking how honed and wide and smooth the Paparoa was).  Into Ali-Express, new transverse section bypassing the techyrockdrop.  Then some other new sections lower down, nice! 

Into Old Skool proper, we were chasing (and catching) an awkward looking dude on an ebike (he just had no 'flow').  At what used to be the stile we stopped and let him get ahead a ways before dropping in for the final blast ourselves.  Awesome blitz down here and then straight into the climb up the valley.  Still feeling pretty good, but tireder.

K2 turned up and still felt okay, tho usual breather just before the sidle.  Up around the 23footer, and on up.  up.  up.  Around the Rad^sick corner and dropped into that fun wee steep, then back up around the corner again through skidder over to lower gums descender out to 19th, below the road, back onto the road at Tawhairanui then coasting coasting and into 235 for a blitzy, then greasy roll through.  Jump landing still disgusting so couldn't do it, and then across all the way down to Harry Ell.  Short carry up to Vic Park Drive again and boom, home.

11.72 kms with a tiny smidge under 500m climbed. 

Saturday Sunday Paparoa

Awesome adventure.  A tale of two extremes, almost.  

Day one, drove around to Blackball in two cars, brief stop for a coffee, then headed up the gravel road to the start of the Croesus.  Deb and Emily had graciously accompanied us and took the cars back to Punakaiki.  

There were 5 of us - pretty much riding in the following order for the duration - me, Nelson, Brandon, Pete, Alistair - started off up the track.  After a very short climb, the super fun, iron-out-any-adjustments-needed-in-your-luggage-attachments descent to start with.  A few minor tightenings made, we set off over the bridges and into the (very) slow and steady climb.  The trail has been improved a bit from the last (and only) time we (Pete and me) did it (annual trip, 2011).  The gnarly baby-head rock gardens aren't as in-evidence as they were that first time.  100% rideable.  At one point, we were stopped for a breather and Brandon was stretching, when he suddenly shouted in pain and collapsed, tumbling down off the track, almost over the edge.  His knee-cap had dislocated!  Popped straight back in, but he was sore from then on.  Continued the climb, meeting a lone girl riding, not long later a lone guy riding, then further up a couple of women walking.  Could tell there were riders ahead, by the damp tire-track marks leading out of creek crossings.  Ending up taking a couple of hours up to the the Ces Clark Hut.  We found 4 other riders here who were just about to leave when we arrived.  I recognised one of them from somewhere and we couldn't work out where.  A nice family were in residence at the hut.  We snacked and topped up water and stretched and then got moving again.  

Alpine tops, spectacular views out to all the mountains, Grey River valley, Lake Brunner.  Further along, views to the south, Hokitika mouth, 12 Apostles, Barrytown.  Ridge riding, sidling, climbing, blasty descents - fantastic, circumnavigating the outer rim of the Croesus catchment, then around the top of the Moonlight catchment.  The final descent to the hut was pumpy, swoopy, blasty and so much fun - with Nelson in the lead.  Arrived after around 5 hours of riding.  Roughly 20 kms, and apparently 1600 m of climbing (I'd thought it was only about 1200 but Trailforks tells me total climb is 2400 and we did 800 on the second day, so...) - also, MMR fucked up on the sync because no data reception, and so I dont have the altitudes vertical or horizontal.

At the hut we had a good evening.  The rider I knew but couldn't place worked out how we knew each other (Little Ak).  Ranger told us the weather was about to get extreme and they might even consider closing the track if the winds got to the forecast 125 kph gusts - this would prove dangerous on the exposed tops of the escarpment (which we could see out there).  

Found out later that a group of bikers who were meant to be staying at this hut had already ridden ahead to the next hut apparently...  We figured we'd just suck it and see.

Next morning, this was the same view as above...

The other bikers and a walking couple got going quite early hoping to beat the worst of the wind, we took a little longer.  And thankfully the ranger had an updated situation report and it was not going to gust as highly as the previous night's forecast had predicted.  Hut was in total cloud, wind was galing, rain was falling - horizontally or up-slope.  Fun.  Got ready and hit the trail.  (Sign here says Pororari Hut 4-5 hrs by bike - we'd see about that!).  

Battled our way around the alpine, same order as before, little climbing little descending eventually to some scrobble forest, slightly more sheltered.  up and down, mostly up for a long while, then some down, followed by some up, and down.  The escarpment we only knew we were on by the grey void out to the left.  Pretty spectacular.  Wind was proving fine, blowing a bit but nothing scary.  Drenched to the skin since about 5 minutes in, tho my new jacket was proving rather good, and coupled with the GE leggings was keeping me plenty warm.  Incredible trail, the surface was grippy as anything, and we had soooo much fun riding.  Met the walkers before the emergency shelter, then trail dropped over the edge and zigged and zagged down near cliff steep hill, passing under a spectacular waterfall (or five), and over rugged creeks with car sized boulders.  Bombing and bombing now, occasional regroups, and then Hut 1km sign and a climb, grunty bastard climb, up to the Pororari Hut.  (2.5 hours to get here).  Heated some water, stood dripping around the fire, got quite cold.  Coffee, soup, snacks, then re-don the wet jackets, gloves helmets, and off again.

Descent!  Super decent.  Blasting, weaving, flowing, down down down, so much fun.  A couple of regroups, Nelson in the lead from the hut, Brandon on my tail, we had a hoot!  Eventually down on some flatter bits, following a river (Pororari I think), a couple climbs, not much, lots of descent, some heavy showers, but warmer down here, crossing a big river a couple of times(?) then the final sting in the tail, a bastard 10-15 minute climb with a couple of the steepest pieces on the whole route.  Ugh, not what you want.  But from the top of this, super fun descent, railed it!  Then out the valley over the river, down the gravel road and around up over the pancakes down to the house.

This leg just over 4 hours total (but actually only 2 hrs 49 moving), 34 kms, with 787 m ascended (therefore around 1800 descended).  

Friday Wilderness Flat T(r)ack

On our way to the Poon, detoured a short jaunt up the Old Chch Rd to the Wilderness Trail for a warm up the legs and stretch them after the few hours in the car.  Parked and rode, around a water race / ponds to the intake, which was quite an impressive hunk of infrastructure, then were on the track to the Trapper's Rest, closed up at the moment, then onwards.  Some nice forest, birds, trail not much to write home about.  Made the Kawhaka Saddle (which didnt look like it would fuck your car) and turned around.  Fast fun descent back to Trappers and onwards down to the intake, then back, into the wind, to the car.

20.67 kms all told, with a smidge shy of 200 m climbed.

Week of Cruisers to the Wharf, finished with a Singlespeed Quicky

School holidays, so over at Little Ak for the week with H, first half with Steve and Frankie, then quick trip back to town on Wednesday and returned with Jacob.  Riding consisted of running the dog to the wharf and back on the Specialized ghetto Globe, lightweight singlespeed coaster-brake special.  Jet was very happy with it.  I MMRd a few of them, but not all of them.  A couple of kms with sweet FA altitudes total each time.

Home again Sunday and managed to get out for a quick spin up to the top of Vic and back on the BFe before Mark and Marie popped up for a visit.  Climbing on this is getting easier, and I really enjoy the steel sproing it gives me, tho the brakes are definitely shitty.  Four and a half kms, with the usual 150 odd m climbed.

Paparoa this weekend, bikepacking extraordinaire...  hopefully will get a ride in beforehand.

Wednesday Evening - Captain Godley's Escape Plan

Good ride tonight. Met Nelson at Scumnervale and we treadled off up into the Thomas.  I led the way up, gasping like a mofo but doing okay, getting the wind back on the flatter spots.  Short rest at the seat (top of zigs) then along the way and into the rock sections.  Nelson cleaned ALL of them!  Remarkable to watch.  Whereas I biffed all of them.  With Nelson in the lead from here, we cleaned up the rest of the trail bar a couple of dabs, my suspension or my fatness was making for a LOT of pedal strike which kept putting me off.  Balance was all out of whack.  

A gale was hitting the gums above Evans when we got there, and this proved to be our lot for most of the way out Godley, a godforsaken wind.  Nelson leading the climb, then giving it to me for the nicely wind-pushed blast down towards Livingston.  I caned this, albeit with some super sketchy moments.  Bit of a fiddle with my rebound settings (not sure I've got it right yet) and off around the back from Livingston towards Breeze Col.  Nelson leading the climb again, and me super wary of pedal strike through here with all that exposure ('specially at the start).  I took lead on the descent, my suspension feeling a bit deader than it had been (settings now out of whack), but a good blast, although the cross wind at Breeze Col was scary with all the speed we were carrying.  

Onto Godley track back up, into the howling gale over the top, then down towards Livingston, bailing over the fence at an opportune spot.  On the road heading around to the (known to us) entrance of the Escape and we see more trail below, so turned back and headed up to Livingston Col proper finding a newly marked out zig then zag back towards the rest of the trail.  Nice rolling through here, me in the lead and man what a long downhill.  Minutes and minutes went by as we descended and still we were high up.  Trail nothing to write home about, no tech, but still fun.  On the switchbacks, coming back around into the wind proved pedally, but mostly gravity was sufficient to keep some speed on.  Down into the valley and a nice blasty tailwind down to the carpark.  Fast.  

Finally, up the sodding road, grind grind grind over Scarborough, but wasnt so bad.  Then dropped into Nicholson park dropping down the rooty steep (which really wasnt as bad as I recalled), steppy zig and zag on Flowers, then the access way out to Whitewashhead Rd, bombing back down and cruising up Sumner back streets to the cars.

All told, nearly 17 kms and nearly 600 m climbed.

Monday 69r Singlist Short Shred

Quick blip up and back on the singlespeed tonight.  Just needed to get out after not doing so on the weekend.  29r on the front, so back to 69r.  Grunty climbing up standing til the dogparkcarpark then a couple seat adjustments and sitting a bit.  Clambered up into the 19th pines, small detour to explore a future potential (and a quick chat with Doug), then on up and over to Skidder, and up the gutser...  Walking from the usual walking bit, then riding once it levelled off a bit, pushing hard.  Another short walk above the next cattlestop and then riding through Brakefreezone and up into Worm across.  Back across to top of Vic and seat down dropping into Thomson's #1.  Nice blast down here, around the bends at the bottom climbing out, then back up the road to the top again.  

Down and around, past the first jump, brief pop off the second, down through the gate, down Rabbit into Rocks, Gums, back and forth...  Lack of shocks in here a bit jarring (I think bigger front tire/rim combo, or back to T's 27.5+ on the front might assist in here... or a shock fork?).  Not a bad blast down through here, tho as I say, a little jarring a couple of times.  Onwards down through to the gate then a cruise down the road around and down and into the Dog Park Carpark, flying into the singletrack and bombing down here.  Wetspot dry enough now, then the jump. I rolled up on it, checked out the landing, dry, so walked back up and hooned on in.  Next *new!* jump, nice gappy number, again, rolled in, checked it, walked back, rolled in popped it, sweet as, then on down through the oaks and out all the way to juuust about the bottom of all the new stuff, before bush-bashing back up to the road, and riding home.

5.63 kms with 209 m of altitudinal gainage..

Thursday Night Across the Crest, Poached and not

Sweet ride tonight.  Nelson was still at work at 5.20, and therefore bailed, so I was out on my own.  Fog was rolling over Huntsbury as I was getting ready and had ploughed into our place as I left home, making me think it was cooler than it was.  Rode up the trail (not road) and it was wafting overhead, and then I got above it just after the Dog Park.  Peeled off onto my over 19th route, down through skidder, and hit the climb, getting super super warm climbing, and so at Thomsons entrance I stopped, sat, and peeled down a bit.  That let me settle down a bit too.

Got going again, feeling fresher, around the Traverse, pushing ever pushing, the city a pool of fog and me riding towards the sunshine.  Rather nice up here.  Met one or two oncomers, giving me short rests, and got to Huntsbury-top no problem.  DH mode on, dropped in, bombing with an audience of riders up the maindrag, jumps performed nicely, then down and out the landing strip section, rolling up to the edge of the fog, a wall, seemingly full of voices (wafting up from the maindrag just over the ridge).  I turned and rode back up towards the sunshine, staying ahead of the talking group and catching another dude by the top.  

At the road I turned right, and headed up onto Scotts Knob, over the "no-bikes" stile, and up into the forest, nice section of trail this.  Amazing sunset shining through the trees, just before the trail got interesting for the bomb down to the next saddle.  Very brief jaunt on the road then up onto the next climb, steeper and a few unrideable (upwards) steps or rocks (but eminently more rideable than it used to be).  Once up in the trees tho there's only one rock corner I couldn't manage.  Then the descent was awesome, rocks, roots, tech good bombo down down.  Another very brief spell on the road (near the pond) and up onto the next section, and into fog!  Getting darker too.  Good climb on this trail, lovely surface, one mega-tech rock, then over, lost in fog, took a left without realising it and into Mitchells Track, not realising it was what it was.  Some fun techy, and greasy rocks and dirt, lovely bush, good smells.  I could barely see anything so lights on and fog made for tricky vision.  Got to a fence/gap, and I knew this trail gets super techy beyond this, and it wasn't going in the direction I wanted (I'd initially thought I was on the upper trail, and would skirt round the front of Sugarloaf), so I turned back, less rideable in this direction, and popped out at the carpark.

Across the road for the last section of Traverse, nice cruise, then before the trees, dropped down through the fence and into the entry of Pedalfine/Cowabunga and Old(?)Nats DH (or upper fenceline if you stay hard right).  Looked down Cowabunga but decided on Pedalfine, finding sweet steep tech.  bomb and drop, drop and bomb, then whoooah!, wtf is that!?  Super steep rocky section straight down with a dropover at the bottom.  Obviously a good run out, so couldn't be too bad.  Backed up a bit, rolled in again and baulked, again.  Decided to walk it, which proved difficult.  Then I heard someone behind me, so dropped into the next section and found a rather intimidating looking drop over, stopped and he rolled through below me.  

    "Good to see someone who knows this trail - It's my first time down here," I said.  

    "Yes, this line is somewhat easier," he replied.

I sidled over onto that line and proceeded to roll over a super tech rooty drop, with him watching, proving myself perfectly capable.  We stopped below here (on a sort of 4wdish track) and chatted a little, me quizzing him on where we actually were, and these gnarly lines, a couple of which dropped off down below us.  In the end he headed off down the '4wdish' track we were on, over a jump, and I followed a moment or three after, finding myself popping out at the entrance to Rad^Sick where Raceline crosses!  Huh, here!

Up the steep grunt 4wd, catching him near the steepest corner, then I decided to peel off down that bonus track (before Dazza's) I rode a couple weeks back.  Cleaned it all perfectly this time, nice!  Crossed the Rad^ bit and dropped over down through a section I'd never seen before, which ended up spitting me into Brent's zone, back and forth a couple times out here and I was somehow riding up into the valley, then down a non-track, sconing my helmetlight something wicked, and out to the top entrance of Bridges.  Turned upwards and grunted my way back up steep bastard 4wd trails ughhhh through Rad^zone and out to Skidder, sweating and breathing heavily.

Over onto my usual downhill (lower gummies?) and then below 19th onto trails below road, up onto Tawhairanui and through dog carpark into 235, peeling left on the new line, but finding it changed and weird, and through to unfinished bottom of it, then dragged bike through branches and folliage out to the soggy oaks, then through and all the way down the new line to Harry Ell and down it, down the last steps, Dyers Pass, past Takahe and up home.

Long post for 12 3/4rs kms, with 540m climbed.