Saturday, March 16, 2024

Saturday Blackberry Troll Golf

Continuing my Summit Rd Summits series (Sugarloaf, Ada being the first two knocked off), took the Troll up through Vic usual routes, gleaning a "cool bike" comment (from Mel) at Skidder, and then riding EVEN further up the gutser from there than ever previously, walking the little bit and riding the rest. Into Thompsons #1 behind some walkers, who had moved over for a rider coming up who'd moved over for them and me...  nice flow onwards from there then down road, through Kiwi, and up road towards the burned zone...  Good to get a look at it all.  Burned completely up the cliff below the Mt Ada spot I'd gotten to previously.  Moseyed around past the Bellbird and Kennedy's Bush, and found some good blackberries, had a feed, continued on riding around and up road, then hit the radar golfball road, under gate and up steep to corner, then up to security gate.  Surprised there's so little in the way of Keep Out Private Property signs...  Check out over a cliff at the view and drop, and spotted a nice patch of bush below.  

Back down the access road, fast, then cruisy coast down road to corner where I ducked into the bush, parked bike and wandered.  A kereru flying along the track got a hell of a surprise when it saw me and slammed on the brakes, effectively hovering at head level before diving off down the hill.  I wandered a little further, lovely tall bush, and came up on 3 really nice totara.  Back to the bike and back on the road, cruise cruise cruise, climb, descend, cruise descend, getting good clips on the downs.  Through Kiwi, traffic negotiation and climbing up to Thompsons #1 again, climbing this and walking at the end.  Down round, across Rabbit paddock, rocks, cleaning all (in front of an audience too), then gums, gums gums.  Out to 19th, below road for a bit then rolling, and into DogParkCarPark for a nice roll out down through and out To Harry Ell to road and home.

A fun and fruitful 17.3 kms with 521 m climbed

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Sunday Uppy Downy Locals

Pretty warm Sunday morning, headed out on the Rocky, up into Vic, usual road, 19th, skidder, and dropped straight down into Razza's, sweet wee droppy goodness.  Hung a sharp right and took a short climb up to intersection and dropped over into lower-Pedalfine, top section looking unridden, lots of leaf litter, then below the 4wd, took a line I'd not gone before, with a wee surprise drop in it - requiring an emergency weight-shift-rearwards. Finished off through to bottom of Brents before the fence, and hung a left into that horrible steep climb up next to Brent's, up the fenceline towards the 40fter, walking a bunch.  Some sheep in here were Snaped-Sent--to-be-Solved.  

Into Sneaky Ridge (checking out the new bunny entrance on the left but not riding it), down through the rocky sections and then into the oaks, not yet getting loose with acorn ballbearings.  On exit, the new landing from the fence jump is dumb, way less of a challenge than of old.  Down and thru nuBridges, rolling down valley to Hidden Valley bonus climb.  Up the grunty pines, under the pylons and onto Old Skool for a good rest and some water at the high point and a rider rode through.  I let him get a head start and then entered into my own rip roaring blast down here.  Kinda gained on him, but kinda not. Rutsville lower down, then lower squiggles all good, getting tired, rolling out and straight up valley for the climb.  At the gates I haeded up the walking, steps to zig zag, riding a little on the couple of flatter bits, but mostly pushing.  

At the cattlestop had a rest in the shade and snack here, then got rolling back down Hidden - not bad in this direction, not as fast as I hoped, then up valley and into the evil fucker K2 - walked the steepest, then across the singletrack bit below Texaco, then up the main the rest of the way with lots of breaks in the shade. 

Topped up water at Skidder - lots of riders around (due to the Park being shut still).  then took the old (lower gums?) trails through to 19th, then below road to Tawhairanui exit onto road, coasting roll the the dogparkcarpark, then fun 235 swoopy swoopy jump jump, around and climb to road again, up, to finishing off with the blast behind the houses

Less than 10 kms with only 385 m climbed! - felt like quite a lot more.

Friday, March 01, 2024

Friday Night Single Speedy

Up and back in 50 minutes from 5, on the frankenlunker.  High-intensity, skills-testing blast on the rigid singlespeed kruiser beater bruiser BFe.  Up the usual, over 19th, and a brief walk up from skidder.  Up through Brakef, nearly to top of Vic and down the Thomson number 1.  Back up the road, and the short climb up to the stone covered seat, scoffed a few blackberries and chilled a bit, hot and puffing.  Then into the descent.  around by passing the jumps and seesaw, compliment from a climbing biker ("nice bike," "yah! fun!" replied) bomb down to rockgarden, through the gums, blazing, through the lower reaches out to 19th, below the road, through to Tawhairanui intersection back onto road and coasting down to 235, into this for the groooviness, all the way to H'Ell and onto the road down around past Takahe and clambering back up to home.

Beefy; just under 6 kms and 224 m of climbing grind.

Sunday, February 25, 2024

Sunday Vic, Traverse, HuntsburyDH and Back

Nelson met at mine at about nine and we headed up the usual climbing route through Vic to the top.  Stopped in the rabbit paddock for a good look at the damage in the CAP, then moseyed the rest of the way to the top.  I was feeling a little tired/under-the-weather due to a hefty bbq the night before, but survived the thrawl.  

Dropped into the Traverse and cruised across the top, meeting quite a few on-coming riders.  Stopped at the top of Huntsbury DH and sat for a while, as many groups or riders, obviously regulars to the Park, tried to negotiate their way around the hill.  Too many skids observed - learn to fucking brake properly you muppets!  We set off down Huntsbury DH, which I didn't ride very well, tho managed it okay, jumping the first third and last.  Second one is just too rutted now.  Nice flowy through the fast tussocks then across the landing strip and over the singletrack around (not over the Rocky one), then down down down.  Again, jumps were skipped or ridden depending my vibe, which wasn't feeling up to much.  I think cos I was a little under the weather.  Got to the bottom and began the slog back up, all the way to the road, where we hit back on the Traverse.  Another good run around here, tho all the ups were really making be blow.

Across over the jumpies, see-saw and top section of Brakefree, then into across into the Rockgarden and gums for a sweet-ass flow down my local trails, all the way through like my last SS ride and under the 19th down the road, coasting smooth, then dived straight into the DogParkCarPark235 for a flowy cruisy bomb, again, allll the way down to H'Ell and clamber back to road the last bomb to home..

Satisfactory 13.5 kms and 485 m climbed.

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Thursday Super Short Sunset Singlespeed Resurrection

Fixed a flat on the BFe earlier in the week and so finally got out to try the new Velo Orange Seine bars iu'c chucked on it months ago.  Just over 2 years (!) since I last pushed this sucker up the hill!  

Headed up the road and instantly decided the stem was way too short so bombed back down, hunted around and found a longer Charge one that'd come off the fatty originally. Chucked that on, having to raw-dog the top-bearing, which seems to work (tho leaves it wide open for dirt), and got riding.  High intensity climbing ensued, riding hard up to the level, but it felt great!  Through skidder and almost immediately walking the climb, took a diagonal right hander, up crossing Brake Free at the jump below the wallride and on up into the gums.  Clambered up through the rocks and across the rabbit paddock to my sunset seat.  Had a beer.  


Watched the sun sink behind the horizon and got riding again, back down the rock garden and into the trees, back and forth across, bike so light and nimble, bars comfy and wide.  All the way down through to the gate (at 19th) then across below the road for a nice glide through the trees and popping up the usual onto the wheelchair trail back to the road corner.  Brief clamber and coasting down the road into 235 for a very cruisy flow session down through, over jumping the treebranch and all the way down to lower Harry Ell.  Carried up to road and nice glide to home.

Less than 5 kms with a measly 144 m climbed.  Still good to get out on the SS.

Sunday, February 18, 2024

Sunday Ride of Two Portions

Needed to pick up the car from Sumner after leaving it there from Ann & Jimmy's wedding Saturday night. 

Set out from home on the Rocky, up into Vic Park, onlly to find it completely closed form the gate, All Tracks for Fire Response, so, figured I'd ride up the road to Summit and along.  Dropped down to Harry Ell and onto the Dyers Pass Rd and pedalled.  It's actually not that bad mostly, just a couple of narrow sections cars cant pass safely, but mostly there's almost a lane, in the gutter, that you can stay left of the white line.  Got to the Kiwi and nope, no go - cones, Road Closed, a cop car on the other side, and a dude on this side saying, "sorry". So, back down to home, cop on my tail for a bit of it, and peeled home - just under 7 kilometres done, 250 m climbed.   

Rocky away, Troll out, change of shoes and off down Longhurst, carrying and wheeling down the steps, carrying up the steps and onto Holliss Ave, ooh, rear tyre a little low, sketchy...  Down, crossed over Centaurus onto Sloan, over the bridge, back around the bottom of the Loop onto Eastern Tce along to next pedestrian bridge, then over into the park where I put some air in the tyre (in the shade).  From here up onto Centaurus, around and right, then into the wee alley way through to Korimiko, Wilsons, Beckford, through the NW carpark to Wades/Prossers, alleyway to Derrick, over the bridge, Ford, then around the river on that side to the next bike bridge, Sheldon, Radley Park, along the tow path, over the motorway bridge back to the northside of the river and Towpath all the way around to Ferrymead Bridge.  Over the road and onto the bike path to Sumner, all nicely finished now.

A varied and interesting route across the flatlands - slightly less than 16 kms and weirdly 150 m climbed. Nice

Thursday, February 15, 2024

Thursday Smokin' Hot Green Pleasantry Captains

Excellent recalibration ride with Nelson tonight.  Parked up in Scumnervale and set off around the foot of the hill, briefly stopping to feast on blackberries before skedoodling up the old skool Captain Thomas and the rest.  Next it was the long slog up the road to the pines, onto the Shit Track for a short climb to the road, around to and up, slogging on the gravel on Broadleaf to the top of Pleasant for a good view back up the harbour to the Port Hills Fire 2.0. 

Into the descent and fark it was bony! Nelson pinged off every single rock there was. I had some good flow on, weaving and twisting - all the while being careful not to crash given the wounds I'm nursing after my commuting crash last Friday in the wet. Meandering around the new fence infrastruction, and through the ruins, and into some hard work descending, majorly fatigued by halfway and we needed a break.  Out of practice obviously.  Into the lower reaches and the weed-eaten grass was fairly off putting, and, thinking it would be slippery - neither of us wanted to push it too hard, but otherwise I dont think we were any slower than usual. Nice flow otherwise. 

Finally, the Captain. Whooee. Great blast down here, cleaning all the usual cleany stuff and blazing away.  Into the lower reaches, loving the pop and twist, weaving through the tech, very awesome. 

Grand total of16kms(!) and somehow 638 climbing points