Blowhard to Richardson. Part III

Had a day off for Easter Sunday and had planned to ride with Chris up the Blowhard again, during daylight hours this time for a change having decided not to travel all the way to ride with the PFMTBC boys and SWTCHBCKR on the Twin Fenceline track on Banks Peninsula, as I wouldn't have time to get back for T's family dinner afterwards. I finally contacted Chris on Saturday and found he was busy all day so decided to go on my own seeing as I had also turned down my own family Easter lunch as well. The weather dawned fantastically with little wind and about 24 degrees or so by the time I got to the start of the track at 11am. The track was drier than last time but still felt plenty steep and I resorted to granny ring on the 4wd section early to try and preserve my legs longer for the steepest parts. I was determined this time to make it to the top of Mt Richardson, as I had plenty of time and no light issues to worry about. I was feeling pretty slow for the first hour though, which is normal for me in the morning for some reason. I got to the top of the steep stuff in 1 hour which included talking to a couple of hunters for about 4 or 5 minutes just below the top. The ridgetop section was dryer also and made for easier climbing and the few descents were much faster, although having perfect lighting was helping that also. I got to the first clearing faster than I was expecting and had a look about, took some more photos and had a muesli bar. I spotted someone across the clearing about 300m away in an orange flouro top and watched them for a few minutes, I think they were doing the same... I dropped down the sketchy as ridge line and back up towards the flouro guy and saw him walking towards the track. I got there after a few minutes and had a chat, he was hunting and had walked up the Mt Richardson track. After leaving him a few minutes later I came across a tramper having a rest near the top of the Bypass track summit but didn't stop this time. Heading past the Bypass track I noticed the sign said 3.2km to Mt Richardson and guestimated when I got to the point we turned back last time when my light died we were about 1.5km short of the top. The track from then on though is the best although there were a few sections I had to walk still on the way up. I turned left at the intersection and picked my way through the muddy rut track to the top which was mostly rideable and enjoyed the great views out to Mt Oxford and the Torlesses. I then heard more voices and passed 4 trampers heading the opposite direction and a minute later made it to the top. I took a few pics and called home (good reception on the cell there!!!) Then headed back at 1pm. I also checked the altitudes at the car park (299m) and the top (1048m) so the climb and decent where 749m each. I guess with the ups and downs included there would be about 1000m total.

I picked my way across the very rooty top section and through the muddy rut trying to avoid spraying mud all over the bike. Then hit the main trail. It felt great and I had much more confidence right away being able to see properly. I was still a little careful seeing as I was on my own though. Really enjoyed the trail across the top this time and loved the variety of surfaces to ride. I passed the trampers again on a rocky climb and made that look really difficult but made it to the top, then met up with the first 2 hunters I passed on the way up, giving one a fright as he didn't notice me coming. I stopped before them and had another yarn before bombing down the big open clearing and into the steep sketchy climb again. I took the climb sections along the ridge steadily and found myself at the top of the big steep section way faster than I expected. Came down that carefully but nice and clean and then started to bomb the way down, feeling really smooth and grippy in the corners it was a real blast and you could really let the speed climb being able to see clearly what was ahead. Got down to the 4wd turn around puddle and grunted up the little climb there before the last exit section to the car. Got there at 2.15pm so all up 3 hours 15 minutes (including lots of stops to look around and talking to the hunters) and 1 hour 15 to descend from the top. So finally I have made it all the way to the top and back, this time with no incidents either (and I have the photo to prove I was at the top too!) Excellent ride.

Eastside Fogfest...

Met up with Chris at his place about 5pm and headed out towards Sumner after he finished fixing a flat from dropping off the massive crack in the road beside the river on Fitzgerald ave. Saw some of the damage out there from the quake with the cliffs at Redcliffs being the most incredible even after seeing pictures of them. We decided to pull up at the end of Redcliffs and headed up Mulgans track. The bottom part had a bit of rockfall on it which had been cleared a little to make a tricky little chicane and the rest of the track was pretty good from there. Apart from it being fairly steep and the switchbacks super tight. I managed to ride the first section apart from most of the corners and then all but the steeps at the bottom of the next section which was even steeper. It took me about 15 seconds to get going on that as it was so steep. Then walked most of the last steppy section as I was pretty buggered by that stage. We made the road in about 10 to 15 minutes I guess so it was a very fast way to get up. Cruised the road to the start of the single track from the top of the houses that leads to the summit road. The fog was rolling in here and the pines beside the road were doing a great job of combing the water from the air and dripping it like rain all over the track!!! It was still firm, but a bit greasy in a few places and this combined with my lack of fitness meant I was owned by most of the little steep techy climbs and got dropped by Chris. We pushed on through the thickening fog and both noted the eeriness of the scene as the large pines at the top loomed into view.

From there we cruised along the road in thick for towards Greenwood track. Along the way a couple of long board riders sailed by through the mist and then about 300 metres from Greenwood we cleared the fog and could see the last rays for the sunset leaking over the Southern Alps and the huge bank of see mist rolling inland. It looked pretty clear out home still. We headed across Greenwood to the old gun emplacements without lighting and this and my lack of finesse on the rocky parts slowed me down a fair bit, although Chris had the luxury of 6 inches of travel to flatten out those bit somewhat. At the top we set up out lights and headed down into the mist again. The poor visibility making it fairly impossible to see what was on the track on the fast sections. I was quite pleased to be not far behind Chris for the first 2/3 or so of the track but was getting tired and caught out at the 2 little rocky climbs near the end also which slowed me up considerably. I definitely noticed how much slower I was after not being on the track or that kind of terrain for so long, but slowly gathered a bit of confidence. I am sure it would be much easier without the fog though.

With Captain Thomas still closed due to quake danger we headed along Godley Head track. I managed a good deal of the first steep climb before losing traction, but Chris cruised up no worries on his tractor/bike. We picked out way along OK until about 15mins in on a little climb I somehow pushed the front out wide to the right against the bank where it connected with a piece of rock jutting out about 50mm about midway up the wheel. This stopped the bike instantly and despite no going overly quick I cannoned forward until I hit something, likely the rock wall beside me or just the front of the bike, most of the impact was on my knee against the handlebar stem and my ankle on something else. I rebounded back and to the left over the side of the track leaping off the bike and running down the slope until it flatted a bit (about 8 metres or so). As I was running I thought I was fine and then as I neared the flatter spot the pain started to increase in my knee. I dropped and writhed about for a minute as it ramped up until I was about to vomit (like when you get kicked in the nuts!!!) I felt like I hadn't done any major damage though and hoped it would ease soon enough and I could keep going. I had fingers crossed it didn't swell to much though. After about 5 minutes it wasn't to bad and I got back up to where my bike was beside the track and found the rear flashy had fallen apart in the impact with the ground and reassembled it again. I gingerly continued on and about 1 minute later met up with Chris who was coming back to see where I had gotten to. We continued down in the fog which forced a very slow pace and then I took a wrong turn and had to go back. I was looking for the new section that was being worked on last time I was there, but never found it. By the time I got to the last climb before Breeze Col and the Anaconda my knee felt pretty good again. I remember thinking though that the technical rocky bits coming up were going to be tough though, but I managed to either pick my way through very skilfully or they had been cleaned out a bit to make them easier??? Anyway I cleaned them well and met Chris at the top of the Conda.

We dropped in just in front of some runners and in some parts you couldn't even see what the track surface was or what shape it was so it was pretty freaky going at a reasonable clip down. I surprised that I managed to keep pretty close to Chris all the way down, but was still slower than normal and not getting much air on the jumps. We both avoided the new jump as you could see nothing beyond it with the lights. Had a nice run down though and enjoyed the Tail ride out to Taylors also, although the last 2 sections have got really rough since I last rode there.

Slow climb out of Taylors without the customary race to the top and headed down through the park where I forgot to put my light on full, the cruised across the seafront at Sumner. We had a little race around the waterfront to the car which I was behind for most of but eventually Chris's big tyres got to much for him and I got past in the last 100m. Got back to the car and headed to Maccas Linwood and dinned in the 'Restaurant'. Then dropped Chris home and headed home via the supermarket myself.

My knee was pretty good in the end, used the ice from my drink at Maccas to help bruising and had to chuck a sticky plaster on to keep dirt out of the cut. All good now.

Blowhard Part II...End of daylight...

Second ride back from my hiatus and why not go for another leisurely jaunt up the Blow Hard again? After all we failed to make it to the end last time due to lack of light and being unsure of the decent under lights. Of course that was not to bad if you actually had a light that was operational...
Anyway I met Chris at my place after work (Rich had a prearranged whanau commitment so was unable to make it) at my place and he unloaded his new 7'' travel Marin rig and we loaded it into the trusty Corona with my Genius/Merida on the rack and headed off. 15 minutes later and we were enjoying the sweet smell of the bush at the bottom of the track and getting ready. On up and it seemed a lot tougher than last week right from the get go, or possibly I was going a touch faster, but either way I was on the limit in middle ring from the get go. We ran into a hunter coming back down the track who said he had had a good day, but didn't elaborate any more and was not carrying any wild beast either, so maybe it had just been good weather? At least it was OK down below where we were, with no wind and no cloud so that was good. The problem was the sun was going down faster than we were going up and I was keen to make it to the clearing in time to take some photos and check out the view. With that in mind I was pushing myself harder than last time but not trying to ride as far up the steepest sections as I could so that when I had to stop and push I still had some O2 in the blood and could move forward at a reasonable pace rather than have to crawl for the first 30 seconds. This tactic seemed to work better and we managed to keep a steady pace up and with Chris pushing the big bike I was about the same speed as him for the most part. We got to the top of the steep section and I didn't have to stop for a food break this time and we continued on, riding more than last time but still pushing a few sections we should be riding really. On the short decent sections across the top I was feeling slow, but better than last week, so I was happy with that. Chris was pretty sharp on his new bike though of course.

Finally we broke out of the bush with a few rays of light still creeping over the Alps, allowing a good view and a couple of pics but the wind was back to normal up there, howling! The result being that the photos in low light and high wind being pretty blurred and crap really. Never mind. We cruised down the steep drop beyond where we turned around last time and made our way back up the ridge towards Mt Richardson. Had to skirt around a bit of muddy stuff a few times but other than that the trail was mint. Had the odd issue with the wind and lack of fitness and then low light (this was the last night with daylight saving in place) so switched on the light to low. I forgot to charge the battery so figured after the last ride it should be good for several hours on low still. About 5 minutes later though it went out and I was left in near darkness. I carried on up to where Chris was waiting and told him about the light. He was keen to go back now anyway. I slowly made my way back down barely able to see the track and Chris waited for me a few times. We decided to go back the way we came rather than go down the walk track to Glentui (I figured it could be a fast way down and my light should go on low for another burst maybe 5 or 10 minutes if I was lucky). I borrowed Chris's backup light and mounted it on my bars which made it point of centre to the left a little but was heaps better than riding in pitch black (no moon either). We made surprisingly good time across the top and at times I was able to ride close behind Chris and see with his light. At the top of the steep decent down to the bottom I stopped and put my light on low and crossed fingers it would last. Chris bombed down and I picked my way down the top section getting near the flatter section before clipping my bar on a tree and coming off. I landed mainly on my back so was protected by all the soft clothing in my bag so got up as fast as possible to not waste the light and re-mounted hoping the bike was OK. It seemed to be anyway and I only had a bump on the elbow and a scrape on the leg which was pretty good seeing how far I fell down and the rocky stuff I was riding. I think I landed on some loose rocks so not to bad. On down I went and was enjoying the decent and could see by the marks on the track that Chris was also...Was near the top of the 4wd section when the light died again, so had to slow right down to get down the last 2 to 3 hundred metres or so and then crawled the 4wd road section. The off centre light meaning I had to scan to the right to see the track properly and right bends in the road were blind as. This lead to me not seeing a rut in the road on a right hand bend in time and nearly coming off again. I had to half bail into some broom bushes but stayed upright at least. Got down in the end and started to load the car when a guy on a quad bike came up and started talking. We had a chat for a while and it turned out to be a guy I knew from school years ago. Chris said only in NZ!!! Came home and had a couple of beers. Nice.

Booyaa!!! I am BACK! Blowhard blowout...

It has been 9 long months since my last proper ride apart from a couple of sneaky jaunts round Bottle Lake on the SingleSpeeder, not real mountain biking though, with actual mountains etc... So what better way to test the fitness and skills then to attempt probably the steepest and possibly least rideable legal trail in Canterbury. I certainly couldn't think of a better test than the good old Blow Hard track. Also it is pretty close to my place as well. I called in the boys SWTCHBCKR (Rich) and Chris who came out after work. We all loaded into Rich's soon to be new Subbie wagon and tootled off to the start. Not bad conditions considering the weather hadn't been flash for days and the clouds were about 3/4 of the way up the hill and no sign of rain. Hit the hill right away and warned the others that the apparent steepness was just an appetiser, and prepared for my lungs or legs to explode, or both. Surprisingly I managed to keep a respectable pace considering my complete lack of match fitness and with my rear Maxxis Crossmarks hooking into the moistened clay surface perfectly I actually managed to out climb my much fitter companions on a couple of occasions. Once we passed the end of the regular 4wd trail things got a bit tougher though and I found if I pushed as far up the steep as sections as I could like I normally would then I would really struggle to walk up for about 15 to 20 seconds as my lungs etc caught up with demand for O2. I surprised myself again with how I was able to keep pushing steadily to the top all the way, but was ready for a 1 square at the top of the steepest stuff. From there we pushed along to tops in the forested sections, up and up then down a little before up again. Light was fading and the boys were worried about the decent and not keen on it under lights. I was keen to get to the first open section at least and we pushed on, eventually making it before the light really faded (it is amazing how long it takes to get there and I always think 'ah yes I am pretty sure it is just around this corner....no...must be this one...no...' etc etc...) When we looked about the tops the Lees Valley side was almost clear of cloud/mist/fog and the light was amazing, while we were almost about to be immersed in fog, so the atmosphere was unreal. It really worth the effort just for that. Also for once there wasn't a breath of wind and you could even hear the sound of a stream from way down in the valley below. Very cool, a bit LOTR like...

Back down and I was tail end charlie, and got dropped right away as I caught a stick in my derailleur which took about 15 seconds to extract, giving me no chance of catching up. Also given my lack of riding I was a bit ginger on the downhills as well. The loose rocks and slickness on some rocks as well as some very dull lighting in the thicker forest sections made me pretty wary, plus being last I didn't want to come off and be left unconscious down a bank for hours either!!! After about 10 minutes I had to resort to my light as it was so hard to see the track but it seemed even worse as I was in foggy section and the reflection off the fog was worse than riding in the dark. This made me thing the others were right about the steep stuff in the dark, but it was too late by then anyway. After another couple of minutes the light was pretty much gone in the forest and I flicked the light back on. This time the fog was gone and I could see pretty good, apart from having a half inflated spare tube in the top pocket of my pack which was pushing against my helmet hard when I was trying to hold the light far enough ahead to see properly at speed or on steep descending sections. So just before the drop off I stopped where we had a snack earlier to remedy that problem. Re-mounted and rode about 40 metres and found the other 2 on the side of the track. Chris was faffing about with the front of his bike muttering and cursing as it seemed his light had lost its charge or some other fault and was refusing to illuminate the way ahead at all. He did have a small town light on his head and said he would walk down and we should go ahead. So Rich went ahead no problem, but I was having issues getting my feet in the pedals on the steepest section we were on at the time so took a bit of time, and Chris walked. Once we got past there we got Chris between Rich and I and went from there. Chris seemed to manage that pretty well and I was struggling to keep pace most of the time, being a bit tentative still. We all manage to get down OK at a decent pace and found ourselves back at the car in quick time as usual for the Blowhard...On to my place for a couple of reflective quiets and then on home for the boys and to bed for me....

Sunday night Back Tracking...

Sunday night ride, met at Swtchbckrs place and scavenged some very nice pasta and vege curry for sustainance and we headed off to Slumner. Decided to do something different to usual and rode the trail in reverse, meaning we started by riding to Scarborough hill and up the road to the top and then a cautious ride down to Taylors due the the damp patches on the road. Then onto the trail proper and up onto the Anaconda Tail out from Taylors. I blew one tricky rocky section that is no issue going the other way but had no trouble the rest of the way finding it pretty enjoyable. Rich cleaning the first section OK. Up the curvaceous Anaconda trail for the first time ever for me was interesting. Not as steep as I thought it would be, although there were a few grunty bermed corners but nothing to tough. Found the going pretty good and made quick time up to the road. Seemed odd to not really know where you are on the track due to going the other way, so a bit like a brand new trail. Over the road and we cruised on up the Godley Head track towards Evans Pass and got to the top of the first hill pretty fast. Then down the rocky tricky section and finding it difficult to find the best line seeing I hadn't ridden this track in reverse for years either. Bumped our way along until the track smoothed out and then flowed quickly to the saddle before beginning the grind up to the next hilltop. This section while not to steep is a fairly long grind and seemed to go for ever, but we still felt good at the top. There was a little bit of drizzle coming down by this time and the rocks were greasy although the dirt sections were still dry and very grippy, nice to have the dust damped down though. I let Rich go ahead as I was thinking I would take it easy due to the wet rocks, but we ended up going at about the same speed anyway. The rocks turned out to be not to bad but you could still feel a bit of sliding occasionally on the bigger rocks. We were flowing pretty well until I tried to take a faster line over a rock section I couldn't see over to start with, it lead to a slight drop to a flat rock that sloped quite steeply to the edge of the track. I hit the sloping rock and felt the front sliding so I had to correct it which meant I turned pretty well right off the track and ended up heading straight down the hill on a near 45 degree slope. I managed to bail off to the side about 5m down the hill and avoided getting completely out of control. I ended up pretty much on my feet and kept hold of the bike so no damage done. Bit of a climb out and off we went again. No trouble down the last rocky sections and to the top of Evans Pass. Due to the weather packing in we decided to bail down Captain Thomas instead of doing an up and back on Greenwood as planned. Down Thomas I found the first section really sweet and then took it easy in the gully due to moisture build up on the track. Had no issues on the way down and managed to ride all the rock drops although I rode the worst line down the steps on the first big one as the smoother line to the right was pretty wet looking and I didn't fancy another trip over the edge...Rich took the safe option and walked that one not fancying my juddery step line either. We both bailed on the short climb section half way along as the track has been dug in over time around the rocks making a very tight line which the rain wasn't helping either by now. Flowed sweetly from there down apart from a bush hanging over the track making for a blind entry to the littly rise after the walk track drops off the the right. I normally hop the rocks on it but only saw what was there when I hit them after brushing under this bush, luckily there was nothing on the track. Took it easy down the last section as the wood edges on the steps were greasy as. Got back to the Bongo at about 8 and dropped Rich home via Maccas for a burger and fries....

Hidden Old Skool Crouching Nun...

Finished work early at 2 and went to pick up Chris and get changed. Bit of rain about but looked OK and was pretty warm. Made our way over to the bottom of Rapaki and met up with James M on his Tomac. I hadn't been up Rapaki in months so it was a change although nothing much has changed...Found the going easy so that was good. We all cruised up chatting to the top. Was windy as at the top and the last 200m or so we were ably assisted up by said breeze. Headed on up Mt Vernon and I pulled away a little on the steep section as James tired a little due to not much riding. I took the old rough switchback route across the west face and even managed to clean the rocky corner for the second time in a row. We regrouped at the start of the Summit trail below the road and I had a OSM. I lead off across the now super groomed trail and kept up a good pace to make it fun. We quickly got over to Vic park and rolled down the narrow and smooth Thompsons trails. The bush hanging close to the edge making a very cool run through there. Filled up with water at the Kiwi where a chap came out and told us to look out for bad smells along the tracks (meaning we might investigate and follow that to the body of the missing girl up there somewhere maybe...) Up the road again and we had a look out over Worsleys and then up to the top of the Nun again. This time in the light the dust was less of a problem and I felt heaps faster as did Chris, but I was much closer to him this time. I only made 1 or 2 small errors and held pretty good speed along the way. We got to the bottom and waited a couple of minutes before James appeared and reported that he had Pogo sticked off the track and crashed, but luckily not a scratch on him. So we continued on up the summit road to Vic park and dropped into Brakefree for a few jumps before I pulled out and headed down the Rockgarden/Gums old track. I seemed to leave the others behind and they ended up taking a different track but I took the old school tracks right out to the gate to the memorial on the vic park road. Raced back to the skidder site to find the others. Then I followed Chris down Dazzas and onto Ponos I think. I got wrong lined on one of the rises and had to pull up as it was a drop onto rocks if you didn't jump it. The inside line was the chicken route and James and I took that then made our way along the rest of the way to the bottom. Chris had to take off for rehearsals so James and I continued up the Hidden Valley and onto Old Skool. By this time the sun was shining just before it set making for mint as light and it was still warm but no wind. Hoofed down the top section and ran into a guy coming up on a Santa Cruz who James knew so we had a chat for a minute. Someone else was coming so we took off a few seconds ahead of them and shot down the new section. I really enjoyed the flow of it and kept up a good pace seeing as it was my first ride on that part. We dropped out the bottom of the track and got to the gate and waited for the other rider who was about 30 seconds back by then so we did a good job of not holding them up. Headed back to the Bongo and home via shops at Eastgate. Great to ride in actual sunlight!!!!

Flight of the Bongo

Had a course to do on my day off (Tuesday 4th or so) and a few jobs to sort out then free about 4.30ish. Cruised with bike etc to the Swtchbckr residence and was met at the gate by a small chap inviting me in, although it was a little odd that we were locked out for a short while to begin with...Anyway after a bit longer Rich arrived and we had another great dinner (thanks again) although I felt a little guilty being uninvited... :)
We got ready and went to pick up Chris from the Holly temple before heading up to the meeting point above the Sign of the Kiwi. The Bongo making good time on the top section once it left the confines of the 50kmh zone...
We came across a nest of slightly inferior white vans containing no less than PFMTBC members Steve, Tony, Marie, Wayne and Warren in that order making a posse of 8 in total.

We exchanged some unnecessary pleasantries and headed up the road with a chilly cross wind. Chris and I seemed to get ahead as the others chatted in the cold air. Once we got to the top of Worsleys and the start of the Nun who flew we regrouped and some adjusted seat heights etc. This is against my religion unless it is on a day that doesn't end in y. Of we went with Chris newly decked out in his knee/shin guards in front and me next wheel in the dust. This was to be a constant problem. Rich was behind and the others spreading out to relieve the dust issue. I was feeling pretty ginger due to not having ridden for a while on that trail and knowing it had been changed/repaired recently so was a bit slow. Hit a few nice jumps and mucked up some other bits too. Got a bit disorientated part way down and took a wrong turn into a short cut and ended up in front of Chris, so tried to get down without holding him up to much and we pulled up to the car park to regroup. Up again for round 2 I decided to ride up in a silly gear (think it was 32/18 but managed that OK, so would be fine for single speeding) and we did the same thing although this time when I mucked up the same corner I stopped and let Rich go ahead as well seeing as I was riding badly still. This time we went down to the Kiwi and headed back up again.

Round 3 I think I went off in 3rd place and Rich did a good job of keeping close to the flying Chris. I was a little better but still making errors and jumped right off the track at one point just past the first 4by track crossing and had to run back up to the track. It was cool at the bottom by the Kiwi again looking back up at all the lights coming down the track from our guys and another big group coming down too. We regrouped and rode back up to the Vans where the others decamped and Rich, Chris and I did a drop down into the Governors Bay track which was super groomed and trimmed making it nice and flowing. We dropped right down to the hairpin at the bottom and turned back to grind our way up. I was in front and took it easy at first to save energy knowing how tough the switchback corners are. I stuffed up the first one along with the others and then when pretty well. I think I only missed 2 more after that. I found the climb out pretty good even though it is pretty steep. We voted on 1 more shot at the Nun so carried on up hill to the top. This time I felt in better form and managed to even make the corner I kept missing and had much better speed. Stuck much closer to the others and we all pulled out at the Van in good time feeling good to finish with a decent. Another quick decent was made in the Bongo and everyone dropped off.