sifter wrote:

Monolith wrote:After dropping my gear at work I headed for the south coast. Smashed up the tip track - awesome traction up there today, I could happily ride out of the saddle for the first third (Then my arms got tired ). Good time to the stockyards, and even with a small stop to pop my glasses onto my helmet and having to dismount to round the gates managed a good time to the seal. Grrrrr.

Carried on along the road, along carparts extension, down carparts, down the roller coaster and popped out near town. Good start to the day

what's a good time for you these days Dave?

Haha, was going to post it but meh...

Anyone who can get up there in under 30 minutes is doing well IMO.

Monolith wrote:

sifter wrote:

Monolith wrote:After dropping my gear at work I headed for the south coast. Smashed up the tip track - awesome traction up there today, I could happily ride out of the saddle for the first third (Then my arms got tired ). Good time to the stockyards, and even with a small stop to pop my glasses onto my helmet and having to dismount to round the gates managed a good time to the seal. Grrrrr.

Carried on along the road, along carparts extension, down carparts, down the roller coaster and popped out near town. Good start to the day

what's a good time for you these days Dave?

Haha, was going to post it but meh...

Anyone who can get up there in under 30 minutes is doing well IMO.

True enough.

Butch wrote:Those Jacks pass photos look entertaining. Do threshold like that?

Yeah, got about 3/4 of the way up and with no cars having gone that far up for a while the hail was frozen on top of the snow. Hell slippery, wasn't to bad going up but not keen coming down on it so did a U and headed into the skidder site and had a wee play on Detox etc on my own. Most excellent.

well this is the riding I/we did this Queens Birthday Weekend...

Drove to Blackball in convoy Friday night after work...stayed BB Hilton...beers and food.
Sat morning geared up..and got chopper to just above Ces Clarke Hut on CroesusTrack...bombed track...yehaa
Had a big off and hurt me left pinkie...got told to eat some cement and stop whining...rode out..

Sat night did the BBall pub crawl (3 Pubs)...seems the top pub has a dress-code...beards,7 tattoos and 3 tooth minimum..as simbow said to me while ordering drinks..."this aint the pub to start a fight in"...wise words indeed.

Sunday morn...up early drive to Reefton...Get chopper to top of Kirwins....Bomb down again.....whoo hoo
Have post ride drinks...drive through to Hamner.

Drop gear off...Hot Pools...Decent Grub...more drinks mmmmm
Monday Morn up early....off to Krank for trail advice...the place is covered in snow and we wanna shuttle if poss...get told of some trail at the top of Jollies pass..vague directions though...looking for a stump and a pile of rocks...everything is white..
spend 1.5 hours stumbling around in the snow...we nearly at top of Mt Isobel..lost-giveup and ride down Pylon trail to swamp at the bottom...cold and wet....regroup at Krank (again)...have pies and coke at bakery next door mmmm v.nice, running out of time...decide on Big Foot...do 3 laps of ...its v wet and slushy but loads of fun...and theyre logging it next week, so who cares...

drive back to Blenheim...v happy

PS went hospital ...finger is busted...but rode everyday,i thought it was dislocated...put on glove taped it to next finger...and loads of pain killers..i found Nurofen-back pain to be great

Hope you're not out of action too long

Today I went for a steam at Makara - Up Varleys, T3, then down Ridgeline etc. Headed into town, and spent an hour on Mt Vic. Can't find the new track between the velodrome and Alexandra Road though...

Monolith wrote:Can't find the new track between the velodrome and Alexandra Road though...

I believe that would be Hataitai Zigzag.

First night ride at Makara for the winter. A bad combination of crap rear tyre, rusty skills and slippery tracks meant a few minor offs.
Was great fun though

iodi wrote:

Monolith wrote:Can't find the new track between the velodrome and Alexandra Road though...

I believe that would be Hataitai Zigzag.

That must be the one! I wasn't sure whether it went directly to Alexandra Road or used an existing track.

mitch7 wrote:well this is the riding I/we did this Queens Birthday Weekend...

Drove to Blackball in convoy Friday night after work...stayed BB Hilton...beers and food.
Sat morning geared up..and got chopper to just above Ces Clarke Hut on CroesusTrack...bombed track...yehaa
Had a big off and hurt me left pinkie...got told to eat some cement and stop whining...rode out..

Sat night did the BBall pub crawl (3 Pubs)...seems the top pub has a dress-code...beards,7 tattoos and 3 tooth minimum..as simbow said to me while ordering drinks..."this aint the pub to start a fight in"...wise words indeed.

Sunday morn...up early drive to Reefton...Get chopper to top of Kirwins....Bomb down again.....whoo hoo
Have post ride drinks...drive through to Hamner.

Drop gear off...Hot Pools...Decent Grub...more drinks mmmmm
Monday Morn up early....off to Krank for trail advice...the place is covered in snow and we wanna shuttle if poss...get told of some trail at the top of Jollies pass..vague directions though...looking for a stump and a pile of rocks...everything is white..
spend 1.5 hours stumbling around in the snow...we nearly at top of Mt Isobel..lost-giveup and ride down Pylon trail to swamp at the bottom...cold and wet....regroup at Krank (again)...have pies and coke at bakery next door mmmm v.nice, running out of time...decide on Big Foot...do 3 laps of ...its v wet and slushy but loads of fun...and theyre logging it next week, so who cares...

drive back to Blenheim...v happy

PS went hospital ...finger is busted...but rode everyday,i thought it was dislocated...put on glove taped it to next finger...and loads of pain killers..i found Nurofen-back pain to be great

Sounds like a rocking weekend mate; Hanmer is rad for teh cycling!

jnumbaz wrote:
Sounds like a rocking weekend mate; Hanmer is rad for teh cycling!

yeah it was pretty awesome...Hamner is great...

I went out for a wee spin this evening; over wrights hill, down deliverance (first time down there on the turner), back up salvation, down scout hall, across goldmine, and then back home over some other hill which was pretty sweet

Went up Mt Vic yesterday, great ride.
Watch out for the digger and people employed by WCC to do track work up there. Ran into them on the main track that runs off the summit just before the track splits off to the right down the drops into the grass area.

All this awesome mid-week weather was getting me down. So instead of staring longingly out my window at the dead flat harbour bathed in sunshine, I took the afternoon off work and headed to Vegas yesterday.
I hit the trails at 2pm, it was a cool but comfortable 13° - no need for any arm or leg warmers, just my trusy GE Ristretto underneath my riding top and I was away laughing.
Took in A Trail, Tickler, Frontal Labotomy, Billy T, Split Enz, Pondy, Pondy New, Roller Coaster, good lord what a wicked combo of tracks that is! Stopped to grab a bite to eat, and another mid week warrior arrived on the scene, so after a quick chat I followed him down Old Chevy. He was riding a bit quicker than me, so of course I tried to pin it and keep up. Which I couldn't, and completely blew my legs to bits trying!
I had big plans to hit Be Rude Not To, but with the temperature starting to drop quickly, fading light and not wanting to go back and pick my legs up from the start of Old Chevy I bugged out down Nursery Road and back to the car via Exit Trail.

Was amazed at how much frost there was in the forest, heavy sections which obviously aren't thawing out at all on Tickler, Billy T and Roller Coaster!
A great way to spend an afternoon, I'm so glad I did. Hadn't been on a bike in almost seven weeks, hence the blown legs, but I feel completely refreshed mentally now

yep its a special place vegas
it needed a local to show me old chevy
what a great track to train on, doing loop after loop

Conners wrote:A great way to spend an afternoon, I'm so glad I did. Hadn't been on a bike in almost seven weeks, hence the blown legs, but I feel completely refreshed mentally now

how come the long break in riding???