Saturday, May 07, 2016

Saturday morning Jet meander

Tried to be an earlyish start, but by the time I'd parked up top of Huntsbury I didn't actually get rolling til just after nine.  Jet galavanting around me, we cruised up the main drag for a start, then at the cattlestop we cut through the gate and up the jumpy track then over the gate and into shitsville, rolling up the singletrack to the fence and up the landing strip, on up gravel to the top.  Jet took the cattlestop too quick and just about broke his leg!  Over Vernon, fanging it, then waiting for Jet while uphillers passed be by then fanging it again.  Through Crapaki top and into the Witch, nice techy climb through the rocks, cleaning all.  Around the front and down to the road.  Jet was getting tired already, but we kept going.

Cruised up the road to the Castle and an old colleague caught up on a roadie, then I directed a Santa Cruz rider onto the singletrack.  We followed, Jet navigating the cattlestop very carefully.  Speeeeed through the entire top section, rolling really smoothly, feeling good.  Held up for Jetty, then onwards down to the first hairpin, at excellent speed.  The Santa Cruzer was lost here, but I told him "this way" and he headed off ahead.  Jet and me followed.  Good climb out and then over back to the road.

Jet and me cruised up the road here, me keeping him in check on account of the speeding roadsters flying past at various times.  Took our time, me not wanting to wear him out.  At the top of Castle again I waited a bit while a runner cleared off the Tors track, then we headed up the walking track to it.  Awesome downhill this, techy as all get up at the bottom, which I cleaned all but one dab round the worst bit, and on down to the road again.  Now it was onto the singletrack just above the road.  Climbed up the first bit and at the top on the techiest rocky-over bit, my handlebar clipped the fence on the right causing the me to topple off and over to the left, tumbling down the bank, above a precipice above the road.  I managed to stop my fall by strategically smacking my left (already sore) knee on a rock, then turned expecting the bike to tumble after me.  Thankfully it didn't.  Picked myself up and untwisted the bars, and straightened the brake lever and got rolling again, sore knee really starting to smart now.  The sore knee that's been a sore knee for a while now...  nothing new there, I guess.  On round the singletrack, catching a guy and a dog, so we took to the road and then Witch Hill, on up and round and down through Rapaki.  Stopping here to give Jetty a drink and having a nice long look around...

Up Vernon, climbing okay, knee coping.  Then around the Traverse for a start then down through the tussocks, off piste the whole way to the landing strip, bomb down here, over the fence, round the singletrack, over the gate, jumpy jumpy down hill, stopping and waiting for Jet now and then, then over the final stile to the car...

15.5 kms and over 600 m climbed...


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