Rotorua. North Island trip. Ride six!
The day before I left for Auckland (3rd) I rode the Port Hills and felt terrible. It was 27 degs and I wanted to vomit climbing up the Rapaki Track. Just three weeks earlier I had run my first Ultra Marathon and it was like my body and mind had forgotten just how grueling it [...]
Lake Taupo. North Island trip. Ride five
Our legs are feeling a tad tender so today’s “recovery” ride was welcomed at Lake Taupo. It was really warm as we got our gear ready and set off, so the challenge today was going to be the heat as much as the aching legs!
The drive took about an hour and was nothing special to [...]
Rotorua. North Island trip. Ride four
We set off at about midday today with a route planned the night before that aimed to take us to the highest point in the park and then down…down..and down :) Needless to say, the climbs were a bit of a grind but nothing like the good old South Island ;). With all of us [...]
Rotorua. North Island trip. Ride three
Another awesome day with more riding in the redwoods this afternoon. We were lucky enough to have Vanina Vergoz & Gavin with us who and were happy to show us their favorite tracks. Mark and Richard bumped into the pair and got chatting while waiting for the wheels to be built at Kiwi Bikes. Small [...]
Rotorua. North Island trip. Ride two
It typical Craig and Paul fashion we got to our accommodation and had a quick feed and were off climbing up to the highest point in the park with 30 mins of our arrival! And boy oh boy it was sticky and humid out there! Unlike most climbs though- the reward was more than I [...]
Woodhill mountain biking. North Island trip. Ride one.
I’m currently in Auckland and staying with my good friend Craig- who I’ve had many an adventure with over the past few years. Last night we met up with some of his mates and went out for food- and rose early this morning for a spin at Woodhill bike park- about 45mins outside of Auckland.
With [...]
November updates
Summer is here?
Eeek. Mid November already and the days are hanging on until about 9pm ish. Summer seems to have officially arrived and as odd as it sounds my mind and body take a while to adjust to having all of this extra light and seemingly more warmth (13degs with sun is warm for Christchurch!). [...]
Hanmer 12 hour by Blue Dog Events
Getting ready
Taking Friday off and packing for the weekends sillyness at the Hanmer 12hr race was a great idea and a relatively stress free experience in contrast to the Cyclic Saga only a few weeks prior. Infact by the time Craig got here for 7ish I was totally ready to rock and roll… and chomping [...]
Ground Effect Cyclic Saga – “when I’m angry I can read maps”
Friday night
Hectic would describe the events after arriving home from work on Friday as I found myself changing the Cove’s pedals from the “totally dead” Crank Brother Candys back to Shimano, swapping the rear wheel and seat, cassette and brake pads to sintered, and then giving the bike a much needed check over and tune. [...]
Craig is back!
Ben and I met up with Craig yesterday for his first ride since being back (he flew in last weekend) after 6 weeks traveling around South America.
At 8am it was already in the mid 20’s with a forecast of 30+ so I struggled to keep my breakfast down on the climb upwards….which is becoming [...]
2008 wrap up
Is it Christmas Eve already! 2008 has been a year full of many ups and downs which I’m sure that you can all relate too. But one thing has kept me rolling forward and that is my mountain biking. I’ve met some amazing friends, seen some beautiful places and ridden trails that have blown my [...]
Return to the Wharfedale Track
Craig, Spencer and I headed off to ride the Wharfedale track yesterday and what an epic it turned out to be!
We had originally planned to ride the track to the hut and then after lunch back again but our plans changed once we realised how many trees had fallen on the track. At every 10 [...]
Port Hills into Taylors Mistake
Craig, Spencer and I headed up and over to Taylors again yesterday with a few cold ones in Sunmer. After being off the bike this week due to a head cold from the devil himself plus rain and temperatures similar to winter (with -2deg over most nights!) the sunshine and companionship was very welcomed.
I started [...]
Port Hills to Sumner
Today’s weather was sun and 23. Perfect. Meeting up with Craig and Tama we also had two other chaps join us too for a climb up Dyers Pass through to Godley head > Sumner > City. Funny thing is that 4 of the 5 were English!
With lots of grueling technical ups and fast dry [...]
Lake Sumner ride with Craig
Yesterday Craig and I headed to Lake Sumner for a spin. Some 2+ hrs drive later we arrived to see blue skies after it had rained with black clouds the whole way there! Craig had not ridden this track before and it is absolutely stunning country out there… and it feels very remote too. With [...]
Yesterday was a fantastic day
Why? Well I was offered a new job that I really wanted, the sun was shining, and Craig and I had an absolute epic. With the climbing starting at Vic Park up into the Hills and across to Sumner we went. We messed about like we were 15 years old again and managed 1800+ M [...]
Kayaking on the Avon & a spin at Bottlelake Forest
Today I did something a little different. An hour on the Avon river in a kayak with Craig which was alot of fun and then off to Bottle lake for a spin on the SS Peace. Boy does the SS fly with some summer tread on it!!
What a fantastic afternoon chasing the daylight!
Port Hills to Taylors Mistake
Today was one of those days…. one that refreshed my memory to why we moved here last November. Blue skies- warm breezes and dry trails calling. Summer seems to be here :) With a shorter 70mm stem (vs the 90mm) and the Speicialized Eskar upfront with a new Larson TT on the back the Cove [...]
Mcleans Island – Christchurch
Got a phone call early this morning from Craig to see if I wanted to join him and his new flat mate for a spin at Mcleans Island. Why not!
It was really dry out there with the smell of pine and warm breezes, which was so nice. What amazed me as we discussed the tracks [...]
Taylors Mistake Christchurch
Meeting up with John and Craig off I headed to Port Hills to Godley Head and then Taylors Mistake this morning. It was a nice 20 degs with cloud cover (no burning UV) which was perfect for the climbing we had ahead.
I had not ridden to Taylors Mistake until today and I just loved the [...]
