The Embarassment of Calling the Waaambulance...

Today I had my last little blow-out before I box The Ninja up for the flight to Wanaka for the Yeti Tribe Gathering on the weekend and the Deans Bank 10 Hour (can't wait!!!). She has spent the last couple of days getting some tender loving care from the crew at Cyclezone and I thought it would be a good idea to head out into the forest and hammer the crap out of her and check everything ran as smoothly as I could expect, and it certainly did... I felt fast and smooth and the bike floated superbly beneath me. With relatively little effort, I equaled and improved on times I had clocked on a few different trails around the forest in recent weeks. It was a stunning afternoon and having such a great ride just topped off a stellar day. It was also great to bump into a few familiar faces under the canopy. We live in such an amazing place!

The general theme of the week, though, had been very different from the above stunning afternoons and perfectly behaved bikes. My week started off pretty well, with Tuesday seeing me shave a mere one second off my Be Rude Not To time on the hardtail. It set the tone for an awesome week of training, despite the compounded fatigue I was experiencing from a couple of hard weeks on the bike. The problem with living on the edge of the forest (if you would really call it a "problem") is that I just want to ride ALL THE TIME, and whilst it sounds like a very nice problem to have, inevitably, the distance will catch up with your legs.


Wednesday was an interesting day. It started out with a trip to the hairdressers around the corner to have my hair and makeup done for some photos on the bike (yup, no kidding). At work, we have been compiling the Pink Walk calendar that is used to raise money for breast cancer awareness, and the theme of this awesome calendar for 2013 is "strong women". I must say I was very flattered that my boss felt that I fitted into this category, but kitting up in hairspray, lipstick and mascara to ride my bike was so far removed from the helmet, chamois cream and lycra I was familiar with! Having said that, it was a bit of fun, and seriously, who amongst us wouldn't don some lippy and eyeshadow for such a great cause??? If you happen to be or about Rotorua during the Pink Walk at the end of October, make sure you get yourself one of these awesome calendars!!!



I spent the day deflecting comments about how "amazing" I looked, feeling the need to justify the fact that I was wearing makeup until I disappeared into the forest late in the afternoon with Paul Charteris to teach the gorse along the Western Okataina Walkway just who is boss (because at that point during the week, the score was still Gorse = 1, Megan's legs = 0). Paul picked up me and my bike after work and we took the easy route to the Millar Road end of the trail. Seeing as there is no vehicular access, we popped our gorse-destruction implements in a backpack and set off by bike down the trail. Carrying loppers and shearers in a backpack is much more awkward than you would imagine, and as I descended sections of the trail, the backpack would swing around to the side of me, revealing the gleaming sharp points of these weapons of gorse destruction... I wondered what my mother would think of this recklessness... It was probably well up there amongst a myriad of dangerous activities I may be lectured on, including running with scissors.

The gorse was way further down the trail than I remember it being, so we probably got in a good half hour of destructive goodness until we had to turn around and head back before running out of light. We arrived back at the car just in time to see a stunning sunset over the forest, projecting fingers of pink and orange light streaming across the landscape through wispy clouds. The original intention had been to finish up with Paul and then ride home via the forest to get some training in the legs for the day, but my legs felt heavy and tired, and my head was cloudy. It was one of those moments when I thought "is riding tonight really going to be the right thing for my body?" The answer, sadly, was "no", so I hitched a ride back into town and crawled into bed after my partner's late arrival from Palmerston North.

The other cool thing that Wednesday brought was two exciting packages... One from Adidas Eyewear with my new glasses for this season (including the new polarised Evil Eye Pro Half Rim lenses) and one from Magellan containing a battery extender... This little puppy can now be used for a full 24 hour race without change of battery... The first cycle GPS on the market I know of that will do this!

Now onto the topic of poorly behaving bikes. After giving myself a relatively restful day on Wednesday, I was absolutely amped for a good blat on Thursday after work. I made my way into the forest and was feeling awesome! I was having a really good time, I felt strong, and it was a beautiful, mild, sunny afternoon. As I made my way down Dragon's Tail with a little less care than I should have, I felt my rear rim hit a root... I ride my hardtail on tubed tyres as my training bike during the week for exactly this reason... To train myself to pick good lines and develop my skills as opposed to ploughing through it on a full suspension bike. I knew this rim shot was going to end up a pinch flat, which was annoying, but I was safe in the knowledge that after two flats in the last two weeks, I knew I was carrying the right gear to sort myself out on the trail... Or maybe not... I flipped the bike upside down, removed the wheel and then reached into my little bag of tricks to get my threaded CO2 pump... And an unthreaded CO2 canister... I couldn't believe it... Moreso because I specifically remember removing my unthreaded CO2 pump from my bag because I didn't have any unthreaded canisters left. A couple of passers by had no pump, so I was forced to call my partner for some help from the waaambulance. I was gutted to be walking out of the forest for a lift home in the car. It was such a stunning afternoon, and I was so angry with myself that I had made such a stupid mistake in my preparation. I was just lucky I was relatively close to a road access point and had someone I could call... For the record, I now ride with a hand pump that has a clamp fitting (as opposed to a screw-on) so there will be no CO2 mix-ups and no unscrewed valve cores!!!

Saturday's weather was appalling. I kitted up in the morning and kept a close eye on the weather ready to jump out on the bike at the first available opportunity. Finally, at about 3pm, the sun peeked through the clouds and it was all the encouragement I needed to grab the bike and head outside (rest assured, it didn't stay that way too long!). I took my partner and the dogs with me for a roll in the mud and as we made our way into the forest, we were completely taken aback by the huge amount of carnage that had ensued with the high winds... There were trees down everywhere, blocking trails and littering the forest floor with debris. It reminded me of the Huka Challenge last year... Like playing Russian Roulette with the forest... I was glad I wasn't out there during the morning! We went out for an hour and then I headed out into the elements on my own little mission, ensuring I observed both rules number 5 and number 9 with the due respect they deserve. The winds were still quite strong so I made the call to stick to the fire roads on the reasoning that I was less likely to be hit by a falling tree in the middle of a fire road than on a trail (how much sense there was to this theory, I am unsure). I made my way all the way out to the lakes and down to the edge of green lake. It had actually turned into a rather pleasant afternoon so I continued to extend my ride, bit by bit. I climbed Moerangi road from the lake side and popped into loop road to descend Split Enz to find a huge tree had fallen down and left a hole nearly a metre deep in the trail... I was exceptionally pleased I hadn't been around at the time that tree came crashing down! Eventually, I made my way home at about sunset, very pleased to have gotten a ride in... I wouldn't call it an impressive ride, but it was certainly a tough day out in those conditions. I call these rides "hardening" rides... Not necessarily great training rides, but good for the mind and good for the soul... If you can ride on days like that, it's not such a huge shock when the weather turns bad on race day.

Sunday morning I woke up to significantly better weather (although still a bit drizzly). The ride in the wind and rain the day before had really taken it out of me and I had failed to take into account the last couple of weeks just how much of a toll riding in the forest every day would have on me. Mountain biking can be really rough and really hard on your entire body and whilst I wasn't sore, my whole body just felt like it needed a rest... But I still wanted to ride... So I grabbed the road bike and dusted off the cobwebs... It's been quite some time since I was out on skinny wheels and by the time I headed out the door, the sun was out and it had turned into a really pleasant morning. I headed out on Tarawera road to skirt around the lakes and then, depending on how I felt, might tack on a bit more once I got back. I felt surprisingly good. My upper body was grateful for the rest and my legs seemed to just do their thing, like they always do. As I rode alongside the lakes, my head filled with wonderful thoughts of just how amazing it is to live here in Rotorua... You can mountain bike in the forest, or a myriad of other amazing places within a stones throw of town, you can road bike, hike and kayak, and all with the most stunning scenery.

It felt so good to be cruising along with my legs feeling strong and the sun on my back. I had traveled maybe 20km before my rear derallier started playing up. This was the first time I had taken the road bike out this season, and besides a clean and lube, I hadn't really done much else to it. After a bit of stuffing around, I got it working again, only to have it break down on me another 2km down the road... I flipped the bike upside down and tried to figured out what was wrong... It was making a terrible racket when I turned the pedals. A lovely fella who was working in his garden nearby obviously heard my cursing and popped over to see if he could help... It was another waaambulance call by the looks of it... One of the jockey wheels had seized up and I wasn't going anywhere on that bike without breaking the chain and turning it into a singlespeed. At the insistence of my newfound friend, I reluctantly rang the waaambulance for my second pick up that week... It was embarrassing, moreso because I take a great deal of pride in my preparedness and resourcefulness. Truth be told, if I had been stuck, I would have turned it into a singlespeed and ridden home, and there was a part of me that wanted to do this purely on principal, but it would have just being me as the stubborn gal that I am... I was very grateful for my partner driving out to pick me up again. When I got home, I pulled out the jockey wheel to find shards of bearings and metal entangled with what was left of the ball bearings.

 

I must say that I find it a little amusing and a bit of an adventure when I have weeks like this... When the unexpected occurs and tests my logical reasoning and my dedication to my riding... It's refreshing and a challenge in it's own right (and gives me a story to tell on my blog!) and it is a gentle reminder that you can never become complacent on how prepared you are for each ride because you never know when you may need that spare tube, or the tire levers, or the multitool, or a rational calm mind. After this week, I have vowed to rescind my waaambulance membership and be prepared to sort out my own problems on the trail! Beyond that, though, I am really looking forward to this weekend... The Yeti Tribe Gathering in Wanaka is going to be a blast, and I can't wait to present my photo and story evening to everyone on Saturday night... After having been back for a good four months now, it's going to be amazing to re-live my trip again... And then, of course, the 10 hour Deans Bank race on Sunday, which terrifies me slightly... It will be my first sizable race since 24 hour solo world champs... Here's hoping the legs will go the distance!!!

Western Okataina Track and a Bunch of Other Cool Stuff...

This Strava thing is killing me... Every time I get home from a ride, before I even get out of my kit, I'm fiddling with the cable trying to plug it into the USB slot in my laptop to upload the precious, precious data off my Magellan Switch Up... I will then scour through the data to see, firstly, if I got any QOM (Queen of the Mountain) accolades, then secondly, to compare my times on different trails to the times I have ridden before to see if I got any PBs. Then, if I'm happy with what I see, I upload it to Facebook, with the appropriate commentary or excuses... It's the new peer pressure. Even if I go out for a reccy, I tend to stay fairly mindful of the trails that I know have Strava segments attached to them and try and give them a little bit of stick, regardless of what sort of session I am meant to be doing, or how rooted my legs feel. There's worse things to be addicted to right??? You can check out my Strava feed here... Knowing that people are looking at it will probably give me more reason to smash myself adequately each ride!

I recently invested in my own gym so I could do my weight training at home... Not because I'm anti-social, but it's just convenient, and to be honest, for my one session a week, it was cheaper than buying a yearly gym membership. As with any gym, though, the first couple of times you use it, you take a bit of time to adjust to the environment, which exercises you want to do and the weights you are comfortable with (in my case, the weights I am comfortable with if I don't have a spotter). So in true "Megan" style,the last couple of weeks, I have overdone my weights session a bit, and once you do that, there is no going back... It means you suffer for the rest of the week. So Tuesday evening, I hit the trails with pretty flat legs, but intent to make the most of it. I had a surprisingly good session and clocked a blindingly quick time down the top section of Be Rude Not To on my hardtail. Wednesday and Thursday though, my legs were toast, and no matter how hard I pushed my little legs, I didn't seem to get any faster... You can do one of two things when you have a session like this... Go home, rest up and have a sook, or just get what you can out of your body and have a good time doing it. I generally choose the latter... It's much better for your head than piking on a session. It just so happened that Wednesday was a stunning evening, as well, and there was an abundance of good peeps out and about in the forest... There's a lot to be said for good company on a ride when you are struggling a tad, especially when you usually ride by yourself, and it was such a stellar evening to climb to the top of Corridor and have a good chin-wag with a couple of other riders before descending the sweet new trail from the top of Corridor and heading home... I am loving daylight savings, and I reckon the top of Katore road is one of my favourite places in the forest right now! I have had numerous discussions with people in recent times about the logging in the forest, and I like to take a very pragmatic approach to it... Sure, the logging destroys the existing trails, and leaves behind rubble that seems to litter the landscape, but hey, it's part of riding in a working forest. Probably a more valuable way to see it is that the trails get rebuilt, more often than not, better than they were before (and I don't think anyone would disagree with me when I say the rebuilds are a display of absolutely stellar trail design artwork), and there are sections of the forest now where we see stunning views where we previously would have been in amongst the thick of the forest. The top of Katore road is a fine example of both of these. Yeah, it is really sad to see the trees all knocked down, but it's a cycle, and a sustainable one at that... And how awesome is it that we, as mountain bikers, are part of that cycle (excuse the pun!).

Saturday I awoke to windy, overcast conditions. I had a four and a half hour ride planned, so I decided to hit the local markets first before hitting the trails so I didn't miss out on my fresh veg hit for the week!

The ride into town was heinous. It was the first time since leaving Palmerston North I had experienced head winds like that, but at least the ride home was tail-wind assisted! Even better... When I finally hit the forest, the trees offered excellent protection (although, I must admit that hearing the tops of trees clash together and branches falling off in the wind makes me slightly nervous!). It was a surprisingly warm day and the first time since I returned from Europe that I have taken out the Camelbak and bladder, which served it's purpose very nicely. A lot of my recent rides, I have tried to get by on a bottle, and it just hasn't been enough for the longer days. I did a fairly substantial loop that saw me climb to the top of the forest (Tuhoto Ariki and Billy T) twice, and to the top of Katore twice... All up, I did over 2,000 metres of climbing for the day, and whilst I struggled to keep my heart rate in it's target zone, I didn't feel too bad. I also managed to squeeze in a run on the new Pondy DH, which has been (just this week) molded and manicured to remove all the ruts and rough stuff... It runs hellishly fast, and I can see this is going to be one of those trails that, eventually, I will see just how much I can get away with not using my brakes.

By the end of my ride, I was feeling pretty smashed, but still conjured up the energy to climb Katore Road for one final sweet descent home. As I negotiated the short descent towards the Tokarangi Pa turnoff, I heard this huge "BANG", felt the rim hit the ground and lost all control in my back wheel. It's scary how hard it can be to slow down and stop with a fully deflated tyre at speed. I finally pulled up (with no damage to the rim... Bonus!) to find a side wall tear in my tyre about the size of a 50c piece... No amount of Stans was gonna plug that hole!!! I was only about 2-3km of downhill riding from home, which was actually a bit annoying in a way... Had I been in the middle of the forest, it would have been a no-brainer... Stick a Shotz wrapper in there as a tyre boot, stick a tube in there and make my way home... But how close I was to home gave me the option of either fixing it and enjoying the descent home, or running the bike home and stuffing around with it once I had eaten and had a shower. It was a windy day, and I figured that running the bike home would be preferable to stuffing around with it on the side of the track with the wind blowing dirt onto the sealant stuck to the inside of the tyre, so that's what I did... The trail seemed to take an eternity to run down, and with carbon-soled shoes on and a bike slung over my shoulder, I was ecstatic to finally make contact with Long Mile Road... But not so ecstatic to try and fit another tubeless tyre!!! Huge thanks to Zac at The Outdoorsman who spent the last 30mins of his Saturday afternoon shift in immense frustration at my wheel/tyre combo... Big ups man!

I'd been looking forward to Sunday all week. The weather had been forecast to be good and I had planned a little adventure to check out the Western Okataina Track. After plans for some company for the trip fell through, I set out by myself. The plan was to ride via the Tank to Town trail to avoid riding on the road. My legs felt smashed after the week's riding, and especially after yesterday's climbing, and I was forced to resign myself to the fact that this was going to be a fairly slow day out. The sun felt warm on my skin as I climbed, then the fresh Spring breeze nipped at me through my jersey as I descended... It was one of those days you just feel stoked to be out riding a bike. As I reached the end of Tank to Town, I had planned to duck out onto the road and ride the rest of the way on the road to Okareka Loop road. To my delight, though, as I tucked my head around the corner of the tank, I discovered the Lynmore Link track. I had very little knowledge of where it led and was stoked when I realised it linked up to Pipeline road... I had just discovered an alternate route across to Be Rude Not To, which was particularly cool because it meant I could now get to that part of the forest much quicker than before, meaning I had a greater choice of trails for my shorter rides in the evenings... YUSSS! I followed Pipeline Road around, parallel to Tarawera Road, then found a trail that popped me out on Tarawera Road a mere 200m from the Okareka turnoff. I headed down towards the lake on the road, and then followed Miller Road all the way along to where the road became unsealed. Finally, I came across the trail head of the Western Okataina Track.

The Western Okataina Walkway was opened up to bikers just last weekend, on the 29th of September, for a two year trial into it's use as a dual-use track (similar to what they have done with the Heaphy). So, when you hit this trail up (and if you like a good adventure ride, I would strongly recommend you do), please be considerate of other trail users. I found the majority of walkers I came across had come from the education centre end, and were hiking up to the trig point, so be ESPECIALLY careful, on the final descent towards the education centre. Today's weather was perfect for an exploratory ride, and as I started along the track, I soon found myself beneath a canopy of native bush.

The start of the trail reminded me very much of riding up Back Track at K Loop in the Manawatu, but the further into the ride I got, the more rugged it became. The climbs at the beginning were fairly mellow, but with a lot of debris underwheel, they could be quite soft and fairly hard work. It was also super important to keep an eye out for trees and hanging vines that may come to battle with my bar ends, and also derallier-hungry debris on the trail. As I drew closer to the junction where the trig point turnoff was, the climbs became quite steep and long, and quite rough and rutted in places with and a couple of rather awkward little creek crossings. There was a lot of gorse along the side of the track heading up to the junction, but this became more of a problem on the way down at speed than it was on the way up.

 

 

The creek crossings were hard work with a bike in hand and my short legs. There were two main crossings and they were both tucked down in deep little gullies with steep edges. The first one was well-marked with signage, but the second crossing lacked such warning, and had it not being for a convenient endo into a gorse bush on the side of the trail, I may have had a very grim landing in the bottom of the gully. The water looked really clean and fresh, but as there is farming in the surrounding region, I would recommend taking a Camelbak with you and carrying your own water. I found the trail to be, surprisingly, largely ridable. It reminded me very much of the Moerangi track, only not quite as groomed. I took my time picking my way along the trail and enjoying the sights and taking photos. Finally, I reached Whakapoungakau junction.

The trig point was a short side trip from here up a fairly steep trail which required a bit of hike-a-bike, but was well worth it for the stunning views. From the top, you could see across Lake Rotorua, lake Rotoiti and across to Lake Rotoehu. I bumped into a group of walkers at the junction and had a bit of a chat, then bumped into them again as I was taking in the sights and having a bit of a snack break at the trig. There was another couple of trampers already at the trig who told me about a little side track to a secret viewpoint off the trail just after the junction. Both groups of trampers I crossed paths with on two or three occasions on the course of my ride, and they were all lovely and very chatty. It's nice when you are riding a dual use trail to feel welcomed by other users (and I'm sure they feel the same), and I certainly ensure I make a point of being super-friendly myself. It isn't a hard thing to do, and means that bikers will get to enjoy the trail forever more rather than being banished as rude and dangerous.

 

I made my way back to the junction and headed down the final 4km of the track towards the education centre. This part of the track was surprisingly well-groomed in comparison to the part of the track I had just come from, and obviously more frequently-used. It was steep in places, and it was fast... Very fast... And insanely fun... I don't think I have ever dropped 300m of  elevation so quickly!

Coming back up for the return trip was quite the opposite... A painful slog that required a perfectly positioned body over the bike to avoid either lifting the front wheel or slipping with the back. I passed my friends again, who had told me about the special little vista to the side of the track, and they had been kind enough to draw arrows on the track so I knew where to find it on the way back up! It was such a perfect example of walkers and riders enjoying a dual-use track in complete symbiosis. I found their track markings, and there was no way I would have seen this imaginary "trail head" had they not pointed me in the right direction.

I slung my bike over my shoulder and climbed into the bush where there was a very faint, but obvious line down the side of the escarpment. I dropped the bike off a little way into the bush and scrambled down until I was standing on what seemed to be the edge of a cliff, like I was suspended from the trees. It was a truly spectacular sight, with unobscured views across lake Tarawera and Okataina and into the distance... Very cool indeed!

I made my way back to the main trail and continued on my way home, passing the other group of trampers I had seen earlier and tipping them off as to where the little secret spot was off the side of the trail. I made quick work of the descent down the other side back to Millers Road. It was great fun... Not groomed like the descent to the education centre, but really rough, rugged adventure riding. My legs felt like pin cushions riding back down there with all the gorse on the edge of the trail. One could consider gaiters to be a good idea, or legs of steel. One should also consider that if gaiters are their weapon of choice, they must also have maestro-type riding ability, or an ego made of steel if they wish to deflect the taunts of their riding buddies.

It was such a stunning day I couldn't help making a stopover at the lake to take some photos and enjoy the scenery. To be honest, my legs had felt terrible all day, but it was so easily ignored when I was out enjoying the bush on a bike (it's the best place to be right??). I think sometimes it is important to deviate from the program and throw some adventure into your training schedule, and this was something I learned when I was in Europe... Positive enjoyment of riding bikes leads to success on the bike.

Western Okataina Walkway (WOW) is definitely one you need to put on your bucket list. It's so amazingly convenient to have such a great, rugged adventure ride so close to town when you consider some of the other classics, such as the Moerangi trail and Karapoti, are so far from civilisation. If you are up for a good day trip, you can ride right from town to do the WOW. Pack a picnic lunch and enjoy it at the trig point, then if you have had enough, descend to the education centre and ride back via the highway through Hauparu, which in itself, can be turned into a lovely scenic ride. The other option, as I did, is to ride back the way you came. The general consensus has been that for bikers, the best way to ride this track is from the Miller Road end, no doubt because the climb up from this end is a great deal more mellow than from the other end, but to be honest, I enjoyed the trip both ways equally as much for different reasons. This is a stellar ride to do if you want something a bit different and a bit more adventurous than the groomed trails of the Redwoods. Be prepared for a portage or two and a few small sections of hike-a-bike... It's all part of the fun!

It seems that there are so many great riding options around here and not enough weekends to do them! Some still sitting on the list for me this year are the Great Lakes Trail in Taupo, which is an extension of the infamous W2K track, the Motu and the Rainbow Mountain loop. I am pretty sure I can find a back-road way through to Rainbow Mountain, but that's an adventure for a different day (and I'll be sure to share it with you!) It's funny how some people think I'm a little bit nuts, or a little socially inept when I talk about riding bikes all the time, but I still don't think I've gotten over the fact that I can start and finish each day in the forest in one way or another. After all the cool things that I have seen during my trips overseas, there is still an insatiable thirst to continue exploring my own back yard. It's amazing how seeing the world gives you the awesome opportunity to see so many cool things, but also to realise just how lucky we are to have our own unique, cool things here in our own home. Summer is just around the corner, and I can't wait to get out and do some exploring!!!

The Art of Improvising When You are Underprepared

My feelgood story of the week was above and beyond a full stunning weekend in the forest (although I will talk about that, too... Just to make anyone who stayed inside with a hangover all weekend insanely jealous). Sorry for the lack of photos this week, but I was to busy riding, enjoying the sun and doing some much-needed work on my tan lines... An abundance of photos is promised for next week's blog!!!

I'd been a good little girl at the start of the week, heading out on my rides early in the morning before work to keep the evenings free for a couple of work functions and other stuff that was going on. Thursday had been carefully planned for a sleep-in (to 6am). Finishing work at 5pm and then having a massage booked for 7.15pm meant I could fit my 90minute time trial session in nice and snug between the two with time left over for a shower before my massage (I thought it would only be polite of me to clean up before hitting the table). Cutting such fine time also lent itself to the inevitability of riding mishaps... These always happen when you don't have time for them...

So I set off after work, along the lakeside and towards the Waipa entrance of the forest via the new creekside trail being built by Red and his crew. I didn't bother putting my lights on (although they were in my bag)... I knew I'd be done in the forest by the time it got dark. As I crossed the Te Puia carpark and descended the first switchback, I noticed an unusually loose sensation in the rear wheel of my bike... A flat... Brilliant... Of all the times I get a flat, it had to be tonight... Annoying, but at least I was prepared with spare tube and CO2 (I've never been a big fan of hand pumps... I'd rather spend the time back on the bike than pumping up a tire on the side of the trail). Then I realised I had no tyre levers. Luckily, the tyre/rim combo I had wasn't too tight and I was able to pull them on and off with my hands (and the help of a little cursing). The first CO2 canister I tried to screw into the pump nib was unthreaded (nice one). I always carry two canisters in case of emergency (or stupidity, in this case), and soon I was on my way to a fully inflated tyre. As I unscrewed the pump nib, keen to jump back on the bike and continue on my way, I heard the dreaded hissing sound that is symptomatic of screw-on pumps unthreading the core of the valve... I screwed it back on to avoid losing anymore air, but I knew it wouldn't last long... Hmmmm... What to do? I was about a km away from Waipa and from there, I could do a pretty easy fire trail ride home over the hill on a flat tyre if I had to. I unscrewed the canister, left the nib attached to the valve and cautiously continued along the trail.

The tyre was flat by Waipa. It was my own fault. I had taken a tube and CO2 and all the rest of my gear quite arrogantly with the intention that I would never use it, so didn't bother checking it was all the right stuff. I was lucky enough to happen across  a couple of good blokes just before the Waipa carpark. Phil (my knight in shining armour that day) offered a spare tube and a pump and I went from having to make my way home in limp mode to being able to set off and finish off my training session! YUSSS! It was such a poignant reminder of what a great community we live in here. I hope that some day, I get the opportunity to repay the favour somewhere out on the trails for Phil. I arrived at my massage muddy and tired, hit the hot pools, took a battering on the table and then rode home underneath a moonlit sky. Perfect! What a cool place we live in!


Fast forward to Saturday. After heading out early with Tony last week, I decided that early was the way to go. It meant I got the forest to myself for the larger part of the morning, and then had the afternoon spare to do bits and pieces around the house. First stop on my ride was straight up Katore to see if the new trails that adjoins Corridor was finished yet. It was, and I was super impressed with it... It's going to be such a huge asset to the forest to have a lovely, flowing grade 3 descent from the top of Katore. It makes it more accessible and more enjoyable for a larger portion of the mountain biking community (although the climb is still there... Sorry...). I then took in a nice wide loop that encompassed A Trail, Tickler, Sidewinder, Frontal Lobotomy, Tuhoto Ariki, Split Enz, Pondy, Chinese Menu, Be Rude Not To, Lions Head, then climbed Katore again to finish off on Tank to Town trail.

This was followed by a relaxing spin into town to pick up my week's vege shopping from the local markets, and I was rather excited to be sporting an awesome new Camelbak pack which quite comfortably fitted all my shopping and bits and pieces. The Octane 18X actually has a bunch of room in it, but can be zipped up to make the pack smaller, and is super super lightweight, perfect for carrying my stuff into town for my daily commute then hitting up the trails after work. It's the big brother of the pack I used when I was in South Africa and Europe and the same as the one that John used for our Cape Epic assault (although I got the blue one because it was prettier). Having a good pack makes all the difference when you have to carry stuff on the trails... And I reckon this will also be very useful when I start heading out on big exploratory missions over Summer (looking forward to that!!!).

Sunday morning I coerced my partner back onto her bike with the sole intention of taking her up Katore and down the new trail. To my delight, she thoroughly enjoyed it. We took the dogs out, too, and the intention was to head out for an hour with her and the dogs, ride home with them, then head out for another 3 hours to finish off my training for the day. On our way up Katore, we bumped into Helen and Dean whilst I was trying to create a tow device out of the dog lead to tow my partner up the hill (it didn't quite work out, so unfortunately, she had to ride herself) and we hit up the new trail with them, then I rudely pushed on at the bottom of the trail, pretty keen to keep moving and not lose the interest of our furry children who have a tendency to wander (sorry guys!). I dropped off the partner and the dogs at home and then headed off back up Nursery Hill for the second time that day, then A Trail and across to Bunny Jugs, up the hill to Tihi O Tawa, then Little Red Riding Huck, Dragons Tail, Be Rude Not To, Challenge and Dipper to round off the three hours, then climbed back up Katore Road again to do some trail exploring down a trail head Dean had pointed out to me when we were up there earlier in the day. The trail was awesome, and evidently not frequently used. It snaked it's way down through the native forest and popped me out at the other end of Long Mile Road to finish the day off. PERFECT! In the end, I climbed about 3500m over the course of the weekend.

That night, I created a Strava account to upload my Magellan Switch Up data to (super easy to do, by the way)... Inadvertently, it looks like I have taken out a couple of QOMs and am sitting in second or third on  a number of other trails... This could be dangerous... EVERYTHING is a competition now... GAME ON!!!