Thur race report - Condors

Spring sprung for the day and the riders responded to the lovely warm day by turning out at Conders Bend for some fun riding.  The evening was fine and warm with a bit of a breeze and riders ages ranged from under 6 to over 60.

There was also the sideshow of Madsen-Clark very junior entertaining himself and anyone watching on his tiny wooden motorbike, this is a kid with attitude and not much in the fear department.  Jason was doing the minding duties for the evening so that Rachel could have a turn on the bike.

It was a great family turnout with four Blacks, four Blakes and four Martellas swelling the ranks along with two Blackmores and Joel joining mum in the proceedings.

It was a chaotic start with the 29 riders funneling their way from the wide open car park into the very narrow single track.  It is vital to get a good start with overtaking opportunities limited for the first couple of Kms.

Kiel outsprinted the field to get the hole shot and took advantage of the clear track ahead.  He cut out the first lap in an impressive 14 minutes 23 seconds and was well ahead of chasers Matt, Justin, Sharn and Joel with Kris recovering from an encounter with a tree next.

Kris managed to remove some bark but it was from his shoulder.  Sarnim was surprisingly missing in action among the leaders having decided to go on an excursion.  His first lap of 16 minutes 53 seconds was a clear three minutes slower than lap two where he scorched around in the first ever recorded sub 14 minute lap in my recollection. 

After lap 2 Kiel was maintaining his speed but Justin was showing signs of responding, with Sarnim’s record lap promoting him into third.  Lap three was a similar story, Kiel keeping up the pace but Justin nibbling away and Sarnim taking bigger chunks from the leaders.  Justin was quickest on lap 4 ( 14:14) and was only 8 seconds behind Kiel at the finish.  Sarnim held on for third and will be hard to beat now he knows where the track goes.  It was an impressive display of consistent lapping from Kiel with Justin and Sarnim showing some great speed less consistently.  Another consistent performer was Bailey McKay whose three laps were within a 6 second range.

Susan, Rachel, Abbey and Donna were the quickest ladies with Cheryl and Charlotte nurturing the next generation around the tracks.  Geoff Blake also had a lap of escorting duties before unleashing himself. 

The juniors were divided into 7 categories to cater for the wide range of ages and both genders.  This is very encouraging and rewarding for the club and organisers and we hope that this trend continues. 

Lap times

Thursday MTB race report

Chaos in the car park as potential racers were distracted by the eye candy of the Giant range on display courtesy of Cycle World.  Ray’s team seemed to have attracted big numbers of potential buyers and some of the riders this evening got a wee bit side-tracked.

The race/ride was a last minute change of plan with a working bee the original intention for tonight.  So with this confusion in mind it was a pleasant surprise to see 24 numbers on the start grid.  Peter took everyone on a siting lap as there wasn’t time to place arrows.  When the gun went off some of the riders were still on the siting lap.  Sven was very late getting back to the start after capturing a few journalistic quality photos.

There were some old familiar faces emerging from the past with ex-president Dominic visiting the region to attend a wedding.  He did not pay but circulated on one of the bikes on display, guess he had no money left after forking out for a wedding gift.

A trio came charging towards the finish line after one lap with Matt Squire leading Josh Scott and Joel clinging on for dear life.  Kyle Fearn and Robert Kennedy were a few more seconds adrift illustrating that the age difference of riders in this sport can be decades apart.  Robert is still in fine form and is a great role model for our younger riders.

Ian Buunk was the main victim of the side show and with eyes bigger than his wallet went for a pit stop to change bikes after just one lap.  His main mission then was to try as many bikes as possible without completing another lap.

Eugan also got caught up in the Giant campaign and went for a pit stop after 3 laps hoping (and failing) to get fitted out before the forty minute deadline and go for another lap.

And so the race went on, Joel put in a blistering second lap and was in front of Josh by 10 seconds with Kyle a further 26 seconds adrift of these two.  The pack were weaving in and out of bike testers with the usual courtesy being shown by mountain bikers.

After three laps Josh had taken up position on Joel’s wheel and the wiser old head was lining up for a victory.  The diminutive Joel succumbed over the next lap and lost around 30 seconds to the vastly experienced Josh.  These two were the only riders to fit in 5 laps in the forty minutes allowed.  Robert rode consistently into the bronze medal position with Matt and Kyle next representing more junior talent on the rise. 

Look forward to more big number at Conders Bend next Thursday.

Lap times

Conders Thur eve race report

Almost had to use the “Car Park Full” signs, such was the response to this evenings ride.  Hard to fathom because the weather was less than hospitable with cloud cover cooling things down.

Twenty four riders put their names on the start list and with the threat of Alana hanging over them, some paid up their years membership.  The wee lady wields a big axe.

We welcomed Joel back into the fold after his very successful trip to Dunedin where he cleaned up at the South Island Secondary Schools champs.  Thanks Joel for representing our club in the best possible way and we wish you more success in the future.

Joel set out this evening in the form he finished his Dunedin event.  At the end of lap one he led the grown ups by a few seconds with a few choice words coming from his chasers Aaron and Jason.  These three had a wee break on Sven, Sharn and Justin.  Justin was recovering from a long term tummy bug and lacked his usual spark early on.

By the end of lap two the Dunedin effort was beginning to take its toll on Joel and the grown ups had bullied their way to the front, Aaron just ahead of Jason, then Justin had forged his way ahead of the next three chasers.  By the end of lap three Justin was regaining a little form and had caught and passed Aaron and was on Jason’s wheel.   Sven and Sharn had also passed the tiring Joel.

At the finish line Jason outlasted Justin to take the victory with Aaron cruising into third.  Sharn, Sven, Joel, Gavin and Matthew all completed four laps.

Alana and Eugan had a sprint for the line, both credited with the same time with Eugan being the gentleman and allowing Alana to cross first.

Good to see the little ones have a go, Josh Black had a good couple of laps with young brother Tyler showing mum the way round.  Newcomer Callum Sheard at the tender age of six completed three laps of the first block and appeared to be having fun with the tiny cranks rotating in a blur.

Chris Ensor and Donna Short had their rides cut short with punctures, a little unfair as Donna provided a bucket of avocados to share.

Finally on a sad note, we offer our condolences to Peter Webster after the sad loss of his nephew in a helicopter accident this week.  We are thinking of you and your family Peter.

Lap times

Thursday race/ride report

A disappointing start to the Thursday season with only 9 riders taking advantage of Peter’s fast flowing track.  The weather was a little unpredictable with some big gusts and the threat of rain, which may have been a factor keeping riders away.

Peter copied the CX format of taking the riders round for a sighting lap before the serious stuff got started.  This is a great way to eliminate navigational problems and enables riders to find the best lines.

Of those who did make it, Aaron enjoyed the clear track and was consistently quickest on each of the four completed laps, with Sven and Sharn next best. 

Alana was back on the bike after a bit of a lay off and she was “membership police” for the night.  There was an amnesty for those who had not renewed their membership BUT next week it will be $5 to anyone without a current card.  Alana will be at Condors Bend to check.

Lap times 

First Social Series ride

Top Valley

There was a great turn-out of seventeen riders of all ages and abilities for the first of the Summer Social rides at Top Valley on Sunday 14 September 2014. The intent was to ride the track alongside Top Valley Stream to Whitehead’s Clearing.

The weather was great and the company good. A pity about the first part of the track which was character building! It was not in the best of shape after forest had been logged, but it did get better. The remainder of ride to the clearing was delightful in a piece of regenerating bush. A bit of pushing the bike was required at some creek crossings but otherwise good riding. We took to the road on the way back and avoided the rough track.

The Bradley boys and Ceridwen completed the ‘short’ course (approx 5k) and the rest the 10 k ‘long’ course. We nearly made it back to town on time as well so good trip all round.

The next Summer Social ride is scheduled for Sunday 12 October in the Wakamarina Valley.

Some photos in the gallery

Queen Charlotte Track ride - Aug 23, 24

Riding the legendary Queen Charlotte Track over two days saw 7 keen riders turn out. Unfortunately we were lacking the prime instigator, Kevin, who unfortunately had to pull out at the 11th hour.

Feeling somewhat leaderless we set off nice and early from the Picton marina on a water taxi to the start at Ship Cove. After the obligatory photo at Captain Cook's monument it was onto the track, and rumours of an easier sidling having been cut to make the first section easier were immediately proven wrong. The first few kilometres were a slog of much hike-a-bike up steep, rocky and often slippering track.

Thankfully the terrain did get easier, but on checking our map it was revealed that the first day would be a 53km effort, as opposed to 43km as first thought.

The good thing about the QCC is the option to opt out and use the road instead, which two of our party decided to do one we reached Camp Bay. They may have taken the better option as the next 25km provided some of the most challenging riding. Cramp and tired legs soon became a problem but the overnight stop at Portage eventually came into sight.

A night of luxury not usually experienced when doing an overnight ride lay ahead. The water taxi had taken our luggage to the overnight stop, meaning we didn't need to carry anything and could take extras - a hearty stew, two types of pudding, plenty cheese and crackers and wine made for a feast.

The second day was far easier, although involved some more hike-a-bike up the climb out of Portage. By 12.30pm we had reached Anakiwa and settled for some left over cheese and crackers while waiting for the boat - tough times indeed!

The weekend was one of great riding - even though there was some suffering - great food and great company. It will have to be done again, but with Kevin!

Photos in the gallery

Soup n Bun 2014 Finale

The final event was a nice and relaxed affair at Valiant vineyard just outside Seddon.

Peter set a mellow course through the vines, which made for some novel riding and included a fun drop off that had many returning to give it a second, third and fourth go. The weather couldn't have been better and the good turn out of young and old had a great time on the 6km course, with most going round two or three times.

Afterwards there were plenty of eats and drinks on offer to enjoy in the glorious late winter sunshine. Most also walked away with lucky draw prizes of gift vouches, bike gear and wine.

In keeping with the relaxed theme there was no time keeping so Ron got a day off.

A big thanks to Peter, Kevin, Ron and everyone involved in putting the series together again this year. It was a great success.

Peter is keen to do more informal and easier rides on a monthly basis. These are aimed at those keen to get out and ride some new areas in a group but aren't up for hard slogs or overly technical terrain, but anyone will of course be welcome. More on this to come.

Photos in the Photo Gallery.

Sunday July 27 rec ride

Ladies in the Forest

I doubt that Alana, Kathryne and Ceridwen would call the Para Forest paradise but they were there on the Sunday morning Rec ride along with Keith, David, Andrew, Craig and the writer. It was great to have them along. The start was a cold, damp, two degree Celsius moment from the corner of SH1 and Para Road as the sun struggled to break through the remnants of the fog. The easy tar seal road soon turned to gravel, some mud and a much less friendly gradient raising the body temperature quite quickly.

Up was followed by more up before the gradient eased in Stagg Road (spelling is correct!). We sidled around the hill on a good surface for over a kilometre before another serious up doubled back along the hillside to come out on an old skid site on the ridge. A great view from here was obtained up the Koromiko Valley toward Picton. The total altitude climb was just over 400m according to gadget guru Andrew.

Morning tea was taken without coffee or tea and then it was down on what started out as easy. That soon graduated into a steeper and rougher challenging ride with randomly spaced, very spikey gorse that kept one having to deviate from the selected line. A bit of claret was evident on bare legs at the bottom. We still had a surprising amount of altitude to loose, so a whizz down the road was followed by a long slower downhill ride on a grassy track with a bit of mud. Finally it was doodle along the railway line to arrive back to the cars by around 10.40. The 12k ride was a good and short workout, well worth doing again.

Browny points gained for being home early! Thanks to Merrill & Ring NZ Ltd for access. 

Kevin Wilson

Soup and Bun #5

Fun was the Winner

The fifth Soup and Bun event in Parkes forest was rated as the best in the 2014 series by old hands and greatly enjoyed by several new participants. Twenty two adults and eight children tackled a choice of three courses involving a mix of gravel and four wheel drive forestry roads with plenty of mud thrown in.

There was a ‘Tour de France’ transition start along the road lead by Peter Webster after registration at the Wairau Affray picnic spot in Tuamarina. A kilometre of tar seal gave way to the gravel for a steady climb. The 14k advanced course had a discretionary side loop with a very challenging downhill. The course then carried on up the road for nearly another two kilometres before a swooping downhill in the pine trees to come out just above the main trunk railway line. An undulating track bought the riders out to the swamp. After a short mud plug on the flat it was back to an undulating sidle along the foot of the hill with its short sharp slippery climbs and descents. Respite came in the form of a kilometre ride on the tar seal to the finish.

The intermediate course was shorter at 10k, initially on similar terrain but with a flatter and muddy section around the edge of a vineyard before the tar seal was regained. The younger generation enjoyed a 6k out and back muddy trip along the edge of the vineyard.

Soup of the day was tomato cooked by the writer under instruction from Pauline, with the obligatory bread roll on the side. Ron kept track of who was entered and who was back. Peter and the writer set the courses with help from Tod Neal. Thanks to Rodney Parkes and family for access.

The last in the series is on Sunday August 10 at the ‘Valiant’ vineyard, Marama Road, Seddon.

Kevin Wilson

Rec ride at Richmond Brook

Recreation Ride report – ‘Richmond Brook’ Sunday June 29th 2014

‘The Dirty Half Dozen’ – a boy’s only event

Present – Kevin, Stephen, Eugan, Keith, Phillip & Andrew

Absent – you know who you are J

Despite the frosty start, sunshine was forecast, so away we all went after a brief muster at the Blenheim staging post. It was an all boy event, 6 in all, 3 each on 26er’s and 29er’s, with 3 die hards still mounted on hardtails.

We had a budding movie maker amongst us, kitted out with front and rear camera’s to capture every moment. Despite the bright sunshine that greeted us upon our arrival at Richmond Brook, the chill was still in the air and we wasted little time getting mobile. We set out from the woolshed on the old Seddon Lions MTB event trail; so it was a short uphill, a bit of down, some flats and then the start of the long uphill climb to the pass at about 500m.

After a quick stop for a photo session with Tapi as the back drop, it was down towards the Flaxbourne River. As always the downhill stages never last long enough and we soon started the westerly climb behind the hill with no name (not on the map I have anyway).

In the shadow of the hill it was still bloody cold with lots of frost still on the ground. After a warming climb up to the gate at the saddle, we had a quick smoko break up against the tussocks and out of the chilly breeze. Re energized we mounted up for a downhill run over the still frozen mud. It was then a gentle meander back into the sunshine before we emerged above the reservoir for our return run to the woolshed.

It was during this meander that the only mishap of the journey occurred, when Eugan ended up on his side after falling asleep at the handlebars, the result of being up all night watching World Cup matches. No harm done and no injuries sustained, just had to wake him up, get him upright and put him back on his bike.

A slight detour around the reservoir saw riders pick different routes before riding across the reservoir wall to re-join the main track. Homeward bound we were briefly terrorised by dirt bikers having drag races up the long straight. In no time at all we were back at the vehicles, all in one piece and appreciative of the Richmond family’s permission to ride the property, Kevin for his superlative organisational efforts and to the weather Gods for turning on a cracker morning.

Photos in the gallery

Soup and Bun #4 report

A mild moist morning greeted the 22 riders who set off on the two courses set out today by Peter and Kevin.  With steady rain at the start/finish area things got cooler and mistier up on the top.  The magnificent views were obscured for the day but rider feedback was still very positive and much fun was had by all.

There were a few navigational issues with some putting in extra metres and some of the times were adjusted to reflect different start times by some of the riders.  Finn McKenzie was one who started his lap after dad got back from his initial long lap and Glen started his lap after being relieved of child minding duties.

Ollie Radford scorched around the long course reporting the chilly temperatures aloft, he was not deterred from completing lap 2 though and was joined by Kiel in completing a second circuit. 

Riders reported lack of traction with mud clogging their tyres in some parts of the course.

Great to see the juniors out there escorted by mums and dads, don’t know who collected the most mud but all had fun and the soup at the end of the ride was great reward.

Thanks to Mike and Joan Watson for allowing us access to their very scenic property and to Kevin for his culinary skills in the soup kitchen.

Results

Photos

 Photos

Photos

Enduro #1

We had about 25 people turn up and all were very enthusiast and pumped at the prospect of a big day out. 

Unfortunately the wind soon put pay to the day for a lot. Reports of being blown into fences, off your bike and having to push up the hill and pedal down!!! Or getting lost, meant very few completed the three runs. As a result of the conditions there are not any results posted just a big pat on the back to all who gave it a go in such appalling conditions.

Now that we have given it a go and there was such a great response I will start to work on Enduro #2.

If anyone has suggestions to improve the format, ideas for runs or just wants to come out for a ride and log the runs give me a yell on 021344933 or timadams74@hotmail.com.

A big thanks to all who turned up, I hope the wind has not put you off and See you all( plus friends) at Unofficial Enduro #2 coming soon to a track near you.

Keep the rubber down,

Tim.

25 May - Medway rec ride

Cool Ride

The sports ride on Sunday 25th May headed into the tussock country between Medway and the Flaxbourne Valleys.

Nine riders fronted on a sharp clear morning with a cold nor west breeze – by Wellington standards.

The ride started with a modest uphill and then then more up, as you do in this class of country. A few “undulations” were followed by a sequence of two longer, more serious climbs and down-hills. The second climb had most riders pushing the bike for a while. Meantime the “breeze" had strengthened sufficient to tip Eugan into the tussock while he struggled with a steep uphill and a headwind.

Alana ran in her new bike with some stream crossings and mud. She studiously avoided large brown heaps but didn’t get disengaged from the drive train quick enough at a stop and  completed the run in with an involuntary dismount into a patch of mud!

It was a cool ride. Great variation in the landscape on a circuit that provided a good work-out on a Sunday morning in great company.

Thanks to the Alan family for access. Next Sports ride is on Sunday 29 June.

Check out some photos in the gallery.

Kevin Wilson

11 May - Soup and Bun #3

Gourmet Soup and Bun

Our luck held out once more with perfect riding weather for the third in the Soup and Bun series held at the Landsdowne Forest.  Thanks to the Hamilton family and Nelson Forests Ltd for access. This is another fantastic area for riding.
 
Three courses were on offer ranging from a kids fun loop through to a trip up to a steep saddle for those bordering on expert.  The object was to have fun and find where your best option was so, some chose to try all three courses during the hour long time span.
 
Thirty two riders crossed the start line with Sarnim carrying a very young passenger in the baby seat all decked out in cycle helmet.  Nothing like introducing the sport at an early age.  There was a nappy change stop at the end of lap two and the vote from the back-seat driver was to call it quits right there.
 
It was obvious from comments that there was navigational confusion out there on the track despite many arrows being placed for guidance.  Lap times are attached but should not be taken too seriously as only the riders know which track they used.  Has there ever been a MTB navigational course held by the club?  Maybe it could be an option for a rainy night at Fairweathers !
 
Great to welcome some new faces. Dennis Parsons joined us for the first time.  Dennis looks after many of the forestry blocks in the area and rides at his own speed in most of them.  He was impressed by the speed and ability of the better riders.
 
We may be hearing more of Aaron Bleakley who has just joined Ray at Cycle World as the new mechanic.  Aaron has ridden at the top flight for many years and will be challenging our best. He has just moved up from Dunedin and is originally from Auckland.
 
Jeremy McKenzie fitted in a ride from his busy schedule and was in fine form despite still being in recovery mode from his epic Kaikoura 4 day adventure.  Jason and Kiel had a great tussle with contrasting riding styles.  It was like watching a jockey and a rodeo rider, Jason needs to tame that wild thing.
 
There were a few younger riders but they chose to ride the grown-ups course with mum or dad in tow.  For mother’s day Cheryl produced a gourmet pot of yummy pumpkin soup and a giant chocolate cake. We hope the kids were good to her after she rode the 40ish Km home from our event.
 
Doesn’t get much better than this so hope to see you all at the next S & B on 8th June at “Stirling Brook”. Spread the word.  Thanks to Kevin and Peter as usual for setting out the courses.  We are looking at some Braille arrows for the confused for the next one.

Results

Pics (Only 2)

28 Apr - Rec Ride Report

Seven turned out for the Plan B sports/recreation ride in the Landsdowne Forest on Sunday 27th April. The ride started on a tar sealed flat road (usually straight into an off-road climb) and headed up a valley at a modest pace.

The second gate looked fearsome with lots of barb wire. Team leader set the example by lifting his bike over the gate and setting about climbing an equally difficult fence when somebody just undid the chain gate latch and opened the gate. Too easy.

The gradient got gradually steeper with a long but quite rideable climb on a wide and well surfaced forestry road to the ridge line. Then it was more up with only one short “pushing the bike” section to gain maximum altitude at around 750m asl. Too easy.

The climb was undone with a steep, but surprisingly dry downhill and finished off with a 3 k doddle back to the cars. Too easy – well at least that’s what newcomer Tristan decided so he rode the 30 odd k back to Blenheim. Thanks to Nelson Forests for access.

Plan A for the day was the Wakamarina Track but postponed due to uncertainty over the condition of the track. That ride will be re-scheduled - sometime.

The next scheduled sports/rec Ride is Sunday 25 May. Venue TBA.

13 Apr - Soup n Bun # 2

There was some doubt during the week as to whether the weather would allow this ride to go ahead.  Come Sunday morning though there were dry roads and a drying breeze.  All we needed now were riders, and boy did we get riders, 38 all up with 32 starting the longer ride and 6 on the shorter lap.  Great reward for the organisers with Peter marking out the short lap at 7:00 am this morning before heading off to work, and Justin doing the honours for the longer ride following Kevin's instructions (almost).

It wasn't long into the ride before Chad returned to base with a broken frame.  His elder son Jack carried on to uphold family honours on the long lap and the younger Liam was racing round the short loop 5 times.  There was a definate family theme going on with Darlene and Crichton Purdie guiding there three around the short lap.  Cheryl accompanied Josh and Tyler representing the Blacks, Rachel joined Jason and Joel in the Madsen Petersen Clark camp and Kathryn and Craig waved the Richards flag.

It was great entertainment watching the next generation on and around the short lap, there were some great skills on display and not a lot of fear.
Glen was quickest on the long lap and Jason would have been next if he hadn't switched off his ears at race brief time.  This resulted in a MH320 type diversion towards the end of the first lap adding several minutes to his schedule.
A new name to us, Kyle Fearn was second across the line with a close run thing between Kiel and Kris for the next two slots.
Plenty of ladies too with Kathryn showing her endurance legs to complete two laps.
With 38 riders the soup supplies were stretched but Alana did a great job of trying to feed the five thousand.
All in all a very enjoyable morning and we look forward to even bigger numbers at our Soup n Bun #3.

6th Apr - Short Taylor Pass Rec Ride

The “Short Notice” sports ride on Sunday was short – we made it home in advance of scheduled time but with a bit more time on public roads than usual for these rides. Five riders left the Taylor Pass mountain bike car park and did a loop through Graham Cooper’s farm, John Meek’s forest and back down Taylor Pass Road. There were a couple of stiff climbs added to by a navigation error. We had been warned about the steep downhill in the forest but it still produced an “Oh sh*t “ moment. Thanks to Graham and John for access.

23 Mar - Soup n Bun # 1 - REPORT

Weather was great if a little fresh first up, but if we get this sort of stuff for the series we will be very happy.

A good number of juniors turned out and they worked really hard and enjoyed their day, except perhaps for Bryn who sustained an injury early on lap 1.

Sarnim put on a demonstration reeling off laps like a well oiled machine.  Just a slight glitch with a stop at the end of lap 2 to remove debris from his bike.

The old stagers were next with Andrew aging like a good Marlborough vintage, and Eugan close behind.

The ladies were also well represented with Kathryn and Alana in close contention until Alana decided 2 laps was enough.  Ceridwen was guiding juniors and opted for the short course.

There were plenty of comments on the beauty of the surrounding so a big thanks to the land owners and to Kevin for setting a demanding and enjoyable course.

Hope to see you all at Homebrook for the next event in the series with a few more to join the fun.

Lap Times

 

20 Mar - Summer Night Race - Taylors Pass - REPORT

What a shame that the summer evenings are drawing to a close.  With numbers rising each week it will be sad to end these fun Thursday evenings.
A strong wind arrived just in time for the ride but enthusiasm was not lacking.  Plenty of juniors this evening and parents acting as guides help introduce the next generation of riders.  The young ones all seemed to be having fun which augers well.
There was the usual confusion on which tracks to take, the supply of arrows being commandeered for Sunday's Waihopai Valley ride.  Most however found their way and apart from a deviation by Todd allowing Matt to get ahead for a lap, the outcome was not really affected.
The podium had Justin at the top with Todd and Matt on the next steps.  A good solid track enjoyed by all, so thanks again to Peter for setting out the course.

Lap times

8th-9th Mar, Club Ride, St James - REPORT

Record Blitzed...
The team of Stephen Bradley, Eugen Stark and Kevin Wilson plus guest Johnny McMillan set a new record for the St James Cycle Way last weekend in a time of 8 hours 42 minutes. This time eclipsed the previous record of 9 hours set about six weeks earlier by the team of Justin Kenward, Sarnim Dean and Sven Herselman. The new record was set in ideal weather and dry under-wheel conditions. It included a side trip to the Ann Hut and heavy traffic on the last 20 k created by 94 students from the University of Canterbury.

The ride was the March outing for the sports riders from the Marlborough Mountain Bike Club. We left Blenheim early Saturday morning, travelled to the Lake Tennyson entrance to the ride via the Rainbow and started riding at 9.45am. Unfortunately two other guests from Christchurch were last minute withdrawals. Maling Pass was gained with relative ease on a four wheel drive track followed by a long downhill which was a bit loose and lumpy in places. The big vista was amazing with tawny browns of the pasture and green beech bush contrasting with the blue sky and snow on the tops.

A side trip was made to Lake Guyon where the reflections were tremendous as were the sandflies. The track then proceeds further down the Waiau Valley on a sprayed out grass track interspersed with some purpose built single track and more four wheel drive tracks. This was to be the case for the rest of the ride.  Legs were getting a bit tired by the time we had climbed from the Waiau River up to the Ann Hut at the 41 k mark and where refreshments were taken.

After a spell it was onwards. A short climb over Spur Saddle was followed by a long down-hill stretch on the river terraces. Charlie’s Saddle required a period of pushing the bike after which it was steady but quite rideable trip up the Edwards River to Peter’s Pass. A bit more pushing was followed by a 7k down- hill session on a smooth purpose built track to the St James Homestead and car park.

What else can I say! I could say the rest at the Ann Hut was overnight and we arrived at the St James Homestead at 1.30pm on Sunday but that would spoil the story. The actual ride time for the 80k trip is factual and the total time on the trail was 11 hours. A great back country mountain bike trip, with a few challenges but is recommended.