Weather was overcast with occasional showers falling. We finally arrived and offloaded the bikes and arranged a pick up time from Nydia Wharf. We all put a little oil to our bikes, organised some jackets and wet weather protection and chatted at the slipway before heading off.
The group headed around the road away from the track and started the climb by road to the Opouri Saddle. This was a steady climb of 10kms to about 590m. Sandals and Helmut chose to push/ride up the downhill track. The group spread out in the usual way, the greyhounds sprinting and the rest of us spread out at our own pace and chatting as we climbed. At the top we regrouped and wondered where Junior might be. Phatboy and a couple stayed behind and waited (it was only 5 minutes and then Junior showed up) while the rest of us got an order and headed down. This was a 4km downhill that involved some wet slippery rocks and roots, but a lot of fun. I treated it with respect and got faster and faster. Silverfox and I rode together. The stay behinds caught us and we also passed Helmut and Sandals as they continued to climb a bit more. Great run but would of been even better in the dry. Regrouped near the bottom and then tokk the link track towards Nydia Bay track. Finally got to the track start.
This section is not long in km's but it is not just a bit of plain track. The first flatter section was great with only a few rooty sections to get over. The group became spread out as we all started the climb. For me it was ride, lift, push, ride as I climbed a challenging track. Wet roots and slippery rocks were the order of the day. I thought I was on my own but in the end it was an illusion of thick bush and lots of bends in the track. We did a bit of a regroup 2/3rds of the way up the climb.
Everyone looked shagged out and had all found the climb challenging in one way or the other. Onwards we went. Still damp but very humid also. I followed Bugs up this last stretch of climb before reaching the Nydia Saddle.
A quick bite and some big breaths were had before the normal order for the downhill got sorted. Once again Silverfox followed me. A real technical downhill with some slick rocks and tree roots to contend. It was on the bike, off the bike, lift and clamber at times. As we got lower we passed Phatboy who had punctured (the first of many for the trip for him). After this I seemed to be on my own and I loved the track. Real challenging, a passenger at times, unclipped and rolling dabs, lift and carry was still the order but flowing quite well. Passed some walkers and continued down. Near the bottom caught up with a few who were down ahead of me and waited for the others to come down. Did not do a full regroup as were spread out quite a bit. The last stretch was a fast blast followed by an flattish ride into Nydia Bay and the wharf. We were all showing signs of fatigue.
We headed back to the farm for showers and some pre dinner drinks...
and the headed across a short tract to Te Rawa Resort for a most enjoyable dinner.
After dinner back to the farm and an early night.
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