Sunday, 26th July

Phatboy, Silverfox, Buggs, Mellonfarmer and Dozer met at Rubberjaw's place, planning on meeting Sandals further up the hill.  Headed round through Hanson's Park and up Ramahamahana, Aotea and Grunts, getting warmer as they climbed, all delayering at somestage.  Bloody windy when they got to the top, and Sandals waved out from a little further up on Mt Vernon, so they joined her but it was just as windy there.  Once regrouped onwards they cruised around into the wind and down the hill.  Off piste to let some climbers climb, and bit of a regroup again at top of Farm Track, slightly less windy here.  Then the blast down, zwoop zwoop round the hairpins and across the Rapaki-top and straight into Witch Hill, cruising around and down to the road and finally a respite from the wind in the lee of a roadside bank.  Rubberjaws bailed here on account of his guts, down Crapaki for him.  The rest of the crew moseyed onwards up, battling the wind across the saddle below the Tors, and then finding the top of Castle Rock to be quite peaceful. Excellent run down this trail, in mint condition with wind a bit of a factor in places, trying to steer tires off the track, but all survived getting pushed up the uphill bits and around, and in the face on the last descent before the end.  Regrouped at a very busy top of Bridle Path and then rolled on around the road.  Insane winds just got stronger and stronger as they approached the Gondola corner, nearly stopping them at the corner itself, then completely disappearing about 50m up the road from there.  Then, leaving the closed road section they were all pushed up hill for a bit, again.  Another regroup at the start to John Britten.  Mellonfarmer led off down the singletrack, hammering around and staying on the low line, til the curved climb back up to the trees and back into the wind and around to the end.  Here, he peeled off down, wanting to get home earlier than usual, and had a swoopy fun blast down through Britten, then McCormacks (nearly crashing) and home by 11.30.  The rest of the crew headed over Greenwood, and last Mellonfarmer (writing this) heard, were intending on heading all the way out Godley and Anaconda.  He assumes they had coffee at DotComa and were home later...