"Sunny Nelson"

Since The Single Speed Nationals, I had a bit more time off training (although finding myself out riding more and more, having fun on the bike). I made it over to the Moon ride 12hr teams race in Rotorua but was full of a head cold that was trying all it could to get into my lungs, so I decided not to race and just go for an easy ride in the forest instead.

 My geared race bike is all back together and with a couple small changes to my set up it now feels like I want to race every time I get on it. I am currently spending a week in "Sunny Nelson" riding some of the many tracks I have been told so much about of the years. It strange to think Ive been to Nelson almost every year since 1998 and this is the first time I am riding all most of these tracks as I dont have a race to prep for. It has been raining down here in "Sunny Nelson" for a couple weeks now (so Im told) and the tracks are rather muddy and slippery! One of the first tracks we went to go up and ride down has the access road blocked off for logging so we decided to ride up what is normally a decent that had a couple stream/river crossings, water running down the track towards us and the track got steeper and steeper towards the top. After a bit of hiker bike we reached the top and decided to go down another track that linked onto the track we just came up near the bottem. This was a good tester for the skills, with some steep hear pin corners a small rock garden that was more like a river and lots of slippery rocks and roots. I am glad I am riding my trusty old GEAX SAUGARO tyres and my BRAKE AUTHORITY brake pads which are allowing me to pull nose wheelies around some of the tighter hair pin corners!. So four rides now and all have been wet, and good for the skills as we dont have much to challenge skills in Rotorua where I normally ride. Only a couple more days before I head home and most likely have to strip and rebuild my bike again (oh well gotta take the good with the bad) at least its been warm, we have been riding most of the time with shorts shirt and maybe a vest (now thats what I call winter riding!!!)