Yay, this afternoon I got to get in just a little gravel fix with a trip across some favourite gravel roads to Apiti and return. But first...
It was time for the Tenere to have a little birthday present (slightly late) in the form of some fresh oil (donk and diff) and filter. The apprentice was no help whatsoever - climbing all over me while I removing the bash pad and chewing on my ear was not as much help as you might imagine - but I seemed to get the job done ok.
 |
| A souvenir from the South Island |
Job done, lunch inhaled and vicious apprentice fought off, I geared up and hit the road. Riding out of town it looked like I was heading in the right direction as there was plenty of wet looking stuff off to the South while I went the other way. I did manage to find some rain on the way to Ashhurst and there was the odd spit as I turned off up the valley.
My first bit of gravel was an old favourite on Pohangina Road and all the rain we've been having had settled the road down nicely. It's generally a really fast and fun bit of road but corrugations are starting to form on the climb out of some of the corners - only a matter of time before someone dumps more gravel down.
There was a bit more tar work after the Totara Reserve turn-off before once again climbing up a bit on some nice gravel.
At Makoura Road I turned left to cross over to Apiti and ran into some interesting riding conditions...a grader had been through and churned up the road a bit and then all the rain had softened things up a bit. A little care was required...
At the bottom of the hill I stopped briefly to get the obligatory picture of the beast.
And then there was a surprise in store for me. Rather than a rough gravel climb back up the hill, someone had been through and sealed the road! Spoil-sports! They'd even carried on a fair way across what was once a really cool, fast gravel section. Luckily they'd left one last short section that I could have a little play on.
Nearing Apiti I discovered some weather so instead of returning home via Ridge Road as planned, I decided to cut the ride short, wimp out and take the sealed route home via Kimbolton.
Luckily, I out ran the weather a little and it stopped being quite so damp not far out of Apiti and the run through to Kimbolton was pretty good.
The rest of the ride home was fairly uneventful, just the odd spit and nothing to really complain about.
Home by 3pm and into a coffee after a nice little squirt on a reasonable winter afternoon...fire on soon...
