Winter riding can either suck or you get a magnificently sunny (but not warm) clear day and a great day out on the bike. This is the story of a ride that didn't suck much at all...
And it was a Tiger ride with Colin turning up on his 900 not long after 8 and looking for coffee after seeing 0.5℃ on his way up. Of course, it was much warmer in Ashhurst - about 8 if I remember rightly. While someone defrosted, we chatted about a possible destination, and I suggested a ride up the Parapara's even thought this might mean we'd need to be careful in the frosty bits. The frost didn't put Colin off the idea and soon he was warm enough to give it a crack.
My initial plan was to cruise over to Vinegar Hill and then ride through to Fordell via the usual track we take from Hunterville as I'd ridden this a few weeks earlier with a different Colin (who doesn't have the sense to own a Tiger) and the road had been in good condition for winter. But, after firing my Tiger up and checking the fuel situation, I calculated that Hunterville for gas might be a stretch. So, without telling Colin a thing, I took him on a magical mystery tour to Marton and introduced him to a road (Mangaone Road) that he reckoned he hadn't ridden before.
Through here the temperature was around 6℃, which wasn't too bad with grips and seat on and after a fuel up we carried on out the back of Marton to hook back up with Turakina Valley Road (mind the peacocks - we had three separate flocks to avoid!) and then onwards to Fordell and Okoia. Through here the temp dropped to between 3 and 4 degrees and there was plenty of evidence of frost in the paddocks and in the shady bits. Yes, we rode like nanas in the shady, damp looking stuff...
Popping out onto SH4 and turning North towards the Paras, the temperature pretty much didn't move but the road was actually not too bad - it wasn't icy where I have encountered it in the past so maybe it wasn't as cold as I thought...yeah, right.
Next up was the turn to take in Fields Track which I really enjoy. You have to ride it - pay attention and don't leave ya brains at home. Skinny, bumpy, slips, gravel on the road, animals on the road - you name it. Oh, and some decent views too.
Here's the ride out from our photo stop:
Oh, and if you didn't watch all of that video, you probably missed some excitement:
Yeah, a close one. In case you didn't work it out, I spotted the far calf first and slowed up. The one on the side of the road was completely invisible to me and then decided to check my ticker out. It just goes to show that while you might see and react to one hazard on the road, there could be more than one...Brakes work!
Popping out on SH49, we turned for Waiouru and I decided to record a wee frosty bit:
But believe it or not, by the time we hit Waiouru, the temperature had climbed to 5.5℃ and it was even warmed in our favourite Waiouru eating establishment - the toasted sammies are the best in the country!
After lunch, it was time to head back home but along the way we got to sample some more delicious back roads (screw SH1!). It got really cold a few times and we managed to get caught up in some light showers but no snow...
My only gripe is the ice grit which sometimes can be invisible, and you really can slither around on it without trying too hard.
Never mind, it was a great ride (the temperature even came up to a balmy 8℃ as we neared home) and I'll take a chilly, clear day over a windy, wet one any day!
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