Information meeting on plans for the cycleway from Pohara to Takaka

Ireland & Cycleway meeting:  Monday, 21 November, 7:30 pm. Community Centre

Rachel Ryan, with whom I did two walking tours in Ireland this winter, is doing an illustrated talk for 30 minutes about her glorious attempts to introduce NZers to Ireland (culture, eccentric friends, walks etc).

After supper, Greg Napp and Hans Stoffregen will present new photos showing the preferred route to take walkers and cyclists from where the current track ends at Boyle Stree by the golf club, to reach GB High School safely and scenically, and outline the next steps towards making it a reality.

Fiona Newey is coming from Nelson to add her enthusiasm for this project. Fiona is the executive officer of the Nelson to Kaiteriteri track.She has given us access to big NZ funders and has met our subcommittee several times and is excited about our plans.

Both the two TDC Councillors are coming to this meeting so we want as many people to attend as possible, to demonstrate our interest, with Resource Consent to be applied for.

Gold coin donation.

Canaan Race day - part of Nelson Cycle Festival - 2nd October

Sunday the 2nd of October, there is a short and a long race up at Canaan.
Its part of the Nelson Cycle Festival. Lots of prizes, food and fun.
Put it in your diary. It should be a very good day. If you were at the TOTS event last year. This will be a little like that but more of it...and there will be a short race for younger or less superhuman riders!!!
We have been fine tuning the course and it should prove to be an awesome ride!

The subs are due for another year.
Please join up again, we have lots of things planned for the warmer months. We need your subs to keep the club going and creating those tracks. Drop into the Revolution or Escape, or get hold of Kim or Rob to sign up for another year. 
Thanks...

Heaphy Track News

To all you Heaphy track riders out there.

The track is very wet and getting cut up.

The grit is wrecking brake pads and gears.

Kea at MacKay Hut are chewing seats, handle bar grips and brake lines. You are not allowed to take bikes in the huts, but you can take seats inside.

Have had a number of reports about Kea damage at MacKay hut.

We have a few months of riding the Heaphy left.

Maybe postpone your ride until it gets drier.

Letter from Joe in Chile

Hi Pete, thought the mtn bike club might be keen to hear how things are going over here in Chili. I'm not sure how to post stuff on the blog but if you think this is worth putting on please do so for me! Not too savy on the computer but hopefully I"ve managed to attach a few photo's, cheers Joe.

Been here at Lago Paloma for almost a couple of weeks now and having a great time. I knew it was going to be a mission to get everything together before heading off for the year. On top of this trip I needed to get my motorbike sorted for adventures later in the year before leaving so departure was a little more rushed than I would have liked. Motorbike parts seemed to get lost in the mail, some were discovered to be faulty and then at last minute I get an email from travel agent saying departing  2 days early! Eventually the motorbike was disassembled and crated for shipping late on the night before leaving and I managed to get on the plane without forgetting my insulin and looking forward to some mtn biking.

At Auckland airport met up with the other trail crew members and it was off to the Chilian capital of Santiago followed by a 3 hour flight south plus 1 hr driving and then 30 min boat trip over to our lodge which has no road access. The property is quite spectacular with steep mountain sides dropping down to the lake, and bordering ridges containing steep rock spires and hanging glaciers, pretty cool. Parts of it were once farmed and has an appearance similar to Canaan - just steeper. Our accommodation is good and we have Chilean house maids who do all the cooking etc so the boys have it real cushy. Have had a few interesting conversations with out having a clue so need to get the Spanish up to scratch. I'm the oldest in the crew by a fair bit so there is a lot of fooling around and never a dull moment.

The trails are some of the best I ever ridden, mainly big fast flowing down hills with lots of berms and jumps. We have about a hour and a half up hill ride to get to our current work site and then a great down hill ride at the end of each day. So it's been real enjoyable so far, but it's bloody tiring and the Patagonian weather is often harsh with consistent wind and cold temps. It's just dumped a good load of snow on the tops and it won't be long before we're working in it which will put an end to the good riding and slow down the work, just hope it holds off.  

Hope all is well back in the Bay, enjoy the Heaphy cheers Joe.    

Jennian Homes Great Mystery Ride

Despite the weather we pulled it off....
Well done to all of you who helped or participated.
Nice ride, nice event.
If anyone has any comments or ideas to improve on the event please let Pete, Mark, Annie, Kim or Fraser know.
Heres a few pix from the after ride party, nice Berry Cider...

The Tea Ladies enjoy a wrap

Ian Pogson, the oldest rider and others collect lunch

Mandy in leather and Kier

Chloe and Reuben entertain at East Takaka Hall

Fraser chief marshal or something!!

Kerry has a new line in helmets...

TIN BUM 2011

Well done to you all who entered the Tin Bum this year.
Rain held off just long enough.
Nice new route for the mountain biking section.
Gold for Holly and Oscar, sweet.
Heres a few photos from the Cement Works....

Holly on her way to Gold

Oscar on his way to Gold

Emma - another category winner

Mark

John

10th anniversary next year, so lets make it a big Tin Bum.

Kaihoka Club Ride

Thanks Joyce and Grant Wyllie....

What a great place to ride, and 12 people made the most of a hot day to ride up onto the Lunar Bluffs and down to the coast track.
Spectacular views, an UNDULATING track! What more can I say?
Its mountain biking at its best.

Wharariki in the distance

"Do you know where the others went?"

This is the UNDULATING bit

I hate these traffic jams....

Some of it was up!

Need full suspension for this bit

Goldfields Club Ride including Special quiz....

Only four made it to the club ride today at the Goldfields. But we had a fast and furious (for me) ride from the Boots, up the 4WD track to the top then down thru the Duck camp and on to the dam and then down the very fast wide track to the bottom. Great fun. Took under 2 hours, but a nice work out at about 17 km.

We went for coffee at the Court House and met all 4 riders from the Frocks on Bikes that Victoria arranged.

I have put some interesting pictures of the club ride on the Blog, one of them I want suggestions for what was said or what the problem is....

What has he broken now????

See, club rides are such fun....

Caption quiz- What was said or what happened here?

Canaan DOC volunteer working week

Joe Testing the Track

Here are some Pics of the DOC volunteer work program up at Canaan off the new Intermediate section.
About 500 meters of sweet singletrack was created through lush beechforest by Joe,Frankie,Tim,Brent and Jenna.
Once this track packs down and Karl can get the roller coaster section done this will be a great addition to the already awesome canaan track system.
There will be another chance for those that missed this week to be invloved with another one after Christmas.

Checking the Flow

Great new track

Willing Workers

Other great news is that that the final tick off, for the Kahurangi management Plan should be done before Xmas 10/11
Meaning that the Kill Devil and Barrons will be open,But you will have to wait till winter 2011 for the Heaphy!







Bring it on!


Posted by Brent.