With the rain today and dry weather in the forecast, Sunday looks like an optimal time to get muddy and finish in a nice warm cafe with food and hot coffee!! I'm thinking of a bit of a different route that eventually get's us into Thetis where we can hopefully find some washed out trails and creek bed.
Does anyone have knowledge of Cordova Bay Beach? Tides should be about midlevel in the morning and that might make a novel approach. Alternatively, I'm interested in exploring the Gowlland Todd area and hitting the Hector Connector. Clearly more thought needs to go into this... just putting it out there.
Last edited by schouten on Sat Nov 09, 2019 6:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Sounds great, Ron! Mud - pshaw - bring it on! (I actually don't think today's rain makes up for two weeks of dry so my not-so-secret hope is that it's still relatively buff and 'clean' out in the woods).
For my part, I do not like riding in sand or salt water (mostly because it makes me cringe for the wellbeing of my drivetrain). But Gowlland Tod, Hector and assorted gnarliness is of great interest!
Actually, if you're game, I have a few Hartland trails in mind that we could try. Either coming in Executive and making our way to the Mt Work parking lot off Ross-Durance or vice-versa. Could flow well from (or to) Cory road and points south-east.
Claire, the Hartland Trails are a maze to me and I picked trails just so I could complete the route. You can guide us through there much better I gather. In fact, should we approach from Hartland Avenue instead? This could reduce the overall time to complete...
Rob, I think the route is a bit ambitious for 3 hrs but I am happy to leave at 7:00 instead. You can then tap out as needed depending on time? Actually, let's leave at 7:00 regardless as I want time for coffee afterwards. Priorities!!
7:00am Fairbucks!
Last edited by schouten on Sat Nov 09, 2019 8:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
OMG unilateral time adjustment. Into darkness. You are a troublesome one, aren't you?
I can cobble something together from wherever. The trails I have in mind span much of the park (in a relatively direct way). And yes, years of MTBing has etched a decent sense of what's what in there. Although I can't promise there won't be a moment or two of uncertainty and/or absurdity.
Instead of Caldecote, let's take Sparton to Prospect and get into the MTB park off Meadowbrook ('Executive' - it was part of the TSCF, but we did it in the opposite direction). We'll wend our way CCW around Mt Work then take a bit of road (Ross Durance) to Corey Rd, and resume your route from there. If that sounds acceptable.
7:00- ouch!
I am going to do a less ambitious ( but still epic) ride starting at 7:30 from Starbucks and will meet you speedsters for breakfast! Route TBD
If we're feeling ambitious at our farthest point north, we could tack on the 8km loop that appears at the top of this route: https://www.strava.com/routes/22582685
It's almost all off-road, utilizing a little Partridge Hills trails, a flat seaside trial in Willis Pt and a gnasty climb from the ocean to 150m elev in 1.2km.
Or not. It might just make the whole thing (even more) ridiculous.
Hey guys, I'm feeling a bit less ambitious than all your technical climbing. I've been avoiding Hartland proper on a CX bike unless Lister tells me I have to. Unless you're just skirting the edge, the pain/pleasure ratio is diminished compared with conventional gravel.
See you at 7:30, Dolly. (And maybe you guys later for coffee...)
