Bike rides since Christmas 2013 - 9 March 2014

Rabbit Island

There have been several goals I had wanted to achieve during the last two months. One of them was to do a ride around Rabbit Island, the other was to ride to Nelson and back. We have achieved both and today was the third ride to Nelson from Richmond a total of 30kms.

I thought that riding from Richmond to Rabbit Island and back would be a bit of a challenge. I had talked to a friend of ours who rides a lot on Rabbit Island and he suggested we do what he does and park the car in the car-park just over the bridge and bike from there. We thought this sounded like a great idea and as we had a day off on Waitangi day gave it a go.

First of all we rode from the car-park following the cycle trail down to the beach itself and then followed the trail to the Mapua Ferry crossing point at the Mapua end of the island. It was an easy ride although you are riding through forest some of the time, and there are tree roots and things that can be a bit bumpy. There were a lot of other riders including families all enjoying the beautiful day and getting some exercise at the same time.

Once we got to where the ferry lands, we stopped for a few minutes, took some photos and then decided to do a bit of a round trip through the forest rather than going back the way we came. We followed the orange trail markers which is a grade harder than the easy trails but still not difficult. It probably took an hour or so to get back to the car. I wouldn't have liked to have biked from Richmond do this trail and then bike back to Richmond again. One day maybe but not just yet.

Nelson and Return

Our next ride was on the 8th February and I decided it was time to attempt the Richmond to Nelson trail and return a distance of about 28kms. We looked up the trail on the internet and it looked as though the easiest way would be to go via the water-front around Tahunanui beach and into Nelson, coming back via the Railway Reserve. We again parked at the recycle centre rode our usual route to the Honest Lawyer and then continued onto the airport. We followed the trail and ended up biking along Tahunanui Drive which is a major road. This scared me as it was the first time we have had to ride on the road. I spent most of the time riding on the footpath as I was not comfortable at all with riding when cars were speeding by. We followed the road around the water-front stopping to take some more photos. Warren stuck to the trail on the road itself, and I stuck to the footpath. The ride to Nelson wasn't too difficult but we decided we needed some high vis clothing if we were going to be on the roads. We stopped at the Bike Barn and got two vests, and immediately I felt happier with the prospect of being on the road. We stopped for lunch and then tackled the ride home. Hmm this was not the best idea. It was very hot and we attempted to ride the Railway Reserve from Vanguard Street which was rather steep. I ended up having to walk a lot of it and I was getting tired and grumpy. Eventually we made it to the top and it was an easy ride back from there. It was fun being able to just coast down Beatson's road, and you got up enough speed to be able to easily go up the incline to the over-bridge. It didn't take us long to get to the playground by Carpet Court and then we were back on one of our normal trails.

We have since done this twice more, but have changed the route slightly so we are not dealing with all the traffic. Instead of riding down Tahunanui Drive we take the back roads from the airport going past the Tahunanui Motor Camp and heading down to the main beach area that way, thus avoiding a lot of the traffic. I have now got brave enough to ride on the road as there are clearly marked cycle lanes, and we are wearing the high vis vests. We also access the railway reserve from Nelson from St Vincent St rather than Vanguard Street as it is not so steep and I have actually managed to ride up it twice now without stopping.

We have also started biking from our home rather than driving in a van to where the trails start. The only downside to this is trying to get back up the hill to our house on the way back, I am normally too tired to have enough energy to pedal hard. I have walked up both times.  One day I hope to be able to bike up the hill. Warren managed it today.

A long overdue update!!

Well it has been seven months since I have updated this blog, and a lot of cycling has been done in that time.  Between August and Christmas we went for a ride most weekends, mostly just repeating the rides we have done before, but gradually extending the distance.  My favourite ride is still the one round the sea going to Monaco past the Honest Lawyer and then riding all the way around Monaco. You have to judge the tide though so you can actually get around via the beach. The last time I tried this the tide was just going out and the sand was very sticky. You had to be in the correct gear to get enough momentum to push your way out of it. I ended up walking most of that portion!!!

Warren and I were really looking forward to the Christmas holidays when our son Aaron, daughter-in -law Jen and our two grand-children Harry and Molly would be down. They were all looking forward to going out riding with us. I had spent a lot of time on Trade Me looking for suitable bikes so they would all have their own one to ride. We picked up two good adult sized bikes for Aaron and Jen. I also found a 6 speed 20 inch bike that was suitable for Harry who was  6 1/2 at Christmas. I had bought a 16 inch a year or so ago for Harry but decided that he really needed a 20 inch, so Molly who is 4 ended up riding it instead of the smaller one she had.

We also thought that Molly would tire out easily so started investigating other options for her. We ended up buying a trailgator off Trade Me which is a connecting bar that joins a child's bike on to an adult's bike. They can ride on their own until they have had enough and then connect them to another bike and they can get towed. This worked out brilliantly. Molly would bike about 2 kms and then Granddad would hitch her bike up and tow her the rest of the way.

 We went for three different rides while the family were here. All of them ended up at a playground so the kids could have a play and then ride back to the van. I think the longest distance we did was 4 km but that wasn't too bad, seeing none of them have done any serious riding.

I am looking forward to doing some longer rides with them the next time they are down. Harry loved his 6 speed bike and after a couple of practice rides down the little street next to our house he got confident enough to be able to change gears. On one of the rides Aaron and Harry rode a bit further than us and we picked them up when they reached the recycle centre.

Saturday 3rd August 2013.

It has been three weeks since we last went for a ride. Some times other things just get in the way besides the weather. We had family come stay with us for four days over the 21st /22nd July weekend. I can't wait until the grand-children are old enough to go on rides with us. I have already bought two more bikes that my son and daughter-in-law can use, and am looking for a suitable one for my 6 year old grand-son. We have a very small bike that my 4 year grand-daughter will be able to use for a bit of fun, but she would probably be better off in a child-seat on the back of her Dad or Grand-dad's bike. I think I will look for one of those on Trade Me also.

Last weekend I wasn't feeling that great, and Saturday was windy, Warren was busy stripping wall-paper so we gave it a miss.

Today though was great for cycling, very warm for a mid-winters day, there was a bit of a wind but not too bad. It was a good day to try and get to the Appleby cycle bridge, the goal I had been aiming for, for quite a few weeks.

The ride out was nice and easy, we got to the signs which was as far as we had been previously, and decided to keep going. It was probably about another 15 minutes to the bridge. As it was such a nice day there were lots of other people cycling also, as well as people walking their dogs. There were also some very young children on their bikes, some the same size as our grand-daughter's 12 " bike.

I was feeling great by the time we got to the bridge but I must admit I was exhausted by the time we got back to the van, nearly two hours from when we had started the ride The wind had changed and it was hard biking against it, and I had to stop for a rest a couple of times. We need to make sure we take water with us as well, as I was getting very thirsty by the time I had finished. It was 17.5 km distance from the recycling centre in Richmond to the Appleby bridge and return. 

Saturday 13th July 2013

Unfortunately one of the problems with cycling in winter is the weather is not always co-operative. I am doing this for fun, so do not want to go out when there is a strong wind, or rain!!! We couldn't go out last weekend but today was a beautiful day for biking, no wind and the sun was shining. 

When I first started riding three months or so ago, I wanted to make it to the Honest Lawyer. I did that several weeks ago, but could have continued along the road to Monaco, and completed the round trip back to the Honest Lawyer and home. I started to do this on the previous ride, but it looked quite a bit further so decided against it. Today I thought would be the day to try and go the whole way around. If it the tide is in you will not be able to go around the beach front, luckily it was out far enough that we were able to walk through on the shingle beach.

This was a fantastic ride, I enjoyed it immensely. Very scenic, lot of other cyclists about, and just a wonderful ride. Two great places to stop for coffee also, at the Honest Lawyer or the little coffee spot at Monaco itself. We didn't do this but had a well-earned cuppa when we got home. By the time we got back to the van we had ridden just over 15 kms.

Saturday 29th June 2013

Another attempt to get to the Appleby cycle bridge. One thing I find frustrating with the websites showing the cycle trails around this area, is there doesn't seem to be anywhere you can find how far it is from Richmond to different points on the trail such as this bridge. (Actually I have since found out you can buy a passport for $ 10.00 which has detailed description of the trails.) We got as far as this sign which showed we still had a way to go to get to the bridge. We decided to turn around and try again another day.

This is a very scenic ride also and changes depending on the tide.

Saturday 22nd June 2013

Did another ride along the Estuary today, a very easy ride, and great scenery. My ultimate aim is to bike to Rabbit Island, but my short-term goal on this trail is to get to the new Appleby cycle bridge. Didn't manage to make it there this time, but an enjoyable ride on a mid-winter's day. You can see the snow on the mountains in the background, and in the lower photo you can see snow on one of the foothills close to Nelson itself. Very unusual. 

Saturday 15th June 2013

It has been two weeks since I have been on the bike, and I really missed it. We were away for Queens birthday weekend at the beginning of June, and last weekend it was too wet. The forecast for this weekend was not great either, and it seemed that if I wanted to get in a dry ride today we would have to go out this morning, relatively early.

It was a bit fresh outside only 6 degrees C so dressed accordingly along with gloves, track-pants and jackets. I am determined to get to Brightwater eventually so thought today we would see if we could get as far as the cycle bridge at the end of Pughs Road.

We started off at Jubilee Park, it was 9.45am and the park was full of kids playing rugby, and soccer, and their parents braving the cold showing their support. Car parking space was at a premium but we managed to find one close to a big puddle. There has been a lot of rain in the Nelson area over the last few weeks so the ground is very wet and muddy.

Luckily the bike trail is weather-proof and is nice to ride even if the weather is a bit rough. As it had been a couple of weeks since I had been on a bike, and there was a head wind, I couldn't bike very fast today. The first ten minutes or so my legs were hurting but I have found if you can get through this then the pain will go away and the rest of the ride will be okay. I don't think I got faster than 12kph, which is very slow. I think next time I will take a scarf to stop my face from getting frozen!!!

We had done the first part of the ride a couple of times before but managed to make it to the turnoff at the bottom of Pughs Road before it started to rain. I know the bridge is not much further than this but we decided to turn back so we could get home before the rain really set in.

The ride back is downhill and no head wind, so can go a lot faster. I think for a short spurt there we got up to 20kph. It is amazing to me that only five to ten minutes bike ride from Richmond and we are out in the country. There were several other riders doing the same ride, and people walking their dogs, and also parents with kids doing the trail.

We made it back to Jubilee Park before the rain started to come down, we had biked 13.2 km the most I have ever done. I don't think we will get out tomorrow as there are heavy rain warnings out, for most of the day.

Roll on next weekend, I hope it is fine and sunny.