WMCC Riverhead Forest trail ride, Sunday 14 December

[billaroo]

This is our last ride before xmas.
We have quite a few new tracks.

[Crisis management]

This is my chance to pop my Riverhead cherry....no cameras please!

Looking forward to it, it should be a good day.:woohoo:

[Danger]

And pop it you will with the hard ground and the small amount of rain to make it slick!:D

[cheese]

Riverhead is probably my favourite place to ride.

[barty5]

Riverhead is probably my favourite place to ride.


ill say before sam you have to take bike out and ride it to have a favourite:lol:

[Danger]

Riverhead is probably my favourite place to ride.

Cool see you there!

[cheese]

ill say before sam you have to take bike out and ride it to have a favourite:lol:

LOL I've been riding!! Just not with you guys!!

Yeah I'd love to come out on Sunday, but got too many xmas things on.

[barty5]

LOL I've been riding!! Just not with you guys!!

Yeah I'd love to come out on Sunday, but got too many xmas things on.

ill take the pw50 to rupes on sunday for you :laugh:

[REDRIDER]

whats the terrain like fullaz, id like a day out of the sand if possible.

[chop]

Clay. Tree roots and gorse!!!! its one of my favs for sure! itll be a bit greasy on sunday if we get more rain but by all accounts its dry as in there at the moment... Riverhead can have four seasons in one day its absolutly brilliant place and wmcc run gooooooooooood events!

[cheese]

ill take the pw50 to rupes on sunday for you :laugh:

Mint, sounds like fun.

[billaroo]

Mint, sounds like fun.

so your going now?

[cheese]

Riverhead on a PW50, now that sounds like a challenge!

REminds me of my brother wanting to do teh T100 on a pit bike.

[2_SL0]

Whats it like, hilly? tight? Open?

[Danger]

All the above but add tree roots and slippery ruts and if the dads don't get out too early and clear away all the logs so their kids can get around there might be a few logs to cross.:rolleyes:

[vazza]

Sounds great! Seu there :D

[Crisis management]

Right, that was character building then....I have well and truly popped my Riverhead cherry...:blink:

I was there at 9 and probably managed to fall off the bike by at least 10 past, it was a bit wet and slippery and I spent the first lap trying to go fast enough to clear the mud out of the treads, lowering tyre pressures and any other desperate measure I could find to gain traction.
I assume we did the "expert" loop as it was the only track I could find and there seemed to be people less covered I mud than me which leads me to think there were easier loops hidden somewhere. Apart from the lack of traction, steering and general stability it was a great combination of single track, ascents and descents, loamy soil, mud (did I mention the mud?) and gravel roads. I didn't particularly see the scenery as I was a bit focused on near death experiences but i'm assured by others that it was quite striking.
The tracks dried out over the day and became more manageable but after 3 circuits (I think about 18km loops) I was completely knackered and surrendered.
The score was something like about a gazillion lie downs, once upside down in the gorse, several killer tree roots taking out the front and one tee bone of a tree. I can still walk and the bike is undamaged (the benefits of lying down under the bike to protect it).

Good ride Waitemata club, but who ate all the sausages? By the time we got to lunch there weren't any left and that was only 1ish!!!

[Danger]

Wasn't me....honest I stayed away from the BBQ!
To be fair, that was a pretty easy ride for Riverhead and I suspect they shortened the track a fair bit due to the early morning rain. Was very slippery the first loop and lost the front end once trying to avoid another rider in a off camber corner and once on the second loop when not paying attention around a berm and over shot it. Short loop and fun but I was already tired after a month of no riding and then riding Friday and kayaking all day Saturday so only did 4 or 5 loops.
Thanks to the Waitemata Club for all the events this year. Didn't get to attend too many but hope to get to more of them next year.

[Crisis management]

To be fair, that was a pretty easy ride for Riverhead ......

I can see the potential in the place, and it was great to get tight tracks and a decent variety of terrain to learn on, I need to get my ride fitness up and learn how to maintain a bit more pace...short answer, ride more! Anyway, now I know what to expect I'll be back for more but I better get back out to Woodhill in the interim and get my speed back up.