Chch ride 19/7

**Kickaha** · 16th July 2004, 20:36

I was planning on doing the Greta Valley,Scargill,Weka roads on Sunday, K14 and Dangerous are possible starters as well if anyone else wants to come along how about meeting at Woodend opposite the pub at 11am?

**Kickaha** · 18th July 2004, 15:13

Ah crap put the wrong date up well never mind.

Went to Woodend about 10.50 and hung about for about 20 minutes then decide to bugger off as no one else had shown up

Headed North on SH1 and just sat around the same speed as the rest of the traffic until I hit Waipara junction,then tucked in behind a Mazda ute who was sitting on 120km,pulled out and passed him before the Omihi school as that leads down to the S bend over the railway line which happen to be my Favourite corners in all of NZ carried on up and over the Omihi saddle and down into the roadworks on the other side where the road is being realigned to take out yet another set of good corners and make the road more boring and safer for the car driving peasants.

Stopped off at the Greta Valley Tavern for a coke and a bit of a stretch,leaving the Greta you go straight across SH1 and take the Scargill Valley road,only a couple of km down the road and the first of the ice/grit signs appear,these were to reappear at regular intervals,it's a nice flowing road and at a steady 120km on the XJ550 doesn't really require you to slow down, after the first few ice/grit signs I stopped paying attention to them as the shaded areas which get no sun during the day while damp weren't slippery,as I got to the Waikari end I came up to another ice/grit sign and as I cranked into the corner noticed that unlike the other signposted corners this one did actually have grit over it,having avoided falling on my arse I vowed to pay more attention to the signs in future.

Hanging a left at the Star and Garter leads you up the hill and into the Weka pass,unfortunately the traffic through here meant I was held up a bit for the first part of it,but after passing a few vehicles I got into the swing of things again down over the bridge and up into the nice left/right series of bends and into the sweeping left/right/left bends as you come out of the pass,then there's the long boring straight that leads you back to Waipara Junction,then it's back on boring SH1 and the traffic infested road to home.

**dangerous** · 18th July 2004, 19:29

Originally Posted by Kickaha

Went to Woodend about 10.50 and hung about for about 20 minutes then decide to bugger off as no one else had shown up

the road is being realigned to take out yet another set of good corners and make the road more boring and safer for the car driving peasants.

Ahh.... yeah sorry bout that I shoulda let you know that I wasent gona be there, as the forcast the night before said that it was going to rain heavy all day...... wierd shit aye, I think that the skys were cloudless for most of the day, anyway I had made other plans that would keep me dry

As far as straightening out those awesome corners go for safety.... what a load of shit, IMO it makes the cage drivers fall asleep though bordom end up on the otherside of the rd and what da ya know!.

LB · 19th July 2004, 05:24

Hi Kickaha - has the broken bone healed up okay? How is it for riding?

**Kickaha** · 19th July 2004, 19:14

Originally Posted by Lynda Blair

Hi Kickaha - has the broken bone healed up okay? How is it for riding?

It aches after a bit,it came out of plaster two weeks ago and I have to wear a splint for another two,then some more xrays and if it's all ok into some physio

Best bit is the physio had no problem at all with me riding/racing so long as I wear the splint under my gloves

Seeya in a couple of weeks anyway.