'Course, it's always better to ride when dry & sunny and fortunately this is the default winter setting around here. The weekends have seen an increasing number of local riders attracted to Kaiteriteri and last Saturday the Park was humming..
Our Nelson-based mapmeister, Steve Newport, has been operating a little, informal, email-out for the benefit of his biking buddies for a while now, each w/e suggesting a different destination - unless, of course, someone has a better suggestion of their own. Initially it circulated among a chosen few but now, as more & more people asked to be included, it's grown to the point where Steve has felt the need to tack on a disclaimer to the effect that he is not, in fact, running a Club!
So when Steve suggested a trip out to Kaiteriteri, it was no surprise to see a group of 12 Nelson riders waiting by the mapboard at the designated time. While a few were already pretty familiar with the network, for most it was an introduction to new trail - something that's almost guaranteed to get people buzzing.
Coming down Rock'n'Roll was a blast, where Dave Bonnett managed to hold his smile while reaching warp speed. Dave moved to Nelson from Boulder, Colorado, and reckons he's arrived in mtb heaven where the regional support for the sport, esp. at municipal level, far exceeds that back in his home state.
The loop that took in Tank, Tapu, lower Bay View, the recently-completed section of Easy Rider and finished on Half-Pipe was a perfect way to conclude a great afternoon's riding. Although the four girls in the party who concluded their day with a bottle of sav. blanc at the nearby Shoreline Cafe would call that statement premature...
They certainly weren't the only girls in the Park that day. Andrea Livingston & seven other local women were out practising their bike-handling skills in advance of the 2010 Spring Challenge (www.springchallenge.co.nz). This is a very popular all-women adventure race being held this year in the Motueka area in September, when 600 entrants plus support crews will descend on the town. A little while back Andrea had the idea of asking Emma Bawtree, a skilled mtb guide, if she would be interested in holding some coaching workshops for local women wanting to take part in the event. With Emma agreeing, the uptake was instant and she now has several beginner & intermediate workshops on the go. If you're local and would like to be included, contact her here: emma@nztraveldesigners.com.
Enjoying a lap of the Park after our Sunday morning working bee, a couple of us came across another group of 6-7 women, this time from Nelson (and possibly also in training for the Spring Challenge). As always, the appreciation of the effort that goes into developing the Park was unanimous and we welcomed their offer of bringing some cake along for the workers at one of our future w/bees!
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