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 Friday, January 1, 2010
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This is a good 4.5 to 6 hour training ride from Brightwater for the Rainbow Rage or just a good long weekend ride if you aren't into the really technical stuff. Ride from Richmond to add about another hour.
Start up Eves Valley past the mill and follow forest roads to the top of the Dovedale Hill. Turn right down to Dovedale then left up Sunday Ck Rd. This brings you out on to the Motueka Valley Highway for 1.5km before heading up Upper Stanley Brook Rd. Keep going straight ahead on this and it takes you up on to the top of the Moutere Hills again where you follow forestry roads back to Wakefield.
For a full description, photos and map see Sunday Creek.
Another good Rainbow Rage training ride is Gordons Range.
Posted by Alan Eskrick on 1/ 1 / 10; 1:12:18 PM
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After doing the Hanmer Hammerhead in early December, Rob Kay, Liz and I drove back through the Rainbow. Rob suggested we take a look at the old pack track over Fowler Pass, which goes off the Rainbow Road, and ride in to Lake Guyon.
Parking near the old hut at Pass Stream at 950m, we headed up the creek in perfect weather looking for the track. Eventually we climbed high enough on the north side to find it. We had parked about 50 metres from the start of the track but hadn't seen it. After an hour of uphill with a couple of short pushes we reached Fowler Pass at 1296m. A few mandatory photos then off down some neat zigzags into Smythes Stream. Some good technical riding, but mostly not difficult, sidling and crossing the stream before the country opened out after the Stanley River. From here the going was faster on grassy flats winding through grazing cattle to a point where we could overlook Lake Guyon, 2h 20m after leaving the car. Rather than go down to the lake we did a bit of grazing ourselves before turning back the way we'd come. The climb back up to Fowler Pass wasn't as formidable as we thought it would be and soon we were blasting the downhill back to the road.
Total elapsed time for the ride was 4h 45mins. This ride could be done in a day from Nelson, but pick the weather as it is very exposed going up to Fowler Pass.
See Lake Guyon for maps and photos.
Posted by Alan Eskrick on 1/ 1 / 10; 10:54:35 AM
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