After a much needed toilet stop we headed on to the Wharfdale track. By the time we arrived (some took a more scenic route than others) the wind had picked up and everyone was glad to be biking under cover.

The group split into two, and it took only a few minutes before the first puncture occured, one of many to come.The track was generally dry, but a little overgrown, not great for those with bar ends! What little mud there was seemed to work its way all over some members (and it didn't smell like just mud!).

For those who didn't fancy mud there was plenty of blood to be found, caused by contact with the ground and/or bush lawyer. There were the usual swarm of wasps but as far as I know they didn't pick on any of us. The waterbars seemed to get wider the further along the track we went, resulting in more punctures and quick exits.

We all had lunch at the saddle and after a good break headed back out (the track to Wharfdale Hut involves a lot of walking at the moment apparently). Within minutes Ian had demonstrated why wearing gloves was a good idea, after removing a good proportion of skin off his knuckles. Luckily an ambulance ridden by Clare was close by and the wounds were dressed.

While Ian was receiving medical attention K2Kev was demonstrating how to bike up vertical surfaces, some took part in descending these, but neither looked appealing to me. Some of us managed to find a rather nasty stick on the way out, resulting in a mexican wave of screams as we were rudely thumped by it on various parts of our bodies.

Many riders saved the best till last, with a couple of good crashes and a few extra punctures for good measure before arriving back at the carpark to be blown back to Christchurch and to Coffee Culture in Cashmere. Many found the wind so strong they missed this stop and no doubt carried on home to nurse wounds and inner tubes.

Katie Dakers