I’m not fit enough. There’s no other way of putting it, no gentle way to break it to myself. Out here in Queenstown I started off well, riding everyday and eating like a monk, but it didn’t last. Between the good food, beer and laidback lifestyle I haven’t done enough exercise recently. On an idle afternoon it’s too easy to stick on some good music, brew a mug of tea and just watch the clouds form and break over The Remarkables.

So I need something that’s both savage and enjoyable – I found it with Skyline. Skyline is the hill that stands over Queenstown, it’s criss-crossed with some amazing trails that go from big, fast motorways, to northshore nonsense and beautiful, loamy singletrack. The only catch is that there is no uplift or gondola. To ride the trails you need to get to them first. In all, the hill has about 450m vertical. Fit guys can crank up there in about half an hour. I’m doubly hampered, not only am I out of shape, but I only have a 38lb downhill bike with a 36t ring here with me...

My plan is simple: I want to be able to ride to the top of the hill. The other rule, which won’t matter when (never if) I can get to the top, is that I can only ride down what I can climb to. So the further I can go, the better the run down is going to be. Simple. It ticks all the boxes – a savage climb and an amazing descent back down. Perfect.

Today I got about halfway up before I pretty much keeled over. But I did get to run back down the beautiful, loamy, natural (and horrifically named) Turd Sandwich. Next time I reckon I can reach Pink Bits...

After much deliberation I have finally got myself a new hardtail, a Charge Blender Ti. Had a couple of rides on her and it’s a fair to say she’s a beauty. I had never ridden a Ti frame before it’s got a different feel to steel which I was not expecting, it’s got the forgiveness of a steel frame which I have always liked but has a certain added zing to its ride. On the front I now have a tricked out pair of Pikes, thanks to Chris & Gee at Fishers, Revelation 2010 Blackbox damping inside a trusty Pike chassis, no mid-stroke issues on these forks.

Those that know me will know that I am a massive flat pedal fan, often knocking those who run clips. So it is with great sadness I must announce that I have been swayed by the arguments for running clips when it comes to 4X racing and have purchased a set. Only done the one ride in them so far and they’re definitely going to be sometime before I am truly comfortable in them. However I can already see the benefits in their use especially in four cross where (like it or not) your ability to pedal can make the difference between winning and losing.

Heading to the unofficial 4X Pump Race Champs at Chicksands this weekend, should be a good laugh, havent yet decided if I'll run clips or flats....

Hong Kong is a funny country for riders. According to the internets there are none, twenty minutes battering Google failed to bring up a single one. Yet when you land here, you have to ask why? It has all the ingredients for one of the best riding spots in the world: both altitude and gradient. The mountains surrounding the city are all big and steep. I’d reckon a 1500m (vertical) descent wouldn’t be off the cards and there are no gentle slopes here. Imagine steep, tech runs through the tropical undergrowth... Japan has a good scene, so why not Hong Kong?

The only reason I can see is the ground. As you climb up through the mountains you can see the pale yellow scars where the earth could no longer cling onto the hillside. Long, sweeping curves show where landslides have stripped the side of the mountain back to bare rock.

Surely a riding location with big, steep mountains, the ocean, the city close by, equatorial weather and a taste for ambitious chairlifts could be the perfect riding location... One day... Maybe.

ps.

The locals must not be trusted to manage the chairlifts though. The 25 minute Ngong 360 cable car has a new feature – “Crystal”. For some demented reason they’ve decided that what a chairlift that consistently travels over 100m off the ground needs is... A glass floor. People even pay more for this. Ugh. Wrong.

The end of a great day in the mud...

To celebrate getting rid of me to the other side of the world for a few months we headed down to Hopton for the Pearce uplift this weekend. Waking up on Sunday morning to a hangover and the sound of rain beating on the roof didn't seem like a great start... But as soon as you started running down the hill you realised it was going to be an amazing day. The tracks were nice and wet, so the mud didn't stick and that meant fun. It was the kind of riding I always thought downhill was going to be when I was younger - sideways and fast. Amazing stuff.

I just need to find my passport now so I can head to New Zealand and avoid the mud for the rest of the winter...