And Back Down Again – Saddle Sore in Queenstown! | Adventures in life, travel and teaching

Mum and Dad were continuing north to The Bay of Islands and the Coromandel however I had decided that I wanted to spend more time in the South Island mountain biking and visiting Ali again. I took an early flight on Sunday morning back to Queenstown and checked into Bumbles Backpackers on the lake. No more campervan, back to dorm living!

I had booked a 2 hour downhill mountain bike skills session with Vertigo bikes on the Skyline Mountain Bike Park. I was the only person that had booked so got a one on one lesson with Johnny the head of training. Being a newbie to downhill I was a little nervous as we set off for the top of the mountain in the gondola, I’d seen some of the guys and girls riding the trails earlier and they looked hardcore!

Skyline Mountain Bike Park – https://www.skyline.co.nz/queenstown/mountain-biking/

Vertigo Bikes – http://vertigobikes.co.nz/

We started on a green trail (MTB trails are classified in the same way as ski runs) and Johnny shot off at a cracking pace which caught me slightly by surprise and was left struggling to catch up which was a little embarrassing. We focused on basic skills such as neutral bike posture, braking (always useful) and how to ride a switchback. We’d ride a piece of the trail, stop for some instruction and then ride the next piece of trail. I was pretty happy with how quickly I got comfortable and was soon riding switchbacks confidently at some speed and happily careering over roots and rocks – if only I had a GoPro! It was a total blast and a massive adrenalin rush. It did take a lot of concentration however and I talked to myself constantly about what I needed to do, trying to convince myself that I was in total control!

Downhill at Skyline MTB Park in Queenstown.

We did two runs together and then Johnny left me on the trails. I stuck to the trails that I’d ridden with Johnny and did another run on my own, grabbed a bit of lunch and then another 3 runs in the afternoon. I was very tempted to do a 6^th run but I was so happy with how my 5^th run went I decided to leave it there, I knew I was getting tired and that last thing I needed was to stack it and break my wrist!

Happy after a successful and injury free day at Skyline MTB Park in Queenstown.

I wandered back to the backpackers via the bar on the wharf for a very well deserved beer and then crashed out on my bunk for an hour or so. That night, I somehow managed to muster the energy to head out for drinks with one of my dorm mates, Kathleen from Kentish Town. We started at the Bar on the Wharf for a couple of beers and finished there drinking rum and putting the world to rights!

The next day I hired a mountain bike and headed out on the bike trails around Queenstown and up to Arrowtown. It was another beautiful and hot day, and I have to say that I did struggle on some of the hills, but the views were worth it! I recouped in Arrowtown with lunch and a couple of glasses of wine before riding back to Queenstown.

I was a little saddle sore the next day!