Then you're into Deadwood...

Sunday afternoon the kids, the inlaws, S and I walk up the bottom half of Salvation. It's a lovely bush-walk - sheltered and shady. The kids feel included in dad's new obsession, the inlaws love bush walks, and my best-beloved's continues her amused support for my odd new hobby. Younger Daughter (who is 3) has her own obsession - with completing things. So we then had to go see the top of the track. At the top the daughters liked Salvation but really love a the steep clamber down other track down from the same point - Deliverance.

Deliverance is steep, and twisty, and has lots of tree-roots. I'm told it's not a classic "downhill" track, but a twisty track that happens to go downhill a lot. I figure it's something to work up to. And in the meantime Brain's bike isn't up for anything too interesting in downhill work, so I'm safe.

Friday. Brain's old bike being deader than a dead thing, he's paid good money to have the new one air-freighted in. Gordie and he are keen on doing Deliverance. Am I interested?

You only die once. Hair-pin-laden Scout Hall track is a good starter. Then we stop to lower our bike seats at the top of track and go down. Dear god! People ride this? The start is a steep drop to a hairpin to a steep drop. My kids having played here I'm aware that the bush around the drop has bits of rusty metal scattered in it from an old crashed car. It would not be a good place to land.

You stand on your pedals and stick your bum back on downhill tracks. Way back. No, further than that. My tummy's on the seat and I'm trying very hard not to go forwards over the handlebars. Things are okay until I slow for a corner and look down - and down - - and down the tree-root covered track ahead. Uh-uh. Not me. Not this bit. Brains is with me on this and we stop and walk the really hard bits. Even Gordie's not game to try the two big drop-offs on the track either. But we all ride some gnarly track through gorgeous steep bush hills, splashing through streams and down a rock-garden. I come off the back of my bike three or four times trying not to come off the front, sideways twice, and stop to put a foot down innumerable times. Once while going off the back my seat knackers me on the way by. Ooochie. 30 seconds of crouching with bent knees and I'm back on, with sore nads. Good thing I'm standing up on my pedals all the way down.

We do the track in about 25 minutes. The good guys do it in 7. Oh lordie, I've got a lot to work up to. Back up Salvation we take around 20 minutes. The good guys do it in 15. We're well within range of the fitness we need, though couple of months training will help. The skills - especially my skills - need more work.

I've been riding just over 2 weeks, and I've done Deliverance. The serious bikers on-line call it "intermediate" but the city council handouts for average punters call it "expert". I didn't do it with style, grace or speed but that will come. It's huge progress.

I'm very pleased. But I'm also wearing loose-fitting undies and trousers and sitting on an extra cushion.