This starts the highest climb, a 3km grind to the 613m high "Titi," both the mental and physical halfway at Karapoti.

After our epic Sunday a Tuesday ride around Makara sounded like a doddle.

Scott started us off by leading us up the first part of Koru at a cracking pace. We joked about that, but then Brains took over as leader and took off, leaving Gordie behind and me trailing a bit further back. Then Gordie took his turn and hammered Sally Alley at very high speed - but I was last behind Scott so I wasn't completely shattered.

We're now well into Makara's grand loop, going very fast up the hills.

Fair's fair, they decided it was my turn to take the lead for the drop off into the gully and up the next ridge and climb up the other side that is Missing Link. I took the downhill with speed, if not grace. My back wheel only left the ground once. And then I hammered the uphill, leaving the others well back. I felt good.

After a brief rest to catch our breaths we contemplated the last part of the climb, Aratihi.

So I led off at speed. Gordie chased me, Scott and Brains tried to keep sight of us. I went hard and fast up the hill. And more hill. And more hill. Doesn't this track bloody stop?

Aratihi is long. It's half the climb. I'd forgotten that. But I kept going because, well, just because. Gordie says he was going to give up chasing me when a switchback brought me back across above him and he could hear that my breathing was as laboured as his. Finally after thinking a dozen times that the top was just two corners away I had to stop and catch my breath - at which point Gordie caught up and revealed that I really was now just 50 metres from the top. Ah well, we stopped to breath for a bit, and then snunk on before the others two caught up and saw us standing still.

Scott's got very fit - he's a large lad and is carrying too much weight to be the fastest uphiller among us, but he's not the slow-coach up the hills I remember from October. Brains didn't have a great day - I suspect he may have hit the gym for some weight training and tired himself out. Gordie's skilled but a bit off his fitness after a broken rib. But things went very well for me.

Then down Varley's and Zac's track - fun but wierd goat tracks along the hillside. Here the other guys' skills shone and they left me behind - but I took in style switchbacks that would have stopped me dead a while back. And finally out Wahine to Karori Park.

There's no doubt I've a long way to go with the skills, but I'm very pleased with my progress. I've got the basics of balance under control, I'm taking corners cleanly and diving into simple downhill plunges with the confidence that I can pull it together and get back up and out. And on the fitness side I'm rushing up in middle gears slopes that I was grinding up in 1st gear when I started.

I'm back on track.