A new tyre for the GT

I've shouted the GT a new rear Tyre. The Python performed well and even better when Brett convinced me to drop the pressures I was running but a split in the side wall signalled the end was near. Attracted by a 50% off sale I now have a WTB NanoRaptor to guide me safely along the trails.

A long way to the Top

Well this is the first blog of our Sunday rides and also the last for 2009. It was a clear warm morning with the promise of temps in the low 30's. Steve, Tony, David and Rod headed off just after 8 for a ride to help work off the extra pounds we were carrying from too many serves of Christmas pudding. It was a nice casual start up Faugh A Ballagh Rd onto the fence track along Diamond Gully Rd and then we picked up Old Murrays to take us out to the Sandhurst Res. What has become known as Tony's Crossing ( because of his ability to ride a tricky exit out of a gully)got one back this time with Tony nearly going over the bars when his front wheel refused to lift over the tree root waiting at the top.

From the res we followed the extended track on the left hand side of the Coliban Race. A few ks along we intersected a road that we thought would take us in the direction of the Big Hill/Mt Herbert range. We decided to explore to see where it would go but with no intention of climbing all the way to the top of Mt Herbert. We followed the track up hill and then up hill some more before coming out at the fence line on top of the range. To our right we could see a very nasty looking climb to the top of Mt Herbert. Steve was keen to give it a go, Tony and David werent so sure having climbed the Summit Rd to Mt Herbert the previous week and Rod was a bit quiet not having ridden for 5 weeks. On top of that his cranks were a bit loose but after some reassurance from Steve that every thing would be OK we decided to give it a go. The path we chose was to follow a graded fire break with a detour at the start to avoid an unnecessary up and down. There were 2 steep uphills followed by short flatter areas with great views back over the Mandurang Valley before a final steep push to the summit. We all made it to the top but Rod's time off the bike took its toll and he needed a cool drink to recover (see photo).

After a rocky decent along Summit Rd to the res we took the most direct route we could find back Faugh a Ballagh Dam and called it a day.

Distance 41.32kms Pedal time 2 Hrs 26 mins

Welcome

Thanks for dropping in on the SMMTBC blog. We are a bunch of Mountain Bikers who got together because of a shared love of mountain biking. We are based in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia which is blessed to be surrounded by the Greater Bendigo National Park which provides us with a never ending supply of single track, fire trails and dirt roads to ride and enjoy. Its hilly and rocky and you can be in the bush 5 minutes from home. Our "formal" ride takes place each Sunday morning. We normally meet at Tony's and head out for a three hour ride. Where we go is most often decided on the day but sometimes we plan ahead. In 2009 we entered a number of organised events such as local club races, 6 hour enduros and a couple of longer events like the 50 km class at the BMC Classic at Woodend and the National Marathon Championships which were held in Bendigo in 2009.

We dont take ourselves too seriously and we have a lot of fun. Hope to see you in the bush someday.