What goes up must come down

It was a day of highs and lows for Mel on the bike this week. She blitzed all the guys on the tough hill climbs that Steve picked out for us around One Tree Hill but then took a tumble over the bars on a technical rocky descent down the other side. There was a suggestion that the crash occured due to Tony breaking Mel's concentration by talking to her as she tried to negotiate the rock garden but i think the truth lies in a little too much pressure on the front brake.

The scene of the incident

Whatever the cause the end result was a heavy tumble on to some sharp rocks and a cut arm and a corked thigh. Steve applied first aid (a bandaid) and Mel toughed it out on the rest of the ride. We thought that was the end of tale but as the following text quote from Mel explains there was more to the story.

Luckily Steve is trained in first aid

" After I had a shower I checked my arm and the cut looked a bit deep so I thought it wouldn't hurt to go to the hospital just to see if it needed stitches. Well they couldn't stitch it as its in a funny spot and would keep opening up so they glued it and put a friggin' cast on my arm which I have to wear for the next 5 days so it heals properly! I think I should have just left the bandaid on."

Wet and Wild

Queensland might have its theme parks but Mother Nature turned our local MTB trails into a giant adventure playground after more than 4 inches of rain soaked the already drenched Bendigo region in the past couple of days. As it had rained all day Saturday and didnt stop until 5am Sunday morning the chances of a ride werent looking too good but a break in the weather and a late text from Steve was all the encouragement that was needed.

We knew that there had been a lot of rain when we rode past the Quarry Hill oval and there was a dam there that none of us had ever seen before. That wasnt a good sign for what lay ahead on the trails so we made a pact that safety was to take priority over speed today.

To say there was water everywhere is an understatement. Some tracks had turned into rivers and the creek crossings were unrideable. We had to choose our route carefully to avoid the worst affected areas to make sure that we didnt damage the environment while it was in this fragile state. This meant that we rode on a higher % of fire roads than normal and rode some of the trails in reverse.

Mel edges closer to our version of the Niagara Falls

We all ended up very wet by the end of the ride. Brett nearly came to grief in one large puddle and a couple of times we thought we had lost Mel in some of the bigger ones but to her credit she always rode out the other side. You might get a weight advantage riding a small size bike but it means that you are closer to the water when its wet. Steve suggested that if it kept raining we might have to strap a snorkle to her Giant.

All in all it was a lot of fun on the bikes and Mel even had time to ride an old car tyre down one of the wettest sections.

Pump it Up

Who would have thought that you would need a University degree to operate a bike pump. My old Blackburn Mammoth ( a great pump) has been handed down to the next generation of riders so it was time to buy a new one. I did some research on the Internet and decided that the Lezyne pumps were the way to go. They are compact and very light but still deliver a good volume of air to make pumping up your flat tyres less of a chore. So after a visit to the LBS I was a proud owner of a new Lezyne Alloy Drive model. These pumps come with a reversable hose for Presta and Schrader valves which stows inside the handle when you are not using it.

So the first task was remembering what the official name of French valves was so I new what end of the hose to use. With that sorted out I was feeling pretty happy about my new pump when we hit the trails for our weekend ride.

Whilst not wishing a flat tyre on anyone Rod was kind enought to oblige me when he got a pinch flat heading down a rocky section of trail. He pulled out his spare tube and we had the tyre and tube all sorted ready to inflate. However what was to be my moment of glory turned quickly turned sour when I managed to break the top off the valve of the tube as I was attaching the hose. So not only did I have to hand over one of my spare tubes to replace the one I had broken I also had to let one of the other guys use their pump to fix Rod's flat.

So when I got home from the ride that morning the first thing I did was grab out the packaging from my new pump and read up on the correct method for attaching the hose!

ps. I've since used the pump to fix my own flat out on the trail and it worked extremely well.

Steve getting  to know Dave's new pump

Steve Sharp and the curse of the deathly Hardtail

Harry Potter has hit the cinemas again with our hero fighting off more demons and their evil spells. Our spiritual leader Steve has been fighting a demon of his own lately. Keen readers of this blog might recall a nasty incident involving Steve and a log at One Tree Hill (blog date Feb 2010). Well its happened again and just like last time Steve was riding his Scott Hardtail when he got into trouble. A group of us including Steve's son Alexander were riding the Fastaways trail and the conditions were quite slippery due to the high rainfall Bendigo has experienced this year. Brett, Alexander and I managed to safely ride over a fallen log which had a fairly big puddle on the other side of it. I had just finished saying to Brett that it reminded me of the water jump they have in Horse Riding and that I hoped everyone made it over safely when we heard a crash behind us. We backtracked to find Steve off his bike and covered in mud down the entire right side of his body. The damn Hardtail had failed him again but at least there was no blood spilt this time.  The only reason Steve was riding it was because he had let Alexander loose on the Specialized so you could really say it was Alexander's fault that Steve fell off.

Maybe Steve needs to try the latest Harry Potter bicycle

As it turns out that wasnt the only trouble Alexander caused Steve that week. The Sharp boys decided that Alexander should get a tattoo for his 18th Birthday. It would be a way to cement the  father/son bond with Alexander getting some ink done to compliment his Dad's old school tattoo.

Now tattoos are pretty common these days and Alexander was 18 so he didnt officially need his Mum and Dad's permission so with Steve supplying the cash the boys headed off to turn Alexander into a man. The new tattoo was a work of art and the boys were very pleased with themselves but there was one loose end they left undone. To all the young men out there please remember that if you dont tell your Mum before you get it done make sure you tell her before some one else does.

Unfortunately Alexander's Mum found out about the tattoo at a school function when a parent of one of Alexander's friends asked her what she thought of her son's tattoo. How did they know about it you may well ask? Well Alexander was so pleased with his tattoo he put the news up on Facebook to let all his mates in on the news.

Crew member attacked by wild wombat

Due to a variety of excuses from every one else it was left up to Phil to fly the Sunday Morning Crew flag at the Dirtworks 100 held at the Wombat Forest near Woodend on Sunday.

Phil had lifted his training regime to new heights and was feeling quietly confident prior to the event. But we all know that preparation is the key to success and that means checking your equipment as well as doing the necessary kms on the bike.

For reasons known only to Phil he decided that he would take his old glasses to Woodend. Unfortunately his old glasses and his new glasses have slightly different prescriptions which may explain the 3 crashes that Phil had whilst making his way around the course. As a reuslt of one of the crashes Phil managed to crack a rib as well as suffering a few cuts and bruises.  Despite his injuries the thought of a DNF didnt enter Phil's mind and he made it around the entire course. His overall time was very respectable considering the amount of time he spent on the ground.

Phil will be spending the next few weeks off the bike recouperating and we wish him a speedy recovery.

Is that Lavender?

The conditions for our ride on Sunday were the best for 6 months. It was a beautiful clear day, there was very little wind and the sun was providing just the right amount of warming. The lucky riders Ewan, Phil, Brett , Rod and Dave decided that it was the perfect day to take on the Eagle's Nest.

After a bit of a warm up on the tracks linking Golden Square to Kangaroo Flat it was onto Crusoe Res for morning tea, unfortunatley no scones so we had to make do with Gel Packs and bananas.

We set off again knowing that the real climbing was ahead of us but that hopefully the view from the top of the Eagle's Nest would make it all worthwhile. Everyone made the climb to the fenceline without any dramas but we were all in for a bit of shock as we headed onto the track along the top of the Big Hill Range towards the trig point. The rolling green hills were vividly contrasted by the brilliant blue sky and an amazing display of purple wildflowers. Well  I think they were considered flowers in Portugal where it come from but over here
Echium plantagineum is better known as Paterson's Curse or Salvation Jane for those of you from SA and its a weed. It was introduced from Portugal in the mid 19th Century but now it has inhabited a lot of farming land throughout Victoria, NSW and SA.

Its recovered very well from the drought and there is an impressive crop growing all over the hills with only our skinny little bike track left with nothing growing on it. The crop was a good metre high in places and it was quite surreal riding through it. But soon enough the mind was back on the job as we hurtled down the hills, momentarily keeping pace with the kangaroos before taking on the steep climb to the trig point.

The quality of the attached video which was meant to be a picture explains why we are looking for a new photographer for the Crew
After a moment to take in the view it was onto the thrilling decent towards Crusoe. This is one of the best bits of track around Bendigo and as long as you remember to brake a little to take off some speed before you hit the small wooded section then you should arrive safely at the bottom. Its a decent that you want to do more than once but unfortunately there is no chair lift so the only way back to the top involves a hard slog on foot or on the bike so once was enough today.

Staff Vacancy

The Sunday Morning Crew have a great job going for a team photographer. No experience is needed and all equipment is supplied (the editors $68 Harvey Norman digital camera). All you need to be able to do is remember to take photos while you are out on the track rather than at the coffee shop and be able to switch between movie mode and still shots.

Send in your resume now, no references needed and the job can be yours.

Beeripmo We Love You

The big day had finally arrived, we were off to Mt Cole and the Beeripmo Track. Except it very nearly wasnt on when Tony discovered late in the week that the Mt Buangor State Park which houses part of the track was closed due to damage caused by last years bushfires. The Park wasnt due to reopen until the end of October but we couldnt wait that long because if it got too warm the snakes would be on the move and mountain biking can be tricky enough without having to dodge sticks that wriggle and bite. We reminded ourselves that it was adventure we were looking for so riding through a park that was closed would only add to the adventure we thought. So the trip was back on with Steve (tour leader), Tony, Phil, Mel and Dave (me) making up the expedition team. The Bradleys had opted out of this trip mentioning something about a guy called Cadel  racing in Geelong for a rainbow jersey, sounds lame to me.

Steve has talked about Mt Cole for quite some time now telling us how good it was to ride (apart from the snakes and the european wasps - ask Roz about the trouble they can cause) so those of us who hadnt been there before we expecting it to be a special place.  We left Bendigo at 8am (7 really because it was the first day of daylight savings) and headed west through Maryborough and Avoca to the Richards campground which was our starting point for the ride. It was a beautiful sunny day, about 20 degrees and not too much wind, perfect riding weather. The only thing that had us worried was the amount of fallen trees on the side of the road as we drove in and the large group of motor bike riders at the campsite up the road.

As we were getting ready for our ride we chatted to a few campers who confirmed that there were in fact quite a few trees down on the track which we wouldnt be able to ride over. Steve had already warned us that there was a bit of walking and bike carrying involved in completing this trek but it sounded like this time around it might be more than a bit.


We left Richards full of excitment about what lay ahead and started climbing. The track is 17kms in length with the first 2/3rds climbing and the last 1/3rd a decent to reward you for all the climbing. We warmed up quickly after the first hill and headed towards Raglan Falls which was about a km ahead. It didnt take long for us to encounter our first fallen tree and this was to be a bit of a pattern for the day. It was only the size of the trees that varied and the tactics that we had to use to get over them. On the way to Raglan Falls we passed some hikers coming down who seemed a bit offended that we were taking our bikes on their walking track.



Dave and Tony celebrating the first checkpoint at Raglan Falls



It was on the next section to Cave Hill that Mt Cole bared its teeth for the first time. Apart from the large fallen trees we had to make our way around, under or over,  the track was littered with sticks, bark and leaves that was attracted to our wheels on a regular basis. So it was important to keep your wits about you and your fingers crossed that you were able to stop quickly enough as soon as you heard or felt a stick in your wheel. Unfortunatley for Mel one stick that got in her wheel broke one of the most important pieces of equipement on a bike, the rear derailleur hanger. Now I remember this one time at MTB camp when Brett reminded us all that we should carry a spare hanger with us. Tony and I heeded this advice but that was when I had the GT and I havent got one for the Felt yet. Alas Mel and Phil werent around when Brett gave us those words of wisdom so the only hanger we had was Tony's which although Mel and Tony both ride Giants wouldnt fit Mels bike. So with heavy hearts we left Mel to follow the breadcrumbs that had fallen out of Tony's picnic lunch back to Richards campground. That left four of us to compelte the journey. It was almost three as Phil was attacked by a blood sucking leech the size of his finger, well it was at least a cm long anyway. He gave us a great impression of some break dancing as he tried to remove it and only succeeded in flicking it from one leg to the other. He eventually got it off but not before he was left with a bloody scar to show for it.



Tony making his way under one of the fallen trees on the way to Cave Hill



It was on the way to Cave Hill that we crossed over from the Mt Cole State Forest to the Mt Buangor State Park which as I mentioned was still closed but due to reopen soon. The damage from the fires was clear to see so we made sure to stay on the track so we didnt damage any of the regrowth which was well underway. Luckily DSE had replaced all the directional sign posts along the track so we had no problems navigating our way.

The views from Cave Hill were spectacular and even more so because the canopy of trees had been reduced by the fire. We stopped here to admire a number of Eagles majestically flying below us before enjoying a short but very enjoyable decent before the climbing started again as we headed for The Sugarloaf. 



The view from Cave Hill looking towards Mt Langi Ghiran and the Grampians



There was a fair bit of climbing to reach the top of The Sugarloaf and we stopped along the way to have some food and to answer the call of nature. We continued to fight our way past fallen trees and then  entered a tough walking/carrying bike section near Dawson Rock. Steve had recollections of some stone steps that led up a hill and he was right. This section provided a full body work out carrying our bikes for a few hundred metres up a steep track. But we were driven on by the knowledge that each step brought us closer to the flowing decent near the end of our ride.

On the way between The Sugarloaf and Dawson Rock we passed through the official Beeripmo Camping ground which is used by walkers as the overnight stay when the tackle the complete walk in 2 days. Shortly after we came upon the Mugwamp camping ground and this is where we had our first puncture of the day. We were enjoying a sweet decent when Phil went pop or at least his back tyre did. We fixed this and shortly after officially commenced the decent along Long Gully.

Although the fallen timber made the decent a little stop and start it was impossible not to enjoy this part of the ride. At one stage we had sheer drops on our left hand side as we wound our way down the hill. As much as it was tempting to take in the view it wasnt advisable whilst your bike was moving as full concentration was needed on the track ahead. At another point we were in a lush green valley that reminded me of riding through the fernery at Rosalind Park. It was here that Steve and Phil shared a special bonding moment as they fixed their flat tyres together.


Fixing flats in Long Gully. Doesnt look like the Long Gully we know


We could almost smell the barbie that we hoped Mel had cooking for us as we closed in on the finish. Steve who had a done a ton of work at the head of the peleton hadnt put a foot wrong all day but one final tree changed all that. As he attempted to cross the fallen branch the tree refused to let him go without the password. There was a moment of elasticity as Steve pulled against the force of the branch but then it became too much and he was shot backwards and off his bike as nature showed that man is no match for the power of the forest. The good news is that Steve completed the last 700 metres on his bike and we all made a triumphant entry back into the Richards campground to the surpise of the family group enjoying their picnic.

We woke Mel from her slumber in the car and packed our gear and headed for the Avoca bakery to feed our hungry bodies.

As Bill and Ted once said this was an excellent adventure.  Along the way we had some mechanicals, we had some spills but no one died and we enjoyed a great time outdoors even if there was no gold!

All in all it was a great day and Steve was right it is a magical place and we didnt see one snake all day.


Distance 17 kms
Time 4 hours 29 minutes

Spring has Sprung

This week's ride provided our first taste of warmer weather which was very enjoyable. It was very nice to go riding without so many bits of gear on and get some Vitamin D on the body.

We decided to do the old and new Murrays and keep it simple this week. Still some sticky sections but drying out nicely.

Steve managed to avoid a couple of close calls on the track but Phil wasnt so lucky and had a crash but luckily without any damage.

There are no photos this week as the photographer was too tired and emotional after the draw in the Grand Final. Actually he was planning on putting up a photo of Mick Malthouse and Nick Maxwell holding up the cup but that will have to wait until next week.

This Sunday is the trip to Mt Cole and some real mountain biking. The weather forecast is for 23 and sunny so it should be a great day for riding.

Changing Seasons

Riding conditions improved again this week. The weather was a touch warmer, the trails are drying out, the magpies were singing and the wattle is out in all its glory. However there were still a few reminders of the big wet we have experienced this year and Brett found one of the best ones when he strayed a little off line in a corner.

Brett stuck in a bog while Steve navigates a way around on foot

Mel has been inspired by her improved bike set up and gone hard on the training this week, maybe a little too hard so she took a breather at the Res while the rest of us completed the fastways section of the track. It took us a little longer than we thought with a stop for a puncture and a couple of happy snaps. Mel is also keen on lifting her fitness before the arrival of her new bike which should be any day now.

Talking of new arrivals, congratulations to Ewan who is a proud dad again following the birth of his third daughter  Emmaline.

Proud Dad Ewan showing Steve the way through the mud

After many weeks of no punctures, we ended up with a total of 3 for the day, 2 for Rod and one for me. Mine was as a result of picking up a nail  in sight of the coffee shop so I decided to run the last few hundred metres and order my coffee before I fixed my bike.

One week until the Beeripmo trip but before that there is a grand final to win. Go Pies!

The More the Merrier

The turn out for this weeks ride set a new record. We had 8 people on the ride with only Roz missing with a cold and Alexander busy planning his 18th birthday party. Rod returned from his winter hibernation to join in which was reason enough for Steve to point us in the direction of One Tree Hill. We made our way there via the track along side the water race. This is a technically challenging track, tight in places and with many odd shaped rocks jutting out in unusaul postions. There were more than normal the amount of branches and shrubs overhanging the track after the recent heavy rain and quite a few spots where we had to dismount and walk over an obstacle. After the water race it was time for a few hills. It has become a bit of a tradition to reward Rod with some testing hill climbs any time he returns from an extended lay off from the bike. Despite some tough climbing we couldnt wipe the smile off Rod's face.

Steve has named Sunday 3rd October as the date for our assault on the Berripmo Track at Mt Cole (see link above for details). Mt Cole is halfway between Avoca and Ararat and as the name would suggest invovles some climbing. So there will need to be a lift in the intensity of everyone's training to be fit enough to take on that challenge.

Here's a photo of our new larger group. Tony was worried that I had missed him out of the photo so he made me take another one but he had no need to be concerned as he was there all the time.





It FELT like the right time for a change

After being a devoted member of the GT family for the past 5 years GT and I have decided to go our seperate ways. GT got me into mountain biking and have provided me with many hours of fun and exercise (as well as a couple of big crashes) and I will always have a soft spot for them. But from the time I first laid eyes on the Felt Virtue I knew that one day I would get one. That moment finally arrived when I was surfing the net and saw an offer for a runout model too good to refuse. After a quick test ride at the bike shop I was sold and then it was just a matter of checking with the finance minister and the deal was done. The guys at "My Mountain" offer great service and do a full measure up and bike fit to make sure you are in a comfortable and efficient riding position so you can take full advantage of your new bike. The other bonus is that there are some good looking guys who work in the shop. So get in and check out them and the bikes.

I have taken it easy on my first few rides but early impressions have been very positive. The Felt is lighter than the GT which is one of my criteria that has to be met whenever I upgrade. It also has a full XT groupset and Shimano brakes. The GT had a front rotor the size of the moon so I am feeling a little down on braking power at the moment but the Shimano devotees in the crew assure me that I will be satisfied as soon as they bed in properly.

The Felt showing it is ready to take on anything the trails can put in its way

So now Phil is the only GT man left in the crew and there are rumours about  that he may be switching brands in the near future as well. We will just have to wait and see but for now we can add the Felt name to Giant, Specialized and GT as bike brands endorsed by the Sunday Morning Crew team riders.

A very wet end to Winter

Earlier in the week we were greeted with the news that the Golden Triange Epic had been postponed due to wet weather which came as a bit of a surprise. We had been riding every week and whilst there had been a few wet mornings and a few puddles to navigate it had never been a case of thinking these tracks are unrideable. That was until this Sunday. We decided to do our normal route out along Murrays and pick up the Fastways. It was as we were going along Murrays in the section before the 5 ways crossing that it became quite clear that sending 200 bikes along the trail would turn it into giant bog hole. And if the track here was this water logged I would hate to think what the track at the bottom of Brian's paddock would be like. It was wet enough last year and that's when we were still in the grip of a severe drought.

Brett navigating a particularly wet section

However the good news was that there were really only a couple of nasty spots were the water came near the hubs of our wheels and our small group of riders could make it through without getting off and walking. Did I say small group? There were actually six of us which was the best turn up for sometime. Only Roz and Rod couldnt make it out from the regular crew and our fame is continuing to grow as we were joined by another new rider Mel. Steve knew Mel from riding many years ago and after spending some time on her roadie she is keen to get back into the MTB scene. We caught up with her at the Castlemaine Enduro and invited her out for a ride so hopefully she enjoyed herself and Roz wont have to be the only lady in the crew anymore.

Taking a breather beside
the Coliban Water Race

Castlemaine Enduro - The Race

After some in depth team discussions it was decided Brett was to be the lead out guy for NJR (Roz was coming down later with Gus and Steve was busy keeping the Team Manager warm). Tony bravely offered to do the same for SMC after Phil appealled for a little more time to get reacquainted with his old bike. Tony's offer was accepted on the proviso that he promised to come back within an hour.

Despite a lack of serious kms in training, sleep and motivation NJR claimed third place in the mixed class for the second year in a row and this time it wasnt as a result of a mistake in the timing hut. The team combined well and despite being a lap down on second place at the end it had been a close tussle over the course of the 6 hours. Brett completed a consistent 4 lap effort and almost got back in time to let Steve get another lap in, Roz improved her first lap time by nearly  3 mins the second time around and Steve keep up a steady pace on his two laps as well.  The team was keen to impress with the Owner/Manager in attendance and no one left disappointed. All in all the future looks bright for NJR.

The boys at SMC finished up ninth overall but only missed out on 7th place by 90 seconds. That was the amount of time they missed the cutoff by to go out on an extra lap. Phil hit the wall on the final lap but blood tests later revealed he was in the early stages of a particularly nasty virus which had him off work sick for the next two days. Tony kept his promise and put in  a very respectable first lap which is  always going to include some delays when a large group of riders head out on a tight track. Unless you are in the elite group at the front of the pack you have to expect some traffic jams out on course. We all know Tony is a climbing machine and we could tell he was having a go based on the speed he carried up the hlll through the transistion area at the 6km  mark of each lap. Tony got faster each lap and saved his best till last setting  the fastest lap time of all the NJR/SMC riders with a very nice time of 41.14. He didnt quite break the 40 minute barrier but it was still a great effort. He was even too fast for the camera.

I wasnt far behind Tony with a 41.38 and a second lap under 42 as well. I was keen for a third lap despite breaking my riding glasses but it wasnt to be so there should be some more petrol in the tank for the final training ride before the Golden Triange Epic on Sept. 5th

Everyone is looking forward to this years epic as the event will be run on some familiar territory with one of our regular training rides making up part of the course. So the out of towners better watch out for the SMC.

Castlemaine 6 Hour Enduro - Preparing for the start!

The riders from the Sunday Morning Crew and Naughty Jills Racing were coming off a limited preparation for the 2010 Castlemaine Enduro but were still confident of a good showing. However their confidence was dealt a bit of a blow after a series of mechanical issues arose in the 24 hours before the race. First of all Phil discovered a crack in the frame of his GT whilst doing his pre-race service,. This made his bike unrideable and he had to switch to his back up bike, a v-brake fitted Gary Fisher. Then Steve and Brett had brake issues (lucky for Roz her brake pads dont fit Brett's bike) then my ever reliable GT developed a creak that could be heard the whole way around the track. Luckily Paul from Bendigo Cycles had a special tool on hand to tighten up one of the linkages which reduced the problem. The only advantage to the creaking was that I didnt have to yell out track when I came up behind some one because they could hear me coming.

Tony had no problems with the Giant but he did have a little mishap on the track on Saturday. Tony and I ventured down the day before to register and do a sighting lap to see what changes had been made to the course. It seemed like a good idea at the time and we were enjoying a leisurely pedal around until we came upon the first A/B line junction. Tony had ridden the A lines last year so had no problem tackling the drop off. I decided that discretion was the better part of valour and took the B line. However less than 100 metres after riding the drop off without a care in the world Tony made a meal of a slight uphill rock garden and hit the ground hard with a very sore elbow and some gravel rash on his leg to show for his over confidence. It just so happens it was the exact same spot I caused a traffice jam on the opening lap of last years event when I went over the bars. So the moral to the story is that it doenst matter how small the hazard is, if your technique is wrong you can end up eating dirt. 

New members for the Crew

It gives me great pleasure to announce that Phillip Souter and Alexander Sharp have been accepted as full members of the Sunday Morning Crew. Phil has already competed one 6 Hr event under the SMC banner and after surviving todays final test which invovled a tricky mud section he is ready to take his place amongst the elite.

New member Phil looking pleased with himself after hearing his application was accepted

Alexander who is the son of our spiritual leader Steve (this honour is based on age and Steve's the oldest) will head up the SMC Downhill division (MTB and Skiing). Although downhill racing is his first love he's pretty handy on a hardtail too. As well as sharing his dad's passion for MTB he also shares his dad's keen eye for the ladies so lock up your daughters when he's around.

Alexander getting it sideways

Blessed in Bendigo

Sometimes its easy to forget how good it is for Mountain Bikers who live in Bendigo. We have such a great variety of trails that can be ridden in all conditions within 5-10 minutes of the centre of town. Where else would it be possible to enjoy a very pleasant morning on the bike when rain was still falling at 6.30am and gale and hail warnings were in place. We hit the tracks around One Tree Hill at 9.00am with one eye on the sky and the other on the track ahead but we needn't have worried because it didn't rain on us and the sun even came out a few times. It was like the weather gods were smiling on us or maybe it was the good vibes from the Jehovah Witness convention being held in town. Although there were a couple of spots where traction was at a premium (try sliding sideways down Bruce's Hill), generally the rocky trails of One Tree Hill generally offered plenty of grip. That's not to say that we didn't come home covered in mud but that's half the fun of riding in winter.

 

 
 
Ride Time: 1 Hour 30 minutes


Distance: 22kms

Exploring Nightcap National Park

I've decided that whenever I take a holiday I am going to include a ride on my list of things to do. I recently found myself in Byron Bay for a 5 day yoga retreat and fortunately had googled "Byron Bay mountain bike riding' before I left home so I knew there was a company that offered tours in the area. I gave them a call when I got to Byron and found out that they had a ride going the next morning at 8.00am. Seeing that yoga had been starting at 6.30am I was ready and waiting when my guide arrvied to pick me up. It turned out that my guide, Braden, was also the owner of the business. He was a Kiwi who came over to Aus for a while and hasnt left. He asked for a job at the tour company and the owner sold him the business. He is a very fit, easy going and a good guide. We headed into town and picked up the other customers who were two guys from Sydney who had very little riding experience.

We headed out of town and up into the hills above Byron and made our way towards the Nightcap National Park. On the way up we had to do our good deed for the day and jump start a car load of young hippies whose old falcon had called it a day. We had them going again in  a few minutes but nearly undid all our good work when our bike trailer nearly took the back door off their car. Oh well, would have served them right for not having a Kombi.

The park is situated about 40 minutes inland from Byron between Murwillumbah to the north-east and Lismore to the south. It encompasses 8,145 hectares of the Nightcap Range and adjoins Whian Whian State Forest. Spectacular features such as waterfalls play an important part in shaping the natural environment. The precipitous drop of Minyon Falls is the dramatic result of thousands of years of erosion and was the starting point for our ride.

We were riding Norco hardtails which were in pretty good condition but I only had sandshoes on and the bike had flat pedals so it was back to the old days before clipless pedals as we headed up into the

Rain Forest. We travelled on a mixture of fire roads that the general public arent allowed to drive on and some neat single track. Unfortunatley it had been raining a lot in recent days so the tracks were very wet, especially on the single track sections. On the positive side the creeks were all running strongly which added to the serenity of the place. We made our way up to one of the creeks that provide the Byron water supply and had morning tea. Then we followed a few more tracks, including one nasty climb back to the top of the water fall but on the other side. We used some well placed stepping stones to get across and enjoyed a healthy lunch.

From here we made a fast decent down a  dirt fire road which joined back onto the main road and brought us out at near Repentance Creek.

I would recommend this ride to anyone holidaying in the Byron area. I would love to come back one time and do the 3 Parks in 3 days ride.

Sunday Arvo Crew

The Sunday Morning Crew became the Sunday Arvo Crew this weekend. It had rained a lot on Saturday as well as being very windy so the decision was made to delay our ride till the afternoon in the hope of finding some more favourable conditions. It wasnt raining but it was still overcast when Tony and I hit the trails. We were joined by Ewan who had bravely decided to back up after his tough initiation at the Pinies. We thought it was best to keep it simple due to the small amount of daylight left and the wet nature of the trails. So it was agreed that we would do a run out and back on Murray's track. As expected the tracks were wet and slippery and a lot of fun. All three of us had our sideways moments but we all stayed upright.

There was mud everywhere by the time we had finished but that's what washing machines are for although the hose was good enough for these shoes.

Pinies Pudding

How do you make Pinies Pudding? Just take 120 or so MTB riders, throw in a healthy serving of rocks, roots and mud and mix it all together.The 3rd InterWinter series event was run at Castlemaine on Sunday on a challenging course full of lots of short sharp rises and descents, plenty of slippery roots and rocks and sticky mud that made it feel at times like you were pedalling through wet cement.

Brett, Roz and David made the trip south to take on the course and uphold the honour of the Sunday Morning Crew. We were joined by Ewan who has been spending more time on the Roadie than his MTB of late and thought he might take up our offer to join us on our Sunday morning rides. 

The guys entered the 3 lap event (7.5km lap) and Roz was in the 2 lap race but the pace was on early in all events with a mass sprint up the fire road until the first section of single track spread things out a bit.

There were lots of technical sections and the secret to a good time
 (having fun and on the clock) was to keep up a steady pace
 (As Steve says - momentum is your friend). Go too slow and you were in danger of slipping off the track.

Brett pumped out some consistent times over his 3 laps and Roz did well in the 2 lapper. Ewan decided that 2 laps was enough for him as well but I decided that I may as well get my monies worth and do the third lap. After the first hill section I was doubting my decision but the comradarie of mountain biking helped get me through. As I was slowly making my way up one of the fire road climbs I heard a faster rider coming up behind me. I was waiting for him to flash past me but instead I felt a hand in the middle of my back as he effortlessly pushed me up the hill. I thanked him several times as we made it to the top of the rise before he disappeared into the pine forest never to be seen again. Was it a fellow competitior or an angel on a bike? I guess I will never know but it sure helped me get around the course just in time for the presentations.

It was a tough gig but well worth it. Brett has suggested a Sunday Morning Crew trip back to the Pinies one weekend which sounds like a great idea, especially if we wait till its a little warmer.

Thanks to Stephen Rowe photos for the happy snaps.

Exploring Mt Herbert

It had been a wet week in Bendigo and on top of that the temperature was still below zero at 8am and there was a heavy frost on the ground. Maybe that's why only Tony and David ventured onto the trails for a ride. Steve said he wasn't afraid of the cold but he had a sore back. It looks like Naughty Jill will have to give her most experienced rider another lesson in stretching to avoid any further injuries.

The decision was made to take on Mt Herbert and then look for a new way down the other side hopefully finding a few new tracks we hadn't ridden before. With that in mind we took the most direct route out to Sandhurst Res sticking to the Great Dividing Trail most of the way. This also allowed us to avoid some of the more muddy parts of Murrays. We passed a few solo riders heading the other way as we enjoyed the crisp morning air. When we got to the Water Race crossing there was more water than we have ever seen so there was no thought of riding through so we made good use of the nearby bridge.

We took on Mt Herbert by Summit Rd which climbs steadily until you reach the fence line at Big Hill before the final steep section to the top. We both felt like stopping on the way up but the thought that walking would be harder than riding compelled us to keep going.

After a quick breather and a chance to take in the postcard like scenery we took off in search of uncharted waters. We followed the fence line towards Mt Alexander for a short distance ignoring the first track to the left before agreeing that the next one was the one for us. We rolled to the top of the steep descent at which point our survival skills kicked in and we dismounted to walk down the extremely steep and rocky first 100 metres. As we remounted we could see that our chosen track appeared to remain steep and rocky for some distance and it looked like there was a more welcoming single track down along a ridge line to our left so we headed in that direction.

This turned out to be a wise decision as this track was good to ride and heading us in the general direction we wanted to go. It was still a challenge but fun at the same time which is all you can ask for. The single track went on for a fair way and at one point we had a wallaby for a trail guide as he criss crossed the track in front of us. We intersected with a fire road which we continued along wondering where it would take us. As it turned out it delivered us back to familiar territory at the rear of Sandhurst Res.

As we had already ridden the Great Dividing Trail on the way out we headed onto old Murray's for the run home. As we expected the trail was muddy and slippery which made it important to keep your wits about you. All the random bush dams we passed along the way were impressively full which confirmed the fact that Bendigo had recieved a good drenching which should stop the Kangaroos getting thirsty for a long time.

We emerged from the bush near Spring Gully Reservoir and took a nice roll along the creek back to Spencers to discover that some renos had been made since we last visited. The old bike rack has gone and has been replaced by the fancy chrome arches and the bin has been relocated closer to the shop. I guess the bike rack has gone because it didnt suit the fancy road bike wheels and the bin must have been moved for safety reasons after Tony nearly took it out when he miscalculated his kerb hop a few months back.

Ride time 2 hrs 15 mins
Distance 34 kms

Hope to see you at Castlemaine next week for Round 3 of the InterWinter series.

Eagles Nest in Reverse

After the long fast ride through the Wellsford Forest last week we decided to change things around a bit for this week's ride. We started off exploring some trails around the old mining area of Specimen Hill which has a fair bit of sharp slate and quartz lying around. This resulted in our first flat in quite a few weeks with Phil slicing a nice gash in his rear tyre.

Not wanting to get any more flats we headed off towards the tracks of Maiden Gully. Phil led us on tour of his home turf which ended with a nice flowing down hill run back onto the main Kangaroo Flat/Maiden Gully road.

We then made the decison that we should try the Eagles Nest in reverse. Well it seemed like a good idea at the time. Its not always easy finding your way along tracks even when you know them quite well in the normal direction. But after a few false starts we made our way to the start of the climb. After making the climb in this manner its easy to see why you pick up so much speed when you make the descent coming the other way. The first two sections of the climb were very steep before settling in to a more steady but still challenging push to the top. The view from the Eagles Nest is always spectacular and today was no different apart from the added bonus of no wind (a first for all of us).

After completing the up and down ride across the ridge line towards the highway it was time to enjoy the good times as we headed down the the side of Big Hill at high speed weaving our way amongst the trees whilst at the same time keeping an eye out for any unsuspecting Kangaroos that might stray into our path.

After a quick sprint along the gas pipeline road it was a casual roll into Kangaroo Flat for a well earned coffee and custard tart from Garlands (makers of the best custard tarts in Bendigo).

Ride time 2 hours 16mins

Distance 35.6kms

Love or Hate Wellsford?

Its always hard to know with the Wellsford, do I love or hate this ride. Its a great measure of how fit you are because there is no respite from pedalling. It has a high average speed and no extremes from climbs or down hill runs. On the negative side the terrain all looks the same so you have no idea where you are and its only the speedo and the ache in your legs that confirms how much work you have done. And all the time you have to be on the look out for the infamous Wellsford stumps. They hide just off the perfect line waiting to strike at the tired/lazy rider who veers slightly to the left or to the right and if you manage to avoid the stumps you better take care from the fully grown trees that line the track. You need to watch out for the sticks as well as they grow them big out here (nice pose Steve), probably because of the left overs from the firewood collecting that goes on during Winter.

The Wellsford messes with your head, it takes you through different stages where you think you are totally spent and then a few kms later you are back in the groove keeping up a steady pace. You might even get the feeling that you have nailed the berms and find yourself smiling from ear to ear knowing that you are in the groove and pushing a little harder between each corner satisfied in knowing that your fitness has improved after challenging the Wellsford.

Ride time 2 hrs 55mins

Distance 59kms

Racing Roz Returns

There was a big crew out for this week's ride. The usual suspects were there in Tony, Steve, Brett and David as well as Phil who is starting to become a regular and may soon be ready to face his initiation test to become a fully fledged crew member and last but by no means least Roz, who is right back in the swing of things with a serious training regime and keen to join in the fun on our official Sunday morning crew rides.



The decision was made to head out our most popular route from Diamond Hill taking in Murray's track and the Fastaways extension and returning along the Great Dividing Trail to Spencers.

It was a very pleasant morning for a ride and the tracks were in great condition having packed down well after the rain of a couple of weeks ago. However there was a big shock instore for us when we got to Tony's/Steve's crossing. Someone had decided to smooth out the exit thereby removing any test of skill to ride it. Having said that the first bloke in our Crew to ride the extreme version was the one who got the angle wrong this morning and almost did a back flip into the gully.


The only other drama on the trail was a broken spoke for Phil and some fine tuning of my forks by Steve to get the rebound right after they were serviced at the LBS.

Roz showed that she can multi task by taking her own photo while riding along so we may have found the new photographer in the Crew and we can look forward to more photos on the trail rather than at Spencers.

Ride distance 40 kms.

Carbon is Back

Well after a longer wait than anyone expected the new Carbon frame (warranty claim) has arrived and is back on the GT. It has a different weave and is a much darker color than the original. But the best thing is that he has a drink bottle holder under the top bar so no more drink bottles covered in mud.

I also shouted the GT a fork service and a new set of grips so look out next Sunday.

Farewell old Friend

The great news is that the replacement frame for the GT has arrived in the bike shop and will be fitted this week. So its a fond farewell to my loaner Marathon frame which has served me well. Hopefully it will come to the rescue of some other rider in the near future.

Puddles of Fun

The Bendigo area has been getting its fair share of rain in 2010 but May had been very dry until this week when we recieved more than 50mls. So mud and puddles were on the agenda for Steve, Tony, Brett and David when they headed out for the Sunday morning blast. Tony was still nursing a few sore bits from his crash last week but apart from that everyone was in good spirits.

We had run extra air in the back tyre to suit the Bendigo 6 Hr circuit last week but that wasnt a good match for the slippery tracks we were about to tackle so some quick deflating of tyres was in order.

We headed out via the Salomon Gully track towards Diamond Hill and hooked up with Murrays track for the journey to Sandhurst Reservoir. We have previously featured Tony's Crossing which was named in Tony's honour as he was the first to ride this tough entry and exit through a gully on Murray's track. Well it appears that some other riders have also had trouble with this gully because the exit has been remodelled with some well placed rocks to make it more rideable. Well it certainly is for Steve who has no trouble with this piece of track now but unfortunately the renovations arent to Tony's liking as he has been unable to complete the exit since the changes were made. So Tony's Crossing has been renamed Steve Crossing until Tony can remaster it.

Although we ride mountain bikes that are designed for going in the dirt its not ideal to ride through every puddle as you never know how deep they are and giving your bottom bracket a wash with muddy water is best avoided. However it was an attempt to miss a puddle on the outside of a corner that caused the first crash of the day. I could have ridden through the puddle which looked pretty shallow but I thought I would just steer a bit more to the left to miss it but the front wheel didnt agree with the angle I put it on and the next thing I knew I was almost in a kneeling position next to my bike as I lost the front end. The good news was that apart from a muddy knee the only damage was a small tear in my new knee warmers.

The second crash of the day belonged to Tony and this came right at the half way mark of our ride. Tony was leading and just heading down to the Channel crossing. There was a bit of a wash out on the left hand side and although he was only going slowly its probably best not to wipe your nose with your hanky as you tackle this section of track. The better line is on the right but Tony was on the left and got caught on a shrub sticking out which temporarily snagged him before releasing him off balance down the drop off which resulted in Tony heading over the bars.

It was a bit of a hard landing and right on the damaged knee from the week before. But with a few minutes to gather his thoughts and his breath Tony was back into it like nothing had happened.The good news was that the rest of the ride was pretty uneventful.

Distance 41kms

Time 2 Hours 15mins

Success at the six hour

The Sunday Morning Crew took on the Bendigo 6 Hour event on the 23rd May. It was a perfect day for a 6 hour event, brilliant sunshine, nice and warm in the sun and very little wind.

Brett, Ros and Steve raced under the newly formed Naughty Jills Racing Team Banner and combined brilliantly to come home in 1st place in the Mixed triples class. Tony, David and Phil joined forces to debut the Sunday Morning Crew name in an official event in the Men's triples and come 8th out of 11 which was a good result considering a less than ideal start to the race.

It was a pretty close tussle in the mixed event for the first 6 laps but the class of the NJRT came to the top after that and thanks to another quick lap from Brett near the end the result was never in doubt. Ros was very disappointed at not being able to go out and complete an extra lap but it wasnt needed and the guys ended up in first place with a buffer of 9 minutes over the 2nd placed team.

It was a slightly different story for the boys in the other team. Tony headed off in a confident manner and controlled his natural urges to go out hard, settling into a nice rythym in the first few kms however his lap was derailed by a flat tyre and a faulty pump. Phil and I went through a range of emotions waiting for him to arrive in transistion. First of all we were excited wondering how close to Brett he would be, then we were confused as housewives and school kids crossed the finishing line with still no sign of Tony and then we were worried when we realised that every one and I mean every one had been through and that we were officially in last place. We were thinking of all the bad things that could have happended when Tony appeared in the distance and rode his way towards the transition area. He appeared to riding OK as he approached the final corner, maybe a little too fast, maybe with too tight a line but for some reason he ended up on lying on the ground in sight of the finishing line as a result of his front wheel losing grip. Covered in blood and dust he remounted and made it across the line. After a one hour first lap our challenge for the day was to make sure that each of us could fit in 3 laps for the day which we achieved. Phil rode very consistently and did 3 very close lap times and Tony recovered very well from his 1st lap disaster to do a really good last lap.

Overall it was a really enjoyable day and we are all looking forward to our next team event which looks like being the Castlemaine 6 hr in August.

Last Chance Training

Well the Bendigo 6 Hr is on next weekend so a few of us took advantage of a beautiful Autumn morning to get some last chance training in before the event. Tony and David will be joined by Phil (who is a new inductee to the Sunday Morning Crew) in a 3 man team while Steve, Brett and Ros will make up a very handy mixed combination. Brett was baby sitting and Ros had headed off to Woodend for the first race in the InterWinter series so it was left to David, Tony, Phil and Steve to hit the trails. That's Phil on left of the photo, Tony in the middle and Steve on the right looking resplendent in his new Specialized top.

We headed out to the Spring Gully shop and out Murray's to the Sandhurst Res and did the first section of Fastaways to the first road intersection. We decided we needed some hill work so we turned off here and headed towards Mt Herbert. There is a bit of tough climbing to make it to the fenceline at Big Hill before you actually get to tackle Mt Herbert itself. We decided to take the access road on the Melbourne side of the fence to the top. Its a smoother track but still very steep. There are a couple of spots for a breather on the way up and some magnificent views if you care to stop and look. But as appealing as the view was the thought of having to start the climbing again was enough reason to push on for the summit with just a quick glance across Bendigo. Tony showed his love of hills again as he made it look easy and was well rested by the time all of us made it to the summit.

We tried a spot of Paddy Melon ten pin bowling at the top. There was enough of them lying around on the ground to keep Bear Grylls going for a year but as we werent starving to death we decided to try rolling them down the hill to the Kangaroos resting at the clearing below. Well the Kangaroos had nothing to worry about because none of us did very well. Some stopped early, Steve managed to pick out the only stump in sight and the rest exploded against some invisible rocks and flew into the air in a million pieces.

After all that fun we decided it was time to get back on the bikes and head back to town. We managed the rocky descent of Mt Herbert Rd without any incidents and followed the Great Dividing Trail back to Diamond Hill. My GT had developed a new rattle along the fence track so when we stopped to text Brett to meet us for coffee I gave my bike a quick once over and found that the rear brake assembly had come loose. Another timely reminder to give your bike a once over before you head out to ride.

Its all in the finish

A diver can do the best triple somersault ever but if they mess up the entry to the pool they wont score well. The same goes for a gymast on the uneven bars, if they dont stick the landing it's all over as far as the medals go. In Mountain Bike riding you can ride hard for hours on the tricky single track and even be the pace setter for the guys hard on your tail but if you cant mono the front wheel over the kerb outside of the coffee shop then all your hard work has been wasted. Alas that's how it was for our Tony on Sunday morning. We did our favorite ride from Diamond Hill to Sandhurst Res along Murray's track and then the Fastaways extension and back home. Tony came out of his driveway fast and didnt slacken off until we had the coffee shop in sight. We were so close we could smell the coffee. All that was needed was a little lift of the front wheel to get over the kerb and onto the footpath before heading inside to order his mug of cappucino. Unfortunately the front wheel didnt lift in time and Tony was sent over the handlebars and onto the nice green grass, still clipped in his bike flipped over and tried hard to land on top of him. Tony was back on his feet in a flash just in case none of his fellow riders or the customers of the cafe had seen what just happened. However the polite applause from the crowd and the uncontrollable laughter from his mates confirmed that this momentous occassion will be remembered with a smile for a long time by the many people who were lucky enough to witness it.