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.