The 3 Hills Challenge

Most roadies would have heard of the 3 Peaks challenge which entails a lot of climbing over a 235km course that takes in Tawonga Gap, Mount Hotham and Falls Creek. Well Phillip and I decided to do a Mountain Bike version on Boxing day and we called it the 3 Hills Challenge. It started out with a desire to do a longer km ride to help with our training for the Otway Odyssey in February and it doubled as a way to get rid of a few Christmas lunch calories (too much pav and trifle, hang on there's no such thing as too much pav and trifle). As we thought about the different routes we could take we came up with the idea of doing a lap of the echnida trail which encircles Bendigo. The full loop is about 65kms which we thought would be a good workout when you include the climb up One Tree Hill around the 40km mark. The other two hills are Lightning Hill in Eaglehawk and Diamond Hill near Kangaroo Flat.

Not being sure how long the ride would take we decided on an 8am start. Our starting point was at the top of Specimen Hill Road so we acutally had four hills not three.

Our starting point. Although it's Christmas we didnt quite make it to Bethlehem.

The first part of the ride is pretty flat fire road through West Bendigo and it takes you through the areas hit hardest by the 2009 fires and brings you out near the Eaglehawk Golf Club. From there its past the Tip Top Bakery which always smells great before heading back into the bush towards Woodvale before turning back to arrive at Lightning Hill. Unfortunately the lookout has seen better days and the stairs to get up onto the man made structure have been removed. Probably due to an OHS ruling by the local council. The view of the forest surrounding Bendigo is still good though and would be even better if we could just cut down a few of the trees blocking the view.



Someone has removed the stairs so you can't actually get on the Lookout!

 From Lightning Hill we headed into the Whipstick before making a turn back towards Epsom and a quick run on the Linear Creek path before picking up the O'Keefe rail trail for a short while before crossing the McIvor Highway and picking up more fire road which brought us out on the Eppalock road. Once we crossed this road it was on to Heartbreak Hill (that's five) and the climb up One Tree Hill. We had been going for about 2 and a half hours now so we took a quick rest at the top before heading off on the fun descent towards the One Tree Hill Pub.

The fire lookout on top of One Tree Hill.

After a quick run up the singletrack beside the Spring Gully Reservoir we made it to Diamond Hill. I'm not sure if there were any diamonds found here but there are plenty of old gold diggings in the area.

This is a lot steeper than it looks and is not the usual way up to the Diamond Hill Lookout

 We rode on through some more old diggings before heading into Kangaroo Flat and a short burst amongst the holiday traffic before heading back into the bush near the Crusoe Reservoir and onto Maiden Gully. After some more fire road riding we made it through to Rocky Rises Road and although there were no more hills we did manage to ride over a large knob thanks to some local graffiti artists.

Next stop was Olympic Parade and we had just about completed our loop. By the time we had added in a few little detours we had clocked up just over 70kms in just under 4 hours. We had been on pretty much every road surface you can think off from singletrack through to four lane highway. All in all it was a good way to rack up a large amount of kms in a short time and still be in the bush for most of it.

Phil in front of the different trail markers we followed. 

Everything old is new again

Well they aren't quite as historic or significant as the Inca trails in South America but Steve and I were still quite excited with our discovery of some lost single track on our ride on Sunday morning.

We didn't need much convincing to have an adventure ride rather than a serious training ride today so we decided to take a detour off our normal One Tree Hill trails to explore a bit further into Mandurang. Steve had ridden this area many years ago on trails cut in by some locals and had a general knowledge of how it all linked up. We picked up the first sign of the trail where Steve recalled but it wasnt long before we were backtracking around to find the right path to follow. This become the pattern of the day as well as doing a lot log hopping and listening and watching for sticks in derailleurs. Suprisingly this didnt become a chore and in the grand scheme of things was quite enjoyable.

The trails are still visible if you look hard

The trails in general were slowly being reclaimed by Mother Nature but there were enough clues left to let us stay on the right path most of the time. Even with our stop start riding we could see why someone had gone to the trouble of making these tracks. The country is perfect for riding. Short climbs, a few technical rocky bits all topped off by some sweet single trail decents. The best thing of all is that due to our great navigational skills (read good luck) we managed to join all these tracks up into a complete loop which was an unexpected bonus.


You have to love the bush around Bendigo

 We have been inspired to spend a bit of time showing these old trials some TLC to bring them back to their former glory. So if you see some bike riders on the road carrying rakes and shovels feel free to give us a hand.

You Yangs Yowie!!(oohh that hurt)

Ever since Mel got back into mountain biking and came riding with the SMC she has been going on about how good the tracks are at the You Yangs. A couple of months ago it all got too much for me and I agreed to enter the You Yangs Yowie with her. This event is hosted by the Geelong Mountain Bike Club and is held in the You Yangs National Park between Melbourne and Geelong.

First of all let me say this race was by the far the most enjoyable ride I have ever had on a mountain bike. The track was split into thirds, first some dirt roads, next some hilly and rocky sections finished off by a sensational section through a forest.The first part along a dirt road on the edge of the park was pretty flat at first and the group was going at a fast pace straight off. Then the road headed upwards with a pretty steep climb which was followed by a high speed descent on a nice smooth bit of road.

Then the single track started and first impressions were that the surface was a bit sandy and slippery but it soon improved. It was in this section on my first lap that I came across a rider fixing a flat. I asked if he was ok and the guy said no he wasnt. It turned out he had borrowed a set of Mavic wheels of a mate and they were set up tubeless. He had managed to roll the tyre off the rim and used up his air cannisters to no avail trying to reinflate the tyre. Running tubeless he hadnt bothered to carry a pump so that's where I came in. 

After I got going again the track opened up a bit and I could see a nasty little climb in front of me taking me into what is called the Boulder Track. As it turns out this piece of track is well named. You are basically riding on giant boulders, as well as off them and through them. It's amazing how it all links together and there has been an amazing amount of work done to repair these tracks after the floods last year. There are also wooden berms and rock faces to ride as well as some impressive rock gardens which makes this whole section pretty intense.

Having never ridden the You Yangs before I had no idea where the track was going so I was pretty cautious on some sections where as it turned out I didnt need to be. But maybe going a bit slower saved me from any major incidents.

Luckily I made it safely through the rocks and found my way onto the best flowing single track I have ever ridden. The track looked flat but as you were riding it there was a feeling of being on a slight downhill gradient which made you want to go faster. The even better thing was that the corners flowed into each other and the surface encouraged you to lean over a little bit further to hold your pace without braking. It was the perfect way to end the lap.

Unfortunatley Mel found out the dangers of the Yowie when she came to grief on one of the rock gardens. I found out she had crashed when I saw her sitting in the finish area after my first lap. Lucky for her another Bendigo rider who was a nurse helped Mel with some first aid and got her to the St John's Ambulance for some further care. The guys dressed her arm and gave her a lift back to the finish area. Mel told me she had cut her arm but as the picture shows it looks like someone has used a melon baller to scoop out her elbow!


Those You Yangs rocks are evil!

After checking the Mel was OK I headed out on my second lap. Although I managed to stay upright all the way around I did endure some pain of my own due to some intense cramps. I drank as much as I could to try and ease them and keep the thought of the flowing track that lay ahead of me in mind as I battled to get through the hilly boulder section.

I managed to make it through and complete the 66km which is my longest race and second only to the Castlemaine to Bendigo ride I did a few years back as far as total distance ridden goes. It was a weird combination, the best track I have ever ridden and the worst cramps I have ever had.

After the race I caught up with Mel who said her arm was really sore so calling on my vast medical experience I prescribed  2 Nurofen and a can of Jack Daniels. That did the trick and took the edge off the pain until we got to Bendigo. After 6 hours at casualty Mel's arm was nicely patched by a good looking doctor who rode bikes. What more could you ask for? Well no infection would be one thing.

Unfortunately the healing process is taking a bit longer than Mel would like. She also ended up with a very impressive bruise on her leg. Get well soon Mel and let's make sure we take the whole SMC to the You Yangs next time.

SMC meets SSS

It was the biggest Sunday Morning Crew ride ever on Sunday as we played host to a dozen riders from the Secret Singletrack Society (SSS) from Melbourne.

We always thought we were very lucky to have a vast network of trails on our doorstep and it was good to be able to share them with some like minded riders from out of town.

The weather was looking a bit dodgy at the start and a brief shower of rain passed through just as we were getting ready to depart but there was no need to worry as there was no more rain and the trails were in excellent condition.


The plan for the day was take in as much single track as we could and stay off the bitumen as much as possible and I think we achieved both goals. SMC spiritual leader Steve was our trail guide for the day and he did a great job setting a steady pace and keeping the large group together. It's always a pleasure to follow Steve on the bike and try to learn from the effortless way he flows along the trail.



Steve in Action

 The ride went smoothly and there were no offs and the only mechanicals were one flat tyre and a loose crank (both on Jerry the mechanic's bike but in his defence he only finished building the bike the day before).




Some of the SSS Crew


After the ride we headed for the National for some well earned food. A few brave souls took on the Bulldog Burger (named after the local footy team ) and as it turned out the only person who couldnt finish it was our local SMC member Tony who used to play for the Bulldogs.

We ended up covering a neat 30kms and every one had a smile on their face after a great day out riding. The SSS were a friendly bunch and we would be happy to have them back any time. Even the single speed guys seemed pretty normal except when it came to ordering drinks. I'm still not quite sure what was in the "cocktail of the week" but it must have been ok because one wasn't enough.

Every one is looking happy at the half way mark

Fat Tyres in France

There are worse things in life than having to go to England for a wedding but it did mean that I would be off my Mountain Bike for a couple of weeks. So I was keen to do any type of riding I could while I was away. We had a 3 day stop over in Paris before the wedding and as it turned out a company called Fat Tire Bike Tours offered guided bike rides that took in some of the main tourist attractions which sounded like fun. At least the bikes had fat tyres to remind me of mountian biking.

The tour was for four hours and we ended up in a group of 19 people who were mainly Australians with a few Americans thrown in for good measure. The company that runs the tours is from America and the tour guides are usually American or Australian as well.

No helmet required, comfy bike with 3 gears

There was no checking of bike riding ability and as we were in Europe no helmets were required. We did get a 5 minute safety talk which was based around "safety in numbers" and if we all stuck together the cars would let us through or at least that was the plan.

We headed off through some quiet back streets and then into a park before arriving at the Eiffel Tower. We stopped regularly at other famous spots like the Louvre, Napoleon's Tomb and the Place de la Concorde. This last one is in the middle of a very busy intersection, it's not quite as bad as the round about at the Arc de Triomphe but still full on for a group of riders who most recent time on a bike would have been when they were at school.

Napoleon's Tomb

Next stop was a World Heritage listed park with a lovely cafe amongst the trees which was our rest stop. Unfortunately because of the heritage listing bike riding wasnt allowed in the park. You can walk your bike through the park but you cant ride it, not sure what the sense is in that.

Hike a bike

After we left the park it was time for quick toilet stop, well as long as you had the cash handy to pay for the privilege but at least you got to listen to disco music while you were busy.

We headed for home and maybe some of the inexperienced riders were getting tired but we had one funny incident and very nearly a serious accident on the way back to the bike shop. First of all a young lady riding in front of me managed to T-Bone a cycle rickshaw. It was hilarious to watch as she tried to brake but didnt slow down and after almost ending up in the rickshaw with the driver she copped a mouthful of abuse for not looking where she was going.

Luckily we were now on a cycle path so we thought nothing else would happen but there was one last turn needed across a lane of traffic. The first 10 or so riders made it safely across but there was a bus approaching who had right of way and didnt look like stopping for a bunch of tourists on bikes. A couple of riders took our guide's advice that the cars would stop for us a bit too literally and basically played chicken with the bus. Just when it looked like Fat Bike Tours may have its first fatality the bus driver hit the brakes and all of our group made it through safely.

Overall it was a great way to see the city and I got my fix of riding to get me through the rest of the trip.

Father's Day 2011

Well the first Sunday in September is Father's day and although there were two new bikes being shown off by crew members the poor old Dad's missed out this year. It was Son of Steve,  Alexander and  newly sponsored Giant rider Mel who are the proud new parents of a Specialized Stumpjumper and a Giant XTC0 29er respectively.

Alexander is giving the Scott hardtail a rest and joining the dually club while Mel has gone the other way going back to a hardtail as well as becoming the first member of SMC to join the dark side and ride a 29er. We met at Steve's before heading out and after a quick inspection of the new bikes its was off to Murray's track to put them through their paces.

Mel recently won the Giant Real Riders competition and her prize was a brand new bike and some riding gear.  Seeing Mel was the only rider on a 29er Brett enquired if Giant had supplied Mel with any spare 29er tubes. Although the answer was no Mel wasnt worried because "she never gets punctures"and anyhow dont sponsored riders have pit crew to change flat tyres?

We headed out our familiar trails and wouldnt you know it within 20 minutes Mel had pulled over to the side of the track with a very flat front tyre. Luckily Gareth came good with a repair kit and although not on the Giant payroll the rest of the crew pitched in to help get Mel back on the road.




Mel looking worried that Giant will yell out her for breaking her new bike



It was a great day for riding and hopefully a promise of what the rest of Spring has to offer. The guys on the new bikes were flying especially after Brett gave Alex's gears and Mel's front brake a tweak even if it did mean Brett had to break his vow of never working on a 29er. 



Alex on the new Stumpjumper



Mel looking happier with air in her tyres

Steve showing there's still life in the old Specialized







Castlemaine 6 Hour Enduro

It was a very depleted Sunday Morning Crew that turned up at Castlemaine for the Jubberland 6 Hour Enduro. This is one of the best events of the year and while initially it looked like there would be crew members featuring in many different categories a few injuries, an operation, a nasty training incident and an overseas trip meant that our numbers ended up being lower than we hoped.

Tony started the exodus with a diagnosis of a torn ligament in his knee. I guess that's always a chance when you are 6ft 6 tall and play footy for 20 years. Phil had his tonsils out and was still in recovery mode, Rod hid in Trish's suitcase when she flew off to attend a work conference in Sri Lanka but worst of all Roz did a superman over the bars and managed to bruise every muscle in the right side of her body. She was in hot form prior to the accident with the NJR team already preparing their victory speech. The Sharp Boys were so devastated they withdrew the whole team after Cousin Geoff refused a last minute request to don a skirt and fill in.

The crew members who did ride enjoyed a great day with the track in excellent condition and no incidents to speak of.

We hope Roz, Tony and Phil recover quickly so next year we can be back bigger and stronger.

Roz electrifying at Kettle Park

The latest round of the Bendigo Mountain Bike Club winter series was at held at the first time venue known as Kettle Park. Local bike enthusiast Max Kettle has spent many hours toiling on his 20 acre property to create a unique riding experience. Its a total single track layout that has your mind and legs engaged the entire way around each 6km lap. A number of techincally challenging hazards more than make up for any lack of climbing and high speed sections. Ever tried a 27ft long barrel ride, how about a rock garden with its own berm or a single plank crossing of a creek bed? There's even an A Frame fence crossing and a 10 metre see-saw however they were off limits for the club race just to make sure that all the club members made it home safely.

Quite a few SMC members made it out to Kettle Park for the race and the ride of the day was put together by Roz Bradley who put her love of tight twisting track to good use coming in second overall for the day. Tony, Jake and me finished close together with a fast finishing Jake just failing to overtake Tony in the last 50 metres.

Jake getting some air!

A few SMC regulars were out injured on the day, Phil was suffering from a groin problem but still managed to fulfill his handicapping duties (watch out Roz), Steve a bad back and Mel was unwell ( self inflicted was the word from the track) and Brett was on photography duties but we havent seen any photos yet! The only ones available so far are from the $68 special that doesnt like moving subjects.


Tony chasing scaring a small child



All in all it was a great day and everyone cant wait till next year's Kettle Park event.

Bendigo 6 Hr Enduro

What a difference a day makes!



The day before the event was warm and sunny. It was the type of Autumn day that Bendigo is famous for.The track was being marked out and the marquees being erected. The track had been given a make over and everything looked set for a picture perfect enduro.

It was actually dry for the start with the guys looking resplendent in their SMC jerseys

Fast forward 24 hours and the track had turned into a bit of a quagmire and riders and bikes looked they had been dunked in a geyser. How do you make so much mud? Its easy just add water to dirt.

The view from our marquee up pit straight



Despite the rain there were still plenty of smiles on people's faces and the race can't really be descibed any better than these words from our youngest SMC member Alex who summed it up as follows

 "Bendigo 6 hour enduro was rad! Ridiculous mud, multiple crashes, took out a tree, team got second and medal has a bottle opener... Happy happy!"





What more could a mountain biker ask for. It was great to see the SMC mixed triples team racing under the NJR banner back in their rightful position on the podium. A great team effort from Alex, Steve and Roz saw them come home in 2nd place.

The NJR team with their winnings



All the other crew members who road the race should be pleased with their efforts under tough conditions. Brett, Roz and Mel are backing up at Forrest next weekend and we wish them all the best. Roz could be unveiling her new all carbon ride so expectations are high.

Tony and Bryan on their mud machines

For the rest of us there's a local club ride to keep us entertained. Its back at the 6 Hour track and if the weather stays dry we will get to see what we missed out on the week before.









What a find!

There is a saying that one man's trash is another man's treasure and that was surely the case for me recently. As I walked out of my garage my attention was drawn to the trailer on my neighbour's front lawn which appeared to be full of rubbish destined for the tip. However somthing caught my gaze and my heart skipped a beat. Was that a bike rack in the trailer? A closer inspection revealed two seperate bike racks each able to hold 3 bikes. They were very rusty but otherwise in good condition. My neighbour wasnt home so I had to endure a nervous wait for him to return before I could ask him if I could take them off his hands.

He was more than happy to hand them over and told me they had been hand made by his brother but he no longer had any room for them. I rewarded his generosity with half a dozen stubbies and carried my prize home.

Eager to try them out I gave them a quick rubdown with sand paper and inserted three of my bikes into one of the units.

All that is needed now is some sandblasting and powdercoating and they will straight inside to the bike room!

On the roadie to recovery

After a very nasty face plant incident its good to know that the SMC spiritual leader is back on his bike (even if it is a roadie). A night ride at Salomon's Gully ended prematurely when Steve took the wrong line down the a set of steps. Luckily Tony, Geoff and Alexander were on hand to administer some love and affection and search for Steve's missing teeth.

Steve's looking forward to the end of his soup only diet and hopes to be in peak fitness for the upcoming Bendigo 6 Hour (will there be a father and son pairs entry?).

Get well soon Steve, we cant wait to see you out on your recently pimped Specialized.


It only hurts when I smile



Woodend Pinies

Not much happens on Good Friday so it was off to Woodend to ride the Pinies for the Sharp boys, their cousin Geoff and me. Steve and I had loved the Pinies section of track used for "The Duael" so we took advantage of the Easter break to pay it another visit. Cousin Geoff was visiting from Queensland and had brought his Trek dually along with him as he was keen to experience some more of the great tracks we have in Victoria.

Geoff showing off his QLD riding boots

Now when we had raced "The Duael" it was cold and windy but there was no rain and the track was near to perfect. Unfortunately Woodend has had a bit of rain in the past week and the track is a whole lot different to ride in the wet. Due to the undulating nature of the singletrack there are lots of depressions to fill with water and quite a few wet and slippery tree roots. Now all this didnt slow Alexander down (especially when I loaned him the Felt for a lap) but it did throw Steve and I out a bit as all our "fast" lines were redundant. However we managed to safely negotiate our way around and still have fun.
We resisted the urge to sample any of the many magic mushrooms that were growing throughout the forest however there were a few enlightened people collecting them for "medicinal" purposes. As we came out of the forest we came across two other MTBers getting ready for a ride. They looked a little bit different to your average rider but we couldnt put our finger on what it was until we checked out their rides, they were riding 29er single speeds. We wished them luck and decided to explore one new bit of track before heading for home.
The new route headed us back towards the old highway and started off with a nice downhill. We noticed an old jump with the ramp facing the other way and worked out we were riding the track the wrong way but we carried on regardless showing true MTB spirit. A bit further along Alexander spied some old elevated track so we dismounted to do some exploring. It appears that many years ago someone had gone to a fair bit of trouble to build some wooden rails off the ground. Sadly it has fallen in to a sorry state of repair and although we offered to lift Alexander and his bike up on to it to see how sturdy it was he declined our offer.
We went back to our bikes and rode the rest of the track that brought us out on to the side of the highway. There was only one thing to do and that was to ride the track the right way. This was a much more enjoyable way to go and before long we were back at the cars with four very muddy bikes and riders.
As we were loading our bikes back onto the cars Geoff and I noticed some dark clouds coming in so we picked up the speed and loaded everything on as quick as we could and took refuge in the car. However the Sharp boys hadn't noticed what was coming and had spent some considerable time changing into their street gear before packing everything up. It was about then the rain started and the boys got a little wet. Geoff and I tried not to laugh too much in case they saw us but we did manage to sneak a little picture for you.



Looks a bit wet out there!

 After that it was off to the Woodend cafe for a healthy lunch of fish, potato cakes and chicko rolls. Steve assured us that there was no real meat in Chicko Rolls (invented in Bendigo) so we werent acutally breaking any religious traditions.

Nemesis Marathon Challenge

If you have spoken to anyone who rode the 2010 Nemesis Marathon you would know that there weren't a lot of kind things being said about the race. The common theme was that some of the track was just not fun to ride and there was too much walking up hills. Despite knowing this Mel and I decided to take on the 45km challenge held at the Mount Avoca track.
It was an early start as we left Bendigo at 6am to make sure we made rego by 7.45am in time for an 8 am race start so the bikes were loaded the night before. We took the Suby with the bikes on the back of the car and not on the roof to make sure that Mel's bike made it safely to and from the race. It was a chilly morning but luckily the sun had made it out by the time we made it to the Mount Avoca winery which was the start/finish area of the race. I didnt realise it at the time but the fact that I missed the turn off into the parking area was a bit of an omen for my navigating skills for the rest of the day.
The volunteer handed me number 151 and told me it was a Palindrome. I said a what and she told me that's what you call a word or number that reads the same in either direction. I had to look it up on the computer to see how to spell it but there you go, its true what they say, you learn something new everyday.
Despite the brilliant blue sky I must admit it was a bit chilly waiting for the race to start. I only had my jersey and my armies to keep me warm but Mel had her lovely Giant jacket. I told her she would warm up quickly and wouldnt need it but she insisted on wearing it. I think she could have taken it off after a km or two but she kept it on until just before the top of the first climb when she had to admit defeat and stuff it in her backpack.
The first climb was a long one but at a good gradient. It was about 7 kms up a dirt road towards Governor Rock lookout. We kept up a steady pace and held our place on the road until the stop to get rid of Mel's jacket. After reaching the top of the climb the race got a bit more serious. There was a nice down hill run followed by a short uphill and then we entered some more technical down hill sections. It was on this section I managed to place my front wheel into a rut and remove myself from my bike. Steve's new friend from "The Duael" rode past me as I was remounting and then managed to perform a more spectacular dismount about 100m down the track. Luckily that was it for crashes for the day and we had no punctures or mechanicals of any kind (although I did give the powerlink I bought the day before to a guy who had a broken chain).
After a slight detour the wrong way up a road we made it to the first feed station feeling pretty good. I managed to resist the tempting donuts and muffins and had a gel pack instead and we headed off again. This section of trail contained a very tricky downhill (appararently made worse by a group of horse riders who went through the day before). Quite a few people walked this section including Mel and I and you needed the brakes on to keep control of your bike on the loose surface. As the track flattended out we knew that meant that we had to climb back out of the valley we were in. And climb we did, it was hard work and there was a fair bit of walking involved. I think we must have got off and on our bikes a hundred times.
There has been a lot of effort made to build the new single track that switch backs it way up the hill. We crossed the fire road that was used to climb out last year and that thing just goes straight up so full credit to the guys doing the work on the course. Towards the end of the climb we got back on last years fire road which had levelled out a bit and Mel took over the lead and paced me beautifully through to the second feed station at the top of Mount Avoca.  You know you are at the pointy end of the mountains when there is a trig point next to the feed station. The volunteers warned us of another nasty climb ahead that no one rides and reminded us to take care on the descent as they had to get the helicopter in to get one guy out last year.
We had 18kms to go and after some gentle up and down dirt roads it was on to the three sisters and the volunteers werent joiking about no one riding them. The first two were bad and then came the ugly sister and boy was she ugly. It was steep and rough and hard enough to even walk up but we made it in the end passing a guy along the way who had suffered 5 punctures along the track and was forced to walk his 29er all the way to the end.
Next came the descent back to the bottom. Now some descents are flowing and fun like in the Otway Odyssey but this one was almost as challenging as some of the climbing. It was very steep on a rough fire road with water bars every 100 meters or so. At the race briefing they warned us several times that the water bars were not jumps and I can see why. As soon as you were off the brakes you picked up speed at an alarming rate so it was back on the brakes trying your best to the stick to the single track line that had been worn onto the fire road. It was an all over body work out with no sitting down and forearms pumping to keep the brakes engaged. Once again Mel and I survived and made it safely to the bottom and out into the pleasant countryside where we started. After a quick detour onto some more single track we arrived back into the vineyards and the finish line was in site.
I think we made our best decison of the day in the car on the way over when we agreed to ride the race together. There was only 170 riders in 4 different race distances and the field was pretty spread out from early on. It would have only made a tough course much harder if you were riding it in isolation.
It had been a tough ride but the weather had been perfect for riding and the countryside was spectacular which made the event very enjoyable and I am already looking forward to next year's event.

This is the link to the results and photos from the day
http://www.bighillevents.com.au/Avoca/home.html

Crazy 6 Cancelled

As most of you will know this event was rescheduled from February to the 30th April due to bad weather and damage to the park. At the time the decision was made, all the information available to GMBC & Parks Victoria led us to believe that the You Yangs would be open in time for the event and everyone was looking forward to it.


Since this time there have been further hold-ups, well out of the control of GMBC and Parks Victoria and asbestos removal works have still not commenced in the park, keeping it closed to all public use.

With this in mind GMBC has had to make the regrettable decision to cancel the Crazy 6 for 2011.

So our ride calendar is looking pretty empty at the moment. The good news is that the Bendigo MTB Club has a winter series planned so keep an eye out for that.

The Duael

The ad for the inaugural "Duael" at Woodend said

"Find a buddy, choose a category and start hardening up. Pairs racing is no Sunday spin. Lap on lap off, lap on and lap off. Forget double or triple laps, we won’t count them, use your rest time to get some grub down, you'll need it."

Well they weren't kidding! With average lap times between 25 and 30 minutes there really was only enough time to grab some food and have a quick rest before it was time to head out again. Throw in some typical Woodend weather (read cold and windy) and it didn't take to long to go from hot and sweaty to cold and shivering in between laps.  To make things that little bit tougher there was no onsite catering to get your fix of muffins and coffee so you only got to eat what you had brought with you or what you could bot off your mates.

Transition at the Duael

But enough of the negatives because despite all that it was a great day. There was a very healthy turnout of a very mixed bunch of riders right through from elite athletes to weekend warriors. The organisers had mapped out a challenging but rewarding track which included all the things MTB riders love like short hills, mud, quick descents and excellent single track. The single track pine forest section was the highlight and provided a unique backdrop for some of the photos taken on the day and highlighted on the Flat Hill Dirt Crits blog site.

Steve and Roz trying to keep warm waiting for their turn

The SMC riders all enjoyed the day even though two of our three teams didn't make it to the end.  I expect we will all return next year a little wiser for the experience and having a better idea of what to expect. That includes Mel who never really recovered from her over exhuberance on the first lap and  Phil who had to contend with an attack from a rabid chicken on the fastest part of the course and a team mate who was still reading the paper as Phil entered the transistion zone after a hot lap!

Roz returning after ripping up Woodend

Brett and Steve deciding who should ride the next lap

Mel comes in first

News from Bendigo MTB Club.

The 2nd of the clubs night race was held on the 29th March and congratulations to all riders with Melanie Hall taking out the win, with Daniel Young 2nd and Gerben Graske-Borst taking a well earned 3rd. The next night race is on 12th April starting at 7.00pm. Results are on the results page.

Check out the Bendigo MTB club website for the full results as there were a few other SMC members in action.

Blood on the Tracks

It was a bit of a weird ride this morning.

It started off with Alexander getting dog poo on his knicks, then Rod made a mess of his arm on a prickle bush and ended with my bike hanging upside down from a shrub.

The Sharp's were recovering from illness so we took it pretty easy with a bit of a loop from Diamond Hill through Spring Gully along New Murray's to Tony's Crossing, the old racetrack in reverse and then back along the fence to Diamond Hill then down Dead Dog Gully to Spencers.

I was following Alexander on the way to Diamond Hill and I had noticed a foul smell as we rode along but I had put it down to a dead animal in the bush. However when we stopped to clear some rubbish off the track Steve noticed that Alexander had some mud on his knicks. Only this mud looked and smelt a lot like dog poo. And as the saying goes if it looks like shit and smells like shit it must be shit! A tell tale smear on Alexander's rear tyre confirmed the bad news that he had indeed ridden through a fresh dog turd. Steve instructed Alexander in the use of bush soap (dirt in case you didnt know) and at least the smell was gone.

After we all stopped laughing we headed down the Burns St track and along the fence line at the bottom of the Spring Gully Reservoir. This is a new addition to our riding and the track is a bit overgrown with some very sharp bushes. We all had a few cuts and grazes but the trophy for the most blood went to Rod. Between us we had a lot of bandaids but not much else to clean the wound. Rod declined the offer of a used hanky and the water on the edge of the dam didnt look too hygenic so after applying some direct pressure he pushed on in true Aussie spirit.

Rod's bloody arm.

The next part of the ride was pretty uneventful.We stopped for a chat to some riders coming the other way and made our way back to the fence track heading for home. We crossed ourselves and prayed to the MTB gods for no punctures as we took on this dreaded piece of track. We rode carefully and picked our lines through the jagged rocks and made it through to the end unscathed or so we thought. Just as we headed for home Alexander advised us his rear tyre was going flat. Once again Steve did the fatherly thing and changed the tyre for his son.

From here there was only Dead Dog Gully to cover and we were home safe. There's really only two tricky bits on this part of the track. The rocky corner that's always wet and the final drop down into the gully (always stick to the right on this one and you will be fine). I was out in front feeling good and looking forward to my coffee when the rocky corner bared its teeth. I had just ridden through the puddle after the first corner and the next thing I knew I was going over the bars. I could blame a wet tyre on some slippery rocks or failure to keep my weight back but I think the real answer may lie a little further back up the track. Earlier on in the ride I had taken great delight in describing how one of the Biggest Loser contestants went over the bars during their Triathalon event the other night on telly. Perhaps this was my karma for laughing at some one elses misfortune.

Anyhow there was no harm done and I did find a new way to park your bike. I'm not sure if it will catch on down at Spencer's but you never know.



Who needs a bike stand when theres a shrub nearby

 Some of the crew are off to the Duael Pairs event at Macedon next week so good luck to everyone who is riding.

World Naked Bike Ride 2011

I happened to be in Melbourne on the day of the ride. I was sitting in a cafe in Brunswick Street when about 150 naked bike riders went past. It was quite a sight to see.
The mission statement of the Naked Bike Ride is:

We face automobile traffic with our naked bodies as the best way of defending our dignity and exposing the unique dangers faced by cyclists and pedestrians plus all the negative effects of oil, cars, war, consumerism and non-renewable energy.

Check out this link for a lot of info, pictures and videos.

http://www.asbareasyoudare.com/

I think we might need to make this a team ride next year to do our bit to help promote bike safety!

Clock2Clock gets a big tick

The Sunday of the long weekend in Victoria saw the inaugural Clock2Clock MTB event run in Woodend. There were 2 events to pick from, a 70km test that had riders climbing Mt Macedon twice and a friendlier 30km event that skipped the big climb. The Crew was well represented with Brett taking on the 70km and 5 riders in the 30km event being Mel, Roz, Tony, Phil and Dave.

First of all let me say that for a first time event the organisation was pretty good and any issues that arose were only of a minor nature. Yes there were a few wrong turns and missed corners but when you are belting down a fire road watching the trail ahead for obstacles its pretty easy to miss a signpost.

Anyhow the good news is that thanks to Mel and Roz the SMC was represented on the podium (well next year they might have a podium for the girls to stand on). Mel backed up her great effort at the Otway with a strong second in the Open Ladies and Roz ignored her lack of serious training to come home third. Roz also did some of her best work after the race with a very nifty trade of her 3rd place drinkbottle prize for the winners Camelbak.

The boys didnt get on the podium but the 30km group had a very enjoyable ride. The course was a good mix of up and down fire road mixed together with some nice singletrack and a fast fire road/backstreets of Woodend sprint to the finish.

It was a pretty hectic start to the race with the guy in the pace car getting caught up in all the excitment and turning his 20kmh controlled start into a 30-35 kmh Keiran event for the first 4kms. But once he was out of the way everyone could try and find their own rhythm as we rode through a paddock at the back of the Macedon Winery. After leaving there it was a good stretch of hilly fire road a bit like a mini version of the Otway course from 2010. There were some testy climbs but nothing too long and some quick decents with top speeds in excess of 50kmh. From there we headed into the first section of single track. This first part was probably the most technical with a couple of interesting spots that could catch you out if you werent concentrating.

At this stage all the SMC riders were close together and caught up in a group of about 10 or 12 riders that keep swapping positions. It was on a long gradual fire road climb after the first single track that Dave and Phil made their move and took the lead of this group. They held the lead to the end of the second lot of singletrack which was the point where a little bit of inexperience cost them a few placings. With the benefit of hindsight and knowing now what the final section of track was like we really needed to put the hammer down as soon as we exited the single track. But we took it pretty easy for the first km or so and our battlepack reformed with a group of 6 acting like a TDF breakaway with some serious speed, drafting and plenty of position swapping taking place over the next few kms.

After a quick down hill turn under the railway line Phil and I were at the front of the group again but alas the sprint home was a km too long for me and my conditon gave out as the road took a very slight uphill gradient. Phil kept the power on but was passed by a couple of riders and after narrowly avoiding an old man on a walker decided to resist any urges to make a kamikaze dive at the line. There ended up being 7 riders within 42 seconds of each other in our midfield position. Tony came home strong and didnt lose any more time apart from the small amount he lost on the climb. Several times he could see our group ahead but just couldnt bridge the gap. However there was a consolation prize for him as he made a new friend as a result of a conversation he struck up on the way around.

There was no detailed race report filed by Brett from the 70km event but we all hope he managed to finish before the thunderstorm hit.

Brett's off to the Terra this week and we wish him all the best for a safe and enjoyable race. You can track his progress on the following link. http://www.terraaustralismtbepic.com/

ps. we have some technical problems with the upload of the photos and will try and get them up shortly. In the meantime you can amuse yourself with the video link at the top of the page.

Crew Jersey

Our very own Crew jersey. How good will this look on the tracks around Bendigo.

Mel smashes the Otway

Crew Member Mel Hall rode the Otway Shorty last week and powered her way around in 3hrs 17mins and finished in 7th place in the Open Ladies section. What a great effort. I just hope she will wait for us on the track next time we go riding with her.

Hopefully we can get a full race report off Mel to post on the blog in the near future

Mel on a recent training ride

Steve's Crossing

Continuing our tradition of naming parts of the tracks that we ride let me introduce you to Steve's Crossing. On a recent ride Steve unfortunately reminded us all that it only takes a split second lack of concentration to send you over the bars.  We all thought that the approach to this causeway over the Coliban Channel was the dangerous bit but all the recent rain has made the drop off the other end a bit steeper than it used to be. It should be noted that that this particular section of track has already claimed one victim from the SMC. A few months back Tony took a tumble as he tried to blow his nose as he made his approach. However we couldnt name it Tony's Crossing as we already have one of those so the honour goes to Steve.

The near end is Steve's and Tony's is the far one

Floating Rock

Our ride today was a bit of an extreme adventure. Parts of our normal tracks have been badly affected by the recent heavy rain. In particular the fastways sections has been subject to some extreme washouts which have changed the tracks forever. However before we made it to the fastways Tony took us on a detour to some new tracks he had found. Unfortunatley this area was still very wet so the tracks Tony had ridden  a few weeks ago were not passable but you could see the potential for a nice addition to our normal rides once it dries out a bit.

Tony's new section of track. Note Phil on his new Specialized

One section of the fastways which is  famous for Rod's front wheel taco episode now has a large channel carved through it. Riding through the channel was no big deal but the exit on the other side was covered in very fine silt which had the consistency of quicksand. I managed to plant my front wheel in it and come to an abrupt halt with the back wheel high in the air.

I didnt know it at the time but I would experience an even more extreme case of stuck wheel in the very near future. It happpened as we were making our way back along the water race road when we came to a section of track which had been covered in some bulky crushed rock. There were two wheel tracks and I made the ill fated decision to take the one on the left which had a smallish puddle about half way along. As I rode into the puddle my front wheel disappeared up to the hub and once again my back wheel ended up high in the air. This time my wheel was so stuck I could dismount and leave the back standing on its own.




This bike isnt going anywhere soon


Even though my bike was able to stand up no worries it wasnt quite as easy for those of us with two legs. The whole area of rock was moving as the rock appeared to be floating in a slurry of gravel and water. It reminded me of something Bear Grylls would show you how to escape from with just some reeds and a handy tree nearby.

The bike is free, now to get to dry ground.

After some happy snaps of my bike I managed to remove it from the sludge. The front wheel was covered with smelly mud so I took advantage of the nearby water race to give my bike a quick wash.

Nice and clean again.

We managed to make it home without any further quicksand events but we did manage 3 punctures due to the exposed rock on the eroded tracks which delayed our progress.

Ride Time: 2 Hrs 24 mins
Distance: 40.1 kms

New signing at Specialized

Although Team Management are refusing to comment there is a strong rumour doing the paddock that Phil  Souter has signed with Specialized for the 2011 season. Previously with GT it was believed that Felt had secured Phil's services this year but according to those close to Phil design problems with the 2011 Felt bikes have led to a change of heart.

If these rumours are true I hope for Phil's sake he likes white shoes!

No more GT for me. How sweet it is!

Phil Carman come on down

What do most people think of when you mention the words mountain bike. It's a fair bet they will say dirt and mud. Which makes my latest visit to the LBS all a bit bizarre.

I was sick of tightening the cleats on my old shoes so I decided that it was time for a new pair. So with my Christmas gift voucher in hand i headed off to do some shopping. As it turns out my LBS has recently became a Specialized dealer so all the Shimano products have been replaced by the Specialized range. I got the sales pitch from the shop mechanic and decided to try on a middle of the range pair. They felt really comfortable and if even half of the sales pitch was true I would be riding a whole lot faster and stronger the next morning when I hit the trails with the crew.

The only catch was that the pair I tried on was in white and as good as they looked all nice and clean I knew they would never look that good again once they had been for a spin. White might be alright for our roadbike cousins but as you can tell by some of the photos on this blog we dont always look as pretty as them when our ride is finished. But not to worry the guy from the shop assured me they came in black as well. The only thing was they didnt have any in stock so they would have to order me in a black pair. We went over to the shop computer to check when he could get them and low and behold there aren't any black ones in Australia. Now even the purists of Tennis have realised that white is not a good color for clothing for sports that involve grass, dirt and sweating. Unfortunately the guys at Specialized haven't yet. The only explanation I can think of is that Phil Carman must have got a job in the Specialized design department.

So my voucher stayed in my wallet and I headed back home to find the allen keys to tighten my cleats again.


By the way for those of you who aren't Collingwood supporters Phil Carman was a very talented AFL footballer who many say cost his team the 1977 grand final when he got suspended in the Semi Final. As well as being talented Phil was a touch flamboyant and took to the field in some shiny white boots when black was the only color any self respecting footballer would be seen in.