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.