Alpine Classic 2022

[K1W1]

I thought I would turn the trip to the Alpine Classic cycling event into a bit of a tour this year so here goes.

Day one – 555km, 8.09 hours riding, average riding speed 68km/hour

A 6am depart from home with a quick stop at a local lookout to see the predawn light



I arrived at the meet spot at 7am to find a text message on my phone saying my riding buddy was heading for a Covid test after a bad night. Turned out to be a false alarm and just a dodgy tradesman’s lunch the day before but it meant I was riding for two days on my own.

At the obligatory Noojee “no fuel” sign (there has been no fuel there for many years) I discovered I only had one working headlight



By the time I hit Rawson the weather had gone from blinding sun in the east to something less pleasant. I scrapped plans to ride the dirt Rawson-Cowwarr road and stayed on the tar.



The weather stayed so-so through Gippsland and by the time I got the Bruthen for fuel, a pie for lunch and a replacement headlight bulb I was debating whether a night in the tent was still on the cards.



Once I got up the hill to Omeo and then through to Benambra the weather had brightened considerably. This is a view of Lake Omeo and Benambra from a local lookout



A quick stop at the Benambra store for evening rehydration fluid



North of Benambra there is a 70km stretch of dirt road that is an absolute gem to ride with great views. Along this stretch I also saw one of the mythical black panther mascots reportedly left behind by US troops during WWII when it crossed the road 20 metres in front of me. In truth they are large feral cats about the size of a medium sized dog but I can see where these stories come from when people see them at night or in the rain. I would not want to tangle with one.



View to Mt Bogong (it is the triangular shaped one) Victoria’s highest peak at 1986 metres west of the road



After day that started in brilliant sunshine and had a couple of hiccups along the way I ended up at the Stacey’s Creek campsite for the night. This photo will show you why you never camp directly under trees in Australia

[K1W1]

Day 2 – 341 km, 4.45 hours riding, overall trip average 69 km/hour

Not sure that dehydrated muesli and yoghurt is my favourite breakfast but it did the job.

On the bike and heading north the Nariel Valley opens up into some magic countryside



A little detour to Corryong for coffee and fuel and it was a trip west along the Murray Valley Highway with a short walk to look at the historic Boggy Creek Trestle Bridge. It’s hard to imagine 500 ton trains crossing this but they did.



There was no way I could pass up the opportunity of some shots on the bridge at Old Tallangatta of Lake Hume filled to the brim. The original township is under that water somewhere. Looking west



And looking east


Through Mitta Mitta and I stopped at the old church at Granite Flat. I’ve never stopped before and it was well worth the 20 minutes or so I spent looking around and wandering in the cemetery





I guess there was no Netflix in those days



Morning tea at Lightning Creek



Then on over the hills to WTF corner



Across the High Plains



Rocky Valley Pondage is fuller than I have seen it for many years. BTW The peak you can see with the tower on it about one third of the way in from the left is Mt McKay. The highest navigable road in Australia (1842m) if you want to see the view from there click here



Down through Falls Creek to Mt Beauty and another view of Mt Bogong this time from the west



Over Tawonga Gap and into Bright with the low fuel light very solidly on and I was at Moto Marshal HQ for the next three days.

[K1W1]

Day 3 – 90 km, 3 hours riding, overall trip average 67 km/hour

Early morning walk down one side of the Oven River canyon and back up the other.

Trying out long exposure mode on the iPhone



By way of explanation that is a Tail Race left over from gold mining in the 1850’s



Then it was time to fuel the bike up and head up Mt Buffalo to check the road conditions for tomorrows event.

Doing my best Banksy imitation on a 3 day old road surface. Even at 10.30am I was leaving slight indentations walking on it.



Graffiti work finished it was time to ride to the end of the road at The Horn.



And the view. There are some great dirt roads down in there.



Back past the Cathedral (foreground) and Hump (background) two favourite rock climbing locations in the area



Coffee at the Chalet carpark and check out the view of the gorge



And of course there was a meeting



Followed by what is apparently real biker food



At this point all the bikes were pretty well locked and loaded for the next day.

[K1W1]

Day 4 – 330 km, 6.7 hours riding, overall trip average 62 km/hour

The alarm went off at 3.15am so it was get dressed get on the bike, ride to breakfast then be at the start line at 3.55am ready to lead out the 4am start riders on their 200km loop.
All went well until 4.14 when a wombat decided to run across the road through a group of riders causing one to do a face plant and several others to have destroyed rear derailleurs in the ensuing melee. You see these crashes on the TdF but being in one and having riders go in all directions immediately in front of you at 4am is one of the scariest things I’ve done on a motorcycle.

Onwards and upwards to catch up with the group. Bicycle lights are bright these days here are riders starting the ascent of Mt Hotham on the outskirts of Harrietville. From here it is roughly 29km uphill to the summit.



About 6am and its starting to get light



And then you get the views!



And the sun arrives



Dinner Plain Rest stop. On an event in March two years ago 40% of the riders pulled out here due to cold and hyperthermia. You would not have been able to see the building from where I was standing for most of the day.



Down off the mountain and onto the plains above Omeo



With an inversion in the Omeo Valley to greet us. The distant peak on the left is Mt Kosciuszko (2228 metres) the highest peak on Mainland Australia. It is about 90 km in a straight line.



And we are back to WTF.
This guy look happy? He is nuts!
He was one of three who started on the 570km ride 19 hours previously. One pulled out and he had lost track of the other rider. At this stage he was on his second loop, had been riding for 19 hours straight had covered 480km and had around 90km to go including the two steepest and most difficult sections of the course.



Riders starting up WTF. It’s a killer climb. Riders have done well over 100km depending on what route they were on by the time they get here. BTW. The ambient temp was up around 30C at this stage with no breeze at all.



An uneventful trip back across the High Plains to Falls Creek then back to Bright at 6pm in time for a shower, a beer and the traditional Moto post event BBQ. The last Motos did not get back until the tail enders finished around 8.30pm.

[K1W1]

Day 5 – 359km, 4.5 hours riding, overall trip average 65 km/hour

A 7 am (ish) departure from Bright with three others. My GPS “accidentally” took everybody over Kneebones Gap which covered everybody behind me in dust but that is what happens when they follow.

Second breakfast at the café at Whitfield



Over the hill and down on the flat to Mansfield



A quick final stop to work out who was going where. Five riders three different directions, pretty good really.



When I see the tall trees of the Black Spur I know I’m getting close to home


And when I get there I know it’s unpack and clean time



Total trip distance 1675km. Total riding time 25 hours 57 minutes. Around 120km of dirt road in total. One night camping, three at Moto HQ, hardly a cloud in the sky after day one. Lots of laughs, lots of thanks from cyclists, no major medical issues to deal directly with. Overall a great long weekend.

All the photos from the ride are on this link
https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzzSwd

[mjab]

I'm going to spend some time looking through this. It looks like a great trip