After a long week, on the bike and off, I headed up to Buller on the bike to meet everyone for a pedal and a Rodeo. Yep, Merijig Rodeo! I've never been to a rodeo before, and it was what is polietly termed, an experience. Nah, seriously, it was pretty entertaining, and those guys that rode the bulls and the ponies can keep that line of work. They get smashed every time they jump on, or off... There was plenty of people about, plenty of utes, hats, wife beaters, tinnies and short skirts/belts.... A classic cross section of country life!
(Check out the little girl in the John Deere hat here. Yep, thats a girl, distinguished apparently by earrings in *both* ears, and yep, thats a rifle in her hands... I hope its a plastic one, I really do....)
The rodeo was after a tough 100km solo up the Melba highway, a journey
broken up only by bogans throwing talcum powder at me (??), Bellie driving past as I ran out of water (thankfully!) and the pervading stench of road kill... Yea, 5 hours on the bike, in the sun, and I'd had enough. I've now got some bad tan lines, the worst would be the top of my head. It looks ridiculous...
Anyway, rodeo and riding up aside, we departed Buller for our first epic of the year, plannning on heading down Klingsporn Trail to Merrimbah, up to the summit of Stirling and then back accorss the ridge line to Buller. About a 40km ride in total, but a decent amount of the old up and down... I've always wanted to ride Klingsporn and it didn't disappoint! 10 or so km of downhill singletrack, done for the second time today as it was that good, and takes about 20min at minimal risk pace. I reccomend any mountain biker worth their lyra or baggies to do it at least once!
Klingsporn was rad, really dry and loose, with rocks a plenty up the top, and some great berms and dirt lines down the bottom. Owing to all the fires, there was little if any undergrowth, which made for a very exposed ride down, with plenty of front and rear wheel slides, sometimes resulting in tumbles for the crew!
My Virtue absolutely killed the whole ride. It climbed better than my hard tail on the rougher surface (ie. not a race track) and then the downhills were just amazing with 5" of travel. I couldn't dream of a better bike, even carrying a heavy pack with plenty of water, and race oriented tires, it still just ate it up!
Telephone box junction saw one of our party leave us with a bent rotor and some seriously destroyed legs after riding up the Mt Stirling road, not having touched a bike in 2 years prior! Water 'unfit for human consumption' is always a lottery too, but turn out just fine.
Atop the summit of Mt Stirling, the others elected to wait at the intersection whilst I shot up for quick photo. I'm not climinbg all that way, on'y to bypass the peak with 700m to go!! And it turned out to be well worth the view also. You can see Buller in the background.
From the peak, we rolled down to Howqua hut, over the water bars and undulated our way back to Buller late in the arvo. One of the party had a small mischief on a corner, and lost a bit more skin than that crash warranted, but soldiered on saying ' its merely a flesh wound!' and trooped all the way home. Happily I can say, as it my blog, that I didn't crash, and still was peppy enough to have another crack at Klingsporn, as they say ' I can't do it tomorrow'!
Another good weekend, thanks to those involved, and the next mission is already planned!
2 comments:
The girl in the John Deere hat is a little distrubing - although no more so than that other hat.
It looks like there is some great riding to be had up there, those MTB shots especially look like great fun - even if the price is a little gravel rash.
Is that a dirt crits number plate I spy on the front of your bike? It's a fair way from home!
hmmm yes please explain the race plate on a recreational ride.
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