Thanks for the write-up Al. Glad it wasn't too boring for you back there!
Here's my take on the ride:
A long day, but a very enjoyable one! The weather was close to perfect, and whilst there was some dust, it was limited to the main fire trails. The tighter tracks still had a wet sheen in places, ready to catch out the unwary. It was a good turnout too, with 22 riders this month.
We had a quick regroup at the top of the first hill, and with no problems reported, it was straight back into the ride.
This outing covered many of the same tracks as last month, although they were made more technical due to the extra greasiness left by the recent rain. A quick loop around the Triangle warmed us up, and then it was across the bitumen and into the Dom Dom side of road.
Strickland Link Track apparently caused a few headaches - the small amount of added moisture made keeping your line on the rocks harder than last month. There was a bit of a delay whilst some of the group sorted out their attack strategies, and then it was back down via either Strickland Spur track for those wanting a challenge, or the fire trails for those that wanted a bit more of a cruise.
After a quick regroup at the bottom, it was straight into some tighter trails, and the extra dampness in the soil became very obvious when we tackled a couple of minor clay slopes that hadn’t been much of a drama last month. Bikes were going backwards down the hills even with the rear wheel spinning forwards, but a few helping hands had everyone at the top in no time. We were treated to an awesome new hill climb technique that seemed to combine a pivot turn with a loop out, which was hugely entertaining for the onlookers.
A few decided to head back to the cars after that track (hope it wasn’t because of the extra challenges), so Mark gave them an escort whilst the rest of us made our way to the lunch spot at Dom Dom Saddle.
After lunch, Mark took over the ride leader’s role, and we headed across the highway and into the Narbethong forest. There we were treated to some technical hill climbs and descents. I think those extra challenges are great, and help to improve your skills, so hopefully others enjoyed them too.
Then it was onto the tight rocky trail from last month, which created a few bottlenecks. Help was always at hand, so things were smoothed out fairly quickly.
Although we had done less than 85kms at that point, fuel was starting to become an issue for some, so we headed back to the cars via the Triangle tracks. Unfortunately, part way through the final tracks, a few bikes started running completely out of fuel, and the shuffle of petrol between tanks began.
I’m not sure how many k’s everyone else did, but with the extra running back and forth between empty bikes, I clocked up 125km for the day.
There were only a few people left when Phil and I made it back to the carpark, so I can only hope everyone enjoyed the day, and that you will all be back next month when Mark (or Phil) takes over the reins.
Thanks to Mark for leading the arvo part of the ride, and for all his ongoing support during the year with running them. A big thanks also to Al for being tailman all day.
And finally, thanks to everyone who has come on the rides with me over the past year – it has been a hoot!