I didn’t expect it to be easy. I’d ridden enough rugged tracks and
fire-trails in the mountains of South-Eastern Australia to know that.
But the viciously steep, rock strewn track that lay before me was
unlike anything I had ever encountered on a mountain bike. With
the slopes too severe to ride, I accepted my fate: a ten-kilometre
hike-a-bike. Looking skyward only added to my woes. The clouds had
begun to cluster and bruise. Electricity, as the cliché goes, was in the
air. Head down, I started my work.
I was deep in the Victorian high country, inching my way into the
Tingaringy Wilderness near the Snowy River. Narrow ‘benches’ had
been cut across the trail every one-hundred meters or so. Designed
to divert water and reduce erosion, they provide the hapless biker
with an almost horizontal surface on which to rest.
But these ‘benches’ come at a price. The twenty metres of
track before each ‘bench’ was steeper still. Impossible to even
stand without sliding backwards, some basic mountain climbing
techniques were required. First, I had to lock the brakes and use
the bike as an anchor. I then scraped a foothold to provide a more
stable base from which I could thrust the bike forward. Then, I locked
the brakes again. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
It was hot and humid. I was bucketing sweat. Soon, I became so
demoralised I decided to mentally break the climb into ten sections.
I then worked to finish each section before taking a rest. As I pushed,
I stared at the GPS trip meter, willing it to tick over.
The storm continued to brew. After four hours of grinding toil I
reached the summit. The wind picked up. Lightning flashes became
brighter and more frequent. I paused for a quick photo of the
immense panorama before me.
Spurred on by the pounding electrical storm that now swirled
around me, I wanted to get off the mountain, fast. With night
falling, I sped down the other side toward the tiny hamlet of
Tubbut. It was nearly a disaster. With the weight of the bike
pitched forward, the slightest over-use of the front brake de-
weighted the rear of the bike, which would then swing wildly
to the left or right, nearly causing me to crash. The pendulum
motion could only be arrested by squatting on the top tube.
This lowered my centre of gravity and allowed the rear wheel to
maintain contact with the trail.MONARO CLOUDRIDEFinding a buddy can be
invaluable for morale!DANIEL OAKMAN SET OFF TO CONQUER
AUSTR ALI A'S ROOFTOP IN AN ALPINE
R ACE FOR THE AGES.THE CLOUDRIDER
WORDS AND PICS: DANIEL OAKMAN