place and having another rider with whom
to share the journey can bring a lot of
confidence. However, due to the demanding
nature of the event and the vagaries of
endurance riding, you may not have your
new riding buddy for long.
On the second day, as I rode out from
Tumut, I met Paul. With similar riding styles,
fitness levels and a shared ride strategy, we
were a good match. We would spend the
next three days riding together.
After passing through the apple town
of Batlow we headed for the very rustic
McPhersons Alpine Plains Retreat near
Nurenmerenmong. It was cold and it had
been another long day so we were grateful
for the basic shelter. Pork rolls were the only
sustenance on offer. We ordered three each,
two for now and one for breakfast. They did
not sit well.
That night and the next day I had
diarrhoea; not fun on a bike ride. And the
terrain was getting mean. The riding into
the Kosciuszko National Park and up to
Australia’s highest town, Cabramurra, is
tough and includes the first of many long
hike-a-bike sections. I held it together until
we had a good feed at the bistro. After that I
couldn’t ride more than five-kilometres or sowithout a dash into the scrub — trees were
getting harder to find.
I had made an ambitions plan to ride
125-kilometres that day; we ended up doing- After dark, I realized that I was very cold,
empty and utterly spent. Ten-kilometres out
from Happy Jack’s alpine hut I told Paul
that I was done. I couldn’t go on. After
what seemed like an eternity, we found the
turn and rode a couple of kilometres to the
hut. We were lucky to find the hut already
occupied and the fire blazing. Soon, a cup
of hot tea was thrust into our cold hands.
The next day, I felt a lot better. And it was a
mere 80 kilometres to Jindabyne.
The stunning vistas of the NSW high
country come at a price – the climbing is
relentless. Other unexpected encounters
kept our eyes from lingering too long on the
horizon. The sight of a tiger snake rearing up,
hissing, and preparing to strike is motivating.
When Paul alerted me to this danger at my
feet just after I had crossed a small stream,
I was sufficiently motivated to leap, gazelle-
style (but with less grace) back across the
water. The snake, on the other hand, wasn’t
going anywhere. Rocks and harsh language
made little difference. A few minutes went by.
There was no clear way around this guardian
Far Above: Shelter is certainly appreciated
in the tough alpine environment.
Above Left: It may be a race but you can’t
turn down a good photo opportunity!
Above: Bags packed, our two heroes set off
once again.
MONARO CLOUDRIDE