of the crossing, certainly not one that
avoided scrambling through even better
snake habitat. Luckily, the snake grew tired
of our interference and moved away. We
crossed gingerly and rode on.
Descending out of the big mountains
proved as eventful as crossing them.
Paul’s new brake pads dissolved under the
pressure, which made for an unnerving
and dangerous ride towards Jindabyne.
That evening we stayed at a ski lodge,
stocked up on supplies and enjoyed some
hearty pub grub. It’s rare when a massive
chicken parmigiana, chips, soft drink and
a slab of Mars Bar cheese-cake, isn’t an
excessive amount of calories.Here I go again on my own
Paul made the tough decision to stop his
ride in Jindabyne. Heading down the Barry
Way towards the Snowy River, I felt more
vulnerable than at anytime on the journey
so far. I felt bad for him. It takes courage“The past 24-hours had
been eventful. But it was
just another day on one
of the toughest bike-
packing races in Australia:
the Monaro Cloudride.
I was five days in – and
I was barely half-way.”
Below: The Great
Southern Land’s top shelf.
Opposite Above: Just
smile, ignore the pain.
Opposite Below:
"Farewell tarmac my old
friend."
MONARO CLOUDRIDE