Bundy Toolangi

Visiting : Bundy Track, Toolangi, Mt St Leonards, Pauls Lane
Distance : ~110km
When : Saturday 16th February, 10::00am @ Hurstbridge Train Station
Where : Click here for route map (subject to change!)

Another short hilly mission to some cool places around the Kinglake, Toolangi, Healesville, Yarra Glen area. Will visit the newly reopened Bundy Track and a bunch of dirt roads, fire roads, singletrack and some hike-a-bike.

It'll be roughly 110km with probably over 3000m climbing. There will be water at Toolangi but no planned food stops (unless emergency) so bring a big bladder and plenty of food. The forecast looks hot!

Run what you brung. I'll be on a singlespeed 29er.

Canberra to Bairnsdale - DAY 3

Visiting : The Barry Way, Snowy River, Buchan, Bairnsdale
Distance : 240km
When : Monday 1st May, 8:30am
Where : Click here for route map

The third day of my ride from Canberra to Bairnsdale was the “long” day, the final leg that would take me all the way to Bairnsdale. It was going to be long, scenic and remote - three things that make a ride great.

Kinglake Explorer

Visiting : Smiths Gully, Kinglake, Flowerdale
Distance : 120km
When : Sunday 17th June, 9:30am @ Hurstbridge Train Station
Where : Click here for route map

This is a short but hilly mission to check out some roads and trails that I should know but have never got around to visiting. We'll start off with some Smiths Gully trails before climbing up to Kinglake via Mt Everard Track. From there we'll check out the full length of Extons Road/Mt Robertson Road - maybe grab a beer at Flowerdale Hotel - before heading back to Hurstbridge via slightly different trails.

I'll be riding singlespeed so expect a slow pace on the flats (actually there are no flats) and lots of swearing on the climbs. I'd err on the side of fatter tires for this one.

NOTE: Start time changed to 9:30am to sync up with first train into Hurstbridge!

Canberra to Bairnsdale - DAY 2

Visiting : Mt Kosciuszko
Distance : 100km
When : Monday 30th April, 8:30am
Where : Click here for route map

The second day of my ride from Canberra to Bairnsdale was the “fun” day. It was basically a side trip up Mt Kosciuszko, the highest mountain in Australia. It started and finished in Jindabyne so it didn’t get me any closer to my destination but it was a hell of a lot of fun.

Canberra to Bairnsdale - DAY 1

Visiting : Canberra, Namadgi NP, Cooma, Jindabyne
Distance : 180km
When : Sunday 29th April, 4:30am
Where : Click here for route map

Well, I was going to stop with the solo adventures and go back to the normal “everyone welcome” format but recently circumstances presented me with an opportunity. A few chats, a few emails and pretty soon I was planning a solo 3 day ride from Canberra to Bairnsdale.

Woods Point Epilogue

Visiting : Warburton, Reefton Spur, Woods Point
Distance : 355km
When : Wednesday 21st March, 7:00am
Where : Click here for route map

Last December’s ride to Woods Point was amazing but, for me, it asked more questions than it answered. I’d initially planned to have another crack at it next summer, maybe. Fortunately, I woke up to myself, realised that impatience can also be a virtue and decided to have another crack at it as soon as humanly possible. So, this was another solo ride with the same premise as last December : Woods Point return. No Sleep.

Same destination, different route, very different outcome.

Cathedral Run

Visiting : Black Spur, Cathedral Range, Toolangi State Forest
Distance : 220km
When : Sunday 19th February, 4:00am
Where : Click here for route map

Another solo ride. I wanted to visit Cathedral Range again and try a few new things.

Woods Point

Visiting : Toolangi, Marysville, Woods Point
Distance : 350-400km
When : Wednesday 30th November, 7:00am
Where : Click here for route map

This is the last TWBD ride of the year so I thought I’d give myself an early xmas present and do something I haven’t done in a long time - a long solo ride. I love riding with small groups but I also love getting lost in the bush by myself and I’ve been long overdue for some lonely time.

The rough plan was “Woods Point return. No Sleep.”

As always, some things went very right and some things went very wrong.

Mt Despair

Visiting : Hurstbridge, Kinglake, Mt Despair 
Distance : 125km

When : Sunday 23rd October, 9:30am @ Hurstbridge train station

Where : Click here for route map

Here's a train-friendly ride a bit closer to home. We'll start at Hurstbridge train station and head up to Kinglake via Bowden Spur Rd which is steep and all dirt. Then we'll fly down the other side, dive into the Toolangi State Forest and make our way to the summit of Mt Despair. We'll follow the power lines back towards Kinglake and climb up and over via Captains Creek Rd before rolling back down to Hurstbridge for tea and scones.

This one's relatively short and close to home but there's a significant amount of climbing, largely on dirt. An accessible yet challenging ride.

Wombat

Visiting : Gisborne, Blackwood, Wombat State Forest
Distance : 105km
When : Sunday 25th September, ~7:00am @ Gisborne
Where : Click here for route map

This ride will start in Gisborne and dive straight into the Wombat State Forest where we’ll spend all day on dirt roads and maybe some singletrack. We’ll travel the length of the forest, from east to west and then back again via a different route. Not a great deal of climbing but a lot of dirt and a lot of trees. Should be awesome.

I’ll be riding to/from the start/finish and I encourage others to do the same. Meet at the roundabout at the corner of Robertson Rd and Aitken St. Contact me if you want me to wait.