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I am not an animal
It seems like a set up to get more presents at Louee. I too remember him having his birthday already.
Study this photo carefully and you can clearly see that he is over 30. That is me on the left and Moto on the right and I am pushing 40 so there is no way he is 29.
I just did a quick google search and found that dogs have 7 years to a humans one and moles have two to our one so it could be possible that he is having another birthday already :laugh:
STM
Sunday
Another day of perfect weather greeted us for day three of our long weekend. I had planned a day of hill climbs for the remaining soldiers which included three steep, loose and very techy climbs.
Champo had asked me on the Saturday if we had any hills around here and I smiled and said yes. I had saved this ride for the last day because as it was to be the toughest riding it would be the day most likely to break bikes or riders so if there is any consolation to that happening at least everyone would have already ridden two good days.
A few Bulls had headed home on Saturday night and the participants for Sunday were Mike, Tom, Moto, Champo and I. Champo was not originally booked on the trip but made a last minute decision on the Thursday night to join Moto for the trip up and I am very glad he did. He is not only a great bloke and a gifted rider but also a very valuable member of a group ride.
After some breakfast which Moto managed to spoil
and some more bike prep
the boys rode down to the local servo to meet me for our day of vertical assaults.
To ride the biggest hills you have to start in the deepest ravines so we rode out into the forest and descended into some dense bush.
From here we headed up and as we did it got progressively dryer and much, much looser. We are having a massive dry spell for this part of the coast so it is as loose as it gets around here. Having soil that is usually used to water content tends to fall apart when it is dry so what were challenging hills in prime loam conditions were going to be downright nasty. We pushed on.
Arriving at the base of the first monster the boys looked up and realized for the first time that day that these hills were legit. So much so that Champo walked the first one bottom to top and scoped and helped as others made valiant attempts and what was starting to look like an impossible dream.
That was of course until Moto fired that big KTM to life and hit the thing pinned. To say it was an aggressive approach would be a massive understatement. The consequences of getting it wrong here, especially off the left hand side would mean losing your bike, literally. The left side of the top ledge gave you the best hope but if you stepped off her it was a 60 degree slope to a ravine that light can’t penetrate. Finding you broken bike would be tough but getting it out, forget it.
Needless to say with legs flapping and wrist cocked he made it. Not pretty but successful none the less.
After everyone muscled me and Tom up the last few ledges to safety it was Mike’s turn. Spending a weekend riding with Mike is a pleasure and you soon see his wealth of experience shine through in his riding. His trials background and his never say die attitude equip him well in the bush. On top of that he is a true gentleman and a pleasure to be around, hard to believe he could possibly be related to Moto!
This hill however had his measure and after many brave attempts he gave it one last explosive effort. Explosive is a good choice of words because on the second to last ledge it looked like his front wheel hit a land mine and the bike jacked up vertically and he was headed for big trouble. What happened next stunned us all.
Tom, Mikes 18 year old son had scored the flat yesterday and stood around mostly watching as most boys his age would as Dad and uncle Moto fixed it. Any respect lost on this lackluster effort was about to be made up for in a massive display of bravery. Tom had removed his helmet to rest on top and when he saw hid Dad in trouble he launched himself at the front wheel of the bike in an effort to save it. The attempt failed and he fell eight feet down into a boulder field and lay there. It turned out he was ok but was now sporting a fresh limp and a whole lot of respect from me.
Champo was last man to go and he started the long walk back down the hill to get his bike. His 300 two dinger revved to the moon and with him onboard made short work of the nasty beast. In fact he did not even dab once. Brilliant!
From here it was a short bit of singletrack and some fire road to the next challenge. A hill with legendary status and dubbed ‘The Widow Maker’. This bad boy has traction but is just about as steep as a hill can be with out being termed a cliff! I had gone down the road to sus out the next intersection and when I got back Mike was missing. I looked for him and could not see him anywhere. Moto however was hard to miss as he was stuck half way up and in a very tricky spot. After some hard yakka he got the bike around and came back down for his second attempt
His next attempt was a success
and as I watched him reach the top I noticed another rider way up there. It was Mike! He nailed it first attempt and was waiting up there for the next victims. Champo did what Champo does and nailed it which left me and my little 250F. Attempt one turned into attempt two. Unlike the first hill on this one you either rode it yourself of got yourself back down as it was too steep to walk so you were on your own. As I lined up for the third go I changed my mindset from hoping I would made it to believing I would and sure enough we chugged over the crest with a cheer from the boys.
Getting this hill wrong and stepping off on the low side was a big step and I realised at the top I had pulled my groin. Nothing too brutal but enough to keep my mind off the constant stinging from the sweat dripping into my sliced neck.
That left us with one hill to go and it turned into a free for all. Imagine five bikes flying up a loose hill rubbing elbows and you get the idea. It was madness and Moto enjoyed it so much he came back down for a second go. That is what he told me anyway but I suspect it was to check I was ok after I got caught in a rut and filled in by four big bores racing to the heavens. All the dust I had missed by being lead rider all weekend was made up for in three breaths.
Once at the top we took in the views and headed back down to the coast.
It was time to part ways as the boys were keen for another beach run and another pub lunch and I had promised Dad that I would take him for a ride so while they roosted the beach I got my old man, fired up his trusty TL125 and went for a very leisurely ride compared to what I had just endured that morning.
I drove back up to the villas to say goodbye to the boys and wish then a safe journey home and a great time in Louee. We sat around the pool and had a few cold ones and parted ways.
A special shout out to Moto who was the glue in getting the crew together. Without his enthusiasm and drive it may have been a no show but with him herding the flock together it was great turnout. It was a pleasure to spend the three days with you buddy and I look forward to many more in the future.
To everyone that made the effort to attend the weekend I thank you and I look forward to hosting you all again in the future.
Until then ride safe and have fun.STM
Saturday
Saturday morning dawned clear and cool. It was only going to get to 25 so apart from being a little dry the riding conditions were perfect. Some morning gear checks and some breakfast and it was time to play. We all met at my local beach and from there it is only about 400 metres till you enter the forest.
After Fridays reco ride the crew had an idea of the sort of terrain and lay of the land and we launched straight into it. Once you are in the singletrack there are no intersections so it allowed us to spread right out without fear of getting split up and allow everyone a clear trail. The first 1 ½ hours went trouble free except for Mike’s bike which seemed like it had some dodgy fuel. It was running but it needed some attention so we stopped to drain the float bowl.
Just as we were about to head off I noticed Tom’s back tyre was flat. Out came the tools and after sticking a 21” in it we were off.
After this delay we were well rested from the first part of our ride but we were behind schedule so it was time to put the hammer down. The next sections of trail were all single, flowing and fast and with the cornerman system running to perfection we made excellent ground. We would regroup every 20 mins to check for mechanicals and carnage and then bust out the next section. On a few occasion when we regrouped there were some stories of offs and some sounded nasty but everyone was OK. Big D took a nasty one when a root stole his front wheel and he took out a tree
Moto came round an off camber left that fell away to the right with a log on the left. He did what he could to allow the front end to bite and instead of washing out it turned under him and he was thrown over the bars uphill at speed. He is a tough bastard and walked away unscathed.
It was Dean’s (itsagas) turn to get close to the forest and half way up a steep little gully spun out and flew backwards to the bottom. A tree stopped him dead and along with a sore shoulder his Gas Gas looked a bit bent.
Amazingly all bikes and bodies were still working so we pressed on. By now we were at the 40k mark with the trails being about 80% singletrack. He terrain changed a lot with everything form open dry eucalypt ridge line to deep sub tropical ravines and grassed riverside meadows. There was always a log waiting some where and Mike with his trials background shone in this stuff whilst Moto did what Moto does, smash into shit until it breaks, the bike breaks or you get over.
The trail led us past an old stock hut and started to climb out of the valley up a section of trail that had everyone screaming into their helmets. Everyone had found someone of a similar pace to duel with and there were two man freight trains barrelling through the forest. It was at this point that Tom and I found ourselves locked in a battle and I was not going to let a 20 year age difference get in the way of a good battle. We pinned a section of fast flowing singletrack which I know well and he was riding for the first time. I was on the limit and completely absorbed in the moment and just disappeared into that sweet zone. When we stopped we were both frothing like a pair of grommets. By now confidence was high, bikes were running perfectly and we were covering a lot of ground. We had made up time and were right on schedule for lunch.
We emerged from the forest and came out onto the beach with a three km stretch to the pub for lunch.
All hell broke lose on the sand at I have to give it to Champo for letting it hang out the most. There is no question that Champo can ride a dirt bike but his power slides on the beach were ridiculous. We sessioned the sand some more and then pulled in at the pub.
This pub is fabled for its lunches and everyday they do a $10 special. Today it was pork snitzel with salad and thick cut chips. For the $10 bucks you also get a drink voucher, which makes it a real deal. As you can see Champo was pretty happy with his.
Big D decided to call it a day after 5 hours of fun and considering he is coming off a knee issue he did very well although admittedly his mind was distracted by his arm which was starting to swell. He was OK though and headed back to camp for a swim. For the afternoon Coffs new recruit Corey8 met us at the pub on his green 450 along with resident funny man Uncle Fester.
With stomachs full and hydration packs topped we headed off back into the forest. At lunch we decided we all had enough fuel for another few hours so we made a pact that we would ride until the first man hit reserve and the we would head back. By now everyone had there second wind and with Corey8 fresh, who can rip by the way, and uncle Fester hanging on like only a twisted man can we were soon back up to full pace.
Ollie was now in the thick of the action and keeping everyone honest with his trail skills. He had selflessly run sweep most of the morning and he was now well and truly making up for his time a the back. I had one last piece of singletrack to show off and then it was home for beers.
I was running close to the bush on an uphill stretch to avoid a centre rut and felt a vine rub across my neck. It quickly became apparent that this was no small vine and it had me in a noose. In hindsight I should have let go of the bike but I was doing 40 and my reaction was to hang on. The vine seriously tightened and then snapped. By now I had hit both anchors at full lock and dropped to the ground and ripped my helmet off. I could not breathe too good and I did not what I was going t find but I knew it had definitely left a mark. I had blood on my jersey and gloves and with it coming from my throat I was hoping it was only a trickle and not a flow. The boys saw there was an issue and dropped their bikes and ran to my aid.
The reactions ranged from shock to disbelief and I sat down as instructed. Dean had a rag that we used to clean it up and reveal a nasty gash.
Uncle Fes is a nurse and he checked it out and gave the all clear of anything serious. It was a big chunk of ‘wait a while’ vine and I was full of its barbs. To say it stung was a massive understatement.
Dean was on reserve so we turned and headed for home. It was about 25mins back to the coast and with the wind on my throat the clot would form fast but the burn came on strong.
I arrived home and after some tweezer work on the barbs and some benedine I was good as gold. Scary to look at, but good none the less.
In two days we had become a very close group and the concern and care everyone showed was much appreciated. If that vine had not snapped it could have been a very bad look but fortunately my little 250F was too much and dragged that bastard of a thing clean out of the tree. Just a shame it used my neck to do it.
While to boys lazed around the pool and spa back at the resort and did some work on the bikes I got my yard ready for our night.
I had set up a fire pit and had enough homebrew to satisfy even Moto so it was game on. We ordered pizza and sat and laughed and replayed the day’s greatest moments.
By now the burning in my neck was replaced by the glow of a few home brews and we had a great night. The boys headed home at 10 to rest up for a new day.
As I type this the day has dawned a duplicate of yesterday and the riding menu today is hill climbs.
Full Sunday report to follow
Friday
Our first day went well with the QLD and NSW crews all arriving within 30mins of each other. before even unloading any sleeping gear it was straight into riding kit and straight out into the bush.
We have not had rain up here for over 6 weeks which is very unusaual so the ridge lines are pretty dusty and loose but once you get into the singletrack under the canopy it is not as bad. You have to be careful praying for rain around here becuse when it comes cars float away but we were hearing thunder last night but nothing came of it.
All the bikes went well and everyone held a good pace. In the one bog hole that still exists after the warm, dry weather Moto came out covered roost and Tom was looking very guilty.
A few moments were had and a couple of soil samples were taken but not real incidents. We then rode back to the villa and had a couple of beers on the deck and got ready for dinner. I had booked the local chinese restaurnat which runs an all you can eat buffet on friday for $18. We all got our moneys worth particualry Champo who somehow managed to eat more dessert than he weighs!
Darren and Mike
Moto and Tom
Dean (itsagas) and Champo
Me and Dad
With stomach full we headed up to the pub to watch the footy and have a few more beers. It was a good vibe in the pub but with a big day ahead we only stayed for two and headed home. Moto did leave with a case of Corona so who knows what happended when he got back to the villa.
Meeting time is 9am ready to ride this morning with ollie coming down to make us a group of 9. Stay tuned for a full report on todays ride.
STM
