Day 5 - The hill we couldn't ride

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Mansfield to King River Camp 50km

When we put the 'hills we couldn't ride' counter on the blog, we thought we would be counting the uphills.  But today has proved us wrong, we left early knowing that there was a long slow climb with 650m of gain ahead.  Leaving at 7am was totally the right decision, not only for the overnight oats we had for breakfast, but also because we had the road to ourselves.  It was glorious!  The sun was up, the air was cool and fresh, the road wound its way around Wombat Hill, our world was alive with birds, kangaroos, deer, and that ephemeral sense that you are right where you are supposed to be.


The challenge was ahead of us!  Turning onto McDonald's Spur track we were quickly confronted with a rather epic downhill.  I'm not talking squeeze your brakes, she'll be right.  I'm talking so steep, that for some sections Kerstin and I had to walk each bike down together, one holding the front, one holding the back.  Komoot (bike mapping app) colours this section black, with a gradient of 28%.  That is not a typo.


Having reached the bottom, and not dying or injured we, of course, celebrated with lunch.  Where some rather surprised 4WD dudes found us, tricky to prove how super hard core you are in your tricked out 4WD when two middle aged women got there by bike!

King River camp was found after 10kms of really lovely flow MTB riding.  Been here for hours, no sign of the owner.  Just left a note and some cash at their door.  Huge camp ground, only three campers, found us some serenity!


Location: 953 Upper King River Rd, Cheshunt VIC 3678, Australia

Comments

  1. FrancieFebruary 13, 2022 at 5:19 PM

    Wow, pretty scary. I don't manage on the flats! It's the hand brake, after years of the ole reverse foot braking, I do that first, then have a moment of panic, then fall off my bike! But it looks absolutely gorgeous where you are. PS sent a second story off for a comp today. Who knows, but it is "Write On". So, "Ride On" ladies xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Louise SensiFebruary 14, 2022 at 3:57 PM

      Thanks Aunty Fran, I want to read the story you sent, but can't open it. Can you send it as a PDF?

      Delete

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