Mar 28, 2011
On Tuesday May 27th 2008, Chris Martin sent an e-mail that changed my life. I hadn’t ridden a bike in 18 years and he was on a holiday riding his bike in the Dolomites. Looking back he was going through a similar experience to the one I had this past Sunday, March 13 2011. So upon his request I wrote the following account of MY 3 Peaks ride through the Victorian Alpine region, 2 ½ years after 1st stepping back on a bike.
At 6:45am we met outside the accommodation at Falls Creek in the dark & fog/cloud. We rolled down the hill to the start line in front of the main chairlift in the dark. Everyone was nervous & not saying much. Kiwi Paul said he felt like we were soldiers going off to war. It had an eerie quiet about the place. 1500 or so people all waiting for what lay ahead wondering what would unfold.
We rolled over the start line around 7:04am. Roads were wet, but not raining. I was wearing short sleeved jersey, arm warmers, windstopper & raincoat for wind protection on the 30km descent. Weaving around the hubbards, spending most of the time on the right hand side of the road was interesting. About 20-25km into the 30km descent, the rain started. Sharpy had some hack dart at him on a tight lefthander, forcing him onto the painted line & then onto the tarmac for an early visit on the road. It tore his shorts open on the left, requiring him to dress to the right for the entire day. We waited for the slower descenders (or perhaps more sensible) at the bottom & regrouped. There we got word that Matt Redman (my mate from year 
had also come down & was walking back up to the ski village.
In no time we were onto the first climb of the day – Tawonga Gap. The rain eased a fair bit, but everything was still saturated. It wasn’t too much trouble & not much more than a Greenhill climb. My time was 33:09. My Garmin decided now was the time to start playing up…& I wasn’t the only 1. Matt appeared around the corner with road grime on his face. Clearly he hadn’t pulled out & was soldiering on.
A really nice descent with flowing comfortable bends in pouring rain followed & I dropped like a brick off the front of the bunch. The only time it pays to be in the mid 90s. Dunc & I got in a lovely rolling group of around 20 & sat comfortably on 35-39 for the 20km to the 1st meal dropoff at Harrietville. As advised by Chriso, I had 2 nutella & honey sandwiches waiting & a Redbull shot.
About 500m up the road we began the longest climb I had ever done in my short cycling career. The 30km Mount Hotham climb. I sat with Shane, found a comfortable rhythm & tapped it out. Before long we had the jackets off & arm warmers down. It was still wet, but we were heating up.
As the climb continued we again found ourselves in the cloud, which quickly got thicker & thicker. Towards the top we made the call to put the jackets back on, & as we were doing it I got my 1st taste of sleet! It felt like hail coming in sideways, but wasn’t falling as hail. The road really began to pinch at this point & our group split up. Visibility was about 3-5m & there were some short downhill sections before the summit where with full brakes on, you picked up speed quickly & had NO IDEA what was in front. That was pretty scary. At the top, after an official climb time of 2:00:15, we stopped by the ski village chairlifts for some photos & a winners bar or 2.
Dinner Plain, at the 115km mark, was a short ride along the top (about 10km) & was clear from cloud. We stopped for about 30min all up I THINK & had a sandwich, some Gatorade, & a muffin. The break was maybe a little too long & I started to get cold. So starting the next section, Sharpy & I spun the legs on the front of the group, trying to warm up ASAP!
Before long it was bright sunlight & warming up fast. Kiwi & I stopped to strip layers, leaving Boordy & Sharpy to shell us like prawns & ride off into the distance. Sammy McClure joined us & made it 3, riding in the 28 degree sun in summer kit. the 2 of us left Sammy for the nice up & downs into Omeo. Kiwi & I were the 1st of the main Cibo bunch into Omeo at 155km & we regrouped with 6 other Cibo lads to form a group of 8 through the next 30km to Anglers Rest.
Soft pedaling, Team Cibo rotated through carefully saving the gun powder for the final climb up the back of Falls. As we pedaled along the valley, we consistently gobbled up dribs & drabs which tacked on behind & when we arrived at the food drop had grown the passengers group to somewhere in the order of 40. when we pulled up we received plenty of thanks, handfuls of gels & even an offer of post ride massages from one thankful passenger.
After another 2 sandwiches of nutella & honey, a can of Redbull, refilled bottles & a roadside pee, we were on our way towards what we’d been told is Australia’s toughest vertical climb. The Team Cibo passengers waited for us to roll out & with calls of “all aboard the red train”, again took the sensible easy option on our wheels for the tow to the 198km mark where the 27km climb to Falls Creek began, & 35km in the ride to go.
NOW…we’d heard all sorts of folklore & rumour about this climb & were wondering how much would be true. It turned out to be everything we’d heard & more. Easily the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life & probably would have still been so without the 200km already in the legs!
It starts at a t-junction very similar to Torrens Hill Rd, coming off the Gorge. The 1st 1-2km is a 19% punch in the mouth. It was now about 29 degrees & the engines were running hot. After the initial ramp it “leveled off” to a constant unrelenting climb, never changing from 14-16% for the next 7km. literally no change, just constant torture. Around every bend, more white stony steep gradient. At this point punters began pulling off the road, sitting on the ground, in the gutter, zig zagging or walking. I’ve NEVER experienced anything like it. After that 9km, it continued on for almost another 20km never really dropping below 10%. Before this day, the longest single climb I’d ever done was Greenhill/Mt.Lofty, which totals around 11-12km & summits at a measly 720m above sealevel. Falls Creek tops out at 1780m & Mt. Hotham at 1861m. I met a bloke named Trevor & we rode shoulder to shoulder out of the saddle for 20km. talking about how we’d both recently lost our Dad’s. we were soldiers sharing a battle. There was no position sitting or standing, that wasn’t excruciating. My lungs, my arms, abs & of course my legs were screaming. My lower back however was ok, thanks to my Tuesday nights doing reps of Greenhill Rd. My official time for the back of Falls Creek, was 2:37:22.
Approaching the final drink stop around 15km from the finish line, I felt I didn’t have the capacity to restart if I stopped for water. I saw Shane standing waiting to go, so I just pointed & rolled on. About 5km later Shane reeled me in & we rolled across the top of Falls for the final 10km together talking about the day & the hellish climb we’d just conquered. We both agreed there was nothing fun about what we’d just been through. It was horrific. But we had a HUGE sense of satisfaction for getting through the day where others had failed. We crossed the dam wall approaching the finish line & with about 500m to go, mother nature decided to give us one final kick. Torrential pouring rain came from absolutely nowhere. A huge crack of thunder, & we rolled down the hill across the finish line, 11:14:18 after first heading out at 7:04am. Bicycle Victoria claim 5334m of climbing & ASSUMING stoppages of an hour or more, I’m guessing I was on the bike for around 10hrs.
It was without any shadow of a doubt the hardest thing I had ever done. I was totally & utterly obliterated. As I dismounted & the officials came to take my bike for me, I felt a huge release of emotion & tears welled to the surface. I looked over at Shane & he was experiencing the same thing. JSR crossed the line minutes later also showing signs of man-tears as did the following Smokin Joe & then Dunc. Speaking to the lads back at the accommodation everyone seemed to have the same emotional explosion after crossing the line. It was a surreal feeling, something I will never forget.
Later that night we all agreed we would never again ride in Victoria. 24hrs later after the initial pain had started to subside, I was thinking “well, maybe we’ll not close that door just yet” Would I attempt 3 Peaks again? Maybe………..
