I set out for a prospecting tour of Hill End yesterday that didn't quite go to plan. The
First 20km were undulating with quite steep hills (I actually prefer long steep
hills as you can at least get into a rhythm). This wasn’t quite the case with
these really steep and short climbs, just as you start getting into some kind
of rhythm you are over it and into a short descent only to hit another wall.
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| Some where on Dark Corner Road |
I then turned into what I knew would be 25kms of dirt road. It
was hard to determine the condition of the roads as Google Mobil did not cover
this area. Boy oh boy, big lesson learnt. If Google Mobil doesn’t go through a
road, it’s not a road!
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| Trip Route |
I covered 20km’s of what was complete wilderness, beautiful
and remote. It was hard to enjoy it though as I could not take my eyes off the
road straight ahead of me as I surely would have come off. The road was nothing
more than a poorly maintained fire trail. Great if you were in a four wheel
drive, not on skinny tires without front suspension. Having said that, the bike
handled beautifully. There were times I was sure I was going to break a spoke
or tear a tire on the sharp shrapnel like stones/boulders but the DT Swiss
spokes/Mavic wheels and Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires worked well above my
expectations. The Brooks Flyer really showed its value yet again as I was
relatively comfortable in my saddle.
My thought process getting on to Cupits Lane from Dark Corner sort of went like this .
“Oh boy, this is not a road, it’s nothing more than a goat
track, but there’s no track! I’m going to have to make my own”
As I’m pedaling and building up a sweat, I hear a dog
barking, startling me and nearly throwing me off my bike. I take my eyes off the
road for a brief moment to see a farmer on a quad looking down at me in
amazement.
“You’d be better off on one of these mate” he said.
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| Cupits Lane/Battery Rd Intersection (The rare decent section of road) |
I smiled back all the whilst thinking, you’re not wrong
mate, this is crazy. The fact that I saw someone on Cupits lane so early on gave me a false sense of security. The road was surely going to improve because this guy got here
somehow. The problem was that he was the only person I saw in the proceeding 5
hours.
My brain wouldn’t let
up though.
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| Off Eskdale Road (I really should take GPS coordinates with my photos) |
“Come on Pete, GPS says that Cupits lane turns into Eskdale
Rd, surely a road has got to be better than this lane, right? Right?”
So I’m counting down the kilometers, 4… 3… 2… 1… I see the
turn off, and the GPS confirms I’m now on Eskdale rd. Do I notice a change in
the road condition or is it wishful thinking? I don’t know but I’m committed.
The road was undulating, poorly maintained and in the middle of nowhere. I was too afraid to take my eyes off it in fear of becoming fodder for the eagles I
could hear and see in the not too distant pines. I stop for half a Nutella
sandwich on a camp site on the side of the road and take it all in. What a
beautiful country.
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| Time for a Nutella Sandwich |
The road has not improved significantly. Every bolder, dip ,puddle, soft sand, shrapnel like stone I hit does nothing to stop counting down the kilometers. 15…14 ….13… 3..2…1… Surely Mt Horrible has got to be better.
“Doh!”
“5 km’s more on Mt Horrible and then you’ll have smooth
riding.”
Sensible Pete:
“Turn back, do another 20km now of this Australian
Paris-Roubaix version of the cobbled classic knowing you’ll be back to mum's spaghetti with garlic, chili and oil in about 3
hours (my starting position for the day)
and spend the night with my wife and kids.”
A vision of my daughters comes into my head and I know what
I have to do. I turn back and start counting the Km’s again. Sensible Pete pats
Crazy Pete on the back and whips him back into action.
| Distance: | 78.15 km |
| Time: | 5:23:28 |
| Avg Speed: | 14.5 km/h |
| Elevation Gain: | 1,163 m |
| Calories: | 2,512 C |
| Avg Temperature: | 16.5 °C |
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| Elevation Guide |
Recommendations:- The road from Cupits Lane/Eskdale Road to Mt Horrible is quite remote and isolated. I rode this on a weekday between Easter and Anzac Day and did not see or hear any other motorist/cyclist/pedestrian or any other human being for the duration. If your mountain bike is equipped with front suspension, then this would make a nice outing with your mountain bike friends. I don't recommend you do the ride alone as phone coverage is non existent, and it may take a while for someone to come to your aid. I also don't recommend you do this ride on a touring bike as I did. Do as I say, not as I do :-)
