ALPINE CLASSIC 2013 - January 27th

Road cycling & upcoming rides
Eleri
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Postby Eleri » 18 Aug 2012, 16:56

Entries for the Alpine Classic are now open here http://www.alpineclassic.com.au/

All rides start from the beautiful Alpine town of Bright and it's such a buzz in the week up to the ride. I've been the last 2 years and love it so much I'm going back for a 3rd year and we've booked the same house as last year - pool party at ours on Australia Day!!!

There's a number of distance options from 60km through to the demanding Alpine Classic Extreme - 250kms. If you are bringing friends or family who aren't keen on mountains, there's heaps to do in Bright and a great rail trail that is really flat and kid friendly.

I'm doing the ACE again with the goal of being faster than last year :-)

Read about 2012 here http://www.dhbc.org.au/forum/viewtopic. ... ne+Classic
and 2011 here http://www.dhbc.org.au/forum/viewtopic. ... ne+Classic

So who is in? and wants an invite to the Australia Day Pool Party?

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Philip
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Postby Philip » 18 Aug 2012, 18:12

I'm thinking about it, depends on how I do in the Fitz's Epic. I need to do that one in order to qualify for the classic, and I need to do it without too much pain in order to still want to do the ACE.

All will be revealed in the fullness of time.

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tedrobin
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Postby tedrobin » 20 Aug 2012, 18:06

Whoo hoo - signed up for the 130km to Falls Creek. Paying for it and successfully riding it are two different things, of course, but I welcome having a goal. And at least there'll be cows for consolation if it all goes pear-shaped.

kiwiames
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Postby kiwiames » 21 Aug 2012, 21:16

This is one of my goals, but considering I wont be on a bike again until at least October - then away to India in November, im not liking my chances of being even remotely fit to even finish the ride and still being able to walk.

But ill go anyway - the pool is to good to miss.

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Camilla
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Postby Camilla » 25 Aug 2012, 16:30

I'm in! 250 here I come again! Even if I did firmly decide, trembling around the 180 mark last time, that this was one ride I'd only EVER need do once to feel fulfilled, somehow rolling back into Bright another 70km on I found myself thinking how I'd improve on it next time round. So I'd better take another crack at it! Nothing like cresting Hotham with the sun either.

Plus I couldn't miss the best Australia Day party ever.

MarkL
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Postby MarkL » 26 Aug 2012, 16:46

I'm in!
Not sure what's come over me but I'm leaning towards a 4am start, that Hotham sunrise is luring me.

Sent from my HTC Incredible S

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tedrobin
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Postby tedrobin » 26 Aug 2012, 18:52

Much as I'd like to be there at 4am in my pirate hat again this year to see you crazy people off, I hope to be in good enough shape to embark upon my much milder bit of craziness at a more reasonable hour. But people get dewey-eyed when they talk of greeting the sun over Mt Hotham.

Richard
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Postby Richard » 28 Aug 2012, 19:55

Tossing up between the ACE250 and the Raid.

The idea of being able to ride the beautiful 250 course but being able to stop and have a beer and a pub lunch and a snooze halfway has appeal as well.

I am just waiting to find out if I have been made a victim of the current downsizing of the public service. If so then Ill have enough time to train for the ACE 250. I might even have time to finish painting the front door that has been under coated for the last seven years.

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tedrobin
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Postby tedrobin » 29 Aug 2012, 09:59

After working at the Falls Creek stop last year and seeing the shape that some of those 250 riders were in with still a big descent and then Tawonga Gap to come - well, you'd better be in the form of your life if you want to do that ride in one day.

BTW the other Richard at the Historic Houses Trust has teed me up to take a bunch of archaeology students out to Beulah homestead on Saturday week (the 8th) to record the buildings and other features, do geophysics etc.

Oh, and good luck with the downsizing; I recently escaped being downsized myself, but only by the skin of my teeth.

Richard
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Postby Richard » 29 Aug 2012, 19:57

Thanks Ted

Glad to hear that your students are going out to Beulah. Hopefully something of the old garden structure remains.

I should find out this week if I am to join the ranks of the unemployed.

To celebrate / commiserate I have already gone out and bought a new bike frame. There was a sale of last years S-Works Roubaix frames at 50% off. Couldn't resist.

The bike came with a guarantee to make a fat-arse like me to be able to climb like Pantani. In my dreams.

Richard
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Postby Richard » 10 Sep 2012, 21:07

Simone is now signed up for the 130km and I have signed up for the 250km again

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tedrobin
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Postby tedrobin » 11 Sep 2012, 13:09

Excellent! There'll be another big DHBC contingent on the 250, and maybe someone to keep me company on the 130 (but she'll probably shoot up the road).

Richard
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Postby Richard » 13 Sep 2012, 07:47

David Os has just signed up for the 250 as well.

We are considering the performance enhancing benefits of a beer at the Blue Duck Inn before climbing the back of Falls Creek climb.

Eleri
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Postby Eleri » 13 Sep 2012, 17:24

I'd prefer a swim in the river myself.

Eleri
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Postby Eleri » 03 Jan 2013, 09:24

*Bump*

I know a number of people are going to the Alpine Classic at Bright. There's a party and someone is looking for a lift or to share a car.

- Traditional Australia Day Pool Brunch* at our place just outside Bright (easy cycle distance). All DHBCers and hangers on invited, please PM me and I'll send details. Bring a plate and whatever to drink noting that it is the day before the ride hence we won't be partying hard. Especially those of us at our house who are starting the ACE at stupid o'clock in the morning. Last year was a really nice day and we are in the same place again this year.

- A friend is looking for a lift (or alternatively someone to share a GoGet car) to Bright leaving Sydney on Friday January 25th and returning on the Monday after the ride. If someone can help out, let me know and I'll put you in touch.

weller
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Postby weller » 03 Jan 2013, 09:48

For those who are a little time poor and don't want to spend 8hrs in the car. Virgin have flights to Albury for about $114 each way.

You can either get picked up in Albury or rent a car. It's about 100ks to Bright.

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tedrobin
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Postby tedrobin » 03 Jan 2013, 12:38

Thank goodness the Alpine Classic is not happening during the next two weeks - all high 30s and 40s in the region for the coming fortnight according to the BoM. You've probably seen the SMH today:

''We have a major heat event under way,'' Karl Braganza, manager of climate monitoring at the Bureau of Meteorology, said. ''There are not many instances in the historical record where you get a heat event covering such a large area of the continent.'' Brett Dutschke, senior meteorologist at Weatherzone, said it was unusual to have so prolonged a hot spell. ''It's a once-in-20 or 30-year heatwave event in desert areas,'' he said. ''More populated areas further south … are going to experience some of this as well.''

Sydney's not going to suffer much, but Victoria will be hammered.

"While much of south-eastern Australia enters its high fire danger period, there may be some modest relief on the way. Dr Dutschke says models indicate temperatures and rainfall will start to trend back to more normal summer patterns from about the middle of January."

Plenty of wiggle-room in that statement! I'm preparing for a hot one.

"Odds are in favour of hotter and drier conditions to the end of March," Karl Braganza, manager of climate monitoring at the Bureau of Meteorology, said.

And BTW, Camilla rode to Bright from Albury a couple of years back, along the rail trail, and said it was very pleasant.

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JoTheBuilder
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Postby JoTheBuilder » 03 Jan 2013, 19:24

Lucky for you guys... Not so lucky for the boys riding home from Melbourne next week 'for fun'.

Richard
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Postby Richard » 08 Jan 2013, 14:59

Eleri

Thanks for the invite but David Os and I have changed over from the ACE to do the Raid that leaves on Australia Day. We heard that Omeo is The Place to be to celebrate Australia Day! If I start to hear a banjo playing the song from Deliverance I will start to get worried.

If anyone else is interested in doing something different to the 130, 140 or the 200 and the thought of doing the 250 in a heat wave is a hill too far then think about the Raid. We are riding Bright to Omeo via Hotham on the Saturday, camping at Omeo, drinking beer by the creek, and then the following morning riding back to Bright via Falls Creek in time for a lunchtime beer back in Bright.

The organisers do a bag drop to Omeo.

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Camilla
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Postby Camilla » 13 Jan 2013, 22:37

The Raid is sounding quite appealing at the moment! But stupid o'clock it is for me.

FYI, I rode the rail trail from Wangaratta, not Albury. And it was indeed extremely pleasant. Just me and the cows. Take food if you're on the early train though! Absolutely nothing open for the first 70 km.

Sad you guys can't be at the party David & Richard. We must all catch up for a beer some other time during the week.

Eleri
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Postby Eleri » 25 Jan 2013, 17:37

We are down in Bright and there's quite a few DHBC people down here already. Yesterday we heard that the rides are now all routed up Mt Buffalo as the roads up to Mt Hotham and Falls Creek are both closed because of some big fires up that way. It's a challenging time for the Audax organisers and they are doing a pretty good job in my opinion.

So - the ACE and the Alpine Classic will do 3 repeats of Mt Buffalo with the ACE people (ie me, Mark and Camilla) doing an extra 36km along the way. Others will do one or 2 repeats depending on the distance.

That said, you don't see much evidence of the fires in Bright apart from occasional smoke and haze. But mostly it seems quite distant and we are in no danger at all.

The ride is on Sunday, right now our household has done its training and we are resting up for Sunday. Well, really we are probably eating and drinking a bit more than we should.

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mr mojo
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Postby mr mojo » 25 Jan 2013, 19:59

Good luck guys. Have fun and enjoy (as much as you can enjoy climbing mountains).

Cheers
Spiros

Eleri
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Postby Eleri » 28 Jan 2013, 07:57

Well that was one hard ride!

Bushfires caused most routes to be changed because both Falls Creek and Hotham were closed or likely to be needed for fire fighting access. So that meant that all routes went up and down Buffalo. In the case of the ACE250 and the 200, we went up 3 times. The ACE people (in our case Mark L, Camilla and me) had an extension hill up to a place called Cresta about 6 km on from Dingo Dell, the normal turn around point.

This was the hardest ride I have ever done! Much harder than last year's ACE and the 300km I did a few weeks ago. The mental strength needed to turn around and keep going for the 3rd lap in the heat of the afternoon was huge. I had no leg strength on the 3rd climb and while I did a PB on the first climb, I was 3.5kph slower on the last one. Everyone who did that 3rd climb has a similar story - including the Audax stalwarts.

More later, with pictures and a full report coming.

We saw a mystery woman in a DHBC kit who was riding strongly when I saw her - either doing the 130/140 or 200. Still trying to work out who it was. Own up now!

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mr mojo
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Postby mr mojo » 28 Jan 2013, 08:26

Well done Eleri and all the DHBC crew who took on the various rides. That's a great effort.

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Philip
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Postby Philip » 28 Jan 2013, 09:56

Big kudos!! Really, really big!!!

scully
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Postby scully » 28 Jan 2013, 10:24

nice work crazy climby people
am guessing juliette as the mystery woman

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Stuart
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Postby Stuart » 28 Jan 2013, 13:14

3 laps of Buffalo ... lobotomy optional?

Eleri
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Postby Eleri » 28 Jan 2013, 17:44

nice work crazy climby people
am guessing juliette as the mystery woman
No, definitely not Juliet.

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paul
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Postby paul » 28 Jan 2013, 19:32

Congratulations. That climb is hard enough once.
Three times is superhuman!

Paul

Eleri
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Postby Eleri » 28 Jan 2013, 21:36


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Adrian E
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Postby Adrian E » 29 Jan 2013, 08:28

Well done everyone! Ouch!

I can't remember her name but I met the mystery women on the 28s two weeks ago. She's just joined the club after returning to Sydney from London.

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Camilla
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Postby Camilla » 30 Jan 2013, 15:28

We get a special one-time-only medallion for climbing Buffalo 3 times, in recognition of our crazy!

Perhaps sadly, the thought of this was a huge incentive on that last go around. The first 2 times were pleasant, the 3rd TOUGH!

adam
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Postby adam » 03 Feb 2013, 09:51

For first timers like me doing the 140 the second time was tough enough - so I'll go with Camilla's 'pleasant' for the first, but the second was a wee bit tiring. But all of it fun!

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Camilla
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Postby Camilla » 15 Feb 2013, 10:16

Ugliest medallion ever! I almost regret the third ascent.

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JoTheBuilder
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Postby JoTheBuilder » 15 Feb 2013, 11:02

Photo?

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Camilla
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Postby Camilla » 15 Feb 2013, 11:42

Image

Juliet
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Postby Juliet » 15 Feb 2013, 11:50

Ugliest medallion ever! I almost regret the third ascent.
I'm with you re the medallion, Camilla! Ahh...if only I'd had a 3rd ascent to almost regret...

Eleri
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Postby Eleri » 15 Feb 2013, 15:48

At least it won't get mixed up with my other medals. Did I ever mention I have a UCI medal btw? :-)

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Camilla
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Postby Camilla » 15 Feb 2013, 15:56

Mine won't get mixed up with my other medals either, given that I put my transponder on Ted's bike!

I think you may have mentioned that you had a UCI medal before Eleri, in passing.

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JoTheBuilder
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Postby JoTheBuilder » 15 Feb 2013, 15:57

Once or twice... I believe you showed us at the last 'Show and Tell' too. ;-)


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