Alpine Classic - thoughts of a newb.

Road cycling & upcoming rides
GregPankhurst
Posts: 298
Joined: 29 Apr 2012, 17:57

Postby GregPankhurst » 25 Jan 2015, 14:20

I know the Alpine Classic is popular in DHBC circles, but I just wanted to give the perspective of a newbie targeting one of the shorter distances rather than one of the hardcore/320km set.

Long story short, it's a brilliant weekend. It's such a great experience riding roads that are largely restricted and surrounded by beautiful bushland. The few cars you do encounter give you loads of space. And almost everywhere you turn there's a great view. Good riding surfaces as well. Such a pleasure after the mayhem & cut and thrust of Sydney's patchwork.

Some would ask why you'd drive several hundred kms to do a 60, 70 or 130km ride, when one could simply do Bobbo or Waterfall. It's not simply the distance though. The riding is bloody glorious. And the town (Bright) has a great buzz about it. Loads of cyclists buzzing round, some cracking pubs, decent cafés. Lots to love.

So if you'd like a target ride to aim for, or a weekend away on the bike, Alpine Classic 2016 might be a great target.

Few tips: book accom stupidly early, like now. The whole town gets booked out. We stayed Bright Pine Valley Holiday park, and it was very decent for the price.

Riding: I have been averaging 100km/week, doing the odd c25s to Waterfall and chucked in the odd Bobbo and West Head in the buildup. And the 60km alpine classic proved a stretch. Tawonga isn't a brutal climb by any measure, but it's _far_ longer than anything you'll run into up on the 3 Gorges or on the Eastern Suburb hills. That said I reckon 3 gorges/eastern burbs/west head/Bobbo are excellent training grounds. I'd probably suggest building a base of Waterfalls for the next 6-8 months, then switch gears to 3 gorges/west head/Eastern hills/Bobbo from around the start of Nov.

Anyhow, my 2 cents

User avatar
JoTheBuilder
Posts: 1500
Joined: 19 Feb 2011, 15:32

Postby JoTheBuilder » 27 Jan 2015, 10:31

Tempting but I think I'll stick to the TDU... :lol:

blah
Posts: 83
Joined: 01 Nov 2013, 11:08

Postby blah » 27 Jan 2015, 11:33

Thanks for the perspective, this will come in handy when I'm trying to sell the experience to others! I've been trying to explain to people how amazing it was and that there's no need to do any of the crazy long rides for it to be well worth the drive (which is a really nice drive anyway).

GregPankhurst
Posts: 298
Joined: 29 Apr 2012, 17:57

Postby GregPankhurst » 29 Jan 2015, 15:28

Blog write up and a few pics: http://backoffalls.blogspot.com.au/

I did TDU last year (albeit I wasn't riding) and agree it's very good. But it's also a very different beast


Return to “Road”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 60 guests