A day to learn and live!

After we said good bye to the rides stage one guys, and after bagging them for being woozy girls, I lived to regret that comment, we headed off in search of some nice downhill fun which we did eventually find.

After reaching about 80% into the trail it then became the most difficult hike a bike I have ever done, I’m talking clambering over and sliding down small boulders.

We finally reached the bottom, a small grass clearing with a freshly mowed 4wd track. There we rested for about 20 mins with all the comments about the heat, I glanced over to the temp on my bike computer, 40.2 deg C nobody could believe it, probably because our own body temps were so high. I then touched my bikes frame and thought that’s hot, I then took a sip of my emdura in my bottle, no bull shit it was as hot as a cup of tea. We then headed on only to find a creek was only 100 meters from where we dropped.

Liam took a bath and a few others dipped their heels, on we went.

I was not expecting what confronted us next, hills f#%king big long and seemingly never ending hills. Seamed like three time Bigger and uglier than the dirt works nasty.

I hung with the back of the pack (as usual) Liam, Craig, Lee & I. After the first four water bar climbs Lee really went downhill with heat stroke / stress I don’t know but he was wasted. I worked with him getting him towards the top of the valley. Lee was now out of water with temps passing 42 deg C I gave Lee half the water I had (about 200mls each)with Liam doing the same for Craig. I took Lees bike to the top and met Liam, Craig then stayed with Lee and Liam while I rode out for help. I was getting a tad worried by now as after passing the NPWS gate I headed left for about 400m to see the road head back into the bush, I thought this can’t be right so turned around and went back to the gate. I then took the right hand trail to see it disappear also down into the bush, confused and thinking better to join the group than die out on my own I headed back again to the gate. As I was phoning Liam Craig appeared over the rise, happy to see him I can tell you (hes was now also out of water).

After an attempt of finding a Google map by Craig we judged the left road to be the way out, by the way, as Liam was the strongest of the three he stayed with Lee.

After about 4 km of hoping this was the way to help our hero Andy Bloot in his shining commodore came over the horizon, Andy after realising that we were taking way too long to join the split group realised something must be wrong so he drove in looking for us, Craig and I sent him in to get Lee & Liam whilst we rode out with the intention of driving in to pick up bikes or add support, you think of odd things in these situations. Minutes after we got to the cars Andy turned up with Lee who was feeling much better by now. Liam soon joined us as we wondered what could have been and what we had learnt from this experience. That’s an answer for another time.

The fact is we kept a level head and didn’t end up needing the help of the 000 boys.

But it was in our minds!

Pikey

-------------------------------------------
The Liver is Evil and must be punished
-------------------------------------------