What loop did you guys do? Shattered I missed it!
G'day.
Today's route went like this:
Started at the General Store, down Clintons Rd and right behind the shop, down, up, over, down, across the rock-armoured gully, up to Blue House Rd, right, and then into Boomers Reserve.
At the bottom of that we rode up Motschalls Rd to the Turnung Rd verge trails, which we rode to the end. Just before crossing the main road there was some new ST (up from where the microwave oven mailbox is), and then across E-YG Rd, on to more new ST (Wombat Head, I think it's called) along the verge to the bottom of Ridge Rd.
A couple of the lads rode the full Ridge Rd ST climb - I took the easy way up, and rejoined the ST about 2/3 of the way along - with a couple of others.
Then down the twisty ST, back across the main road and into Happy Valley, where we turned left up a diversion that springs off the bottom part of Midden, then we rode down that last bit of Midden.
Across HV, and up Marsben. I still reckon that's one of the hardest climbs I've ever done - today I had to stop 2-3 times on the way up, just to catch breath - but I was stoked to clean all the switchbacks.
We then took the fire trail down to the start of Orchid, up that, and then the verge trails back along Clintons Rd to the shop.
27km, 660m climbing, about 2.5 hours all up.
Thanks Mars & Alex for leading - and for pushing me to extend myself!
Cheers.