Melbourne Gravel Grinders #5 -Night Grinder - 16-17/12/11,

Meets Melbourne
1

Date : Friday December 16th
Time : 1:00am (yes, technically this makes it a Saturday morning start!)
Start : Hurstbridge Train Station
Map :Melbourne Gravel Grinders #5 - ??? in VIC, Australia | Bike Map | MapMyRIDE

The details: Melbourne Gravel Grinders
The Facebook event: Redirecting...

I hope you have Ay-Ups, Dynamo lights or similar, because if you don’t, you’re going to miss a sweet ride!


Melbourne Gravel Grinders #5 - Night Grinder by king of fishes, on Flickr

2

If you turn up drunk, management reserves the right to refuse entry.

3

I’m just gonna cover my bike in knogs.

4

This is going to be epic, i can feel it.

I’ll be rocking 2 magicshines and fibreflare plus some knog for backup.

5

But being drunk is mandatory if you’re at Hurstrbidge station on a Friday night!

6

Dang, I’m gonna be back in NZ.

ah well, all the roads are gravel back there.

7

unfortunetely i’ll be out of town. if anyone wants to borrow my cygolite million give me a buzz.

8

But I get drunk on one beer/mulled wine these days…

I’m in.

9

Buumpppp!


Melbourne Gravel Grinders #5 - Night Grinder by king of fishes, on Flickr

10

Looks promising… lights may be an issue… (never mind the ‘family gathering’ on Saturday)

11

Count me out. Still yet to buy the Ay-Ups! :frowning:

12

Dice: Borrow some!!

Recon complete! 0000-0621 start to finish.

Lessons learned:

  • headlamps are very useful for navigation and hairpin turns, low slung dynolights are great for highlighting potholes etc
  • Steady rear lights > flashing, the pulse ruins night vision
  • 650B x 42mm Hetres straight up rule.
  • Kangaroos don’t make good pilot vehicles.
  • Riding up a 12% gravel grade in the dark is tough, riding down it is only marginally easier.

Make no mistake, this ride isn’t easy, but it’s a whole lotta fun.

Bowden Spur climb

Bowden Spur switchback1

Grabbing a coffee at 230am

Kinglake KOM cafe

539am, darkness fading

Daybreak

Back at Hurstbridge, 621am

Back at Hurstbridge 2

Aftermath:

All lube washed away

Brake sludge

13

100% bummed i won’t be around for this.

14

what’s the story with the cafe being open @ 2.30am?? Is it a bar also? can’t imagine they’d do a roaring trade @ that hour…

15

blakey probably purchased enough coffee that year to keep them in business until march 2012, though.

16

haha of course!!

I thought there was a distinct possibility there may have been a ‘special opening’ for the trios arrival…

17

I am in…certainly been a while.

18

its some black ops/VIP shizzle.

no, for real its a new cycling destination/weekender up on top of kinglake. they have 50 acres and are looking to build some trails/cx courses and have cyclists come stay and base their rides out of there. they have been in touch with a few different people getting the word out and were kind enough to open their doors for the recon riders.

i know of some others who have stopped by in the day and they said its a pretty neat location. they arent ‘open for business’ as such yet IIRC.

19

Course updated + some other info :

Melbourne Gravel Grinders

Get yer lights sorted and prepare to see wombats!

20

Any peeps that know me in irl are welcome to borrow some off road lights from me.