Chockstone Forum

      Sponsored By
      ROCK
   HARDWARE

Chockstone Photography

Australian Landscape Prints

Chockstone Forum - General Discussion

General Climbing Discussion

Topic Date User

off-topic: climbers who ride 13-Sep-2005 At 11:43:41 AM (removed)

Message

Yup, I ride as bit - 400-ish clicks a week at present all on the roadie (actually on the T.T. bike which climbs like a sack of sh!t), but it means I have no time to (rock)climb - Hawaii Ironman for me on October 15th and then I can back off a bit.

Top speed: 94 kph down the steep bit between Dinner Plain and Omeo. Bike rock solid. Thank f---.

(Bike) Climbs near Melbourne, Martin's pretty much covered it, but some good loops are:
(i) Home-St Andrews-Kinglake (7.4km climb) -Melba Hwy-Glenburn-Flowerdale-Kinglake West (3km climb) -Whittlesea-home with optional Humevale loop (183 or 197 kms from Kensington) mostly on quiet roads.
(ii) As above to Melba Hwy-Toolangi-St Leonards-Healesville-Toolangi-Melba Hwy (sth)-Yarra Glen-Christmas Hills-back through Research (detouring down Mt Pleasant Road for extra pain)-home. (194kms)

Best climbs in Vic:
Donna Buang, 16.4km, gnarly section right in the middle and right at the end.
Buffalo, 18km, steady, hard-ish early
Hotham, 31km (although with two short downhill sections & a soft middle section, very gnarly finish) so long as it is a nice day. Our only climb that climbs above the tree line. Great experience.
Falls Creek, 30km (undulating section from 5-15km ruins it, gnarly finish)
Buller, 16km (again, a gnarly finish)
Baw Baw, 6km (a whopping 15% average. Take the triple chain ring)

Best shorter climbs:
1/20 (Dandenongs), 7km, beautiful road surface, mild graident
Kinglake, 7.4km, nice road surface now, honest finish
Chum Creek, 8km, nice road surface, very mild gradient.
The Wall (Dandenongs). 5km, a right bastard, 10% in a few places.