Kirsten Simpson Photography

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  • The Peak to Peak at Whistler Blackcomb
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  • Summer stats don’t lie: Last summer the Hells crew teamed up with The Climbing Cyclist in a series designed to cast a little light on why climbing hills can be so enjoyable. Cyclists are constantly surrounded by stats – and our post-series summary was no different. Presenting to you, the 7 Peaks Domestic Series – in numbers.<br />
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Over 4 months we:<br />
- Presented 12 testing mountain ride options<br />
- Pounded 959 individual stamps onto 7 Peaks passports<br />
- On average joined a rather social 77 riders per event<br />
- Collectively (and casually) punched out more than 45,000 kilometres in the bumpy High Country<br />
- Cracked out more than one million vertical metres (!)<br />
- Delivered 170+ riders to the awaiting sausage sizzle at Lake Mountain<br />
- On one ride proudly welcomed more than 50 women, who then proceeded to ‘chick’ riders left, right, and centre<br />
- Landed the biggest group on Baw Baw outside of the classic. Twice.<br />
- Had our amazing volunteers pour over 500 litres of quenching Emma & Toms juice down your gullets<br />
- Kept the bonking (relatively) at bay with more than 2,000 Winners Bars, Gels, and Chews handed out<br />
- Argued over the most worthy recipients of 65 Cycling Express vouchers, one set of wheels, a cracking merino top, a full cycling wardrobe, and a bunch of other sweet prizes<br />
- Had a video shot at Buffalo which will form part of a Tourism Vic campaign, and a video shot at Baw Baw that was picked up by the cycling show ‘2 better than 4’ (subsequently shown in more than 65 countries)<br />
- Were joined by a bunch of domestic and international professional riders - including a kiwi lad by the name of Hendo currently cutting The Big Lap of France.<br />
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Those stats are great – but it’s the friendships, fresh riding buddies, new Strava nemeses, and *ahem* even a romance that we are most proud of.<br />
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See you in 2013/14.
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  • This beautiful sport of ours:<br />
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Let’s face it. For a sport that defines itself with its climbing it really has been a downhill run lately. On the iconic barren moonscape of Ventoux we witnessed the slightly clinical peloton-shredding tempo of SKY come to life, followed by Froome’s attack after attack that looks to have put the tour beyond doubt.<br />
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So what has our sport come to when a clean rider without a shadowy past is immediately presumed guilty until proven otherwise? As cyclists we should limit casting aspersions – there are plenty outside of the sport to do that. Instead, let’s just take a deep breath and remind ourselves of the reason’s we DO ride. The solitude, the cols, the suffering, and the glory.
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  • That Dotted Line: It used to mark the limit for us. That ragged line of torn bitumen putting an abrupt end to a beautiful climb. No man's land held no allure for us – its surface an ugly pock-marked rouge overseen by a shot-blasted lichen covered sign shouting “GRAVEL!” We’d even seen the other side - gazing longingly (knowing the exact measure of kilometres and a precise quantity of metres gained) but knowing it was out of our reach. We had traced the twisting Dotted Line on the map – but the conventional coffee shop wisdom was that it was out of reach on 23 millimetres of rubber. So we worked around it. Return routes on shoulders strewn with debris and grey junk kays on monotonous highways. Unfortunately even with circuitous workarounds we still knew that we were missing out. That Dotted Line was so small – yet it prevented so much. Stories filtered in third-hand. We heard of a guy who knew someone that had done it. He did not head the capitalised caveat “GRAVEL!” – instead he skimmed potholes and ascended That Dotted Line. So one day, armed with a battalions equipment and the bolshiness only fear of the unknown can bring, we crossed That Dotted Line. No punctures. Bike intact. Job done. Dirt be damned. Before we even finished the ride, we were excitedly joining the dots on new loops, new routes, new roads – all previously ‘inaccessible’. Exploration, adventure, quiet roads and immersive scenery is where it took us – and takes us. Deeper, and deeper each time. That Dotted Line is a part of our history – and the reason why we want to drag you with us this August. Don’t believe everything you hear over a latte.
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  • On the outside, looking back:<br />
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Although we sometimes feel like adventurers, it is always humbling chatting to a local and hearing how trodden the path we take truly is. In looking for an interesting story on the former logging railway at Donna Buang, we found out about something much more interesting..<br />
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Donna Buang in the early 30's was home to a small ski resort, complete with a ski jump. A competition attracting more than 4,000 spectators saw a visiting Norwegian jump more than 60ft. A fire in 1939 took out the majority of the facilities, but a more permanent structure was built - at one point in the 50's attracting international ski jumpers to participate in a competition organised by the Ski Club of Victoria. <br />
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Travelling on bike we get the opportunity to slow down and appreciate things - but sometimes to see the whole picture you need to move backwards.
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  • Looking back: It all started with a ragtag bunch of cyclists keen on pushing limits and riding the hills for cheap thrills. United in our quest to redefine epic - we'd always look out for each other. 'No man left behind' was less about ideals, and more about ensuring no one missed out on their share of the suffering. These days there is plenty of pain to go around, and we're still looking back.
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  • Crew: The key to riding better is simple. Surround yourself with people that are better than you. The hard-working rouler. The silky-smooth bomb descender. The enragingly effortless climber.. or in the Hells 500 crew’s case – the combination of all three with the added inspiring ultra endurance of rider Joel Nicholson. For us the association is not so much a case of etching in a new chapter in skilling-up, it’s re-writing the book. Push yourself by riding with someone better, and the worst that will happen is you'll learn a thing or two*. Get the inside running on how he approaches ultra-endurance riding both mentally and physically at Endless Revolutions (http://endlessrevolutions.wordpress.com/). <br />
*and possibly a couple of new and inventive ways to suffer.
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  • Instead of expressing their gratitude for the rain by getting wet, people walk around with umbrellas. Nature is an old lady with few friends these days, and those who wish to make use of her charms, she rewards passionately." Tim Krabbe, 'The Rider'Soggy, sodden, cold, and damp perhaps - but these are the rides we remember. Stop making excuses and just get out there.
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  • Rule #9: If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.<br />
<br />
"Fair-weather riding is a luxury preserved for Sunday afternoons and wide boulevards. Those who ride in foul weather... are members of a special club of riders who, on the morning of a big ride, pull back the curtain to check the weather and, upon seeing rain falling from the skies, allow a wry smile to spread across their face" (The Velominati).
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  • Peaks and Troughs: This cycling life is one of peaks and troughs. The key is to not concern yourself with temporary form slumps – any seasoned vet will teach you that this is something to roll with, and to just get on with things. Pick a ‘ride for the soul’ and cleanse yourself. Take a moment to remind yourself why you ride – it will only lead you slowly to your next peak.
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  • Domestique Mt Buller
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  • 2015 Lake Mountain Bunch
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