Gravity 12 Hour Mountain Bike Ride – Nov 2005

LUMC entered three teams in the Gravity ride this year – it’s a mountain bike challenge/endurance event near Myrtleford, involving doing as many laps around the 13km course of single track and fire trails as your team can manage in the 12 hours.

Wombles of Mass Delusion consisted of Alex, Nick and Megan, and managed 11 laps in 12:01:55, coming 8th out of 14 in their category. Best lap times = Megan (58.25), Alex (1.00.09), Nick, (1.03.34). Nick had to pull out due to injury after two laps, leaving Megan and Alex to do four and five laps each respectively - Alex finishing off the last lap in the dark, with a bike covered in tinsel and red LEDs, and a helmet with reindeer antlers.



Alex and Megan at swapover


Weapons of Mud Destruction consisted of David, Will and Michael, and they did 11 laps in 12:59:46, coming 29th out of 32 (in the slightly more competitive all male category). Best lap times = Michael (45.56), David (59.17), Will (1.24.53). Michael was doing the course without a back brake, and still managed to pull awesome lap times finishing off with four laps, the last two done back to back in the dusk/dark, meanwhile David was being ultra hardcore on his rigid frame bike, pulling off four laps, including the last one in the dark. Will came away with three laps and some interesting scraping injuries up his side, courtesy of an unfortunate combination of skid turns in the mud and ill-placed trees.



Will's injuries

Wheels of Mass Destruction were Rich and Chris, who did 12 laps in 12:31:24, coming 16th of 24 in their category. Best lap times = Rich (49.46), Chris (55.07). Due to Cath pulling out, we ended up with one pair – these hardcore guys. Rich ended up doing seven laps (including two back to back in the dark), and Chris did five. Crazy people - you like how the team with only two people managed to do more laps than either of the teams of three?



Camp WMD - Dave, Nick, Rich and Michael

Unlike a lot of the riders, all of us stuck it out to the dark finish at 9pm, surviving the mud, and the lunch of evil teddy bear pasta, and had lots of fun in the meantime (before collapsing into a dirty and disheveled heap at 10pm).




Rich, all prepared for a night lap

--Megan--

Arapiles - November 2005

A group of us headed up to Arapiles for a sunny November weekend of climbing fun…


Springtime views out over the paddocks of the Wimmera plains.


On Saturday, Cath started up Hell for Leather (15) on the Atridae, after our earlier ascent of Muldoon (13). Meanwhile Sarah was playing with the beginners (Sofia and John) at the Plaque. Later in the day Cath and I wandered up Resignation (15), for some multi-pitching fun, before heading back to camp, then helping stretcher out an injured climber from Pedro - he was ok, but wear your helmets kids!


Cath on Resignation (15)


Sunday morning brought a lazy late start, then an all-girl ascent (Megan, Mela and Cath) of Kestrel, a funky 13, while Sarah and the beginners headed off to Bushrangers Bluff. After lunch, we all flocked to the Organ Pipes – Mela and Corey headed up Piccolo (11), Sarah hooked up with an American chick to do Diapason (7), Cath and Mikey wandered up Hornpipe (13), while Megan took John and Sofia up D Major (9) then Hornpipe (13).
The rest of the crew moved on to Pilot Error (20), which Cath led (hoorah), before being seconded by Corey. Meanwhile, Shaggy led up Tarzan (13), belayed by Mela.


Corey on Pilot Error



Mela moves past the Bouldery Start on Tarzan (13), only to reach the Awkward Bulge.


Then, rather unfortunately, a vanload of us had to drive back to Melbourne (via Spaghetti Pizza in Horsham), while the others keep hanging out at Arapiles for the week. Damn them.

--Megan--