Night Grinder 2 is approaching!

Stay tuned for more details...

MGG #9 Report

 Well that turned out pretty good I thought.

49 riders took off from Hurstbridge Station on a cloudy but mostly rain-free day - great riding weather, not too hot, not too cold. The send-off speech heavily emphasised the 50km option and I was glad to hear that many riders chose the 50km and enjoyed the hell out of it. At rego time, 28 riders said they'd try the 100km, 18 said they'd try the 50km and a couple were undecided. There were a few DNFs and a few shortcuts taken by those who knew the area but, as long as everyone had fun, no rules were broken.

Let's talk options

Ok, recon ride is complete and cue sheets are being finalised. There's only one week to go so let's talk options.

We're offering this ride in two flavours :

100km - for people with a whole day to spend
50km  - for people with less time up their sleeves

For reference, we took about 7 hours to do the full 100km on our recon ride. That includes a bit of faffing around and a sit-down lunch at Toolangi Tavern. 6-7 hours would be a fair estimate of how long it might take you to do the full 100km.

If you plan on riding hard and aren't scared of a bit of climbing, revise that estimate down. If you're planning to take it a bit easier or if you've got commitments straight after the ride, I'd seriously consider the 50km option.

The 50km is still a great route, it's got some solid climbs and screaming descents, it's got some incredible views of the Yarra Valley and visits some awesome roads but it will have you back in Hurstbridge a good few hours before the 100km option. Both options are solid rides in and of themselves but the longer option may have you in the middle of the bush by yourself after dark if you discover, too late, that you're over-committed.

No need to decide right now - you can leave it 'til about kilometre 30 on the route before you have to decide which way to go - so see how you're feeling on the day, be honest with yourself and make sure you ride within your limits. That way we'll all have fun!



Remember to watch out for friendly goats, curious alpacas and, my favourite, goofy lyrebirds. We saw two lyrebirds on our recon ride - that's some good juju right there!


Oh, and remember, it's on the Saturday this time. Saturday 26th, 9:00am, Hurstbridge Station.

See ya there!

MGG #9 details up

Details are up for the next MGG ride. Check out the page here :

#9 Scooter's Century - Sat 26 Oct

It's going to be a ripper. Don't miss out!

MGG #9 is approaching

 

Stay tuned for more details...

MGG is alive

Mark these two dates in your calendar :

Saturday 26th October - MGG #9  Scooter's Century

Friday 13th December - MGG #10  Night Grinder 2

We're back.

More details to follow but, for now, the hint is in the names!

Scooter's Century is about 100km of hills and views around Kinglake/Dixons Creek/Toolangi. Some solid climbs, some screaming descents and some ripper views of the Yarra Valley. There'll be a shortcut option for the time-poor and one checkpoint is at a pub. There is nothing not to like about this ride.

Night Grinder 2 is exactly what it sounds like - another night-riding mission around the hills of Kinglake/Hurstbridge/Christmas Hills. We'll use a modified version of the first course with a few special treats thrown in. Start around midnight, finish in time for breakfast. Oh, and we'll definitely be going up Bowden Spur again - best and most surreal climb at night - you won't forget it in a hurry.

Stay tuned...

Local riders tackle the Tour Divide

It's that time of year again! Time to follow the race, catch the highlights every day, follow the ups and downs of your favourite riders and see the dramas unfold over a grueling three weeks of intense riding. What?! No, not that race in France! I'm talking about the Tour Divide - a solo, self-supported bikepacking event that travels about 4400km from Canada, all the way down to Mexico following the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.