Second outing on the Munda Biddi: Sunday 22 Feb 2015, 40km from Albany Highway north to the Core Cider House in Pickering Brook (sadly they were booked out for lunch and couldn't squeeze us in).
Departed home 6am ish, coffee stop on the way, dropped the first car at Pickering Brook, drove to Albany Highway and departed on the bikes at 8am. We rode to our plan of stopping every hour for something to eat and a mental break. Each stop was about 20 min, and we rode at an average speed of 10kph. So we finished 40km just before 1pm - total time 5 hours, with riding time a little under 4 hours.
Our second day out on the Munda Biddi was thankfully cooler than the first one (around 30 degrees max), which helped us to feel fresher and less tired. By the 30-35km mark we were starting to get tired though.
This section started with 4km of "moderate" track, followed by 6km of "challenging" track. I was worried about the challenging track - but we didn't even realise we were in the challenging section until we had already done 5km of it. The last 800m or so were up a steep hill that was a combination of loose pea gravel and eroded clay gullies. We walked that whole section, which was tough going. But I much preferred walking up a steep climb than trying to ride or walk down it.
As we went further north the pea gravel became deeper and sandier. I was hoping that my recent conversion to tubeless tyres would help me power through the sand without getting bogged down. No such luck. I think I need to use an even lower tyre pressure. I was sitting at about 20psi for today's section.
I am hopeful that as we continue south along the trail the pea gravel will start to reduce. We had some nice sections today with gravel rocky outcrops and carpets of pine needles, which were much more fun to ride on.
I really enjoyed the ride today. It was so nice to ride without worrying about traffic, without worrying about keeping up, without feeling like I was supposed to be working hard. I did have to concentrate all the time and try to relax and pick the right line and try not to brake all the way downhill. But other than that it was basically a long recovery ride! With interesting scenery. :)
We also visited one of the Munda Biddi huts to see what they are like. The hut setup was awesome - a large hut with bed platforms, tables and chairs, two large water tanks, two sets of covered bike racks, and a composting toilet. It was in a lovely patch of bush and very tranquil - can't wait to get out for an overnight bush camp and wake up to that!
I was joined by my trusty Munda Biddi buddy Wayne. He gets to feature in all my photos - and this time I have some photos of him relaxing instead of looking like he's just climbed a big hill! He did have a little stank this time though, which required administration of first aid to patch up a graze on his leg. Nothing too serious. The other minor issue was that my front derailleur doesn't seem to change into an easier chain ring. I'll have to get that sorted before the next ride.
Next outing is only two weeks away so hopefully I'll retain some of my skills between rides!
