downhill focus

Day Two of the Mt Buller "feats of strength" MTB festivus weekend offered even wetter conditions under tyre than the day before, and people were amped for Klingsporn, an old bridle trail linking the Mt Buller village to Mirimbah at the base of Buller. The wind was still howling as we all assembled at the head of the trail. The first kilometer or so was along a vehicle width cutting that was flooded with ice cold water running off the mountain. A sodden track that, at times, was completely under water providing a "refreshing" rooster tail of spray to riders already pre-chilled near the summit. It soon narrowed to single track width, sometimes off camber and generally pretty rocky as it dropped down below into the trees. As the locations would suggest this is a downhill trail, and a good test of the forearms as I found it key to control the speed and anticipate the terrain. What an awesome run giving the brakes a hammering and the concentration an equal frying. Thankfully I made it cleanly through a rock garden section that had put me on my back and several meters down the side of the trail a handful of years ago. It took me 45 minutes to get to the meeting point below, getting past a couple of others repairing punctures and letting a couple of others through that were a lot more competent at this kind of riding. Although there wasn't much chance to take them in there were several great views of the raging Delatite River below that was swelling from the previous 24 hours of rain.

The return journey was a 16km climb up the Mt Buller road that took care of the next 100 minutes, with a short stop at the 30 minute mark to call in on the leprechauns. No-one answered the door so it was onward and upward!

Becs opted not to tackle Klingsporn but to join another group to descend the road to Mirimbah. From there they headed toward Mt Stirling, making it as high as Telephone Box Junction, returning to Mirimbah then climbing back up to Mt Buller village. Once again the weather did not get in the way of a great day of long descents and long climbs.