And so the morning began as the posse of dishevelled dirty rats
made tracks straight for the state forest, but not before warming the legs up Mt
Biondello. The Zulu in predictable form led the rats up the first sector as the
group followed, gathering in formation like the carriages on a train. As the
lead diesel crested the first pinch climb, the King in all too familiar fashion
broke ranks and shot to the front only to be reeled back in shortly after. For a
bluff to stick, it needs to be more convincing. Once again it was the Zulu,
Riddler and Tim-O-Matic cresting the summit first. I have heard the Zulu mention
that a 225g can of Baked Beans on a couple of slices of wholemeal toast is all
the fuel he needs before a big session. I guess the teaspoon of concrete that a
few of us take before a ride is only sufficient to provide the grit and
determination to keep our pedals grinding up these mountains, howbeit at a more
sedate pace.
After a brief stop to regather under Police Creek Bridge on
Kirkwood, the Trail Boss (a Walton’s family member) was given the nod to lead
the rats out on a new section of trail. It wasn’t long before the thighs were
burning again on a monster of a climb. It was steep and technical, but with the
recent rain there was enough traction for those with enough stamina (or baked
beans, or concrete) to successfully conquer it. The pain and exhaustion was
evident on the countenance of Mr Avanti, The Bull and Big
Fish.
It was the Pied Piper who led the rats to their next big challenge
along the ridgeline. It was an open, steep, loose and unforgiving downhill that
allowed for little error. We don’t yet have a name for this hill as they are
usually bestowed after the first dirty rat who has the misfortune to come
unstuck on these descents. Let it be known that most of the hills in the state
forest have been named already. Yoda (old, bald and Wise) vainly tried to
harness the force of persuasion in convincing the rats to take another route as
fear glistened in his eyes. The old Jedi was however ignored as the Zulu and the
King took to the trail and plummeted down the hill and out of
sight.
A few more single track trails and a couple of more climbs saw the
group thread their way back to civilisation. There is a motto I have heard of in
the US marines and that is ‘they leave no man behind’. This however is not the
case with the dirty rats and I’ve witnessed the King and the Zulu have a quiet
word with a few who have underestimated the difficulty of the 5:00am ride. As
the Bull was suffering a slow leak with his tubeless tires and time running out,
a decision was made to cut him loose and head straight for the coffee shop.
Thankfully the Trail Boss was more longsuffering than the rest of the rats and
stayed behind to ensure the Bull got out safely.
.For those in M1 land who have a moderate to high level of fitness I
highly recommend the 5:00am Mtb ride if you are after something more challenging
and enjoy great company.
The Pied Piper.
