cycling to Mt Buller

After a few days away from the mountains, today I rise early and drive to Mansfield to tackle Mt Buller, the fourth in my Seven Peaks Challenge. Mercifully, the heatwave conditions of previous days has dissipated. I set out from Mansfield for the thirty kilometre 'warm-up' to Mirimbah where the serious climbing begins. 
In my humble opinion, thirty kilometres is a ridiculously long way to cycle to get to the start of a mountain climb. And, as most riders will descend the mountain as well as climb it, that means I'm facing sixty unnecessary kilometres. The road is up and down through bone-coloured hills of tussock and dead logs. And this morning, there's an unpredicatble wind that threatens to push me off the road, which for the first ten kilometres doesn't have a bike shoulder. 
Enough moaning. 
I pedal faster and enjoy the view of clouds scudding across Mt Buller and Mt Stirling in the distance. The road from Mansfield vaguely follows the Delatite River, a pretty stream burbling over rocks. As I get closer to Mirimbah, I'm amazed by the number of Bed and Breakfast options. Brumby's Run; Buttercup Cottage and Blue Ridge Chalet. After another ten kilometres, I see signs for Sawmill Settlement; Koala Lodge and Moonlight Ridge. It sounds as if I've stumbled into a Bush Poets Convention. 

At last, Mirimbah hoves into view and the Delatite wanders off through the valley while I brace myself for a steady lurch of 6% climbing. I'm pleased to be finally on the mountain road. A black cockatoo squawks from a low-hanging branch to welcome me into the forest of eucalyptus trees and lush ferns. 
I cycle past a hardy couple climbing on old mountain bikes. The woman is wearing a Seven Peaks Challenge jersey and tells me this is the mountain she likes the least. She pedals harder as if to ignore the incline. 
I'm enjoying the climb. It's a relatively consistent gradient, albeit it quite steep and the road surface is good. And, after the past few days of 40-degree furnaces, it's pleasant to relax in the cool shade and slowly climb.
Thirteen kilometres into the climb, the chalets of the Resort are visible on the ridge. The summit still looks a very long way away, even though I know it's only a few kilometres. The answer to this conundrum is offered at Hells Corner where the gradient ramps up to 11% and remains steep until I huff and puff my way into the village. That's one tough final few kilometres! 
The weather clock at the village tells me it's a chilly 9 degrees. I shiver into the Resort Management Office to get my passport stamped where the friendly worker tells me I'm the 285th person to climb Mt Buller this season.
To celebrate, I retire to the Apres Bar and scoff a huge hamburger and chips. It's very quiet up here. The only sound is my eating and the whirr of the fridge behind the bar. I contemplate the incongruity of the stuffed moose in the foyer before shrugging on my jacket and starting my descent. It's extremely cold, but heaps of fun. The road surface allows maximum speed.
At Mirimbah, I have a long swig of water and contemplate the thirty more kilometres I have to cycle to return to my car at Mansfield.
Don't start me, okay.

From Mansfield, Mt Buller is a 'hors category' climb of 48 kilometres with an average gradient of 4% and an elevation gain of 1,300 metres. In actuality, the ascent from Mirimbah is 17 kilometres with an average gradient of 5.9% and an elevation gain of 950 metres.

I have recently published an eBook about my bicycle journey across France, including a number of Tour de France mountain climbs.
     baguettes and bicycles  is a travel adventure, a restaurant safari and a guidebook for those who enjoy slow food, easy cycling and... fast descents.
     To purchase this book for $2.99, go to my Amazon page, here.