Peaks Finisher, Michele Armstrong, had her first Peaks Challenge experience in 2018 when she tackled The Legend solo. 

She will be back for more in 2019, this time riding with a group of like-minded women from our Women’s Community, and has shared her story below:

When I decided to enter Peaks Challenge, I was sure I could convince some of my cycling buddies to ride with me, but I had no luck there, so headed to Falls Creek on my own and very nervous.

At the start line I looked around and thought, I really shouldn’t be here. But after a slow and steady descent, I found my rhythm on the first climb up Tawonga Gap, and started to relax into the task ahead. 

I know the only way I could finish under the 13 hour cut off was to ride with a ‘my peak my pace’ attitude. For me, that meant riding at around 70% capacity, drinking before I was thirsty, eating before I was hungry and keep asking myself how I was feeling… if I could talk without feeling breathless. 

Keeping focussed on hydration and nutrition at rest stops was also vital as I had no time to spare. 

I rode alone most of the way, but other riders were so encouraging and supportive. I left plenty in the tank for the back of Falls, and noticed that most of the riders still on their bikes and not walking were women. 

There was an eerie silence at that stretch of road, and it was important for morale to look straight ahead and not get distracted by those walking, stopping, cramping and groaning!

This year the main thing I will improve on is my speed at fixing a flat. I was only ever 20 minutes ahead of cut off and did not want to waste any of those precious minutes on the side of the road with a flat tyre.

It didn’t happen last year, but I spent a lot of time worrying about it happening and I didn’t want it to be anyone else’s problem!

I can’t wait to do it all again and have convinced a couple of girls to join me for a day out on the bike in the beautiful High Country!

Want to hear more about Michele’s solo journey? 

This year Michele will be talking at the women’s only briefing, along with other female members and wave leaders from Team Bicycle Network. They’ll talking through the highs and lows of tackling the beast that is Peaks Challenge and answering any burning questions before the ride.

When?

Saturday 9 March at 4:30pm

Where?

Halleys Lodge – Slalom St, Falls Creek

Ride with like-minded women

We’re inviting any women who want to join forces to meet at the start line and take on the challenge together. Just look for the purple Women’s Community flag in the event village at 6:00am on Sunday morning to join in.

This is part of Bicycle Network’s commitment to providing an environment where all riders feel comfortable and safe to get involved.

Cycling event participation has been traditionally dominated by males, but there is a strong community of women who ride bikes who are bridging the gap at events and on the roads. 

Our newest event, the Great Outback Escape, is our fisrt event to achieve 50/50 parody between male and female participants. 

Learn more about Bicycle Network’s Womens Community here.

Bicycle Network is committed to 50/50

As a Change our Game champion, Bicycle Network is proud to be part of the team that’s taking a stand to increase the participation and leadership of women and girls in sport and recreation. 

Together we can identify and overcome the systemic barriers that hold many women back as we move towards 50/50. 

We are committed to making the leadership and participation of women and girls a strategic focus in our organisation and across bike riding.

We are constantly looking for ways to make it easier for more women to ride a bike, regardless of their age, ability or background. 

The post Michele Armstrong – tackling Peaks solo appeared first on Bicycle Network.

He’s ridden every year since the first ‘3 Peaks’ event in 2010 and has some great tips and advice.

What has been your most memorable Peaks Challenge ride, and why?

My most memorable Peaks Challenge Falls Creek ride would have to be the first one in 2010. There are many reasons why, but here is a list of a few:

• The heavy rainfall around 3:00am – 4:00am before the ride created a bit more uncertainty of what to wear and how to just prepare
• Not knowing how much food and drink to take, and wondering if they might run out of water
• We rode as a bunch of five riders, drinking lots of water and having to take lots of toilet breaks with the constant fear of dehydration looming.
• We were frozen at Dinner Plain but pushed on to avoid the cut off.
• Multiple punctures in all of our tyres, so much so that we ran out of spare tubes between us all.
• We all rode with “day back packs” and finished at 9:30pm, a ride time of approximately 14 hours and 30 minutes. I didn’t even see the dam wall as we got close to the line, what a relief to just finish!

What has changed throughout the years at Peaks Challenge Falls Creek?

• The obvious changes that I have noticed have been the improvement in start line arrangements, with rider separation up the hill going from faster to slower riders.
• It’s always interesting with different sponsors each year and their new products. It makes the day before buzz!
• The check points have all got a lot more organised and the water is generally kept in the shade, well mostly!
• Finishers jerseys have had some good art work and design (all except one year when the sizes were too small!)

Which of the climbs is your favourite?

Hotham is my favourite climb, especially the second half, as the view is nothing short of breathtaking on a clear day, which is what we have had the last three to four years. It’s a tough climb with lots of vertical, which is what we train for.

As one of the few people who have signed up for all ten rides, what keeps bringing you back to Peaks Challenge year after year?

I keep coming back to improve my times for the whole 235 kilometres. Also, I like to introduce new friends to the epic adventure in a wilderness part of Oz.

Does it ever get easier?

Peaks Challenge Falls Creek does get a bit easier, as I do seem to prepare better each time. The course seems to get shorter as it becomes more familiar and memories flood back throughout the day.

Does any other event compare to Peaks?

Fitzs Challenge (in Canberra) comes a bit close, however their ride is essentially an “out and back” setup, so you only see half the amount of landscapes. Nothing else compares in my experience.

If you could give fellow riders a top tip for completing Peaks, what would it be?

My best tip for other riders would be to take some good quality, real food with you to snack on in between the energy bars. And get used to eating that ‘real food’ in the weeks leading up to the event, especially on the long training rides.

Another tip would be to not stop for too long at check points.

Other rider stories

D***heads, nutjobs and Samboy chips

10 times Peaks finisher Mark McLean told us it never gets easier, but having a group of like minded "nutjobs" by your side makes the...

Tom Pawikowski – continuing through the cramps

Tom Pawikowski shares his story of blind determination, painful setbacks and dogged perseverance in his quest to cross the finish line at Peaks Challenge Falls...

Craig Hobart – Peeling the Onion

Craig's inspiring story from Peaks Challenge Falls Creek 2013 describes being broken but never beaten, and finding another gear when your mates have your back.

The post Tim’s 10 years of Peaks appeared first on Bicycle Network.

That’s what Peaks Challenge Falls Creek rider Mark McLean told us when we asked if Australia’s toughest single-day bike ride gets easier every year.

Mark is saddling up for the 10th year in a row in 2019 and is one of only a handful of people who have taken on every single Peaks Challenge Falls Creek ride.

He had ridden Around the Bay, and finished well, but still felt he was overweight and unfit and in need of a genuine test. So he entered the new Three Peaks ride, as it was known then.

“I saw it as a fair dinkum challenge. If I didn’t prepare properly, I would not be able to complete it,” said Mark.

He finished that first ride, and because of the challenges the wet weather threw up, thinks it is the most memorable. However, he still comes back every year and loves it.

“I typically ride with two other nutjobs whom I have cajoled into doing Peaks Challenge for at the least the last five years.”

“This helps make it fun and invites camaraderie and inspiration if your motivation is poor and ebbing away.”

And even though Mark has been riding the event for 10 years, he still sets tests and goals.

“To think that I can still get faster is what keeps me coming back, the thought that my 8 hours and 49 minutes in 2014 can’t be the best it can get.”

“It is an honest challenge year in year out, and I use this as motivation to not get fat and start eating Samboy chips on the couch.”

Mark’s advice for anyone thinking about taking on Peaks Challenge for the first time is to do what he has done and find some like minded “nutjobs” to train and ride with.

This year he is aiming for a finish around the 9 hour mark, but is experienced enough to know that anything can happen on the day to change this.

If you spot Mark out on the ride (you will know him from his Peaks Challenge gilet and Jones cycle store top) be sure to say hello.

Other rider stories

Tim’s 10 years of Peaks

Tim Ellison is saddling up for his tenth Peaks Challenge Falls Creek ride in 2019. We asked him about some of his favourite moments and...

Tom Pawikowski – continuing through the cramps

Tom Pawikowski shares his story of blind determination, painful setbacks and dogged perseverance in his quest to cross the finish line at Peaks Challenge Falls...

Craig Hobart – Peeling the Onion

Craig's inspiring story from Peaks Challenge Falls Creek 2013 describes being broken but never beaten, and finding another gear when your mates have your back.

The post D***heads, nutjobs and Samboy chips appeared first on Bicycle Network.

They put me in wave three aiming for 11 to 12 hours. I wasn’t happy with that because I wanted to break 10 hours. I even got a sticker with times for a 10 hour finish. But had to start with wave three.

The moment we started I bombed down like hell and chased wave two. Some of them I passed on the downhill and lots of them I passed on the first climb, Tawonga Gap. I was feeling good and was riding hard passing people.

Had a Garmin in save mode so it lasts longer. It doesn’t show anything until you press the button. On occasions I checked the times and I was hovering around 160 and going strong.

I did Tawonga Gap in 31 minutes just pushing myself, not having any wheels to follow, and Mark Welford, who rode the event in 9 hours 22 minutes, did the Gap in 29 minutes.

There was first rest area at the top of Tawonga Gap but I didn’t stop. After Tawonga Gap there is 30 kilometre flat part. I found myself in a group of similarly pushing guys and we caught up to wave two in Harietteville, just before the start of Mount Hotham climb. 30 kilometres with well over 1000 metres elevation. In Harietteville there was also a rest stop, but I pressed on.

Before Mount Hotham I was happy and feeling good. I was 18 minutes ahead of time for a 10 hour finish and I had started five minutes later.

I knew what was coming, I had done it on the video simulation. I started steady knowing that I can do it, but after one third of it I came undone. It started with cramps in my left hip adductor and right hamstring. They were grabbing and going at that stage.

I tried to offload them by getting off the saddle more often. It worked for some time, but my output got a bit worse. Soon I couldn’t stand up on the pedals because the moment I did I was getting cramps in both quads and I had to sit down to break them.

Any time I wanted to go harder I was cramping. The only thing I could do was try to ride just hard enough so the cramps were grabbing but without full spasm. All the people that I chased and passed were riding past me, some of them chatting along.

I wanted to put an end to this shame and misery. The worse was still to come. Unfortunately, the climbing gradient did not allow me to manage my cramping for very long. 10 kilometres to the Mount Hotham summit I seized up fully and had to fall off the bike against a car. Thank god for the car, otherwise it would have been the ground.

Calves, quads, hammy and adductor – they went on and on. After some time they subdued, but any attempt to move and they were back with the same force. Some more time hanging over the bike and I was able to continue. I had to stop like that twice more before the summit.

I lost all the time that I had gained, plus a further 40 minutes. I stopped thinking about time and started thinking about whether to quit now or later. After the summit I rode 20 kilometres more to my first official rest stop – lunch at Dinner Plain. I drenched myself in cold water, ate a gel, went to the toilet to empty my bladder, it was good to know I wasn’t dehydrated.

I drank a bottle of Coke and forced myself not to look in the direction of the Bus of Shame waiting for the quitters. I filled one bottle with Powerade, the other with water, reapplied sunscreen, drenched myself again in cold water and went on. For some time it was okay, I even got my hopes back. Maybe I can recover some time, maybe get below 12 hours.

Unfortunately, it didn’t last long. My struggles continued and I had to stop every now and again to relieve the cramps. I planned to only stop at the lunch break, and then only if I ran out of water, but I used any stop available on the way back. I knew now that I could finish the event, but the question was will I be able to do it under 13 hours?

The hell continued. On the last climb, I must admit I had to walk 20 metres up WTF corner because I cramped in the steep part and I wouldn’t be able to get on the bike so had to walk to switch back corner.

The cramping continued to the finish, even when I was walking back home. I couldn’t sleep much that night either as any movement with my legs against the covers gave a cramp and I had to stretch.

Anybody who finished the course has my utmost respect!

Other rider stories

Tim’s 10 years of Peaks

Tim Ellison is saddling up for his tenth Peaks Challenge Falls Creek ride in 2019. We asked him about some of his favourite moments and...

D***heads, nutjobs and Samboy chips

10 times Peaks finisher Mark McLean told us it never gets easier, but having a group of like minded "nutjobs" by your side makes the...

Craig Hobart – Peeling the Onion

Craig's inspiring story from Peaks Challenge Falls Creek 2013 describes being broken but never beaten, and finding another gear when your mates have your back.

The post Tom Pawikowski – continuing through the cramps appeared first on Bicycle Network.

So it hurt, let’s just say the first 170 kilometres went pretty much to plan, covered in 6.5 hours.

What happened next was a story of peeling the onion. The warning signs were between Ovens and Running Water in 45 degree heat when I ran out of water, and stopped producing sweat (my skin was dry).

I crawled into Running Water and couldn’t hold down the fruit cake they were handing out, and after drinking three litres of water and picking up two gels, I rolled out thinking 60 kilometres in three and a bit hours, maybe…

But not long after the roll out my body started to shut down, I rolled to a stop halfway to Mount Beauty, and laid down under a tree and realised my plan was changing from a time target to trying to finish.

Turnip’s story from last year gave me a new goal. Ed’s note: we’re not sure what Turnip’s story is, but it sounds like it could be good.

After about half an hour, I got going again and got to Mount Beauty feeling stuffed but OK.

I laid down again in a car garage on the concrete in the shade and had a Powerade, an icy pole, and opened a bottle of Coke, but decided to ration the Coke for the 30 kilometre climb ahead. Once again I drank a couple of litres on water and topped up.

At this stage I was still hoping for a 5:30pm finish.

The 16 kilometre ride up to Bogong Village was goal one. I faltered about 500m from the village and had to lay down again, this time I was too tired to move into the shade. I somehow thought putting my hand over my face was the shade…

I was also out of water again, but fortunately at the village I got two bottles filled, and I finished my coke.

Crossing the bridge for the start of the second half of the climb (16 km to go) I felt good for about 500 metres, then started to cramp up.

I kept going until about 12 kilometres to go when I needed to lay down again, and once again somehow managed to have the shade disappear, my arm providing the shade. I tried to ride but I couldn’t, so I began to walk. I got going again, but now the cramps were pinging constantly.

I finally collapsed at 8 kilometres to go, in the shade this time, next to a stream, and was completely gone. I couldn’t get up, every time I tried my legs cramped, pinning me to the ground. Eventually a motorbike official saw me laying down and came back to check on me. I was out of water again, so he raced up to Falls Creek to fill my water bottles and called the SAG wagon. Somewhere during this time the ER family showed up – Flash, Dopie, B1/M and someone else (sorry I can’t remember clearly what happened). I said I was done, as I couldn’t move anyway, and accepted my fate. The guys were great, in defeat I had found victory.

I rang my wife and said I was OK, I remember saying “tell the boys I tried…”.

The motorbike official came back and gave me my water, and again radioed for the SAG wagon, and I had to get him to help me to my feet as I couldn’t stand up (my legs cramped when I tried). I said to him I would walk until the SAG got to me.

I had time laying there to reflect on everything, and to say its OK to stop now.

But two things happened, I never stopped looking at my watch, and the storm clouds started to form overhead complete with thunder. I still had about two hours until the cut off, and I knew a combination of walking and riding might get me there.

Like a miracle the temperature started to drop rapidly (it was still mid-thirties before the clouds rolled in). I kept walking, then rode a bit, then stopped, then walked, then rode, then stopped. I couldn’t walk the bike in a straight line, so I put it over my shoulder. I kept my head down when a SAG wagon went past.

Finally the Falls Creek ticket gates appeared…

I knew Danny and Dopey stayed at the YMCA there and rode to the start from there… only 4 kilometres to go and one hour until the cut off.

I don’t really now what happened over the next hour, even the sight of Falls in the fading light didn’t help much.

Then another miracle, Stealth had walked down from the village to find me… thanks mate! The guy who finished first in our group was there to help me home.

He walked with me then I got back on my bike, and he pushed me like the Tour de France!

I was overwhelmed by the people standing in the dark urging me forward to the finish.

I made it with five minutes to spare, and a medic whipped a chair under me – I couldn’t make it to the tent for my jersey!

Then the final layers came off the onion, I was shaking, crying, and unwilling to do anything. My head in my hands I was offered some soup, but I couldn’t look at it, nothing had stayed down since Running Waters.

You learn a lot about yourself sometimes, with 8 kilometres to go I was defeated and content, then I saw the possibilities again.

It took me 6.5 hours to cover the last 60 kilometres, and it gave me the experience of a lifetime.

Wow, had to write that down… now I can relax.

Think you’ve got what it takes?

Other rider stories

Tim’s 10 years of Peaks

Tim Ellison is saddling up for his tenth Peaks Challenge Falls Creek ride in 2019. We asked him about some of his favourite moments and...

D***heads, nutjobs and Samboy chips

10 times Peaks finisher Mark McLean told us it never gets easier, but having a group of like minded "nutjobs" by your side makes the...

Tom Pawikowski – continuing through the cramps

Tom Pawikowski shares his story of blind determination, painful setbacks and dogged perseverance in his quest to cross the finish line at Peaks Challenge Falls...

The post Craig Hobart – Peeling the Onion appeared first on Bicycle Network.