Alwr
Full Member 2013/2014
Posts: 524
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« Reply #24 on: October 15, 2012, 08,48:24 AM » |
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Please read responabliy, and take a break along the way.
Fumina 2 Day 2012
By Al Mason
Well this year s ride started with me laying my Land Cruzier on its side checking the Saturday morning loop. And with the Saturday loop arrowed out, I was looking forward to jumping on the bike and not needing to think until I had a few kilometres under belt.
Day 1.
So with not even a kilometre in, I turned down the wrong track. Then once down the right track, I turned down the wrong siding. With a swift hit to the back of the head the tumblers aligned and the brain finally fell out of organizer mode into ride leader mode. We were soon off into my play ground in some truly horrible conditions, with the rain not really letting up for a minute or two. As we flowed along my arrowed course I stopped for a first regroup at the top of a snotty hill. A couple cheeky buggers who have played around here with me before took the girls option around the hill. With suprisingly little fuss the group was all atop the hill. Seano was our tail man for the morning and arrived atop the hill with a very unhappy sounding Husky. With some tools borrowed from a camper on the hill we soon had the problem diagnosed, and were soon under way again.
Around a boring gravel section before heading back into some good snotty hills, due to a couple tracks needing too much chain saw work to clear. I did my best to stuff up at least one person on each hill, which is one of the perks about being the ride leader. After only a short wait on the first few hills everyone was up, but then came the long wait. After much laughter and poo slinging, Tim and I headed back down to see if we could help. It turned out we had a couple of strugglers that only needed a bit of a push and encouragement to get going. However, poor Jeff had lost the kick start from the KDX and was having to roll back down each time he stalled.
With everyone accounted for and the clock ticking too fast, I started to drop corner men and head for our lunch and fuel stop. Once we reached the top of bald hill, we had a very small regroup and waited for it to grow. However it didn’t! After something to eat and jacket on and jacket off and jacket on and jacket off time, we finally got radio contact with Seano. The news was that Bens new Husaberg was having some serious wiring issues. Lucky for him, Dave and Nicko were there to rewire his bike and get going again. As the pack numbers grew on the hill, I start the group off again towards lunch. The ride was flowing really nice at my end as I dropped corner men along some of my favourite tracks. Well until I was just staring to climb the hill around the very deep river crossing at the bottom of the staircase. Here, young Timmy called me and said there was a few more issues he thought, as he had been on it for an hour to catch up to me. Once again the radio came into play, and the message was received that Tim was towing Ben’s bike back to the farm. (About 5ks away) Once i heard Tim was back, we made the final blast up the gravel to lunch, were Ben would meet us and make his call on the rest of the ride.
We arrived to a very wet and muddy car park for lunch which had been arranged for us by my wife and father in-law. Whilst my son did his best to get the rest of the car park short on mud filled in on his bike. Ben made the call he would head home rather than travel to our overnight accommodation. And the use of brake pads became an issue, as several were changed. With the day dragging on, a foot in the arse of a few we were back on our way to Rawson.
With a quick regroup at the still to be Finshed Bridge, we were on one of my favourite technical tracks. Only to find some very tired trees sleeping on some very interesting angles and heights. With a bit of assistance here and there everyone was through, some a little more red faced than others though. And with a time check came crunch time. The very well planned out loop was set fire to and a new loop was made up on the fly and we were off. A quick nip through another technical favourite and some more sleeping tree and waterfalls, another 45minutes has evaporated. So some more tracks get the chop and we make the run for the nights stop. After flowing along for a bit as I sat working out how much fun versus how dark the rest of the loop would be? The pause in traffic signalled a problem. I decided to head back and see what the issues was and soon found Seano and Lefty inbound. At the regroup it was time for Seano’s bike to be towed, with what seemed to be an engine that wouldn't start. Right time to start planning our options. Whilst Dave and the others took Seano’s chain off and prepared it to be towed out, I rang Shaz and gave her directions and GPS waypoints saved in the GPS in my car on where she would need to Seano up from. With that out of the way I lead the group to where Dave, Timmy and Seano would leave us while I lead the group to the warm showers at Rawson. Dave and Timmy would meet us there after linking their way through to the track we took.
I took no more chance on our way and flowed up some safe tracks to get us into Rawson around 6pm. And as the boys punched on and jostled each other for the warm showers, Shaz and Seano arrived back shortly after. After I had my shower Dave and Timmy arrived back. (After they played on a few tracks on the way back) So I helped them sort their stuff so they could shower and get to the pub before we missed dinner. Just before we were to head over for dinner our special guest arrived, in the form of Amtra’s own David Knight!!! With a very good feed and refreshments (I went silly on the raspberry lemonade); the group were soon all back over to the dorm room to watch some footage of the day’s efforts. Well this was not to be, with the TV having multiple ports for all kinds of stuff. I was missing the correct sprongulate 2.0v connection, so we resorted to watching the god’s must be crazy movie on TV. Well until I put Coops to bed and myself soon after. Where those who were still up watching some skin flick on SBS with the hopes of maybe seeing some nipple.
Day 2.
8am saw us back at the pub for a bushman’s breakfast that was also great, with weather that was great. With bikes fuelled up and a few services and repairs done, we soon were off again. In search of last year’s toughest track. Along the way we tried out one of Dave’s tracks of the past, which didn’t disappoint. Followed by a new track I found whilst reecing the area. This also did disappoint, maybe destroyed a few souls though. With a fallen tree in the way, we had to lay Dave’s bike on its side and pass it over one log as we fed it under another. Then send Dave on his way to see if the track was to be a winner or not. As we sat listening to Dave’s two stoke on and off the pipe getting up the hill we couldn’t see, we discussed that the hill sounded very nasty!!! On Dave’s return he gave the thumbs up and commented on the hill would be fun? So as a well oiled machine, the bikes got lifted through, and we set off. As I hit the hill, I found Pauly having a lie down across the two ruts on the right. And as I hit the left rut and sighted the top of the first part of the hill, I could now see Tim stuck only two feet from the top. My run soon came to a holt, so I rolled back down and had a think. I decided to give it another crack to the ledge, where I would be able to get off and help Tim. So I grabbed 2nd and gave it poo. Now I was only a foot less than Tim, as I tried hop off I slide over the embankment only holding onto the bike by its foot peg. I got myself back up on the bike and even though I could almost touch Tim’s bike. Neither he nor I could move to help each other. The fact we had to link hands for each person to pull themselves up to help, paints the picture how steep and slick it was. With a push from Rob I got going and dug deep to get to the top. Once there, I shedder some gear and headed down to help. Nath and Trev had hooked two tow ropes together so the bikes could be dragged up as they were ridden up the hill. So with a series of people along the hill we had all the bikes up. 2 hours 5.3ks in, yep this is turning into one of my rides. After a few short tracks to catch our breaths it was then into last year’s toughest. As we slide our way down the wet, steep and tree rooted gully our hope was to conquer this tough track. As we headed deeper and deeper in, the fallen tree and water damage got worse and worse. With a corner man left at each obstacle we were soon spread out like brown’s cows. After copping, dragging, lifting and sliding bikes through trees for a couple hours it happened. The track became impassable, and with only about half the track covered we would have to turn around. Something that was not a pleasant thought, as this track is really only one way! With everyone turned around and accounted for we headed back, and I knew this was going to get ugly, very ugly. However I didn’t know that the ugliest part would be me. As I layer slumped over the seat of my bike not able to get up. Nicko called out, and soon raced over to help me to the ground. I had well and truly cooked myself. As Lefty, Nicko, Pauly, Tim and Al.C sorted me and my bike out. I sat and put myself back together. Thanks boys. With everyone chipping in along the way to get the group out, we were soon sitting looking at the map and making plans for the second day on how to get to our lunch and fuel stop. With a few amendments to the planned route we hauled butts towards Blue Rock Dam. All was going well and we were making great progress until a river crossing that we used last year, had turned from a clear fast flowing stream. To a very deep, murky and cold crossing. (Cold according to Dave’s genitals With prospect of losing even more time getting the bikes across it was back track time to a smaller crossing and the hope of been able to cross. Or it was going to be a 40k black top ride to fuel. At the second crossing point a new bridge was a pleasant sight, and radio reception told Shaz we were now 10 minutes away. (All be it 2 and half hours late)
After lunch and a refuel, Tim decided he would take the black top home as we were still a couple hours from home and the clock was showing 3:30pm. So we set off back across the dam wall and new bridge and made our way through some very nice flowing dusty tracks, with just enough super slick corners to catch you out if your guard was down. I also threw in a couple a technical short cuts to make sure the boys weren’t getting cold. It was then over the unfinished bridge a couple more short cuts and across the river at the bottom of Kenny’s Spur. As usual I let everyone go for the great blast that Kenny’s is as I played tail man, before taking over again at the top. Then a slow ride past the houses of Fumina to avoid the phone calls and the last decision of the day? Duggan’s or up Mine Shaft to finish? With our luck and 4:45pm on the clock we decided not to chance Mine Shaft as I hadn’t been up it to clear it lately. And with the hope nothing had fallen from the Friday previous since I had cleared Duggan’s, we blasted or slid our way to the gravel road home. I think I rolled in the gate around 5:15pm and we loaded up the trailer and returned gear, then headed home around 6:30pm.
I would like to thank the group of riders that attended this year as we all gelled well and worked great as a team. The ride was far from what I had planned and what had been running through my head for weeks. But with everything that was thrown at us mechanical and nature. The weekend had everyone leaving with big smiles and knacked, so my job was done. A big thanks to Paul Lacy driving 10 hours to my place to attend the ride and also to Al.C for driving from Wodonga after me talking up the ride when I get to see him. However the biggest thanks goes to Shaz, Coop and Alan (my father-in-law) for the long and boring job of support crew. With Seano sticking around to help out as his bike got a free ride in the trailer. Thanks mate. And the hard arse award goes to Jeff, with no kick start for a day and ¾’s in some very unforgiving terrain!! Mate well done, and thanks to Nicko for being your 300cc starter motor. I’ve never seen a bike started by other bikes back tyre before, very bl%$dy clever! So until next year, Al
Ps. Sorry if I missed anyone.
Ride List..
Al Mason TE310 Ride Leader
Jeff Davies KDX200
Ben Hayes Berg 450
Al Clarke CRF450
Nathan Stott TE310
Paul Lacy TE300 Berg Tail Man
Sean Douglas TE449 Tail Man
Rob Cecelja WR450
Stuart Mackey WR250 Tail Man
David Smith TE250 Berg
Tim Wainwright KTM250
Rob Copsey FE390
Nick Nicolaou KTM300
Trevor Bastin WR250
Tim Dykes TE510
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