Bright Vic Alpine Classic weekend

Kath and I at Tawonga Gap

top of Tawonga Gap looking down Keiwa Valley

Bright event centre

Neil, and his brother Gavin with Jill and Lorraine at Bright

Dingo Dell (top of Mt Buffalo climb) first ascent

Water stop at 7.5km from top of Buffalo

Tony cranking a low gear on the final climb to Mt Buffalo

Tony Gasparre and I at Dingo Dell after final Buffalo climb

view from Buffalo towards Falls Creek and Tawonga Gap

Lake Buffalo (Mt Buffalo and The Horn in background)

Wandiligong Valley

Wandiligong Valley

Wandiligong Valley

3 Mile Dam near Kiandra

Black Perry lookout near Blowering Dam Tumut

Tumut main street

the fast flowing Tumut River

Goobragandara River picnic area erosion

Goobragandara River Tumut

buried picnic tables Goobragandara River

Goobragandara River

Goobragandara River

Lacmalac

This is the Audax Alpine Classic one of the major long distance fixtures on the annual cycling calendar. You can ride your bike on Sunday 27th January for 50, 70, 140, 200 or even 250(??!!) km over the peaks of the Vic Alps. Always a great atmosphere for cyclists in Bright over the Jan. long weekend, as over 1000 riders come from all over AU and even NZ to participate. With a selection of rail trails and alpine roads, there are plenty of rides to choose from, and also a fine selection of coffee shops (our choice "Bright Velo"), and eating establishments. A popular spot is the Bright Brewery with its array of beers and cider, close to the centre of town and just a short walk from the riverside park, where a welcome dip helps soothe aching muscles after a long stint on the bike!

We travelled to the event via the Snowy Mtns, coming via Jindabyne on Wed. 23rd Jan and returning via Tumut on Monday 28th Jan. This made for a relaxing journey, with a couple of bonus country rides in both locations. This year participation was down due to re-routing of the Alpine Classic 200/250km rides. This was because of bushfires burning to the east of Bright in Harrietville and Mt Hotham. The Audax organisers advised on Wed 23rd that rides would now be redirected up Mt Buffalo instead of taking in Falls Creek, Mt Hotham and Tawonga Gap. We were staying at Bright Chalet where 40x firefighters were accommodated from Friday evening. After several days of severe fire conditions, brief storms and cooler conditions at night meant that the fires were still burning but under control on Sunday.

Goodbye to Jindabyne

Scammels Ridge lookout between Dead Horse Gap and Geehi

view at Scammels - Kosciuszko hidden behind Abbotts Peak

with John Aitken at finish

Kathren and I met up with a number of friends and acquaintances at the Bright Brewery; some from my cycling trip to Europe last year and some riding mates from Sydney. In addition to the 200km Classic, there were plenty of opportunities to enjoy the rides to different climbs and localities around Bright before the Sunday event; including Tawonga Gap, Lake Buffalo, Myrtleford and Wandiligong. This was a memorable and enjoyable weekend and one we will definitely pencil in for next year. I have listed each of the Garmin links for these rides below; Jindabyne Porepunkah Tawonga Gap Wandiligong Lake Buffalo Alpine Classic Tumut