The Dirty Valda

Day 1: Melbourne to Bendigo

17 eager riders had geared up and were ready to depart from Melbourne Town Hall. I was optimistic that I could finish the event in 5 - 6 days although it would be challenging at just under 300km per day.

It soon became apparent that there were some super fast riders in my company as we set a cracking pace through to Bacchus Marsh before a few riders peeled off for a break. I charged on knowing I had plenty of snacks and water looking to stop in Blackwood.

As soon as we hit the gravel outside of Darley, the terrain steered me into a series of rude ascents and I found myself pushing my bike uphill over the steep steep & slippy climbs. Despite the hard work, the views up top made it worth it.

I'd abandoned a Mt Blackwood ascent once before, though this time I had nowhere to hide and I pushed my bike up and up for what seemed like a few hundred metres at well over 20% grade. Things flattened out up top and there are sections that make for some pretty nice riding.

I knew Blackwood was arriving soon, however I didn't realise that I had 8km of single track between me and a Blackwood sourced sandwich.

An extremely tricky section of sharp jagged rocks, cliff face trails & sections of path far too thin for my walmer bars to pass.

A quick refuel in Blackwood and we were back onto some gorgeous gravel roads (still in Lederderg) with sweeping corners and gradual inclines.

The day was starting to get on and I had only reached the 170km point marked by the township of Daylesford.

With 90km yet to travel, I was still confident that I would make it into Bendigo just after nightfall.

Once out of Daylesford, The Goldfields track began. Messy single track, covered in leaf litter and debris from the storms the week before.

It was only to be a sample of what was to come.

Between sections of the Goldfields Track, there were lovely sections of gravel, however, the hike-a-bike was brutal and with light quickly fading and much more of the Goldfields Track ahead, I realised that if I wanted to make Bendigo by a reasonable hour I might need to make some detouring decisions.

Some slow, rocky gravel ensued parallel to the railway tracks as Castlemaine & Harcourt came and went before the sun fully set.

More Goldfields was to follow which provided some sections of somewhat ridable gravel and also sections of the not so ridable.

I decided to avoid the rest of the single track into Bendigo in favour of a meal and a rest.

Day 2: Bendigo to Barham

Some rough roads and single track meant the day was off to a slow start.

The goal was to reach Swan Hill (a 300km ride), however fierce headwinds were forecast and given the previous days efforts, I wasn't feeling confident.

Over the single track, the roads levelled out and there was some smooth gravel heading towards my first coffee stop in Rochester at the 90km marker with two other riders, Chris & Tim keeping me company through the golden blanket of canola fields.

While the headwinds into Rochester were noticeable, they were manageable, however we hadn't directly faced them yet.

Echuca came and went as the roads became longer & flatter, with my bars squarely facing the direction of this wind as I felt my pace drop off and my speedo barely nudging 15km/ph.

My momentum had well and truly slowed, so I made the decision that I would finish the day early in Barham.

The remainder of the route to Barham was to follow the Murray River which was a very pleasant experience and a sanctuary from facing the wind.

While the winds remained strong, there were trees providing a barrier from the more significant gusts.

Disaster struck and on some lovely smooth gravel, my rear tyre all of a sudden popped, spewing sealant fourth and revealing a large gash in my tyres sidewall.

5 plugs later (all my plugs later) & I managed to get the tyre to hold air again. Would it hold to Barham though and what did this mean for the rest of my journey?

I counted down the km's hoping the tyre would at least hold out to Barham. The winds were still strong, yet a lot less than earlier in the day.

I crossed over the NSW border into Barham where I had booked accommodation for the night. Pizza for dinner in Koondrook (on the Victorian side).

220km for the day which for the most part felt like a Zwift training session on the long flat roads into fierce headwinds.

The tyre plugs held up without any further drama, only how would they go tomorrow?

Day 3: Barham to Manangatang

Back on the River Trail, there was very little between myself and the 80km to Swan Hill where I needed to get to the bike shop and assess my tyre.

My goal was to try and at least get to Manangatang which was 160km away, given that I might need to spend some time at the bike shop and that the next stop post Manangatang was a further 105km afield in Nangiloc.

Murrabit didn't have much going on although there was a tap in town so that I could clean away all the cow poo from my water bottles that I had just cycled through.

Some bumpy gravel ensued as I edged closer to Swan Hill from the NSW side.

I swooped into Swan Hill and made haste to the bike shop via coffee and breakfast.

My body was feeling very tired and my legs were become increasingly sore therefore I had resigned to the fact that I would need a shorter day for recovery and would settle with a night in Manangatang.

The bike shop didn't have the time to change my tyre but the lovely gentlemen there did have a spare that I decided to strap to my saddle bag and take with me should things go catastrophically wrong.

They looked at me sideways when I told them the direction I was headed. What did they know that I didn't ?

The gravel turned red and the course felt more remote than it had any time before it.

The surface was definitely sandier than it had been and the landscape had changed dramatically.

I was lucky that there hadn't been rain as I hear these roads are part of the Malley Blast and can easily turn into peanut butter mud after heavy rains.

The roads became rougher & the sand became slightly thicker but I was enjoying the day.

There was something beautiful about this harsh landscape.

While there wasn't a lot around, a railway line and silos in Chillingollah (a nothing town) made it feel like I was close to civilisation again.

10km out from Manangatang I felt a strong, sharp pain in my left knee and every pedal stroke from that point onwards was pain. A worrying sign.

There was food in town and I found accommodation at the local pub who were extremely relaxed and literally just left the keys in the door for me.

I also bumped into Gillian who was setting a cracking pace on course and was going to continue on to Nangiloc, 105km adrift of where we were. Riders Taylor, Mark & Tracy also came in that night, Tyler pushing on with the latter two, choosing to stay the night.

Knowing I was desperately behind my goal time, I knew that a big day ahead was beckoning however, was my body up to the task?

Day 4: Manangatang to Mildura

I had a huge day if I wanted to make up time and get back on track with my original goal. It was 300km to get through Mildura and into Renmark.

My body wasn't playing nice and together with the persistent pain in my knee, the anxiety of being so far behind my goal time played on my sleep.

I had the option of pushing onto Mildura and re-assessing or back tracking to Swan Hill and abandoning.

I chose to push on for now..

Immediately I encountered a huge road block. Sand. I couldn't ride my thin tyres through the thick and heavy sand.

The track cleared for a moment, yet before long, more sand. Worse sand. So. Much. Sand.

Annuello was the marker for this sand. Had I have known, I could have detoured and used the road.

Painful time passed, pedal stroke after pedal stroke into the headwind post the battles with the sand & my knee was starting to become a serious problem. I was only able to put pressure on the opposing pedal and the lack of sleep was catching up with me.

Despite the troubles, the park offered a scenic respite from the road and sandpits prior.

Nangiloc came at 105km into the days proceedings and I knew that this was to be the end for me.

I was grossly outside of my goal time and the thought of pushing on any further through the pain and fatigue was unfathomable.

I would eat some chicken nuggets, drink a red bull and end my journey in Mildura.

The remaining 50km into Mildura were some of the most agonising I have ever ridden. 50km felt like 200km.

The orange plantations were beautiful but I was too tired and sore to care. To add insult to injury, I was repeatedly swooped by at least three persistent magpies who were out for blood.

With that, sadly my journey had come to an end. Approximately 800km into my journey, I regretfully called it quits.

The local bike shop boxed my bike & Rex Airlines got me home.

Read on to hear about Kim & Bron's adventure from Mildura to Adelaide..

Day 5: Mildura to Renmark

Kim: Red desert roads with few trees and stunning blue skies, it wasn’t as hot as it looked thankfully.  As other riders ahead had head winds I was keen to maintain a fast, steady pace to avoid as much headwind as possible.

Kim: This was the first day I have ridden with music and it really gave me wings like RedBull does.  I felt invincible, I felt free and it was extremely liberating.  This was one of the trip highlights for me.

Kim: Once I got to Renmark I rode straight through to Maccas, I was starving and had 2 large chocolate thickshakes with my Cheeseburger and Big Mac (plus some chips and nuggets!!). My beloved Curve Kevin came instore and the young boy who served me commented he liked my bike. It was an early day for us as we had booked accommodation in Renmark and I was there by lunchtime. We even had time to wash our bikes. We later had dinner at the accommodation with Muzza. (A fellow Dirty Valda traveller).

Day 6: Renmark to Angaston

Kim: I started my day at Maccas to get a coffee and egg muffin. Kevin always gets the looks and an elderly man told his teenage grand daughter that he could tell my bike had come from far away.  He was a bit blown away when I said I had come from Melbourne and was headed to Adelaide. He was lovely and wished me a safe trip.

Kim: The plan was to stop in Blanchetown for lunch but I seemingly passed through town without seeing a store and was facing another gravel road out of town…

I checked RWGPS and found a Foodery that would open at 2pm. I waited until they opened and my riding buddy Bron arrived.  We both ordered pasta and a drink and a cuppaccino, as that was the only coffee the new owner could make and he apologised for this.  He had served all the riders in front of us and gave spectacular service.  He was even happy to both fill and clean our dirty and dusty drink bottles which was lovely.

Kim: The highlight of the day for me was the Moorunde Wildlife Reserve. 

This track was fun, there was rocky sections, large pieces of quartz, tree roots, branches and small sandy sections.  The track was wide enough that I felt comfortable to ride and jump over the obstacles with my apparent new skills. 

 I had previously had a crash course in sand riding just out of Manangatan. Bron is a MTB'er with fantastic bike skills and told me to steer with my hips and to keep bars straight. I’m fit and strong but do not have great bike skills (yet), so thanks Bron for not laughing at me when I fell off.

Kim: After the wildlife park ironically is where I met a Southern Hairy nose wombat.  I could see him ahead walking on the side of the road heading in my direction so I stopped my bike and waited for him to approach me. I videoed him and told him he looked like a mottled blue French bulldog, it was so windy my voice was inaudible in the video but I know I had a nice conversation with him.  He walked close to me, crossed the road in front of me, took a few steps towards me then (just as I was getting a bit worried) he scampered off."

Kim: Next Old Pipeline Road.. It was getting dark, it was windy and more than a bit spooky at times! Maybe because it was a bit spooky I note Bron and I did both get a Strava cup on this section!

We did ride this separately hence the spooky factor. There were a couple of incredibly steep sections but otherwise rideable. We had booked accommodation in Anguston so had to ride til we got there. 

Kim: Bron texted me to see if I wanted to get some dinner (otherwise would have been Radix). I was thrilled and stopped at the pub to get a takeaway lasange and 2 litres of milk to make iced coffee for the final morning.

I left my bike Kevin at the door and asked 2 old guys to watch my bike while I waited to be served, they seemed red eyed and like they had many drinks so I kept reminding them to watch my bike! Bron arrived (after I had a Jim Beam and coke) and we carried our lasagne and milk to our accommodation and of course it was the best lasagne ever and the bed was gloriously comfortable on our last sleep before conquering Dirty Valda.

Day 7: Angaston to Adelaide

Kim: I woke up excited that this would be our final day.

Stopped at Tanunda for a coffee and pastry and they were both amazing. There had been quite a bit of climbing in that short distance.

Next up through the wineries, the winds were so strong there was a flat section at the top of the hill I had to walk as my bike was being blown off the track and up the grass hill beside the track and I literally had no control.

Kim: Once I descended I stopped to have a picnic with some cows, they starred at me and I ate my crossaint from the bakery earlier, Bron arrived and joined in the picnic with the cows.

There were many gates to open on this route, some through livestock paddocks. There were many cows and sheep to muster. There was so much variety on todays route.  Like April put the best of everything into this one so for those that did not complete this section I do highly recommend it.

Kim: Mawson Trail & Stone Hut Trail were a highlight, there were stunning views from the top.

After stopping to video I thought I was just descending a small section.  It was too late to stop! I was rocketing down a sketchy section and I would have done more damage trying to stop than continuing so I barrelled down over huge loose rocks and thanked the Lord at the bottom, not knowing how I actually made it other than telling myself look ahead and keep your bum back and stay away from the cliff side. 

Kim: I was on a high after that crazy section. Even the highly skilled Bron knew that section was too sketchy to ride. How I made it down is a miracle!! Next highlight section was Corkscrew Road this was fun, steep and just like a corkscrew, winding around in tight bends.  Would probably prefer and recommend on an unloaded bike, but we got through knowing it was just Lofty Hill to go and we were done.

Kim: Like most of the route it all takes longer than anticipated but that is all part of the journey.  

We had helmet light issues upon climbing Lofty and I was taken aback to see Michael near the summit who had come to wish us well but I barely said hello as I knew I would just want to stop there and end my ride and I knew I would regret that.  

We had the dirt descent which was not my favourite as I hate tight S bends anytime but especially in the dark with a helmet light not working reliably.

Bron led the way down which was just what I needed!"

Kim: We had our welcoming party Dirty Valda Assist pick up and delivery service Michael and Min, our respective partners met us at Whippets, congratulating us, taking photos and putting our bikes in the car.

Michael had organised accommodation with  a spa which was what I needed. I was exhausted, my eyes were heavy and I could barely believe we were done and dusted.

Dirty Valda complete.