Two years ago I set out on an adventure, riding my mountain bike 3000 kilometres over Queensland. See my blog (extremephotography.com.au). It is time again to set sail for another journey (ahoy there!!); this time with my good friend Alex. We have planned to ride our mountain bikes 1100 kilometres from Cairns to the tip of Cape York, totally unsupported while towing push-bike trailers.

We have come to the aid for the Queensland Cancer Council in Cairns and will be leaving from the Relay for Life on the 6th of June. Donations are much appreciated and can be easily made here thanks to Every Day Hero. Thanks for Supporting such a Great Cause!

http://www.everydayhero.com.au/hero_pages/view_posts/ridecairnstothecape

So far we have made it to Mossy for a big brekky after Our start at Relay for Life. Up Kuranda through Black Mt Rd then down the Rex. Our next step is to Cape Trib for a night on the beach.

Anyway get fit, tailwinds Muzza n Alex

After photographing extreme sports, outdoor adventure for the last few years, I kind of felt it was time to re-ignight that burning flame that was hidden away inside. You could almost say the jealousy was painful, the athletes striving towards there personal goals and reaping the rewards, friendship’s a big one for me.

So two years on I have been actively involved in the Adventure Racing community and haven’t looked back since, becoming a better mountain biker, trail runner and have kayaking skills which often get laughed at. But that’s a whole other story. As I’ve said before “this is just the start of Read more »

Smiles for the miles underbelt

A great photographer friend of mine (Colyn) asked me a couple of months ago if I’d like to trek Mount Bartle Frere with him. The answer was defiantly yes and since we’re fairly busy blokes we booked in a date as the 6th & 7th of May and you’ve heard the old saying ‘rain hail or shine.

I was already on the Tablelands visiting my dad and the weather was wet, wet. So I knew we were in for an experience. By 10:30 yesterday morning our saddles were packed and we started trekking up the mountain. Apart from being soaked Read more »

I find the perfect time to practice new techniques and if your lucky create some awesome images is on the weekends. This is when most enthusiast lay down their tools and pick up their hobbies. As you can see I went out to the local mountain bike (MTB) track for the fifth and final cross country (XC) round. It was pretty eventful with light showers and a keen 60 competitors slipping around the rainforest track.

The above photograph is of my friend Jay riding over the see saw (just like the ones you used as a kid but for MTB’s) at approx 25k’s/hr. To create this photograph I used a Nikon D200, 10.5mm fisheye lens and a SB-800 wireless flash held high in my left hand to illuminate his face. The camera is about a foot away and 6in higher than the see saw… & yes thats pretty darn close if he stuffs up. I had to bump the iso up to 800 because of the lack of light, swapping more grain in the shadows for a faster shutter. Before you ask these are the settings:

1/200sec f2.8 iso 800 and flash M 1/128 on camera, M 1/32 remote

The one thing I did learn while riding my MTB is not to scout new photo locations on the bike, a tree ran out of know where and hit me in the shoulder creating an eat dirt situation “bugger”, the second one this week. Make sure you leave a comment below. Thanks Muzza!!!

G’day guys and girls, I’ve just posted Jenny’s magnificent poem, the poem with no name. Ah thats your chance to think about a nameand post it in the comments of course. The poem’s all about the life in the bush on the bike. She has spent a fair amount of time writing, so grab a coffee sit back and enjoy.

The Bicentennial National Trail
5 guys are cycling, they will not fail
Dave, Didi, Muzza, Terry, and Cal
know cycling is what they all do so well

Killarney is the start of this trip
For 4 of them they say “let em rip
Didi will start in just over a week
when all of the others will be at their peak.

A few days in and there’s trouble already
Terry’s derailleur is broken and there is no going steady Read more »

Yes, yippee yahoo we have achieved our little adventure and I’m sure it’s only the start of a lifetime more. Here we are at the finish line after a bacon & egg breaky.

Yep we are deffinately getting strong, the last time over the great divide there was no pushing just riding. We’ll see you tomorrow all the best Muz!!! Make sure you watch the NEWS.

The last five days we hooked along on our alloy machines, with only Terry to keep me company made our sleeping bag warmer at night. No I mean um…. ? Ok We turned seven days riding into five. It was mostly flat meaning there were no ranges but gradually climbing all the way, in the end of the day means pain.
We’ve change our tatics a little bit, starting early with jackets, gloves and leggings then settle in for breaky a few hours latter. Dingos have been serinadeing us within a hundred meters, emus, boars and black cockatoos to add to the litter.
After a sweet 45k’s we pulled in to the head of the Burdekin River, we meet Ted Lingard who had started from Cooktown the same day we left from Kilarney. He was packing two horses and a heap of gear. Sadly his pack horse laid down on him (had the shits and wouldn’t eat), which has ended his great adventure 4000k’s short. Terry and myself wish him all the best in his future adventures as the old saying goes “get back on your horse”
Since arriving early into Garnet, we are having our rest day and awaiting the arrival of the Cairns – Karumba bike riders to sink many ales and catch up with old acquaintances. One line Terry’s been hanging to use is “come back and tell us about it when you have a couple thousand k’s under your belt”.

Just been told they don’t start till next week “bugger”

Finally the last legs of our Journey, thanks for all your texts and emails in support, thee is no phone service (optus) here in Mount Garnet so I’ll read them when I get to Mareeba. If you’d like to welcome us into Cairns come to the Esplanade Lagoon near the rocks, we will be arriving at 3.30pm Thu the 26th.

• Tue 24th Irrvanbank
• Wed 25th Mareeba
• Thu 26th Mareeba – Cairns
• Fri 12.00pm Clohsey River Rd & Kennedy Hwy
• Sat 2.00pm Copperload Dam
• Sun 3.30pm Esplanade Lagoon

Any other regards we’ll be contactable the night of the 25th in Mareeba.
• Terry Montgomery 0435 156 210
• Muzza 0402 706 763

Holly sugar, we’re nearly home. The last five days have been pretty cruisy, mainly gravel roads not too many big climbs for Terry and myself but Paul has a few words to say about the friggen hills, “their steep and their nasty”.

Today once into Mingela I hitchhiked into Townsville to catch up with a few skydiving buddies, write this blog and buy food for the next weeks trip to Innot Hot Springs. While I’m here here’s one of me:

Paul has lost to the power of gravity twice, the first time he slipped out in the buldust going into a commando roll. The second I missed (darn I love a good crash), apparently Terry heard a mumble then crash. When he looked back a small atomic bomb worth of bulldust had formed where Paul laid. Terry ran over and asked “are you all right” with the reply “just leave me” Paul laid there for another five minutes gathering the meaning of the trail and why he was their. With only a few k’s to go we got into the Burdikin dam by 3.30 for a well deserved shower.