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

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 my adventure career”.

What I really wanted to share with you is my last race the Quoll Adventuregaine, a long (33hr) or short course (15hr) depending on how fit you are feeling, this race involves a series of hike, bike, canoe stages while navigating. The real explanation from Adventure Sport website.

Like the small native marsupial that the event draws its name from, the Northern Quoll, this event is a cryptic, partly nocturnal event designed to challenge your physical endurance, team work and navigation skills while traversing a wide variety of landscapes. A sequential multiple rogaine or orienteering format allows competitors to re-group throughout the course in a friendly race format that will make the 2009 Quoll Adventuregaine a challenging yet achievable event for athletes of all abilities.

Andre an adventure specialist, outdoor educator and all-round good guy tee’d us up to compete as a team for the 15hr Adventuregaine, settling on ‘The Murray Anderson-Clemence experience featuring Andre Vogel’ for a team name. The race was very challenging with a lack of sleep and a constant burring in my legs (I guess that’s that flame I was trying to re-ignight – bugger!) we traveled on. Being the second time I’ve raced with Andre we pan out to be a relaxed well oiled team and in the future we will race on.

See us in action below, thanks Darren Osmand for theses awesome images.

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 from the torrential rains within the first hour, the leaches attached them selves to any bare flesh available and my ankles needed a cleaning every 20 min, I’m sure alot of you have had a few leaches in your time, but… check the next image after the jump.

Leeche Valley - No Vacancy

After a good five hours of trekking we made it to the highest peak in Queensland with winds blazing through our hair, shirts, shoes and bones (that’s the top image). With a solid ten chilly hours sleep we then scrambled down the hill we stopped in at Lake Barrine for coffee & scones before resuming our life at home.

Experiences like these; make life more appreciable.

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!!!

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
A phone call to Adam, he’s soon on his way
To rescue his Dad and he’s there the next day

So off to the coast where his bike it is fixed
It sure wont be long before he’s back in his nix
But Terry soon finds a big shop whilst he’s there
Katmandu is it’s name he’s caught in it’s lair

Many dollars & cents later, with lots of nice gear
He comes back to us after good food and some beer
Jen & Didi have now arrived at the camp
And the guys cycle in after having got damp

Caught in a hail storm just out of town
They huddle for cover and Cal says with a frown
The hail “it hit my thumb and GPS”
But no damage is done so it passed the first test.

Muzza is the one who can navigate real well
“No not your finger – use a pointer” he tells
And GPS’s are good too
They are helpful as well and give lots of clues.

But maps and compass are still best of all
When Cal & Dave ride past, the others they call
“Hey wait you two, you’re going the wrong way”
And that’s the last they saw of them for that day.

Ribbons on trees were placed after an hour
So on went the others just a little bit sour
They hoped they’d meet up with them the next day
And in Mt Perry they did and so all was ok

But on their trip that they journeyed alone

Cal’s GPS got thrown like a bone
Off his bike towards an oncoming car
But no damage was done so they all went ….ahhh

Now from all accounts there is one word we keep hearing
It’s called hills and big mountains a word they are fearing
Cause this seems to be the terrain they’ll stay in
And if they just keep on going it will be a big win

But first they need to offload some gear
As their packs are so heavy and they don’t want to veer
So into the car a lot of stuff goes
So now we hope it will help fend off their woes

But now the weather is turning quite cold
3 degrees one morning or so I am told
When the van is there it’s as warm as can be
With heater a blazing and lots of hot tea

Then in Biloela we’re all wearing a frown
Cause Calan and Dave are both leaving town
So it’s by bike and then rail they will roam
For alas it’s time for them to go to their home

Now there are 2 men who have helped us a lot
Mal & Dave who tells us what is and what’s not.
Updates on notes and books in our hand
These guys really know the lay of the land

Mt Morgan is the next place we ride
Rainy and windy – we do want to hide
From the mud and slime that’s stuck to our bikes
It’s hard to ride thru it and it’s what we don’t like

Now Didi has had a bit of bad luck
A stick in the leg and that’s where it got stuck
A week he’s been told – that’s what he must rest
Cellulitis it is, so I guess it’s for the best

Muzza now has only one gear
And he’s cycling along without any tears
3 days he cycled and he did it real tough
but by the end of that time – he’d sure had enough

Now Terry & Muzza are alone on the trip
The hills go up .. up… and then down in a dip
It’s pushing and panting and swearing as well
The hills are relentless and it’s been really hell.

Nebo’s the town where we all meet together
The 4 of us now so it should be a lot better
Didi he’s happy to be back on the bike
Cycling the country that what he does like

At Eungella Dam we have a new face
Paul now joins in and we keep a fast pace
But then lo and behold Jen has trouble with the van
So back to Mackay they go as fast as they can

But before they go they must offload some gear
And the faces of all now show pure fear
Cause that means they now must carry much more
Which certainly means their legs will be sore

A few days pass by and the van it is ready
So off we do go and our pace is just steady
Didi he starts to now cycle alone
But in contact he keeps with the guys on the phone

Mt Garnet for Didi is where his cycling does end.
Now he heads off to home with his wife Jen
And Terry & Muzza into Cairns they do come
The trips at and end but they sure had some fun.

So to everyone there who is reading this ditty
I’m sorry if it doesn’t sound too witty
But this is a true record of what went on
So it will be remembered after we are all gone.

The End – Love Jenny

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”

• 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

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.