The 2014/15 Domestique 7 Peaks Series is coming!

The days are getting longer, the weather’s warming up and daylight savings has finally arrived. Summer is fast approaching, and with it comes the Domestique 7 Peaks Series for 2014/15.

For anyone that hasn’t heard of the series before, here’s a quick catch-up. In essence, the Domestique 7 Peaks Series is a collaboration between this website, The Climbing Cyclist, and Hells 500, a cycling collective run by my good friend Andy van Bergen. Together we’ve put together a series that’s all about providing a safe and welcoming environment for riders of all abilities to tackle the great climbs that Victoria has to offer.

The series, which runs alongside Tourism North East’s 7 Peaks Alpine Ascent Challenge, features seven free events where we’ll support and encourage you to conquer the state’s biggest peaks: Lake Mountain, Mt. Buller, Falls Creek, Mt. Hotham, Mt. Buffalo, Dinner Plain and Mt. Baw Baw.

This summer we’ll be running the Domestique 7 Peaks Series for the third year in a row, and we’ll be hoping to improve on the more than 1,400 successful ascents we facilitated last summer. In case you haven’t seen the dates for the 2014/15 Domestique 7 Peaks Series already, you can find them (and other important info below):

Date Climb Time Event Page Register
Sunday November 16 Lake Mountain 9:00 AM Link Sign up
Saturday November 29 Mt. Buller 2:00 PM Link Sign up
Saturday December 27 Falls Creek 2:00 PM Link Sign up
Sunday December 28 Mt. Hotham 8:00 AM Link Sign up
Sunday December 28 Mt. Buffalo 4:00 PM Link Sign up
Monday December 29 Dinner Plain 10:00 AM Link Sign up
Sunday February 15 Mt. Baw Baw 10:00 AM Link Sign up

 

To take part in any of the free rides in the Domestique 7 Peaks Series, follow the relevant links above to sign-up. You’ll also need to get yourself a 7 Peaks passport from Tourism North East. It’s free to do so; just head here.

As you can see above, the series begins on Sunday November 16 with a trip out to Marysville to climb Lake Mountain. We’ve had huge turn-outs to this ride in the past two years, given the climb’s relative proximity to Melbourne and the fact it’s among the easier of the 7 Peaks climbs. Mind you, there’s nothing easy about those opening four kilometres …

In the past few years Andy and I have designated Lake Mountain as a real opportunity to encourage as many women to come along as we possibly can. That’s not to say that women aren’t welcome at the other rides — far from it! — just that at Lake Mountain we try to make a really big deal of creating a safe and welcoming environment.

So, if you’re a woman and you like the idea of getting out on the bike and challenging yourself against a long climb like Lake Mountain, we’d love to have you along. And if you happen to know women that might be interested coming along, please let them know! We’d love to see more than 100 women conquer Lake Mountain on November 16!

At the start of last year's Lake Mountain ride. (Image: Kirsten Simpson)
At the start of last year’s Lake Mountain ride. (Image: Kirsten Simpson)

While it’s a lot of fun putting the Domestique 7 Peaks Series together each year, it’s also a whole lot of work. In the past Andy and I have relied on our families and our close friends to pull everything together, but now it’s time to take some of you up on your offers of assistance. Over the past few years a lot of you have said you’d be willing to help out in any way you could, and we’re hoping you’re still keen!

For each ride we’re looking for a couple of volunteers to help us ensure everything runs smoothly. That could mean helping out with manning the food and hydration stands, riding as ‘lantern rouge’ (last rider), or putting out signs for us. If you reckon you might be able to help us out for one (or more) of the rides, please head over to the Volunteers page at the Domestique Cycling website and follow the links there to let us know how you can help.

And if you know someone else that might be able to help — such as a partner that’s accompanied you to the event, or a friend that lives near by — please let us know. We want to deliver these events to the high standard you’ve come to know and expect, and we need your help to do so!

Over the coming weeks and months we’ll be posting more information about each of the rides but for now, if you’re on Facebook, join the Facebook event pages for each of the rides. You can find the links in the table above, and once there you’ll have access to the latest information. Be sure to visit the Domestique Cycling website as well for plenty of information about 7 Peaks and Domestique in general.

In the meantime, get out into the hills and start building your form and fitness ahead of another summer of riding in the mountains!

Thanks for reading. We hope to see you for the Domestique 7 Peaks Series in 2014/15!

One Reply to “The 2014/15 Domestique 7 Peaks Series is coming!”

  1. Re the Dinner Plain Ascent

    I know it also makes the same mistake in the 7 peaks passport (and I did point it out to them three years ago), but the Mt Kosciuszko lookout is only 7.84 km from Omeo – not 20 km. Although I admit it feels like 20 km after the climb up to it! 🙂

    Good on you guys for doing this again – Mike

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