Warburton - The Climbing Cyclist

September 21, 2016February 1, 2022

DD16: The 2016 Melbourne Dirty Dozen

DD16 was the fifth edition of the Melbourne Dirty Dozen, a recreational cycling event in which riders pit themselves against a baker's dozen of short but steep climbs. For this year's edition we returned to Warburton for what was arguably the hardest edition yet, not least because of constant rain throughout the day. Read more

November 25, 2015November 27, 2015

The inaugural CyclingTips Giro della Donna

After many months of planning, the first-ever CyclingTips Giro della Donna was held last Sunday in perfect conditions. I was lucky enough to be able to do the ride while my CyclingTips colleagues were stuck working at the event village. Read more

September 23, 2015October 2, 2015

DD15: the 2015 Melbourne Dirty Dozen

After many months of planning, the 2015 Melbourne Dirty Dozen finally arrived on Sunday. In its first visit to Warburton, the event saw 250 cyclist tackle 13 of the steepest climbs in the area. This is my write-up from the day, with photos from Jess Varey and Emily Figgis. Read more

February 11, 2015

A day with Donna: a fitness test and supporting Everesting

Last Saturday I headed out to Mt. Donna Buang for a couple of reasons: to have a crack at the climb and see where my fitness is at, and to support a bunch of amazing women who were trying to "Everest" the climb. Read more

July 2, 2014February 2, 2022

In search of snow: a Donna Buang winter ride

There's something strangely appealing about the idea of riding up a mountain in winter, with the promise of catching some snow at the top. It's something I've tried to do in recent years, but with limited success. Last Sunday was different. Read more

August 15, 2013July 2, 2014

Donna Done Dirty 2013

Riding up mountains in the middle of winter mightn't sound like much fun, but when the ride is organised by Hells 500 and you're surrounded by great people, it's a great way to spend a chilly Sunday morning. Here's my report from the second annual Donna Done Dirty. Read more

November 12, 2012January 31, 2013

The Demon's Double (with some hell in between)

'I've ridden the first 140km of this ride before, how hard could it be to add one climb of Mt. Donna Buang to that? After all I did a Triple Donna just a few weeks ago!' All of that was true, but it didn't make the ride any easier. In fact, if you erase the 3 Peaks Challenge from my cycling memory, Saturday would probably be the hardest ride I've ever done. Read more

August 14, 2012

The Dandenongs/Double-Donna double-header

I wasn't planning on having a big weekend with lots of climbing, but in the end, that's exactly what happened. On Saturday morning I met the Donvale Demon in Kew and we headed out to the Dandenongs via the Eastlink Trail. We didn't have a concrete plan -- we'd just find our way out to the hills, start climbing, and stop when we got tired/bored/soaked/ran out of time. Read more

August 6, 2012August 8, 2012

Donna Done Dirty 2012 (a Hells 500 epic)

After a week of checking snow and weather reports religiously, and after many weeks of build-up and anticipation, Donna Done Dirty finally landed on Saturday. It was well worth the wait, and if there's one thing I took away from the day it's this: the Hells 500 crew do an amazing job of putting on interesting, challenging and well-supported rides. Read more

June 15, 2012June 15, 2012

Return to the Reefton Spur (of climbs, cold and KOMs)

I've only ridden the Reefton Spur twice but I can comfortably say it's one of my favourite cycling roads. Amazing scenery, great views, a long, sustained and rewarding climb and, for the most part, a nice quiet road. So when Andy and Evan of Hells 500 fame said they were planning on heading out there last Sunday, I had no hesitation in agreeing to come along. EXCERPT Read more

May 14, 2012July 2, 2014

A cold morning at Mt. Donna Buang

I'm not one of those cyclists that normally gets up before 6am to go for a ride ... especially when the outside temperature is well and truly in single digits. But when the Donvale Demon sent me a message at 5.30am on Saturday saying he was on his way to Mt. Donna Buang, I bounced out of bed and got myself ready to go. EXCERPT Read more

February 22, 2012

Episode 16: the magical Reefton Spur

Route: Warburton, Marysville, Lake Mountain loop
Distance: 140km
Duration: 5 hours 32 minutes

Over the past nine months it’s been inspiring to see the Donvale … Read more “Episode 16: the magical Reefton Spur”