The Anderson's and Oaks fire trails are both classic Blue Mountains rides, and the Oaks is a particularly popular ride for beginners and experienced riders alike. Both rides involve catching a train up into the mountains and then taking advantage of the 400m difference in altitude between the start and finish of each ride. Anderson's runs from Wentworth Falls to Woodford, and the Oaks from Woodford to Glenbrook. For this reason, the two rides are sometimes strung together to form a reasonably long day ride of about 61km, Anderson's being 33km and the Oaks 28km. Anderson's includes a very steep descent to Bedford Creek of around 200m, and an equally steep climb up the other side.

        It was on a ride when we rode from Glenbrook to Woodford up the Oaks and then back down again that the idea of going all the way to Wentworth Falls and back was first jokingly suggested. At the time it seemed like a crazy idea, but after a bit of reflection I decided that I was up to the challenge. I advertised the ride in the MTB-OZ emailing list, and a group of five fit, well prepared, experienced riders was formed. I also received a few emails saying that we were lunatics.

The Ride

        The day started early. I dragged myself out of bed at 5am after about 4 hours of sleep, got ready and left at 5:40 to pick up Dave, then we headed off into the mountains. At 7 we arrived at Glenbrook station car park, where Kevin was waiting. The weather was perfect. Cool and overcast, though it looked like it wouldn't actually rain.

        A large group was getting ready to catch the train up to Wentworth Falls, and when Kevin said that we were riding up there they suggested the other direction was better. I'm not sure they believed him when he said that we would come back down the same way when we got there.

        After waiting a while for the other two riders, Kevin, Dave and I left at about 7:30. We kept up a cruisy pace along the Oaks, deciding to skip the singletrack which runs alongside the firetrail for about 7km. We passed an incredible number of people riding the other way. I lost count, but Dave assures me that there were 54 of them in all. Despite riding well within our limits, we made good progress and arrived at Woodford after about 2.25 hours.

        We stopped here to refill our water at the station. We were all surprised at how little water we had drunk, and so I resolved to make sure I stayed hydrated. We headed off again at about 10am. When we reached the gate at the turn off to Bedford Creek we saw the large group which had been at Glenbrook. The downhill to the creek was fun, but this was offset somewhat by the knowledge that we would have to climb up it later in the day.

        At the creek Kevin rode through both crossings, while Dave and I picked our way across, deciding that doing a further 80km with wet feet wouldn't be much fun. Kevin regretted riding through as he got water in his rim, and this was making a constant sloshing noise. The steep climb out of the creek was a bastard, and the knowledge that at the top we were still lower than Woodford didn't help. The firetrail undulated for a while, before becoming a constant uphill.

        By the time we reached the locked gate at the turn off to Kings Tableland Road it had started raining lightly. This made the long slog even more unpleasant. It was along this stretch that the constant sloshing from Kevin's rims was starting to affect him. He suggested that it would be a good idea to make tyres which could be filled with water rather than air.

        We eventually reached the sealed road, marking 6km to Wentworth Falls. Although the tar was easier to ride on, it was still uphill. After what seemed like an eternity, we arrived at the town at 1:00. It felt a lot longer than 3 hours since we had left Woodford. We had lunch here, and while we were eating the weather deteriorated, and the rain started to fall quite hard.

        The train was looking inviting, but we resisted the urge, donned jackets and headed off into the rain at 1:45. Funnily enough, the riding was much easier in this direction. The rain eased off, and by the turn off it had stopped. When we reached the undulating section Dave surged ahead, causing Kevin and I to wonder just what he had been taking. It wasn't too long before we reached the big
downhill.

        The combination of the recently graded track and our opportunity to study all of the corners at low speed on the way up made for a fast trip down. At one waterbar Kevin was ahead. He took air off it, then slowed down and looked back towards me. I also took some air and then realised why Kevin was looking back as I watched my rear wheel land about six inches from a red-bellied black snake. Dave, who was up ahead, hadn't seen it.

        Once again we crossed the creek. I managed to keep my feet more or less dry, while Kevin rode through both crossings, and Dave rode through the second. The climb up was hell, but we all rode it, taking a couple of stops to catch our breath. The rest of the hills back to Woodford were
nasty, but doable. We got there at about 4:10.

        Determined not to allow ourselves to give in, we stayed here long enough to check our water, before heading off at 4:15. The first 12km of undulating fire trail to the helipad is usually fairly easy, but this time around it felt like it was the longest 12km of my life. Once again Dave surged ahead, while Kevin and I took our time.

        While stopped at the helipad, which marks the beginning of the 15km downhill to the weir at Glenbrook, we were passed by a group of three riders. Forgetting that we had by this stage done more than 100km of riding and 2400m of climbing, Dave and I gave them a bit of a head start, then decided to chase after them. I caught up to them on the first steeper section before deciding to cruise down for the straighter, more level bit. Dave caught up and passed them.

        At the picnic ground halfway along the downhill we pointed out the singletrack to them and went down the road. One of them was absolutely flying, and we could see him darting through the trees. I decided that I would keep my pedalling to the minimum as my legs were bitterly complaining, and so I made relatively slow progress down the road. At the weir I just couldn't be bothered keeping my feet dry any longer, and rode straight through.

        We all managed to ride up the steep hill from the weir, grinding away in granny gear. Having come all this way, I was determined not to give in. At 6pm we rolled into the car park, absolutely exhausted but at the same time elated. We've proved that it was possible, but I'm not sure if I'd
do it again.

Statistics

Riders: 3
No-shows: 2
Distance: 121km
Climbing: 2500m
Time: 10.5 hours total, 8 hours riding
No. of mechanicals: 0
No. of flats: 0