Flinders Ranges Classic VI 2013

The Flinders Ranges Classic VI 2013 was looking to be the best ever with over 100 people registered, and many thanks going to the irrepressible DRTrev/AussieTrev .



I must admit my reputation of leading adventurous riders over some fabulous terrain to get there has been somewhat tarnished in the last few years, (ol' age is finally sinking in ) after discovering the luxuries of not riding & not driving ....... I must admit I have sadly have become a changed man

That is until I get back onto the saddle of my fabulous TDM Adventurer

Our first destination was to seek out membership of the famous Quorn Schnitzel Club. :dg





How could you go past The Outback? ...................... absolutely delicious



On arriving at our destination ...............



We were greeted by Mr Smiley



and easily recognised his digs for the weekend



Settling in with the "camp party people" .............. errr !!!! ............... I mean't those camping

First night's greet & meet was fabulous & I wondered what the rest of the world was doing ........ only for a minuscule .

First wonder of the weekend ..................

Can you imagine this ................. here's Con ...... bottle of half emptied red ..... juicy looking steak on the plate .................... side dish of......................... WTF Nurofen plus :eek1 ......... with extra bottles of who knows what he said he had under his pillow :slurp Dancing with the verandah post was worth watching

Memories! ...................... those were the days of a misspent youth ..... I'm afraid I'm feeling older & older mixing with you young tigers ..... sorry Trev ...... I mean fellas

However Con miraculously survived & lived on to experience his own karma later.

Next morning a loyal few headed out on a westerly 481km loop out of Hawker I'd ridden 5 years earlier & was keen to experience again.







Unfortunately my navigational reputation was potentially in tatters after a small lack of concentration saw us heading on an unplanned road ( damn first night celebrations )

Luckily with quick aptitude I was able to redeem myself and provide my followers with an extraordinary touring experience they all comment favourably on







To help conceal my mistake I was determined to appear authoritative about the local fragile environment & called everyone together for education purposes









After that close escape I guided the troops through some more interesting tracks past Oraparinna HS hoping they would be enthralled enough to forget my error

We soon found ourselves on the top of the fabulous Stokes Hill lookout with my younger cousin





By this time lunch was calling in Wilpena Pound..

Eating lunch at Wilpena Pound one couldn't help but get a sense of someone's life was not as free as he thought





After refuelling body & bike we headed in an easterly direction and yet again ............. Big Brother was still watching



What's with these non TDM related bikes ?????



Finally the troops began to arrive & we didn't accept their dust excuse either





By this time we were some 300kms into the loop & fluids were getting low, so of course .............. !







The return loop was now in site and we hightailed back to Ango Village for another nights fun & laughter



Excitement was building for the next days "Flinders Classic TT"

The start of another Great ride report Kym .
I have been looking forward to this one .

Cheers Ian

Same here Kym

Cheers Terry

" ...................................... we hightailed back to Ango Village for another nights fun & laughter "
That phrase began to haunt me at 4am, when loud thumping music was still being heard coming from the camp party people, even with the ear plugs in. :ddog

Revenge was sweet early next morning though when Domonsura backed his bike up to the entrance to their tent & rung its neck for a minute or two



Moving on .............. The Flinders Classic TT

Well! ....... it was actually .................... "Trev's Tiger" Tour



Having heard of the pleasures associated with having the "cheese & cracker carrying tortoise" on a ride,:kbasa



We kept a close eye not to lose AussieOtto on his Ural



Amazing Brachina Gorge, beautiful as ever





and together with the fun one can have along the way





Doubts were beginning to set in about soggy crackers, when we saw the Tortoise attacking the water crossing at full flight :eek1



But he soon dried out.



Having the loan Tigers for the classic was a real treat for smiley Trev & together with his generosity he ensured nearly everyone got a ride.



I must admit the Triumph is rather addictive:


The TDM is like the romantic, adventurous, mature age woman where as the Tiger is the high powered, ambitious sexy female executive, potentially ruthless yet forgiving and modest.

They both have the ability to keep you on your toes and put a great big smile on your face .......... that's the bikes that is

I love 'em both in their own way


I asked Trev if he wanted the Tiger back when we reached the dirt.

"Nah! You can go for a short 5km dirt experience if you like MB", says Trev

However, unknowingly the Devil took me under his control & before I knew what had happened, I had completed the full length of the 29km Moralana Scenic Drive.

The Devil made me do it honest .............................................................that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
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Sheer delight when I finally got to the end & off the Tiger ...................... that's for Trev too.



The rest of the troops had gone to Wilpena for lunch some time ahead of PBee, Trev, AussieOtto & myself, when all of a sudden PBee started slowing. :huh

He's killed a tiger, I thought to myself

But it was a classic case (errr!! ..... Flinders Classic ) of the Hare & the Tortoise





Having ridden his Tiger much more economically, that's both him & me

Trev said he wasn't actually out of fuel ......... it was only a precaution & we believed him



After lunch Tiger Trev lead us up Stokes Hill lookout for the mandatory sexy photo shoot before heading back to Ango to prepare for the big feast that night.





The rest of us delighted in enjoying the classic scenery the Flinders Ranges has to offer.



When :huh towards home .......................... that doesn't look good :eek1

Great ride report & pics MB & I must tell you mate there is one less f#@*%n Euro in The Flinders since The Classic..

Report looking good so far Kym

Some nice shots of the little Tens and their big brother the TDM....

Don't worry mate first class Veterinary Surgeons, Semler and Kipling took care of him.

Bloody lucky Sol :huh welcome to the RSL club (Roo Surviving League)

Thanks DM, they keep finding their way into the camera lens for some reason

Lucky you were only a stones throw away at the time. oser


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With that huge localized dump of rain near where we were planning to go, a sense of urgency rose & we decided to hightail it back to camp ASAP



However within 5kms of Blinman we were confronted with a 2 metre high wall of raging torrent across the road :huh


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The lads heading home from the other side of Blinman were within 3kms of the thirst quenching Blinman Hotel, but were forced to wait over 3 hours for the raging torrent to subside.

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It was then, PBee formed a Plan

Lets retrace our tracks to either Plan (A) Brachina Gorge, if that is impassable; Plan (B) Moralana Scenic Drive and if that is also impassable; Plan(C) Hawker to get back onto the black top & up to Parachilna, ring Dave at the village to check Parachilna Gorge is still open & back home for a well earned beer or two.

If all were blocked .......... who's got the biggest credit card limit to drown our sorrows at missing Trev's fabulous Saturday night Presentation Awards cookup at camp.

and so we became Storm Racers

However as all good plans go, the inevitable happened

"Hey guys" called Bernie ............... "I don't think I have enough fuel to get home" :eek1

"No worries we'll get fuel at Parachilna" says a confident PBee and all were happy in the land of panic



As one good deed deserves another, PBee stepped forward & offered his (read AussieOtto's) fuel Stewy also stepped up & offered to use his shiny bright new siphoning hose, so all was good in the land of hope, although time was ticking by.

We reached the still dusty Brachina Gorge, took a vote & decided to go for it & we succeeded in reaching the blacktop



Back at camp however, we were later told a few other riders tried to go through the Brachina Gorge some 30minutes behind us & were confronted with a raging torrent.

Mind you, I was continually looking over my shoulder as I know how fast these flash flood rise.

Successfully reaching Parachilna in the rain, relief was at hand



PBee rang Dave at the village and was told ............... "you pussies get back here, the gorge is fine"

Refuelling was at hand or so we thought, only to be told we don't sell fuel anymore, :huh

So Bernie tucked under the somewhat miniscule DR fairing trying to save as much fuel as possible & feathered ie opened it up in frustration .............. in a make it or break it attitude, the 15 kms back to Angorichina Village



It wouldn't be long before the Parachilna Gorge was going to get interesting though.





and we finally relaxed with our pre-dinner drinks in hand

Let the evening festivities begin

.

Great riding + scenery!



Thanks,

JM.

Thanks fellas..

Makes me feel like I was there.............

If it wasn't for you, we would still be there

The venue for Saturday's Awards presentation / BBQ was moved from the Fire Pit near the Dorm to the new shelter for Captain Kaos to do his magic with his gismos, this time an outdoor cinema for everyone to relive their days exploits of fun & not so much fun for some .

Excellent effort Wayne, love your work.



By the way, whose bloomers did you use for the screen this time.



It was also fantastic to be greeted by Mr Beer Belly Brewing Equipment himself, Domonsura with guns at the ready to dish out our "punishment"

He was also tendering the unfortunately absent Kevs69's brews as well. Thanks Wayne.



After our long day's storm chasing adventure, I'm not sure which order events happened, but "The Organiser" received his justified reward for arranging yet another great event & spread.
A special thank you to all his helpers too




'

Our "Lady Of Taxes" arrived to "spoil" the fun, handing out infringements like there was no tomorrow, which in her case could be true sometime soon. Her ever vigilant security officer was definitely on his toes .

( "Oh my goord, she's not doin' it again, is she?, I can't bear to look " )



Excitement grew as the night progressed oser



Only interrupted by the chance of a prize ................ "the people on the buses looked left & right ...... left & right ........eyes right this time please"



Before seriously settling into Captain Kaos's movie magic (special thanks to all contributors )

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.More to come .....

Who are you and what have you done with MB? A RR without a bakery!!

Nice job whoever you are.

..................... Patience Grasshopper

The following videos represent perfectly the true meaning of mateship enjoyed on a Flinders Classic Adventure.

Everyone is always ready to help another in need

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.......... for example making sure the camera is positioned correctly to capture all the action oser

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This one in particular epitomizes Trev's "Flinders Ranges Classic" perfectly

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........ and of course, don't forget the Shame file

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It was unusual to see a female rider challenging the guys domain, but we had the pleasure this year of a very capable Flinders Classic "Newby", Miss Molly" (aka Sarah), refer Con's Sarah's Climb video above ...................... that's her on the left by the way



The last time we enjoyed the company of a female rider, GasGasBird both our "Classics" ended in pain & injury from separate accidents on the Flinders Classic III (and that's not including kipo's tea towel exploits ), although it doesn't necessarily look that way in this photo after consuming the prescribed amount of pain killing "medicine"



However an air of intrigue continued to prevail about Miss Molly, whose personality I likened to that akin to the Tiger.

Further investigation revealed she was a new member of the Ariel Club and one of the lads' best kept secrets.

We were in fact honoured by the presence of a local winemaker legend, who is rated amongst the most highly decorated, internationally renowned winemakers in the world. :huh

Owner & winemaker of Molly Dooker Wines in McLaren Vale, South Australia, Sarah has shattered the so called "Glass Ceiling" for women.

Molly Dooker Winery is amazingly at our doorstep, but they don't advertise, relying solely on their "word of mouth" reputation from their "Wow Factor" wines. With most wines selling internationally & over the internet, only recently can their wine be found in Dan Murphy & other Australian wine merchants.

Her latest collaboration is with Dave Stewart (from the Eurythmics) and Orianthi (Michael Jackson's guitarist) and their 'Molly Dooker Circus' to create & promote the Molly Dooker 'The Greatest Wine on Earth'.
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After having the pleasure of meeting Sarah & learning of her &#8216;famousness&#8217;, I subsequently booked a winery tour & tasting, as I knew the day would be something special.

Like her wines, her achievements have the &#8220;Wow&#8221; factor and all I can say is: I now see why my words of praise are pouring out of my mouth ......... (well! ...... in the written word actually, but who cares )

Although Sarah could not be present, we found the experience a refreshingly friendly, relaxed, generous & contagiously dedicated professional fun loving atmosphere amongst all involved at Molly Dooker.



Being around "hav'n fun'' professionals was an intoxicating (that's not referring to the alcohol by the way), emotionally uplifting experience, especially after the difficult times we've endured with Mrs MB's health.

I can't wait to share with our friends. Thank you Miss Molly.


I digress ............................................. now troops pay attention



As the Laurel & Hardy Magic Movie Show was coming to a close, people started filtering back to their digs to either call it a night or party on.




Determined to keep my momentum going I reloaded my VB tool .... err .... cool bag and ..............................

"plotted a course" to talk more I know! ... I know! .... I can't help myself, life's one big ride for me & I like to know where I'm goin'

As age started to weary them, I too headed for home, only to be side-tracked by some fabulous, loud, rejuvenating AC/DC music and so ...................................... stayed a while.

As age started to weary me as well, I went in search of the previous night's camp party people but alas, the threat of another Domonsura "early morning wake up call" was too much. By this time my tool bag was empty, so I called it a night.

Ear plugs at the ready I snuggled into "Doris" my sleeping companion for a good nights sleep.

By the way before you guys start jumping to conclusions, that's the name of my air mattress.


Doris on the other hand had other ideas :eek1 and after a while all she wanted to do was go down on me.

She had obviously received a prick or two unbeknownst to me. :ddog in fact as it turned out, she had taken one in the front & one in the back :eek1

Despite my best efforts through the night .......................... by morning I was f*#ked


The thought of another big day's riding lay ahead, not to mention another night with Doris . :huh

The final full day of my Flinders Classic VI adventure, I was determined to enjoy the fruits ....... well? ... anyway, of the famous Copley Bakery.

Last year Trev appeared determined to have lunch at Arkaroola, then ride onto Copley for afternoon tea. But after organising everyone, which he does extremely well he pulled the pin at the last minute with some lame excuse about having to prepare the nights catering. Consequently we found ourselves travelling the route anti clockwise with the bakery one of our last destinations only to find
.............................................. no pasties left.

Now that, together with Kipo's glowing endorsement for the Umberatanna Track out of Arkaroola towards Copley, we were all enthused and rode blindly off into the distance

Arek Kontrol (who unfortunately couldn't make Classic VI) summarised it brilliantly :

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This year I had The Plan ................................ Copley first, passing the historic Beltana on the way of course

After the previous days storm, a few interesting moments were encountered getting out of Parachilna Gorge with KymW (K2) & DR Ozzy for company.





Enthusiasm was high for a another Copley Bakery experience, we found ourselves ahead of schedule and decided to enjoy a thorough ........ well actually a 2 minute look at Beltana ruins.













Mysteriously drawn to ........................







Sickened by the madding crowds, our taste buds were tingling and justly rewarded :dg