Black, brown and grey: The devastation of the recent bushfires was clear to see.
Summer 2019/2020 will live long in Australia’s collective memory. After one of the most intense bushfire seasons in history – with a heartrending 33 deaths, more than 2500 homes lost, around 18 million hectares of bushland burnt, and over a billion wild animals killed – a wave of huge storms hit the east coast of the country in early February, extinguishing many of the fires and providing much needed relief for firefighters and residents who’d barely caught a breath since November.
Kangaroo Valley in NSW was one region heavily affected by the bushfires, and a recent gravel ride in the area brought home just how devastating this fire season has been for local residents and the natural environment.
Our route saw the five of us cover nearly 90km – with around three-quarters of that off-road – and tackle just under 2000 metres of elevation. Thanks to the sometimes slow conditions, with the roads and trails scarred from the events of the past three months, we ended up spending nearly five hours in the saddle. For about half-an-hour of that, we had no choice but to walk, with trees and branches, leaf litter, and loose soil making pedaling all but impossible.
The area around Jacks Corner Road and Griffins Firetrail seemed to have been hit particularly badly, with dozens of houses completely destroyed and the previously lush bushland reduced to little more than a cinder. Apart from a single bush turkey, for nearly two hours we were completely alone: the usual hum of insects, chirping of birds and rustling of wind through the leaves eerily absent.
In direct contrast to the burnt out terrain, the recent heavy rainfall meant that all the creeks were flowing steadily, which provided us with regular relief from the hot, airless conditions – as well as a glimmer of hope that one day, hopefully, the bushland will recover.
Five of us made the day trip down to Kangaroo Valley from Sydney. Equipment selection varied, but only Rich (back right) made the crucial error of running road pedals and cleats on what was an often muddy route. He won't be making that mistake again.
The heavy rainfall that hit NSW in recent weeks saw the crew dodging puddles all day long.
Up/down, up/down... there was barely a metre of flat road all day, and therefore a lot of climbing for us to 'enjoy'.
Debris littered the roads, and some sections looked like they had come close to washing away entirely.
Top soil and sand that had recently washed onto the firetrail had combined to form a hard-going sludge in certain sections - just keep your cadence high and keep on pedalling.
WTB Nano Tyres in 40 millimetres were a great choice given the widely varying road surfaces.
We had no choice but to get our feet wet at multiple creek and river crossings.
The Cannondale SuperX - Kitted out, in Alex's case, with Fulcrum Quattro Carbon wheels, SRAM Force x 1 HRD Groupset, and Selle Italia's SLR Boost Superflow Saddle - handled all the challenges of the route with aplomb.
Things can get a little weird after five hours in the saddle...
Soaking it all in at the end of a tough day.
Words by: Tam Allenby
See the route: https://www.strava.com/routes/23946018