I had grand plans on returning from my holiday with climbing fresh in my legs and giving my best time up Mt Donna Buang a nudge. I personally still think it is one of the best climbs in Victoria, but having spent the last winter repeatedly grinding up the road to the summit; going back to Mt Donna Buang just didn’t appeal.
Six months and minimal time in the hills had passed when Blackburn Cycling Club posted details about a TT hill climb to be held on Mt Donna Buang. I never pass up a TT, so I put my entry in and hoped the residual fitness and intimate knowledge of the climb would help get my to the summit faster than last year.
The morning of the 6th ended up being a wet and cold wintery affair, so I was right in my element for the climb. All too soon my start time arrived and I rolled up to the start line which was located a short distance from the turn which marks the start of the actual climb. I noted my time to here was 14 seconds so could deduct this from my finish time, I also noted I’d lost cadence and more importantly power signals so would have to resort to feel for the entire ascent! As I knew what gears I’d used for various sections of the climb from last year, I was able to use this as a guide and make sure if possible that I was pushing at least this gear or one harder. Having riders up the road and coming from behind meant I got through to Cement creek which marks the top of the steeper bottom section sooner than anticipated. I was also able to check my elapsed time against my PB and knew I was 90 seconds faster to this point!
On the climb - Photo courtesy MMcRitchie
The drizzle and wind hadn’t played a part on the lower slopes, but there was a possibility that the northerly wind may add an additional challenge to the ascent. In a few spots it was noticeable, but nothing too bad. I just focussed on keeping pressure on the pedals and to pass as many as possible and trying to hold off the A graders who had started after me. Finally the final kilometre was upon us where the climb cruelly kicks up one last time and it was an all-out effort to get to the final left hand turn into the car park and finish on the crest. As I crossed the line and checked my time – 55:06! Subtracting the 14 seconds gave me a climbing time of 54:52; one second short of a three minute PB!
More photos by MMcRitchie from the day - showing the challenging conditions
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