Alan's Munda Biddi Ride - Sep 06

Now, after having completed the ride and sitting here in the comfort of my lounge room I have some very fond memories of the ride. This is quite different to the state of mind at the end of an individual day when the foremost priority was to get a hot drink and some carbs into my poor beaten and battered body with thoughts such as, "Bugger the bike, it's a bloody liability, I wouldn't be craving hot choc and muslie bars if I didn't own it. I'd be at home in my warm lounge or out in my sea kayak .. don't have to contend with hills in a sea kayak."

Seriously I, in retrospect, enjoyed the ride and believe that WA has a wonderful resource in the Munda Biddi. There are some points though I feel need to be raised, some of which would be great to get feedback on from the relevant authority and I would like to extend the right of reply by same.

Trailer versus panniers.

Good panniers and a good trailer are pretty much the same price. A trailered bike at low speeds has a tendency to have a mind of its own, particularly if turning a tight corner when pushing. Panniered bikes can also become unstable at low speeds and sometimes tend to catch on obstacles. Trailered bikes need to kept under tighter control down steep hills.

Both units need to be packed correctly with weight low for stability. BOB trailers are exceptionally easy to disconnect from the bike. For pushing the trailered bike over rough terrain a backpack instead of the standard pack can be used, allowing one to wear the pack and pushing, for all intentions and purposes, an empty and light bike. A trailer is easy to use on a dual suspension bike.

I found the first days ride too long and wonder why the hut is where it is. Maybe a more gentle route is possible for tourers.

For those amongst us who would like to experience a night on the trail but are strapped for time or have younger kids I couldn't help but recommend getting dropped off at Gleneagle, riding through to Wungong hut, about 3 km, staying the night and then riding through to Jarradale next day and being picked up from there. It is a beautiful ride with nice gradients and only a couple of hills. Hills are found mainly getting up to and on to Bulldozer road. The total distance is about 30km.

For those who want to do the whole trail unsupported I'd recommend Autumn or Spring, as track conditions would be firmer. In Summer you may find water an issue and in Winter one tends to freeze ones "butt" off, doesn't make for a "Wholesome" experience.

When I did the ride it was very cold and windy, this is difficult weather to dress for as one tends to sweat heavily whilst riding and pushing uphill, and then faces wind chill issues going downhill. I have found the best gear for this are Merino thermals, one can sweat into these for days and still not have to worry too much about odour issues, unlike synthetic thermals. There are two brands I use, Driza-Bone and Icebreaker. The Driza-Bone is a finer wool but a looser fit, I find the long sleeved Driza-Bone handy as the sleeves pull up easily. A front zipped fleece is handy as well, as it's easy to zip down at the bottom of a hill and zip up prior to hurtling to ones impending doom, driven onward by a crazed trailer on the downward journey.

Now, about that "recalcitrant so and so" who can't spell "contour". I rang and had a very informative chat with the tracks and trails unit in CALM (or whatever they call it these days) and it turns out they can spell it, it starts with a K (LOL)*. They have a lot of issues to contend with and may, hopefully, be able to address them in the future.

Tyres are an important part of the cycling arsenal, just as one would buy the best boots one can afford, so one should buy the best tyres and correct tubes. I've used "Specialized Armadillos" quite extensively, both in the Pilbara and down South here, and as of yet I've failed to have a problem. I had a valve stem failure on the track, a combination of cheaper tubes and incorrect pressure, in this case too low, in order to get a little more flotation in the sand.

When riding off road be prepared to take considerably longer to cover any given distance as opposed to road touring. As an example, it took me 4 days of riding to get to Dwellingup on the trail and I then covered the 85 km back to Armadale in a moving time of 4hr 37min. To do this distance on the track would either take a very dedicated long day but more likely 2 days, especially with what I carry. Which leads to another point, how much of what to carry?

Hut on the Munda Biddi Trail.

One has to remember things like water and fuel for stoves as this is a fuel stove area only. In small towns it's not always possible to obtain the required fuel for a particular stove and for this reason I strongly recommend a multi fuel stove, if they sell petrol "you got a cuppa happening" and if they don't it's easier to scrounge than Meths etc.

Water on this ride in the cooler months isn't so much of an issue as the tanks are likely to be fairly full and ground water is plentiful. I read, at one of the huts, "Boil water vigorously for one minute" Two points: one, water when it's boiling, is "vigorous" boiling is boiling, and two, one should boil water for three minutes and this is increasingly longer as one rises significantly in altitude. There are also some "greeblies" that aren't killed off with boiling, namely Giardia, a Protozoan parasite, this can only be safely removed with filtration that is done at 2 microns absolute. Don't stress about it, it's medically treatable.

Hut on Munda Biddi Trail.

On of the issues I found with the top end of the ride was the apparent monotony of country, this is, of course untrue, but I suspect it appears this way because of the effort in riding (or pushing...) up the hills and concentrating coming down them. There is a lot of focus on the front wheel at times.

Steep descent ahead!

It's a pity, as on a touring route the idea is to enjoy the country one is riding through, we're not out there wholly and souly for the "thrill of the ride".

As one pulls further South past Dwellingup the easier it becomes and it feels that there are longer down gradients than up gradients. Whether this is correct I'm not entirely sure, I would however recommend the ride be done North to South as the most difficult section is tackled and completed whilst fresh. It may also be a psychological boost for a lot of people knowing most of the killer hills are over.

I hope the trail makers, as they continue South, learn to spell "Contour". For end-to-enders it'll make a huge difference and this will also have huge flow on effects for the trail in general. I feel, if Australia follows suit behind the USA and Europe in regards to off road touring, namely, becoming a popular past-time, the trail will have a very positive impact on the communities it passes through.

I would like to mention the huts, which are of an extremely high standard, but tend to funnel the wind, is it possible to put opposing semi circular entries at each end or simply put two more walls in to close existing gaps, in order to stop this?

It would appear the Munda Biddi Foundation struggles in ways the Bibulman track doesn't, does this mean cyclists are a more selfish lot than their walking contemporaries. One would hope not, lets support what some people have worked so unselfishly and tirelessly on. A small donation of time could make a huge difference over a period of time. It's been said there is a feeling of pride in the communities where the "Bib" track passes through or close to. This same pride needs to be fostered for the "Bike Trail".

Lastly, I would like to thank all past and present personnel that have contributed to the development and construction of the trail. This includes the guys from Karnet and their supervisor, whilst laying in dry surroundings as it pelted down with rain at Dandalup, you guys were getting the thumbs up, let me assure you.

All in all, the ride was an enjoyable experience and I hope to be able to finish the ride to Albany.

The end of the trail.

Peddle Hard, * Laugh Out Loud