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2008 XPD – Australian Alps

Damon Goerke – Team BlackHeart.com.au / 03.04.2009

The race this year was to be held in the Australian High Country, based at Thredbo. After receiving the course details it was obvious it was going to be a tough race, with lots of up and down in both the trekking and mountain biking stages. We would be starting at Mt Buffalo in Victoria and after crossing the highest peaks in that state, we would cycle and kayak our way to NSW, followed with a traverse of the Main Range to Australia’s highest point at Mt Kosciusko and down to the finishing line at Thredbo. The weather forecast was ominous, with some very nasty weather predicted which would impact both the competitors and course.

After the nightmare overnight bus ride to the start line in Tassie 2006, Race Director Craig Bycroft had us catching the bus at the more acceptable hour of 6am to Buffalo, arriving in time for a 2pm start on Wednesday November 19. The weather was already starting to close in, with a constant drizzle accompanying us on the 30km orienteer around the Buffalo Plateau. We finished the orienteering and headed down the mountain to our bikes with Canberra team Tangerine. We arrived in second place, with the South African team, Bull of Africa, already on their bikes after blitzing the field in the first stage.

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