Wind, mist, rain and near-freezing temperatures didn't stop almost 1,100 riders from finishing Peaks Challenge Falls Creek today.
Around 1,300 started from the Falls Creek village in heavy fog and a temperature of 4.5 degrees. However, it didn't keep the first wave of riders from making a strong start and topping Mount Hotham before 10:00am.
The tail riders also got on with the job, with all riders passing over Tawonga Gap before 10:00am.
While heavy rainfall and hail at the top of Falls Creek village put a dampener on the Junior Peaks ride, there were some dry spells in the valleys that helped riders keep warm before going headfirst into the mist at Mount Hotham.
The warmest weather of the day was forecast for Omeo, and it was there where the temperature peaked at 15 degrees at 2:00pm. After a few years of warm weather we were due a chilly one.
At around 1:00pm the lead riders turned onto WTF corner and started the long haul up the back of Falls Creek. Mark O'Brien was the first male to cross the finish with a time of 7 hours and 38 minutes.
On International Women's Day, Justine Barrow was the first female to finish and crossed the line in 8 hours and 48 minutes.
As more finishers reached the finish line the supporters grew and cries of joy from riders got louder. After a long, cold day in the saddle everyone was thrilled to finish.
Among those was Cameron Hughes from CAMS Cycling Collective who towed a car tyre up the back of Falls Creek in an effort to raise awareness and funds for MND research.
Things are about to get serious on the back of Falls – Cam Hughes is about tow this tyre on his bike. Read why here: https://t.co/o1WwzPlvDI#PeaksChallenge pic.twitter.com/EpKVcZcc4i
— Bicycle Network (@bicycle_network) March 8, 2020
By the time the lanterne rouge crossed the line at 8:15pm, riders were well on their way to warming up and reminscing about one of the rides of their lives.
King and Queen of Peaks crowned
For the second time, Peaks Challenge crowned Kings and Queens of the Mountain for each climb.
Tawonga Gap
- Justine Barrow
- Jay Vine
Mount Hotham
- Justine Barrow
- Jay Vine and Mark O'Brien
Falls Creek
- Bizzy Buzzworth
- Mark O'Brien
Congrats to Bizzy Butterworth and Mark O’Brien who have been crowned the Queen and King of #PeaksChallenge! pic.twitter.com/AnrBVMbPzO
— Bicycle Network (@bicycle_network) March 8, 2020
A big thank you to our supporters
Peaks Challenge Falls Creek wouldn't be possible without the help from our volunteers. Thank you to everyone who volunteered their time to help people achieve their goal on the bike, including Mount Beauty Rotary and Bicycle Network's regular workshop crew who work for weeks to make the ride happen.
A big thank you also goes to our partners Falls Creek, Winners, Prepd, Bridge Road Brewers, Human Performance Technology and Pedal Power Garage who give us support.
2020 was another unforgettable Peaks Challenge Falls Creek and we can't wait to see what happens next year in this amazing part of the world.
Some of our favourite snaps
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