There was a crack, a creak, a rustle and a shout: "Tree down behind!"
Then came the earth-shattering crash as tonnes of trees toppled across the road on the morning of Sunday 29 August.
Not all the bunch made it through, but all survived—with an indecently large allotment of Lady Luck.
Apparently, an ordinary morning for such an extraordinary event: light winds, cool breeze, little traffic, and a million beautiful trees.
The bunch was typical of the many that climb the testing gradients of the Yarra Ranges east of Melbourne.
There are always things to watch out for, but mostly it is sheer pleasure, even uphill.
As for the trees, we barely give them a thought.
Sure, they fall. But not when you are under them. Until now, anyway.
In June 2021 there was a massive storm in the ranges that felled a vast number of giant trees and closed some popular riding routes for months.
Trees that were damaged but not felled, if they were near roads, were made safe.
But trees do fall in the forest, and in recent years people in cars have died in the eastern ranges due to tree falls.
Roads authorities do monitor roadsides for tree risks, especially after fires and storms.
In the recent incident with the bunch, there were injuries and damage to bikes.
Bicycle Network has provided help, but at this stage, the exact cause of the incident is not known.
Just keep riding, fingers crossed.
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