7 Peaks Alpine Challenge

As you wind down for the weekend and ready yourself for the challenges ahead, be it a roll along Beach Road, or maybe even an assault on the Dandenong's; keep this in the back of your mind for the rest of summer.

Summer 7 Peaks Alpine Challenge
It's like taking a step into the life of a Tour De France rider riding through the high mountains, but without the expense and importantly this is open to riders of all ability.

Over the Summer of 2011/12, specifically between 28 October 2011 and 31 March 2012, you take on as many of the following climbs as possible:

• Mt Baw Baw
• Mt Buffalo
• Mt Buller
• Dinner Plain
• Falls Creek
• Hotham
• Lake Mountain

As the 7Peaks website says "simply choose your climb, complete the ride and validate your effort with a stamp. Return your boarding pass and you will go into the draw for each peak completed." The added incentive to complete four of the seven is you automatically go into the draw to win a one week trip for two to the 2012 Tour De France guided by Australia's first ever Malliot Jaune, Phil Anderson. There are prizes available for every climb you complete.

Full information, including entry details are available from the 7peaks website. So why not register, give it a go and you could be off to Paris to watch Cadel defend his title!

Extra info:
You can download the 7Peaks iPhone App to monitor your climb.
A great blog about Victoria's great climbs and to encourage you is "The Climbing Cyclist"
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THE CLIMBS
Mt Baw Baw
Distance: 6km
Rise: 718m
Avg Gradient: 13%
Max Gradient: 20%

Mt Buffalo
Distance: 41km
Rise: 1,095m
Avg Gradient: 5%
Max Gradient: 11%

Mt Buller
Distance: 48km
Rise: 1,214m
Avg Gradient: 4%
Max Gradient: 13%

Dinner Plain
Distance: 45km
Rise: 895m
Avg Gradient: 6%
Max Gradient: 11%

Falls Creek
Distance: 32km
Rise: 1,300m
Avg Gradient: 6%
Max Gradient: 10%

Hotham
Distance: 30km
Rise: 1,322m
Avg Gradient: 4.2%
Max Gradient: 18%

Lake Mountain
Distance: 22km
Rise: 902m
Avg Gradient: 4%
Max Gradient: 10%