Curve’s own April Drage took on the 200km Alpine Classic road ride in the Victorian High Country. An iconic event in the Australian long-distance calendar, taking in some of the biggest climbs in the region. Read on to hear what April had to say about this epic day out.
Audax cycling clubs specialise in non-competitive long-distance bicycle rides. Audax Australia is affiliated with Audax Club Parisien and first formed in 1981. Audax events are organised and operated by volunteers, there’s a small fee to enter their very well considered events, with the fees for their feature events being fed straight back into the riders quite literally, with the best catering you’ll ever find on a bike ride!
In 1986, just five years after Audax Australia was formed, a handful of riders devised this Alpine Classic event, which has taken various forms over the years. The 2026 edition offered a simple 200km course. The route starts and finishes in Australian cycling mecca (AKA Bright) and consists almost entirely of iconic climbs; Tawonga Gap, Falls Creek and Mount Buffalo.
As soon as the snow melts and the temperature rises, the high country is where you’ll find me. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that I didn’t hesitate to sign up for the Alpine Classic as it made a return this year. It’s an event that I would have described as beyond me when I first took up cycling. This fear was owed to the chatter of other riders talking up the elevation profile, rather than my own detailed assessment of the course. The route offers some vert but what the numbers don’t tell you is that it’s staggeringly beautiful and the views and descents make the effort of climbing more than worth it.
There’s a lot to love about Audax rides, but the thing I love the most is the supportive, non-competitive atmosphere. The riders are all there for the love of riding and to individually challenge themselves. The result of a mass start of this nature is that you find yourself spending the day riding in the company of like minded people (including those who match your all day pace), enjoying the scenery and well considered catering offered at key moments along the route.
Summer in Australia offers up a real mixed bag of weather; bush fires, thunder storms and more. With a stroke of luck, the conditions for the 2026 Alpine Classic were a dream. No heat wave and no rain. It seemed the biggest challenge to overcome this year was to resist the temptation to end the ride at the check point in the beer garden of the Bright Brewery 130km mark, with the final 70km of the event being an out and back to the chateau at the top of Mount Buffalo.
Fortunately, for those who pressed on beyond the beer garden, the chateau and surrounds offered a well deserved view of the mountains. In true Audax style, it also offered an aid station with ice cold cans of coke and enough salty snacks to get you through to the finish.
Big thanks to Audax Australia, the rider organiser and the volunteers who make this kind of magic possible. This route and the event itself is a road rider’s dream. 5 stars.
The perfect prep ride for the upcoming Curve x MAAP Womxn’s 200!