Living in Melbourne you don't really ride hills let alone Alps so after being e-mailed by Jodie from Bright Boot Camps, I decided to fork over the money and head to them there hills to see if my legs could take the pain.

The camp runs for 4 days and all the big climbs and some of the smaller ones are covered. A friend of mine decided Perth was also very flat and took the challenge and came on the camp too. We drove up on the Friday morning (first ride isn't until Saturday) and after arriving around lunch we couldn't help ourselves and headed out to climb Mt Buffalo. This is a climb that took me over 90 minutes to climb. That's a lot of uphill pedalling. The climb itself is about 18.2 kms long and roughly 5.5% grade.

That evening the rest of the campers rolled into the accommodation compound and I'd be lying if I wasn't looking to make sure I wasn't the worst there. My mate (let's call him Pantani) said if you're last up that hill tomorrow, we are no longer friends.

David and Jodie (Bright Boot Camp owners) put on a nice BBQ and even supplied salad for the vegos attending and everyone sat around talking rubbish like cyclists do.

The camp allows for various accommodation scenarios from get your own to 2 people in a cabin to a house. I decided on the house. I figured it would be a safer option than being stuck with a Looney. Our house (called lance Armstrong) turned out to be a laugh a minute. We had 2 drug dealers, a Princess who was obsessed with using the microwave at 5am, a skinny guy that chain smoked aka smokie, Pantani who is about to sign with a Pro Euro team and me. I'll explain more about the names later.

Day 1 was officially here and after a very professional signing on procedure and riders briefing we all rode to the Mt Buffalo gates. We were going to be timed up the first climb on the camp. The idea was to identify who would ride in what group for the next 3 days. Off we went. Everyone bar Pantani. He sat at the back and watched everyone move off slowly. Then with the power of the elite athlete he was, he powered through the group and busted off the front. Several gave chase from the beginning and I just watched as they rounded the first corner and out of site. I sat in a small group as we spun up the hill. After about 50 minutes I decided I should up my HR and started working hard and was able to make the top just less than 90 minutes. We had 3 more days and this was the smallest climb, so I had to save something.

That evening we all headed to the local pub for a seminar on several things and a feed. The place cooks half a cow that just melted in your mouth. Good stuff. A few beers didn't hurt either.

Also during the evening talks they handed out the King of the Mountains awards. I didn't know this was part of the deal and if I did I doubt I could have done anything about it, but Pantani was very excited as he did make it to the top first. Pip the best female wasn't that far behind. The awards were handed out and everyone was informed what groups they would ride in the next day. I scored group 2. Smokie who honestly was on a pack a day was in group one. Maybe I should take up smoking.

Day 2 was to Falls Creek via Tawonga Gap, Mt Beauty return. This is a long way. In fact it was 135k with over 30kms of climbing with the last 5k from the falls creek gates to the top at about 6%. Riding out there wasn't the issue. The rain that smashed us at Mt Beauty and the ride back over Tawonga Gap was just plain ugly. Lucky for us each group had a support vehicle that carried bags for everyone that contained dry kit and food. Oh the fruit cake was so nice.

All groups did it hard and even Pantani lost his king of the mountains award this day.

On getting back to camp I just jumped straight into the pool, cycling gear and all. I was not alone in doing this. Cycling climbs like this and spending so long out in the saddle I was pretty sore and tired. Lucky for me the 2 drug dealers (Bev and Glenda) had a drug for every complaint. They dished out 2 white tablets that after 15 minutes I felt great. I kept the packet. It had no writing on it with what they were but they worked a treat.

The princess, from our house decided to ride with Kylie who was a nun for the day in group 3. They took the short option and just rode to Mt Beauty and back. It could have worked out great if they had lunch ready for us on our return. Sadly they hadn't.

Day 3 we woke to shocking rain and news that at the top of Hotham it was only 2 degrees so David (camp boss) swapped the rides and we rode a rather flat 100k until we had to come back over Tawonga Gap (6.2k @ 6.5% grade). All was going well until we crested the top and rode into a rain storm. Going down was slippery and a few riders did fall.

Day 3 is the traditional awards night and after handing out the King of the mountains awards to the new winners of each group, and a course on bike mechanics by Tony the camp mechanic and another steak the size of a dinner plate, we headed back to the house for some serious sleep. Smokie was onto his 5th packet of cigarettes for the camp and the princess was assuring us that she would ride all the way to Hotham the next day after cutting the day 3 ride short and going for coffee. Pantani was on a mission to win back the King of the mountains award and was fuelling up with umm beer.

Day 4 dawned and after the usual riders briefing we headed grouped up and were heading to Mt Hotham. This ride is 120km (30k of climbing maxing out at 9% in parts) Sadly on this day the winds were high and the groups were turned by the support staff about 4k from the top. A bit of a bummer for those really wanting to get to the top but it was a safety issue so best to do the right thing.

Overall the camp was a surprise for me. I not really sure what I was expecting but it was much more professional to other previous camps overseas I had been on. Having a full time mechanic on hand, support cars, amazing climbs, excellent guides riding with each group and doing the work into the wind when needed and no traffic were all high lights.

The people were of all abilities and were all nice and friendly. Honestly I'm not just saying this. There was no pressure to ride like Lance on the climbs however we were reminded on several occasions that it was a boot camp and not a gentle ride.

I'll be going back next year or maybe even in November.

Finally can someone please tell me why when riding with a POM do they insist on talking about bloody football all the time?