Training guide · Gran fondo · Victoria, Australia
How to train for Peaks Challenge Falls Creek
7 March 2027. A loop of the Victorian Alps from Falls Creek with Tawonga Gap, Mount Hotham and the Back of Falls, against a strict time limit. Here is what the day asks of you, and when your plan has to start.
- Date
- Sun 7 Mar 2027
- Weeks to go
- —
- Start
- Falls Creek
- Routes
- 235 km
- Climbing
- 4,000 m
- Format
- Timed, mass start, strict finish time limit
What this event asks of you
Peaks Challenge is a loop from Falls Creek in the Victorian Alps, with three major climbs and a strict time limit that decides who earns the finisher's jersey. Tawonga Gap comes first, after a long descent off Falls Creek in the cold of early morning. Mount Hotham is the long one, with a false flat in the middle and steep pitches near the top. Then the road drops to Omeo and Anglers Rest and the Back of Falls begins: the hardest climb of the day, steep for its length and ridden last. The final corner has a name among riders for a reason.
March in the Australian high country means a freezing start and a hot afternoon, often in the same ride, so clothing and hydration both need planning. The physiology is long-range durability: a steady climbing tempo you can still hold on the Back of Falls after most of the distance is done, and the pacing discipline to ride Hotham below what feels possible. Riders who miss the time limit are rarely short of fitness on the first climb. Train long rides with the hardest climb at the end, practise descending for long periods in the cold, and fuel from the first descent.
The day by rider level
| Route | Typical finish | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| 235 km | 8 to 13 h | Durability for the Back of Falls ridden last, Hotham paced below what feels possible, cold descents early and heat late, the time limit made with margin |
When your plan has to start
Counted back from the event date. If the organiser moves the date, these move with it.
Key climbs
- 1Tawonga Gap
- 2Mount Hotham
- 3Back of Falls
Gradient, length and where each climb sits in the day will come from the route engine once the organiser's GPX is loaded. Until then this list is hand-written from the route, with no figures attached.
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