Another 200k Permanent

This ride began at the South Geelong Railway Station. I was accompanied by John and Geoff who are regular Geelong Touring Club riders. We left at 6:30 am. The forecast was for strong north winds and temperatures in the mid 30's. The ride out to Moriac then on to Winchelsea was quite pleasant.

 John and Geoff - Wichelsea railway crossing

It was on the leg from there to Teesdale that the gale force northerlies started to blow across the Golden Plains. We used my place at Teesdale as the first checkpoint which was at about the 75k mark.

 

My place at Teesdale was the first checkpoint

Fed and watered it was time to move on towards Meredith. It was already very hot and the wind was gusting upwards of 60 kph. The heat, wind and long gentle climb had me slowing to a conservative pace as these are conditions I generally seem to do poorly in. After the Meredith stop the climbs and descents of the Brisbane Ranges were helped by the tailwind that we had worked so hard to earn throughout the morning. By now the heat was taking its toll on me and the first signs of cramp were apparant in my legs.A few short stops then a longer  stop in the shade before climbing the Pollicksford Road hill. Geoff had been riding strongly all day so he was first to the top, I was next and then we waited for John but he did not appear for some time. He had got in a bit of a tangle with his recently acquired recumbant which he was taking on its longest workout to date and had toppled over. I  welcomed having another break while Geoff helped John to adjust his steering that had gone a bit awry. It was pretty much down hill to Moriac again and after some refreshments we set off on the last 20 odd kilometres. My cramping was increasing in intensity and I could put very little pressure on the peddles. Twice a stop was required for me to relieve them. Turning into the final straight 300 metres from the finish the fluid in my stomach said it would rather be out than in so I had to stop for another 5 minutes to compose myself. Finally I pulled into the car park where Geoff who had finished a good 20 minutes earlier and John were wating with my wife Carol wondering where I had got to.

 Finally finished

Clearly the heat took its toll on me again so I am looking forward to some cooler riding weather in coming months. A big thanks to John and Geoff for their company.

Greendale Jaunt - 200K Permanent

Up at 4:30am to ensure an early start for my solo 200k ride from Werribee. Cereal and fruit for breakfast and a 50 minute drive to the start followed. I set off on the bike at 6:10am about 20 minutes before sunrise so lights, reflective vest and anklets were the order of the day. The air was heavy, clouds were low and a slight mist was present for the ride out of town. There was plenty of cars already on the road which was a surprise. This ride slowly climbs into the hills around Toolern Vale and passes Lake Merrimu before the first checkpoint at Bacchus Marsh. More serious climbs follow as you ascend into the Pentland Hills with views back towards Werribee Gorge. As I gained elevation today  the clouds became lower and a mist, almost a light fog, hung around the hills.

  "almost a light fog hung around the hills"

I headed through Myrniong, Korobeit and Greendale making regular short climbs and descents. I then passed through Ballan then down into Morrisons before arriving at Meredith right on midday.

"down into Morrisons"

The ride through the Brisbane Ranges after lunch was very pleasant and not even the short but wicked climb in DeMotts Road near Anakie was a bother. The last part of the ride was probably the most difficult as the SW wind had picked up a deal so sections of the route that pointed towards Geelong and Lara were quite tough but the last 5k along the railway to Werribee was a breeze. I pulled in to town at 3:20 pm feeling quite fresh and relaxed. A good day in the saddle!

Buckley's Ride

In 1803 convict William Buckley escaped from a settlement near present day Sorrento. He survived for 32 years in the Port Phillip region living with the aboriginals. On the last day of January 2010 Chris Rogers ran Buckley’s ride.

Buckley’s Ride is a 219 km circumnavigation of Port Phillip Bay that for any experienced randonneur would normally be quite straightforward and routine. A flat and scenic ride ride with no real hills to speak of.

Twilight start at Albert Park

About a dozen riders left an Albert Park carpark just after twilight on their counterclockwise circuit of the bay. Gale force crosswinds dominated much of the trek to Queenscliff with an occasional direction change bringing the wind behind to accelerate riders to higher speeds. The temperature rose steadily during the morning so when riders arrived at the ferry the mercury was already above 30 degrees. The ferry crossed a very choppy bay to drop the riders at Sorrento for the return leg back to Melbourne up the east side of the bay. The afternoon was a scorcher with the temperature around 36 or so with a hot strong wind generally retarding one’s progress and sapping ones strength. A cool change finally brought relief and assistance to some of the riders later in the afternoon.

I am sure all riders felt they had been challenged on this ride with some us even suffering but surviving in the trying conditions. Congratulations to all riders and survivors. Thanks to Chris for organizing the ride.