A good day for camels

My cycling goal for the current Audax season is to ride 10,000 kms in club rides and permanents. A pretty bold goal as my highest tally to date is 7650 kms in the 2008/2009 season.  My approach is to make the most of opportunities provided by good weather in the warmer months recognising there will be weekends where I wont accumulate any mileage for whatever reason. Today was a day where the 200k didn't come easy and was hard earned. The first real heat of the summer approahing the mid 30's and the clear sunny skies combined to wear me down despite my best efforts to stay hydrated. I was pretty much toasted at the end of the ride. I am sure the camels I passed earlier in my ride faired better on the day.

Back to Back 200s

Two more pemanents over the public holidays for Christmas and Boxing Day. The first day saw me riding up through Ballarat and following an anticlockwise route. The second was the energy sapping Moorabool ride crossing the steep sided Moorabool Valley multiple times. Thousands of butterflies were present on both rides

Rest break at a ford near Happy Valley on Day1

Past Stony Creek Reservoir on Day 2

Butterflies were everywhere

Eureka

Today I rode the Eureka Dales 200k permanent. An uneventful ride. It was a very warm and very humid day. Although taking on plenty of fluids and electrolytes I was suffering with a bit of cramping in my hands after the ride. The heavy mileage I have been putting in lately though is standing me in good stead, my time was quite reasonable given the effort in the conditions and once cooled off the legs feel quite good. One property I rode past today has a train set in the front yard!

Train tracks in the front garden

Eildon Endurance

On the road again Saturday for 300k from Shepparton. The ride crosses over the Strathbogies on its way to and from Eildon. On the outward leg the route passes through Merton and on the way back through Gobur. It was a humid day and we got soaked several times. At one stage wheel spin on steepest sections of the climb before Merton on the slick road gave me something to think about. For much of the day Tim Taylor who was doing the 400 version and I swapped places. I was pleased with my form and pleased that I took 5 minutes of my total time for the ride which I had previously ridden in 2009. This included sitting out a massive deluge for 10 to 15 minutes in Euroa on the way back. Arrived back in Shep for Pizza at 6:40pm. Thanks to Garry Wall for organising the ride. Thanks to wife Carol and daughter Kelly for travelling to Shep and to other rides recently with me.

A drenched Tim Taylor at Merton

Gorgeous legs

This past weekend saw the running of Jump the Gun out of Maryborough. The ride was organised by that wee scotty gentleman Ronnie McInnes and his wife Meredith. Distances from 100 to 600k were on offer. The weather forecast was for fairly mild temperatures so I took the opportunity of trying the 600. Had it been hotter I would have wimped and settled for a lesser distance. There was quite a good turnout. The first 100 loop headed off to Carisbrook then up to Dunolly before a solid into the wind leg to Avoca but it turned out to be nothing in comparison to the next day but we will get on to that later. I yo yoed for a short while with the Maryborough crowd but somehow our pace on the undulations just didn’t quite match and they eventually fell back. This first loop finished with a comfortable leg to Maryborough. On the 2nd 200 I latched on to a small group of 200k riders who were making rapid progress with a tailwind but not wanting to overcook the goose I let them gradually ease away on the way to Maldon and caught them again in at the Newstead checkpoint. It was at the Newstead General Store  a lady commented “Don’t bike riders have gorgeous legs!” or something to that effect. Adrian suggested she was referring to my legs.  I’m not sure that was the case. They’re bloody ugly!

We left Newstead pretty much together but I soon let the group move off. The leg through Campbelltown and on towards Majorca and Maryborough which in the past has been a tough one in heat and headwind was tamer this year and I finished it off comfortably. Loop 3 headed up the road to Dunolly at the same time the Great Victorian Bike Ride had riders coming down the road for their overnight stop in Maryborough.  These guys were the stragglers and it looked like many of them were struggling. Anyhow my loop wound its way around through Newbridge where I stopped to get my card signed and downed a couple of cokes at the pub. Back down through Dunolly and back to base once more against a nagging headwind. Fatigue levels were increasing and I was now undecided whether I would try 450k before grabbing some sleep or 350k after the late evening 50 to Avoca and back. Some nausea at Avoca determined that I would sleep at 350k. It was a bit after 11pm when I had the 350k completed and I resolved to get up at 2 am. I was off at 2:30 down through Talbot to Clunes but the advantage of losing elevation was cancelled by the wind that remained quite cool and strong. Just after Clunes where I ate a little I became very tired so I dismounted and lied in some long grass along a paddock fence line for a powernap. On to Campbelltown and the same again, this time I napped in a ditch on the edge of the road. A third and last time at Sandon only a few more K’s down the road and I was napping under a large gum tree. This time however it was getting light and I think my body clock clicked into day mode and I rode on turning near Newstead and heading back through Carisbrook to Maryborough. This time riders in Great Victorian Bike Ride were streaming out of Maryborough on their final leg to Castlemaine. I had about 150k still to go. Arriving back I learned that of the 4 600k starters two had withdrawn at 300 and 350 leaving 2 of us still riding on the Sunday. The next loop was to Avoca and on to Moonambel and back through Natte Yallock. The last 150 even with all the sleep had been tough as I had trouble eating and so the energy and pace had declined. Fortunately I held a bit down at Maryborough and ate more at Avoca and Moonambel. This gave me strength for one of the tougher legs I have done in Audax. The wind now was an absolutely howler of a headwind stripping leaves off trees and blowing tumble weed along the road. My progress was slow but sustained and it was around 2 when I was back at base and contemplating the final push to Dunolly and back. The ride to Dunolly was rapid and required little effort but, on turning, the ride to Timor was unsheltered and the wind was still a real menace. It was a relief to be closing in on Maryborough to begin the gentle climbing through more forested area that provided some protection and to finally finish, sit down on a comfortable chair and enjoy a drink with Ronnie. The only rider still on the road was Andy and he still had 90k to go and a bit over 5 hours to complete it. It was going to be tough ask and I later learned that the clock had won which was really unfortunate.