Return to Spa Country

Today I returned to Hepburn Springs to do Greg Martin's new permanent Spa Country Reel. This ride is leg 2 of his annual Spa Country Flings ride. Each time I have done the flings ride I have faded badly in the conditions on this leg and so have not been able to appreciate the great scenery nor enjoy the challenge of the constant undulations. You head out and down to Franklinford before turning and climbing past Mt Franklin and back towards Daylesford. Then off through Glenlyon before turning at Drummond and on to the the mid point at Kyneton. Then its due south till you hit the Tylden Woodend Road. Through Tylden then onto Springhill Road with some nasty pinches, beautiful views down toward Lauriston Resevoir, then again rejoining the Daylesford-Malmsbury Road. Turning right when you hit the Midland Highway its a fast  ride till you hit the turn for the springs, a little uphill then straight down a fast descent to the Spa centre and the finish.  The GPS said about 1400m of climbing in the 102k so its no picnic but just a great ride.

Checkpoint activity on Spa Country Flings in February

A "rash" of injuries

If you ride a bike one day will have a crash. I seem to come to grief about once every couple of years. Analysing my last 5 crashes I find that two have been caused by gravel when cornnering, one by a dog, one by a car failing to give way and one by a pedal failure. Three weeks ago I hit the deck after losing my rear wheel in a corner on little blue stones. I lost skin off my fingers, forearm and thigh. Not having time to put my hand down probably saved me an injured collarbone. Everything has healed except the thigh which has an ugly collection of fluid over an area the size of my hand. I count myself very lucky that I have not experienced any great pain and have been able to continue to ride since. Lucky too that I was on my training bike and not the more fragile carbon bike.

I rode the You Would Have to be Crazy 200k ride on Saturday from Lancefield to Bendigo and return and was pleased with  a time slightly slower than last year but among my quicker rides over that distance.
Anyhow my injury was put in perspective when I met Steve at the finish of the ride. He had been hoping to do his first 600k ride but he too had had a crash. He came off somewhat worse than I did when he crashed a week ago.
Read about it at:
http://lancefieldlairs.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/just-what-i-thought-it-would-feel-like.html

Anyhow I think there is a message in all this spilt blood and general carnage. I think the bike jersey I am wearing in the picture below says it all.