The battle along the Shipwreck Coast

Even before the season began I had the Great Ocean Road 600k pencilled in as an essential ride to do.  The first class support and menu provided by Peter Donnan, his wife Eileen and his sister Joan has to be experienced to be understood. Eighteen riders left the 24 Hour Cafe in Latrobe Terrace Geelong on Saturday at 6am.

The weather forecast was a little ominous with strong westerlies forecast for Saturday with similar strength winds from the south west on the Sunday. No one relishes 280 kms of head wind but you have to take it as it comes and this was a weekend when we had to take it. My plan was to ride well within myself for the first day and see how the second would work out.

The bakery at Lorne where I normally stop was closed as I sought out something to eat so I made do with a banana from my pocket and a milk from a cafe to see me through to the first checkpoint at Apollo Bay at 111 kms.

The early part of the ride was remarkably pleasant but by the time I arrived in Apollo Bay it was turning decidedly cooler and the wind was lifting in strength. I imagine it was around 15 minutes before I left with good buddy Steve Xerri who was undertaking his first 600k ride.

Steve at Apollo Bay

Leigh Paterson with Peter Donnan

Ian George and Hamish Moffat

The Horden Vale and Lavers Hill climbs came with some rain. The road in parts was very slick and to add to that oil or diesel that was visible all the way along the road added to my concern and meant that I was gently squeezing my brakes and focussing on my line through corners more than ever before on the fast descents.

The cafe at the top of Laver's provided a welcome break before things to come. As we descended from the high point of the ride and out of the protection of the Otway National Park we were hit with gale force side winds that made riding at times near impossible. A side wind of such strength is infinitely more difficult than riding straight into it. It was quite a battle getting to Port Campbell and the 5k sign seemed like about 20k out of town.

Port Campbell was decision time for riders deciding whether they would continue through the night in the appalling conditions or pull the pin and have a good nights sleep before a ride back to Geelong the next day. There were a number of riders that understandably took the latter option.

Steve and I joined Ian George for the ride to Warrnambool. It served up more wind and rain but getting to the most westerly point on the ride was a psychological boost for me as surely the hardest work was done. Ken Morgan joined us after taking a longer break at Warnnambool. The wind pushed us along at a cracking pace for about 10 minutes or so but then a shift from WNW to SSW suddenly meant the ride back to Port Cambell was not so easy at all.  The roaring wind and boiling ocean was almost deafening along with road signs and loose tin rattling madly and powerlines producing a booming howl in and around the small towns.

We had lost valuable time through out the day and night so a break of a little more than 2 hours was all we could afford for sleep. It was a 4:30 am get up to complete a ride to Timboon and back before breakfast to round out 400k.

The wind continued to be a real nuisance back along the Shipwreck Coast pushing the bike sideways but at least it was towards the edge`of the road not towards the middle like the day before. Not until we got to the more protected areas of the climb to Lavers Hill did we get real respite from the conditions.  It was raining and very cold at the checkpoint so the warmth of the cafe was difficult to leave. The skies cleared by the time we got to Horden Vale so the rain coat was removed for the last time but the wind was continuing unabated.

Peter greeted`us at the checkpoint at Apollo Bay and hot soup warmed us up for the next leg to Lorne. Another break there before embarking on the final 65k to the finish. Ken was having a few issues with his bike so Steve and I stopped under lights of a Torquay servo to check things out. Ian continued on but he needed to stop for a while on the outskirts to sort out some lighting issues.

It was great to be welcomed at the finish by my wife Carol, several riders and Peter.

Smiling Jim Chant at the finish

Everyone was smiling at the finish

Most of the riders described it as the hardest Audax ride they had ever done. I totally agree.

Thanks again to Peter, Eileen and Joan for fantastic support. Thanks to Steve, Ian and Ken for their company during the ride which would have been even harder if completed alone.

Congratulations to Steve for completeing his first 600k in such difficult conditions.

A rock - to - a hard place

The Moorabool Mayhem 200k was run on Sunday 6 May 2012. Fifteen riders entered but there were three no shows. Riders left Teesdale at 7:30am in cool overcast conditions. I remained at base having undertaken the ride the previous weekend.

The quicker riders (Leigh, Mark, Sean, Adrian and Ian) led the way.

Unfortunately back behind them and just after Bannockburn only 15k’s into the ride Carl had a very bad fall. It appears he hit a rock about the size of your fist that was in the middle of the road. He sustained serious head and facial injuries, elbow and ribs. Fortunately the following riders and a passing motorist were able to assist him with first aid and care. I also arrived on the scene and we waited for the ambulance to arrive. Carl underwent surgery that night at the Alfred Trauma Unit. Everybody is wishing Carl a very speedy recovery. The signs are already good. It's Tuesday and he's already talking about getting back on the bike. Get well soon mate.

The rock

The remaining riders ultimately continued. I drove to the first checkpoint at Meredith to sign cards of the some of the riders and those who had stayed behind. It was misty rain as (Lyn, Ken, Peter, Heather and Greg) left the checkpoint heading towards Gordon.

Greg at Meredith

Lyn & Ken leaving the Meredith checkpoint

Riders reported that it was quite cold up around Gordon but by afternoon the breeze had died away and the day remained free of rain. The quicker riders were able to ride up “Godzilla” which was some achievement.

They finished inside 9 hours and all riders were in by 7pm.

 Refreshments after ride

Thanks to everyone for coming to the ride and thanks to those who assisted Carl.

Cycling about the Moorabool

I did a reconnaissance ride for the Moorabool Mayhem 200k last Sunday. I am running it as an unsupported Audax ride this coming Sunday. The route crosses the Moorabool River valley on a number of occasions. The valley has steep sides so there are some serious grades to contend with. Fortunately most of them are short and with a little straining, huffing and puffing they can be negotiated by reasonably capable cyclists. There is one real beast however that is known to local cyclists as Godzilla. Its at the 175k mark and on tired legs I generally take a walk for about 50 metres where the Garmin displays 20, 21, 22%. Other issues I noted on the ride were a number of short gravel sections on the Ballark Mt Egerton Road where quarry trucks have broken up the road. Riders will need to be cautious. A good number of people have registered for the ride, the weather forecast currently is for the occasional shower and light winds so its all good to go.


Having ridden the route last week I’ll sit out the ride myself this week as I try to freshen a little for the Great Ocean Road 600 the following weekend. The GOR600 is also quite a challenging ride that is similar to the Great Southern Randonee 600 I did in 2008 and the mid week 600 I did last year. The ups and downs of the Great Ocean Road, the Otways and the hills around Timboon will provide some great riding.