Fit for a Queen

The Queen's Birthday long weekend provided me a great opportunity to log up some kilometres towards the goals that I have set myself for the year.

So on Saturday a group of seven of us undertook the Eureka Dales 200k permanent from Teesdale.
Mark, Leigh, Brian and  Jack along with Myra and Steve joined me on one of my favourite routes that headed up to Elaine then on to Ballarat, Smythesdale, Linton and Rokewood. The ride provided around 1500m of ascent and for the most part it was on quiet country roads. The day was cool but fine and the wind was light. We finished the ride in under 10 hours just after dark with it starting to get somewhat colder. Carol had prepared us some hot soup at the conclusion of the ride that soon warmed all of us up. All in all a great day was had by all.

Quiet country roads on Eureka Dales 200

On Sunday morning Carol, Kelly and I traveled to Horsham and I rode the Natimuk Knockout 100k permanent in the afternoon. This ride travels predominately through grain growing country to the west of the town and the highlight of the ride are the views of Mt Arapiles as you loop around to Natimuk on the return to Horsham.

Mt Arapiles on Natimuk Knockout 100

On Monday of the long weekend I rode another favourite ride of mine from Horsham. I have ridden Wimmera,Wool and Water 200k both as a calendar ride and as a permanent a few times. Riding as a permanent a long stretch of 125k to the only opportunity to buy food at Balmoral requires you to carry ample supplies yourself. This ride provides great views of the Grampians and at this time of year the lush pastures are grazed by finely bred merino sheep.

Views on Wimmera Wool and Water 200

Hundreds and Thousands

You could say its been a bit of party time as I have sandwiched in some hundreds and some  thousands into the past month or so since the Oppy.

On the weekend following the Oppy I was undertaking the Wangaratta Wahine 1000K (volunteers ride) in the company of ride organiser Chris Rogers and Jim Chant, both of who were doing the 1200k option. The weather was great, quite mild during the days and nights which was fortunate as severe winds had done considerable damage in some nearby areas only a few days before. The ride was a series of loops out of Wangaratta. The only issue I had on this ride was that the sealed bearing in my Kysrium front wheel started to fail and emit all sorts of grinding and squealing noises every time  I built up a little speed when the road angled down. It could only be suppressed by slowing down to about 5kph before resuming normal speed. It held up sufficiently to complete the ride in just under 66 hours

Chris and Jim at Yarrawonga

I then rode a 100k permanent on the next weekend to keep things ticking over.

Then good mate Steve Xerri's Rock to Lock 200 was on up at Lancefield. This was a ripper ride. I spent the bulk of the ride in the company of Steve, Leigh Paterson and Frank Zgoznik. The weather was great, the company was great and  course was great.

I followed up with the Blackgate Saunter 150k from Geelong which was toughend up by a fair bit of wind and plenty of climbing around Torquay and in the Barrabools.

Finally a trip over to Victor Harbor SA where I got in one training ride then moved on to Belair for a few more rides in the hills before the start of the Geelong Flyer 1000 from Blackwood on Anzac Day. 21 starters was a good  turn out for Peter Donnan's well planned ride.  The first part of the ride was foggy and damp but the day cleared before we reached the first checkpoint at Milang. Then a strong westerly wind was pushing riders along up to 40 kph at times on the way to Wellington checkpoint which was then followed by the ferry crossing of the Murray River.

Joel on the ferry crossing the Murray River at Wellington

It was tougher going for the rest of the day as the wind shifted more southerly and even a bit more rain greeted me around Kingston on the way to the sleep stop at Robe. The second day was warmer and a little humid but Millicent, Mount Gambier, Nelson and Portland checkpoints came and went. The traffic for me was the more challenging part of this days ride. I found myself more mentally than physically tired when I arrived at Warrnambool a bit after 9 pm.

Arriving at Nelson on Day 2

Morning light at the Bay of Islands on Day 3

The final day had stops at Port Campbell, Beech Forrest, Apollo Bay before the finish at the 24 hour cafe in Geelong. Again it was warmish and humid and a howling northerly was a real challenge atop the Otways.

I pulled in to the finish with an elapsed time of 63 hours and thoroughly enjoyed a pizza and a good chat with Howard Dove who had finished just before me.

Special thanks to my family who traveled with me on the Flyer, be it they were in the car.

Modus Oppyrandos

The Fleche Opperman is an all day team cycling event where 3,4 or 5 bikes (and their riders) constitute a team that is required to cover a minimum of 360k in 24 hours. To be successful at least 3 of the bikes must finish and the overall average speed must be at least 15kph.

 I had previously ridden the Oppy in 2008, 2009 and 2011. This year after some brief toing and froing I accepted an invite from Steve Xerri to ride with the Lairs. What a great bunch of guys. Lots of humour, a great course (I like it flat) and support that would be the envy of a pro cycling team!

The team was really well balanced as each person seem to have their particular talents that they brought to the group. Starting with Steve whose meticulous organisation meant that there was no surprises and we all knew when, what and how things would operate. Ken was strong and rode a steady pace all day and night. I learnt that Dave could put on and take off his rain jacket whilst on the move but at times is prone to drop things and Andy is kind of like a wise man, experienced in all aspects, always cool, calm and confident. Bill and Pete on support were simply magnificent. They had a feast laid out at every controle and the variety of great food meant that it was so easy to refuel for the next leg. I think I might have even  put on weight on this ride!
Thanks Steve, Andy, Ken, Dave, Bill and Pete I had a wonderful time riding the Oppy 2013.

Modus Oppyrandos

Bling

 For me  2011/12 was a pretty big Audax season and a step in my progression as a randonneur. One of the nice things I like about participating in Audax Australia rides and permanents (do it yourself rides) is the awards that you can earn for those long days in the saddle. Aside from the medals for individual rides the ones that I think are pretty neat are those that represent a series of rides or an accumulation over a year or more. The folk on the National Committee have done a fantastic job with the new award structure and in particular the design of the new awards. I was fortunate to receive a couple myself to sit on the shelf  alongside my 2010 Woodrup Award.

2012 Awards

2010 Woodrup

In the wake of a big ride

The Great Southern Randonnee occupied much of my 4 week vacation from October through to mid November. Although riding the volunteers ride and volunteering on the main ride only occupied the first two weeks and much of the remaining two weeks were dominated by a severe virus. Body defences were probably lowered by ride and lack of adequate recovery and shortage of sleep.
This has meant that I have not achieved a quick early season start to logging the kilometres for the 2012/13 Audax season.
I missed riding the Cafe au Lait 600 at Wangaratta but finally got going on the seventeenth with the Bellarine 200. I had a good ride with Geoff, Sarah and Ken around the Bellarine Peninsula. A 100k permanent the following Saturday was followed with the 200k Eureka Dales permanent on the Sunday. So the November total of 500k was a modest but steady start to the year.

Geoff, Sarah and Ken take a break

 

Eureka

 

December started with the old favorite Jump the Gun from Maryborough in Central Victoria. Warmish conditions greeted riders for the 600k on the Saturday but Sunday was cooler if not a little windier. Jimmy Chant, Tim Taylor, Joel Nicholson and myself completed the 600 while Tavis Baker unfortunately had to pull out with illness. It was the usual great weekend with riders undertaking distances from 100 to 600k.

Heading for Moonambel 460k down

 

A different perspective on a 1200k Randonnee

The 5th edition of the Great Southern Randonnee in late October this year provided me with a different view of a big ride to what I have been accustomed to.
It all started a considerable time earlier when I committed to Stephen Rowlands the new organiser of this iconic Audax Australia event to lend a hand with its running. I found myself part of a small organising team that held a number of meetings to sort out the detail. Some aspects of the required work were distributed amongst various people but the bulk of the considerable workload was undertaken by Stephen and the irrepressible wee Scotty, Ronnie McInnes. Ronnie and wife Meredith kindly hosted the organising meetings at their home.

Meeting at Ronnie and Meredith's home

I have organised supported rides before but a big multi day main event like the GSR is at a far higher level and requires a lot more in place than just food, a route and cue sheets and I have the greatest respect for the time and effort that Stephen and Ronnie put into this ride.

The GSR regularly attracts several international riders to our shores. Some regulars who I had met before at the Perth Albany Perth in 2010. Mark Thomas and Vincent Muoneke from Seattle were back along with Spencer Klaassen on fixed from Kansas. Julian Dyson from the UK was also back and there were several other new and returning internationals. I had fond memories from Perth of riding with Vincent and Mark through the forests after Pemberton, of Spencer's son helping as a volunteer on the ride and of briefly riding with Julian after dark on the the road between Wagin and Williams.

Having a spare bedroom in our house gave my wife Carol and I the chance to billet two riders for the days leading up to and the days after the ride. The two riders that were to stay with us were Rick Blacker from Seattle Randonneurs and Julian Dyson from AudaxUK. It was an absolute pleasure to have them stay with us. As one might imagine that most of the talking was about long distance cycling but I also got to learn a lot about them and life at home. It was really great to become good friends with the two of them.

Julian, myself and Rick

 

I had only finished my 1200k volunteers ride a few days earlier and I was out on a hard 100k permanent with Rick to tune him up for the GSR. At the halfway stage of the ride with many steep ascents my legs finally yelled "back off". I had to ease back,take things easier and follow Rick's wheel as a nasty wind and some rain added to the challenge.



Rick stops to take a photo

Two days later it was the same torturous route but this time it was with Julian on a brighter day and fortunately for me with stronger legs.

Julian cresting a climb

A pre-ride dinner at the Angelsea Golf Club the night before the start of the GSR gave many of the riders and volunteers a chance to catch up and renew old acquaintances from both interstate and overseas.

 

Rick, Mark and Spencer (rear views), Julian and Vincent catch up prior to the pre ride dinner

 

International riders before the start

 

The briefing of riders begins

 

 My primary role during the ride was to be a roving scout watching over the event and riders as they moved through the countryside spreading out over about 200k by the time the first riders finished. I was also lucky enough to be the person issuing the brevet cards, maps and route notes before the start so it enabled me to get to know some of the new faces early on.

 

The 1200 started at 6pm and not too long after the start I drove Stephen and Alison to the Queenscliff checkpoint then on to the secret control to check the riders as they progressed towards completion of the first 200k which was essentially a loop around Geelong and the Bellarine Penisula. A brief stop back at Angelsea for a quick coffee then I went on alone to Apollo Bay to sign cards of the faster riders before the shops opened in town. A few of the quickest riders just beat me to town but I looked after several until about 6 am when the bakery opened. I then drove on into the Otways and found a quiet side track where I managed about an hours sleep in the back of my car. I moved on to Port Campbell and had breakfast with the faster riders and got another hour or so sleep.  This sleeping scenario was repeated for the next four days as I moved from control to control. I focused on the mid pack to slower riders generally and didn't again see the quickest riders. I  picked up some 1000k riders that abandoned on Lavers Hill after a warm afternoons climb and ferried them to Port Campbell. I picked up an abandoned rider at Hopkins Falls after his inadequate lights gave out in the middle of the night and transported him to Port Fairy. I recovered another riders rain jacket and tights that he had dropped on the roadside between Halls Gap and Moyston. However for most of the time I was just observing and encouraging the riders and all the time itching to be out there with them.

 

 A quiet country lane

 

An emu near Tower Hill, Koroit

 

Sarah and Bec on the homeward leg

 

 A dramatic sunset in the Otways

 

 

 

Finished. Tired but satisfied (Mark, Mike and Rick)

 

Happy finishers 1 (Hamish and Ian)

 

Frank....where have you been?

 

Happy finisher 2 (Julian)

 

Happy finishers 3 (Sarah and Bec)

 

Jim   and his Bulgarian jersey

 

All in all the Great Southern Randonnee for 2012 was a great success. Riders were challenged by the route and the conditions and the successful ones will cherish their involvement. The DNFs will reflect on their performance and be better for their learnings. Many new friendships were forged during the ride and many old freindships were renewed and strengthened. Everyone involved will have a story to tell.  See you in 2016. 

 

The Great Southern – Volunteers Ride

There were three volunteers who chose to undertake the long rides of the GSR this time.

Tim Taylor and I rode the 1200k and Peter Donnan rode the 1000k option.

Tim and I set off from Angelsea at 6pm on Thursday 18^th October. Peter left at 8am on the next day. This meant our rides were synchronised and operating on a timetable matching the event itself. Carol and my daughter Kelly provided excellent support for me at overnight stops that I had determined as optimum for the pace I planned to ride. Tim and Peter were able to take some advantage of this. Tim catching some sleep at Port Fairy, Dunkeld and Apollo Bay with us while Peter had arranged a motel room at Hamilton. Both Tim and Peter also had a bite to eat with us at both Halls Gap and Dunkeld.

I rode with Tim for the first 175k but after Torquay I let him pull away and I wouldn’t see him again till Port Fairy. I chose to take a sleep at the 200k at Angelsea. Arriving at 3:15am and leaving at 7am.

I had developed a conservative schedule for this ride. I was not looking for a sub 80hr ride but rather looking to enjoy a pleasant roll through some spectacular Victorian countryside.

I enjoyed the leg from Apollo Bay through the lovely Otway National Park and the two climbs seemed to go nicely and I reached Port Campbell (367k) at 5pm just ahead of my schedule.

 Through the Otway National Park

I had friends in the trees

 

Progress was slow but steady against an annoying headwind on my way past Hopkins Falls and on to Port Fairy. A text message from good mate Steve Xerri broke the monotony as I rode on to a sleep stop at Port Fairy arriving at 11:40pm.  I had friends in the trees as well. A koala had been croossing the road when caught in the beam of my ayups. It was hard to get him to pose for the camera

I left Port Fairy around 3am to get to Macarthur a few minutes inside the closing time.

 Macarthur a few minutes inside the closing time

Similarly i timed my arrival at Dunkeld with a 10 minute buffer and this rounded out the first 600k.

Dunkeld

I felt in good shape with two good sleeps under my belt as I made my way on to Halls Gap where Carol informed me that Tim and Peter had just left following a nice feed of soup. Tim also had kindly bought some ice cream and that went down well as the morning and early afternoon had been reasonably warm.

Mount Abrupt

I passed Tim and Peter on the return through Halls Gap and arrived at our cabin at 9pm with the others pulling in for a break at around 9:30pm. I took 6 hours at this checkpoint and got another good nights sleep.

Most of the following day was very unsettled with gusting and swirling winds making it impossible to find a good rhythm. Just prior to arriving at Port Campbell in the late afternoon I was hit by a violent storm that bought cold lashing rain that certainly dampened my spirits a little. I caught up with Tim at Port Campbell . He had left Dunkeld earlier but had taken an extended break as a bite on his leg was causing considerable swelling and discomfort for him. I rode with Tim as he battled his condition through the climbs of the Otways.

Tim

 

Near Hordern Vale we were separated and it wasn’t until Apollo Bay that we caught up with each other. After a sleep Tim left early to ensure his leg would not prevent a successful finish. I again had a good nights sleep and left Apollo bay at 6am. I reached Angelsea to be greeted by Tim and Carol at 9:37am. The ride took me 87 hours 37 minutes to complete.

The finish

Goals

Setting yourself a goal in the things we do can be a great motivator along the way to achievement. Sharing that goal with others provides even more incentive to complete what you have set out to do. I love my bike riding and enjoy the philosophy behind the rides that Audax provide through both organised rides and permanents (do it yourself rides or rides with other members).

In past years I generally have set myself an annual riding goal. From complete Around the Bay, to achieve a Percy Armstrong award (50,100,150 &200 k ride) in a year, complete my first 600 then in 2009/10 it was complete my first 1000 and 1200k rides. Last year I didn't set a goal and it seemed my riding lacked a bit of purpose with the only rides that gave me a real sense of satisfaction were two long weekend series of 3 x 200k that challenged me to back up and ride well on consecutive days. So when Audax introduced a single season cumulative award I thought here's a chance to stretch myself. Previous years I accumulated around 6 or 7000k of audax riding so I thought 10,000k would be an admirable goal and so my target was set. I then mentioned it to anybody who would listen so after that there was no turning back. The other self imposed aspect was that I wanted to achieve it before riding the Great Southern Randonee as I didn't want to rely on the last ride of the season where anything might happen.

So yesterday on a cool but clear spring day I achieved my goal with a 300k permanent through some delightful country in the Otway region. Barwon and Beyond roughly traverses the Barwon River from its bottom reaches around Geelong then extends beyond its upper reaches in the picturesque Otway Ranges. The countryside was green and lush, the traffic was light and the weather ideal for a long ride. I strongly recommend the Otway region for some great bike riding.

Green and lush

 

Deep in the Otways along Turton's Track

 



High up around Beech Forest

 

A walkabout weekend

I spent the recent weekend in the lovely rural city of Horsham. A few days leave from work allowed relaxed travelling to the Wimmera on the Friday and the same for the return on Monday. The rides Carol and I were organising were the Wimmera Walkabout rides that I developed some time ago to fill in a bit of a gap as in all my time in Audax I hadn't seen a ride organised from the Horsham area. The closest being Mallee Routes to the north and the Grampians challenge from Halls Gap. On day 1 the 200k skirted the west side of the Grampians before heading through sheep country to Balmoral and then a return to Horsham. The 300k required riders to additionally undertake an out and back to the wheat town of Dimboola where an information control required them to determine when the post office first opened their doors. Any guesses? Sunday's 200k had a great climb over the Grampians to Halls Gap and then on to Stawell for lunch. A long stretch to Murtoa followed and a bit of rain had the riders donning wet weather gear for the final leg to Horsham. This was the first real section all weekend where the wind rose above a negligable level and had riders working harder. The appreciation of the riders for the support we provided was very satisfying. The rest for me from riding was probably beneficial although I must admit I was as tired at the end of it all as I would have been if I rode it. Thanks to Carol(and Kelly) for supporting me in putting on the weekend.

Ian and Leigh discuss progress at the Noradjuha checkpoint on day 1

Riders (Jim, Joel, Arno and Leigh) dig in at the Wartook checkpoint on day 2

Spring has arrived!

Spring has arrived! It’s been great to get out and spend more mid-week time on the road. Winter from a cycling viewpoint for me means many hours on the indoor trainer, spinning away whilst watching LeTour and other European cycle races. This is interspersed with Audax calendar or permanent rides on the weekend. My rate of accumulating Audax kilometres lessened but my goal of 10,000 Audax kilometres in the season is almost achieved. At 9650km I can move my sights to the Great Southern Randonnee 1200k ride (volunteer’s version) which I plan to undertake towards the end of October. 

On the weekend I did the reconnaissance for one of my Wimmera rides. They are coming up on the weekend of September 15^th and 16^th.

Day 1 ride skirts the west side of the Grampians and passes through some lovely countryside on the way to Balmoral before a return to Horsham. The 300k adds an out and back to Dimboola.

Heading to Balmoral

 

Day 2 heads to Wartook to begin a climb over the Grampians to Hall’s Gap with a lunch stop at Stawell. The second half has a long haul to Murtoa and a final leg to Horsham.

Climbing from Wartook

Hope to see a few of you there.

Hume and Hovell – 2 Great 300’s

An ominous northerly breeze was blowing through the leaves in the trees out the front of the Melbourne YHA for the start of the Hume 300k from Melbourne to Wangaratta. Ten riders had turned out for the ride on a very cool Saturday morning. During the first 50 odd K on the gradual climb to Wandong into a moderate headwind my pace was matching that of Jim Chant. I kept the first bakery stop to a minimum whilst Jim had left a little earlier I was able to link up again about half way on the to Broadford. I took a considerably longer stop than normal at Seymour and really felt in no hurry as I was aiming for a relaxed weekend on the bike. Jim and I set off after a half hour. Jim chose to head direct onto the Goulburn Valley Highway from Mitchellstown Road at the road construction works whilst I added about a K by following the gravel south to get onto the highway. We had a pleasant walk across Kirwan's Bridge before our third bakery for the day at Murchison. The wind was lighter on the northern side of the Divide but it was still against us. Jim did a lot of the leading saying he was looking after me for the Sunday return trip which he was making in the car. After we left the Shepparton checkpoint it was west towards the finish but not before the sun had set and an interminable climb and bitterly cold descent over the Warby Ranges before Wangaratta. Thanks for great company on the ride Jim.

At Tooborac on the Hovell 300k

The second day only had about 5 of the riders from the previous day make the return trip on the Hovell 300k. It was a cold but fortunately not a freezing start to the day. I did a 10k ride out along the Greta Road after which the plan was to link up with the other riders who had stayed at Chris’s place at Killawarra. Either I had missed them or they were running behind time because I waited at the nominated rendezvous point for a good ten minutes or so before I decided to push on. I eventually crossed paths with Simon and Joel who were about 5 minutes behind me at the first stop at Benalla. Euroa was the second stop then on to Seymour for the afternoon break. The wind was a light south westerly for much of the day. It was just enough to be a hindrance and play on the mind as one wondered why maintaining a decent speed was difficult. After Seymour it was a grind through the hills to Tooborac and then on to Lancefield in rapidly fading light before Romsey and the penultimate control. It was very cold and on leaving Romsey I thought my steerer was loose as my front wheel wobbled as I shivered for the 5 minutes or so till I warmed up. Finishing the second 300k for the weekend was very satisfying. We had been fortunate not to cop any rain that required a raincoat and that the winds, although generally against us for the weekend, were for most reasonably light.

Thanks must go to Chris Rogers for two great routes, organising the ride and supporting the riders.



The Power of the Pie (and Soup)

Stephen Rowlands run a new version of the the Wild Wild West 300k on Saturday 9th June from his new home base at Little River. The weather forecast early in the week was for light winds and no rain. By the time Saturday came around south westerlies to 20kph and isolated showers were the promise.
I was entering the ride with some trepidation. I had had an infected tooth extracted earlier in the week but the infection had not cleared up in my gum and I still had pain that I was supressing with medication.
Misty rain was falling when we set off. A lead group of about 8 held together until Geelong. I was first to drop off and the traffic lights through the town  delayed me further so other riders were soon out of sight. Climbing up into the Barrabool Hills I set my own rythem and caught up with Steve Xerri as we turned south towards Moriac and the first checkpoint at the general store. A light headwind greeted us along Cape Otway Road before we turned towards Bambra for the pleasant ride through the slopes of the Otways. We took a brief stop at Deans Marsh then headed on towards Forrest. As we climbed towards the second checkpoint it became wetter and decidingly colder. Steve was having a bit of a flat spot but to be honest I wasn't firing on all cylinders either.
I couldn't resist the lure of a hot meat pie that has become a bit of a staple food for me on Audax rides. Steve on this occasion was also tempted and followed suite.

Nice pie Steve ?

After the break we headed on towards Colac through some lovely forest, timber lots, very lush fields and some prime dairy country. After Colac it was left and right several times before being greeted at Warrion Hall by Stephen and Tim ready to feed us with some lovely hot soup. We had hoped for some wind assistance from this point but it was getting later in the afternoon and the wind was dying away. I was dying away a bit too and Steve was getting stronger.

Shelford was the next checkpoint which we hit just after it had got dark. Merrryn and Rhys were manning this checkpoint and more lovely soup was on offer. My wife Carol had also popped down to greet us as we live only about 5k from the checkpoint.

The ride then took us on a constant grade to Meredith, over the Moorabool in Slate Quarry Road with its pretty severe climb out. I had laboured to Meredith but a gel had me feeling better and some more pain killing was a help.

Just after we turned onto Geelong Ballan Road there were flames and a vehicle on the side of the road. Had there been an accident? What I thought was a drunken yobbo was trying to flag us down. As we got close we realised it was Stephen at the secret control with Tim ready with more soup to get us to the finish. This time I chose the muffins and before long we were on the road again descending towards Anakie Junction.

Richard on his recumbant had missed the Granite Road turn and he soon joined us for the final kilometres. We all seemed to be riding strongly now in the knowledge that the finish was close. It had been a long, damp and cool day and I was personally very happy I had seen it through to the end.

Once more Merryn fed us with some fine food at the finish.

Thanks for riding with me again Steve I thoroughly enjoyed your company. Thanks to the Rowlands for yet again putting on a great ride and Tim Taylor for his support of the ride also.