303.13km / 12:26:01 / 2313m / 12.0°C
Well that’s my longest ride to date! A very long day, I was optimistic, but not entirely hopeful that I’d complete the ride before Bicycle Network’s cutoff times, the 26km/hr required average speed is well above mine (24.5km/hr)
Up at 4.10am and with a stunningly bright near-full moon shining across the garden, an auspicious start, I managed to put my nicks on inside out first time, then was about to ride off without my Garmin.
Up to the station for the 4.42am train down to South Yarra and out into icy rain for the 4km down to Albert Park, luckily it stopped by the time I got to the lake. Got to the start line just as the ride opened for the 300km so rode straight on through and hooked up with some groups of people that were going fast but not completely uncomfortably so. Stayed with quick bunches on the road from there to Geelong, unfortunately the service lane of the freeway was a complete junk pile of rubble, timber, bricks, rocks, old tyres and nasty holes so there were people stopping all over the place with punctures
Somewhere around Werribee zoo the guy in front of me served suddenly to avoid some timbers and I slammed into them, 30s later the unmistakable feeling of a flat tyre. There went my speed session for the morning! Stopped at the side of the road, 30m on from the previous puncture repairer and 100m on from another 2 or 3, then carefully rode the remaining way to Little River on a soft tyre since my pump will only work to around 50psi. Used the track pump and on my way to Geelong, stinky detours around the refinery, then snacks and drinks in the park & hunted down the first-aid for some tape for my knee to stop the scuffing of the knee-whacking top-tube bag
Then on to Queenscliff on wet roads, but no rain, optimistic that I could catch the 10.00am ferry, but not daring to look at the Garmin just in case it was out of reach. Luck on my side and I hurried through the checkin and grabbed my lunch at ten minutes to then rode straight onto the ferry, no sitting around in the park first like so many others - although they were probably going the other way or having a turn around here.
From Queenscliff the 300km route detoured off to Point Nepean, narrow roads and speedy close passes by far too many drivers, then magnificent views out over the heads and the bay. Here my multi-tool was borrowed and its chain-breaker put to use by another rider with a broken chain, a spare quick-link, but no breaker. First time use!
Then back to Sorrento, rejoin the main route around to Dromana and turn inland, first to stop at the park for refreshments, then to go straight up the road to Arthurs Seat. Ugh, here I remembered that my roadie does not have the gears so there were several stops and much slow going until I eventually made the top. Not helped by a headache and increasingly sore tendons behing me left knee
The rolling countryside from here to Flinders was a real slog, I never seemed to pick up much momentum on the descents, and quickly ran out of gears on the climbs so any time in hand at the Dromana rest stop was gone by the time I got to Flinders, where the stop was right down at sea level. Had my first can of coke in probably 20 years and scoffed two packs of salt & vinegar chips, then a climb back out the same way starting straight out of the car park
Somewhere out of Flinders I was caught by the sag wagon and given an official set of questions, I was “well behind the cut-off time”, so either get in the bus to be driven to Frankston or be recorded as no longer on the ride and proceed with no support. I’d signed on to ride and figured all I needed to do was get to Frankston where the trains started so opted to continue
Then somewhere around Red Hill/205km the sag came up again and told in no uncertain terms to either get in or hand over my ride number and be dismissed from the ride and be “on my own”. Not entirely pleased with the tone of it, but handed them over and kept going on my own, following the route & passing the three remaining rest area after they’d closed, entered the twisty road from Safety Beach to Mornington as it was ropened to traffic, dismissing the marshalls who caught up and quizzed me several times on my fitness and willingness to proceed. Last one of these was at Mordialoc where they attempted to load me up with food and drink, gave me a thumbs up and told me I was the last on the road. Woohoo, lantern rouge again
I don’t think I was, periodically I saw others, although none from the 300km. It was a beautiful ride up the rest of the bay in the late afternoon sun, the rising full moon bracketing the day as it had started. I even stopped to pick up a $10 note lying in the road somewhere around Elwood
Rode and around Albert Park lake and across the finish line around 19.55, everything being packed up, helped myself to a finisher’s medal and a 300km finishers jersey from the boxes open on the table, then turned around and rode back to South Yarra station and caught the train home
According to my Garmin my ride was 14hr 43min elapsed (-). Annoyingly, there are half a dozen riders in the results with 14hr+ times, highest I can see is 14hr 34min, so clearly they didn’t have their bibs and numbers confiscated – maybe I shouldn’t have stopped for ten minutes at Point Nepean to help the guy with the broken chain!
Light rain, 8°C, Feels like 7°C, Humidity 78%, Wind 1m/s from W - by Klimat.app
My 1019th day in a row riding a bike, including my and following up with all of 2021.
Garmin / Strava / ridewithgps
