Retired as an IT Consultant in January 2014. Since then I have become a Kayaker, an English Teacher, a vegetable gardener, a bike rider, a traveller, and a Community worker.
Bairnsdale to just past Orbust (100klms) 647 to Mrs Macquarie’s chair.
Long climbs out of Bairnsdale to Bruthen. Had a coffee there and a rest. Joined one of the rail trails to Nowra Nowra then back on the m
ain road as the rail trail was a bit too soft for a road bike.
Two incidents today. Chris drove into a faily large camouflaged hole right beside a side road. Got some help from the locals to get out with no damage. Mohammad had a puncture in a rear tyre which we repaired fairly quickly from the bits Chris had recommended we carry.
As Orbost was 90klms we pedaled past it by 10k and Chris picked us up. We want at least 100 per day so we can get the whole trip in while we are all together.
Planned arrival time at Mrs Macquarie’s chair is the 29th in the early afternoon.
Rosedale to Bairnsdale (99.7 klms) 747 kilometers to Mrs Macquarie’s chair.
Got away at about 8 am. Local roads onto the Gippsland Rail Trails to Stratford. Passed many diary farms and a flying fox colony. Last section into Bairnsdale straight and undulating which was tiring. Arrived Bairnsdale at 3pm. Our first 100k day (well 99.7)
Yarragon to Rosedale (68klms) 846klms to Mrs Macquarie’s chair.
Packed all morning and rung around a few bike shops to get the last few things. Picked Chris up at the airport at 12:30 and headed east via a bike shop to get Mohammad.
Arrived at Yarragon at about 4 pm. By the time we got organised we were on the road about 4:30. Just on 4 hours riding with the last 45 minutes in the dark. Good road, fairly fast.
Packenham to Yarrangon (58.6k) 903 Kilometers to go
Arrived at Packenham just after daybreak (7am) to heavy rain and strong wind. The good thing was the wind was in our favor. After discussing our options we decided to start. The motorway was fast and mostly flat. We averaged about 18k/h, but it was wet, windy and cold. As time went on it became difficult to keep body temperature up.. so at Yarrangon we stopped and caught the (train replacement) bus back to the city. Got in just under 60k .
Just a few things to finalize before we depart on Sunday.
We have moved Pakenham to Traralgon to friday. No pedaling tomorrow and our one day of contingency is gone. This should be ok as the weather will be a bit kinder wind wise on friday, but wet. Will now have more time to pack, organize and fuel up.
Today we rode from the CBD to Packenham. 69 klms. Good day weather wise but a strong wind coming at us between Berwick and Packenham.
A small problem with Google Maps which took us along the M1 into Packenham but on the ramp just before Berwick was quite a large sign banning push bikes. So had to use the minor roads for the last bit.
Last night we picked up Mohammad’s bike which has been kindly loaned by a friend of Mohammad’s. Tomorrow we (Mohammad, Mohammad’s friend and myself) will ride from the CBD to Packenham. It will be an early start. The plan is still to get to Traralgon over three days with Traralgon the start of the supported section. Chris has booked his flights and arrives on the 20th at midday.
There was a issue with the battery and the USB plug I installed to keep the gps on the phone working. The cigarette lighter USB chargers have no polarity protection so I blew two of them up before I realized that I had negative and positive around the wrong way. That silent type of destruction. The problem was in the cable between the battery and the socket. Its a very small cost to make them work either way, but they choose not to do it.
Today is spares buying day and finalizing the camping gear. My vehicle is organized with a shiny new camping box and tie downs for the gear.
We have added one extra day to the preparation. On Tuesday the 15th, Thursday the 17th and Friday the 18th we will ride a little further each day, ending up at Traralgon. Each day we will come back on the train. On the 20th Chris will arrive from Queensland and the journey will start in earnest. Lists have been prepared of all our needs and are slowly being gathered together. There is a complication. Chris has to leave for Queensland on the 29th due to family commitments and we are still looking for a replacement driver.
This is the story of our ride to Sydney which will start on the 14th of March. I will be riding with my friend Mohammad and support from Chris. We will start by riding out of Melbourne and catching the train back to Melbourne for two separate days (maybe the 14th and 16th). In those two days we expect to get to either Moe or Traralgon. This will allow us to get fitter and accustomed to longer rides. Mainly from the read end point of view. From Moe or Traralgon Chris will join us on the 20th with a vehicle and the from then on we will be supported. The plan is to get to Sydney before the 30th with an average per day of about 90 kilometers. The whole trip is just over 1000 kilometers.
The ride will be supporting white ribbon, domestic violence. Links will be provided soon.
pdhansenhansen 