Today's Ride

[davroos]

Today, I did a 90K ride, but alas, there were no photos. The temp started out at 27 but rose quite quickly to 35, I also realised how physically cooked I was after the 5 days in the mountains, I struggled up the slightest of hill, so tomorrow, I will have another rest day. On the ride, I did see one live kangaroo, but four dead ones. It is the way it is here, they hop out in the night time and get hit, it is quite sad really

On another note, Team Condor JLT have left the area, but the U23 GR cycling team is still here. It is an area rich with cycling. If you get the chance, look up cycling in Bendigo, there are so many good quiet roads, mountains are around whilst there is loads of mountain biking to be had, just watch out for the snakes !!!

As for the snow, my friend texted me from Kent

 

[FairfaxPat]

Re:

Awfully hot down there...Today-Sunday-About 64 F. and sunny-up past Phoenix Lake into the Water District...

 

[FairfaxPat]

Re:

Today-Monday-An easy ride down to SF Bay and back-really windy, about 67 F. and sunny...

 

[davroos]

Re:

Another day, another 90k bike ride !!!

I found that after my last ride, I was dead, so I had a day off and visited art galleries in Ballarat and Castlemaine. As this was a huge gold mining area, the museums were interesting to

And now the interesting bit !!!

It has gone cold, I had to wear arm warmers !!! I took my usual route out and saw my first emus. There were two of them, just hanging out on a property. I was going quite slow as there was a headwind, 29ks in the first hour, I suppose that is ok, but, well, not much you can say.

I was heading in a direction of another mountain, my 10th in 17 days. Mount Franklin, an old volcano with a road up the side, and to be honest, I was struggling to get there, the wind was that strong, I was also feeling cold due to this fact.

Eventually, the climb came into view so I took the obligatory photo at the top

On the way down, I clocked the 2 hour mark and my average was down to 24.5ks. 20ish ks in the second hour had killed it, but on the downhill, I did see 60ks !!!

Turning onto the highway, the wind was behind me, so I opened up my legs and motored along. I was sitting on 51/52ks for a while and my average just went up and up, so by the time I arrived in Castlemaine, I was up to 28.6ks !!! I had pulled 37ks in the the third hour without trying !!! The winds were crazy !!!

Not long after, I arrived back at the house with my 90ks done, so hopefully tomorrow, the temp and th winds will stay down

 

[Minifreak]

Today started grey, turned showery and got muddier then ended like this
Perfect day off.

 

[FairfaxPat]

Re:

Today-Tuesday-A ride to the North up to the ridge behind my neighborhood. The road goes up to about 700' at an insane 25% grade. My legs felt like rubber bands after a short rest at the top-nice out, about 74 F. and Sunny...

 

[coomber]

Today started grey, turned showery and got muddier then ended like this
Perfect day off.

Nice!

 

[Repack Rider]

Today's ride took me 500 miles or so from Pat. I flew into Borrego Springs with Jacquie Phelan in tow, courtesy Dave Duncan of Borrego Springs Cyclery. This is desert country, and as in any desert, where there is an oasis such as Borrego Springs, there are people.

On Day One, Friday, I spoke for about 45 minutes in a theater to an audience of about 80 before a showing of "Klunkerz," then sold and signed a few books afterward.

Day Two, Saturday, we were ferried to a point high above the town where a group of 27 riders paid, some dearly, to ride with me and Jacquie. I broke out my cycling shoes and discovered that I had the left shoe from each of two different pairs. So glad I specified SPD, and well, here we are. No shoe change, so let's ride.

My brother lives close enough that he and a friend came out to take part, and on rented bikes they met their match on their first ride in years. The 400 feet of climbing over two miles to start was no challenge for you and me. It was for some.

From the crest we had 12 miles downhill. The surface was mostly two-track, with an inch of two of sand on the hard tracks separated by a foot deep barrier of sand between them. My borrowed bike, of course, sells for something like $4000 less than the one I ride at home and I'm riding in my regular shoes.

For most of the descent I stayed with my brother and his friend, whose skill level had them at the far back. Speed is your friend on that surface, and the slow pace had my brother on the ground a few times and both knees polished raw. But he soldiered on and went the distance. We finished with a picnic in a park above the city after 2700 feet of descent over 12 miles or so.

On Day Three I was a little better prepared, with a set of good flat pedals since I didn't have my cycling shoes. Also, my brother had skipped the second ride over the same route, which changed the nature of the ride. This time we had seen the trail, I was better prepared with the bike, and otherwise unencumbered.

If you get up to speed on that sandy surface, it's like riding on ice. You can't make sudden moves, and sometimes the bike shimmies a little side to side.. Crossing over the center to line up a turn means getting the brief bike bite of the deep sand on each wheel and a side to side shake from the diagonal approach. It works better if you go fast, but not everyone wants to do that. Since this is desert, every plant is armed with two inch spikes, so you have to be careful about cutting corners and getting whipped on the leg or arm.

Jacquie is a great rider, and now that had seen the route we didn't have to wait for our guide to show us the turns, so we could rip it top to bottom. She and I and one other rider pulled out huge gaps on everyone else, riding mile after mile neither touching the brakes nor turning the cranks. That faster you went, the more you floated. The inch of sand that denied traction provided just enough drag on that perfect gradient for us to sail along with a tailwind at 20-25 mph, in air that didn't seem to be moving.

In addition to the riding, we saw a rainbow, blooming wildflowers, incredible cacti, fossilized footprints, and amazing geology, and then Jacquie and I got on a plane and came home.

The end.

 

[Repack Rider]

More from Borrego.

 

[The History Man]

Lovely write-up Charlie.