Amy's Gran Fondo 2013 - Preparation and Travel

September means Amy's Gran Fondo!

After taking part in the event last year and absolutely loving it, the 2013 version of the event was quickly pencilled into the calendar as a must do. Having watched our emails closely, we waited for the registrations to open in April. We immediately signed up and organised our accommodation. With all that taken care of, we could sit back and excitedly look forward to what is a fantastically run event.

Things hit a small hitch when Miss V managed to develop a fairly painful knee about two weeks prior to the event (possibly through over training). Slightly stressed at the thought of missing the Fondo, she nursed herself back to health and got the okay to start from her physio. There was much relief at hearing that news!

Our spirits were somewhat dampened on our last day at work before our final Gran Fondo preparations as two colleagues were made redundant. While I can be glad that my neck was once again spared from the chopping block (as was Miss V's thankfully), I can't really feel happy knowing that we'll be returning to an office with essentially a skeleton staff. I guess that's the downside of working for an impersonal multinational that seems to put profits ahead of people. ..  rant over.

Thursday was our final preparation for heading over. We'd decided that we'd attempt to arrive in Lorne at a more respectable hour than last time, lest we be told off in a motherly fashion by the lady at the Best Western Motel again. In an effort to be semi organised we'd put all of our gear at the front door ready to go for a fast getaway.  Early night for us, but I struggled to get to sleep with thoughts of "what have I missed?" running through my head.

Friday morning came, with an obnoxiously early alarm waking us. After a quick shower the car was packed and we were on our way. Unusually for us, we were running right on schedule. Fog in the Adelaide hills provided an almost surreal backdrop for our departure from Adelaide.

Foggy Conditions heading out of Adelaide

Our first stop was in Keith, in search of some food in lieu of breakfast. We ordered 6 chicken nuggets, somewhat disappointed on not being able to get some delicious bakery goods. Disappointment turned into elation as we ate the best chicken nuggets.. ever. To be fair, to call them chicken nuggets is doing them a disservice as they were actually chicken tenderloins, coated and then deep fried to perfection. Highly recommended.

From Keith, we headed towards, and then along the coast. Rain was (yet again!) a constant factor in our trip, and so we were figuring that we might get a semi damp Gran Fondo again like last year. Fortunately we'd packed lycra for pretty much every conceivable weather condition, so we felt more than prepared for whatever mother nature might throw at us.

Gloomy looking clouds as we travel the Great Ocean Road

Throughout the trip we kept pondering how the Smudge Monkees were going who were on their second last day of riding from Adelaide to Lorne. We soon got our answer as they appeared before us on the road. After initially startling them and then cheering them on for a bit we headed along the Great Ocean Road. We rolled into Lorne at about 7:00, checked in, unloaded the car and feasted on fried rice and noodles from Chopstix, a local noodle joint. With any luck, the weather will be kind and we will be able to go for a bit of a pootle tomorrow morning... Fingers crossed.