Amy's Gran Fondo 2015

Leadup

Having bid farewell to what, in truth, was a bloody awful winter, we arrived at September, full of hope and anticipation for our trip to Lorne for our fourth Amy's Gran Fondo. Both Miss V and I had battled through a horror cold and flu season and survived. From memory, we were ill no less than four times within three months. This really took a toll on not just our training but our mental strength.  We did manage to squeeze in a few last minute training rides through the Adelaide Hills which helped ease our minds that we were both up to the challenge of the Gran Fondo.  Alas, in the final week before heading off Miss V started struggling with a bad back. Maybe one day we'll both arrive in Lorne 100% fit! Unfortunately, it wasn't this year though!

Friday

We drove over on the Friday as usual, feeling surprisingly relaxed about the trip. Unusually, the weather on the way over was warm, clear and pretty close to perfect! Maybe this contributed to our higher than usual spirits. Every other year we've travelled through rain and storms, so much nicer this time. The weather forecast indicated that the entire weekend would have perfect weather, which once again seemed outside the norms that we'd come to expect from this trip.

We rolled into Lorne late on Friday night, and found our accommodation. This year we were unable to get our usual accommodation, so we tried somewhere a little different. Our little courtyard was pretty much overlooking the Gran Fondo start line; Handy! The people running the place were fantastic, ringing us up as we were driving over to find out what sort of wine we like so that they could leave a couple of bottles in the room for us. Unpacked and settled in, we did our yearly pilgrimage to Chopstix to get some late night noodles and rice. We bumped into Smudge Monkee Tim while we were there, which was a pleasant surprise since we had no idea any of the other Smudge Monkees would be there. While waiting for our food and chatting to Tim we also caught up with Gran Fondo first timers Brett and Karen.

Saturday

Saturday morning in Lorne can mean only one thing! Breakfast at the Lick and Sip Cafe!  Much like our Friday night dinner at Chopstix, this has been our traditional go-to place for breakfast. Sitting and watching the build up in the town and seeing multitudes of cyclists cruising by while digging into a big breakfast seems to snap the brain into holiday mode. It's also a nice way to sit and plan the day. Naturally, a bit of spin on the bikes was in order, but also a look about the shops and the Gran Fondo village. The weather was warm and sunny, though there was a bit of breeze about the place. Fortunately this year the safety briefings could be done online, so we didn't have to organise around those.

Picture perfect in Lorne. View from our motel room.

With breakfast done and dusted, we headed back to our room and got ourselves ready to ride. There was a bit of concern as to how far Miss V would be able to ride today given her sore back, but she was determined to get out, even if if was just for a little while to make sure her bike was running smoothly.  I had been hoping during the year that we might head in the opposite direction to usual and head towards Anglesea, but with Miss V not 100% we decided that the tried and trusted route was the order of the day. As is usual for the Gran Fondo Saturday, cyclists or all sorts were out enjoying the sensational cycling that is available along the Great Ocean Road.

We made it to just past Mount Defiance which, in truth, was further than I thought we'd go this morning. This either meant that Miss V's back was all happy, or that she'd pushed herself beyond what she ought to. I was desperately hoping that it was the former.  We stopped to take advantage of the beautiful clear skies to take some photos before we headed back to Lorne.  Since Miss V was in her PACC of Bobs kit, I thought it would be cool to get a shot of her riding on the Great Ocean Road with the beautiful blue sea and sky in the background. Easier said than done it should be noted!

Red Flash and Pinny take a break

CLP and Miss V on the Great Ocean Road

PACC of Bobs on the Great Ocean Road.

One aspect of our different accommodation this year was a fairly steep hill to get home. When I say steep, I mean the same steep hill that they hold the Amy's Wall competition on! Of course, having arrived back in Lorne I decided to ride past our accommodation and ride the entire Amy's Wall section. It took me a little over a minute to cover the 100 metre stretch, compared to ~14 seconds for the top competitors. I think with a little training I might be able to take out the competition ;)

Strava Data

After a short rest we wandered around the shops of Lorne before gravitating towards the Gran Fondo village. During our brief walk about we were fortunate enough to bump into two of the most lovely people you're ever likely to meet, Mary and Denis Safe, parents of Amy Gillett. We chatted for a while about the event and the weekend and found that it'd be Denis' first time riding in the event. Great stuff!

A new event on the schedule for this Gran Fondo weekend was a Womens NRS criterium along the main drag of Lorne. This was terrific, and got a lot of crowd support. The course simple, and yet was deceptively difficult with a small climb each lap which quickly blew the field apart. I hope this event comes back next year! Shortly after the criterium was the second running on the Amy's Wall hill climb event. Great atmosphere around this one, especially with all the cool lighting effects running along the side of the course.

Amy's Wall. Great atmosphere!

Dinner for the evening was from a new (to us) Japanese place (Umisango) which had some delicious looking dishes on offer. Miss V and I opted for a bento box each, along with some fried dumplings and a seaweed salad. Undoubtedly the perfect fuel for the big ride on Sunday.

As is our Gran Fondo Saturday night ritual, the bikes and equipment were prepared, with numbers and all the various required stickers applied,  ready for the big ride in the morning; and then off to bed.

Ready to roll in the morning.

Sunday

The big day!
Being so close to the start line, we awoke to the sound of the PA test and the announcements for the Womens Road Race that starts before the Gran Fondo.  After a fairly relaxed start we rolled down the hill to the start location. We found our start group and waited for the start.

The weather for this Gran Fondo has been perfect; with this one being the first one that Miss V and I have done minus a full compliment of arm and leg warmers.

A common theme for this trip was bumping into fellow Adelaideans in Lorne. On the start line was no exception and we had a chat to our friend and Gran Fondo first timer, Peter, as we waited.

Miss V on the start line, possibly hiding some
doubts about finishing.

Soon we were hearing the groups in front being given their starting orders. First the age group category riders, and then eventually the recreational riders, which included us. This is probably the most frustrating thing about this (and to be fair, other) community rides, waiting to get going. Unfortunately, there's probably no realistic way to get about 5000 people off the line any quicker! However, once you're out on the Great Ocean Road, locals coming out to greet you as you go past, then all that frustration vanishes and you can settle in and enjoy yourself. As mentioned previously, this has been the fourth time that we've done this event and I have to say, the scenery along here feels just as spectacular as the first time we headed along here.

View from the Great Ocean Road.

Not long into the ride Brett caught up to us from his position near the back of the start line. Nice work!   As there's a cut off time to arrive at Skenes Creek it's fairly important to keep the speed up. This obviously isn't set up as a tourist ride where you can stop and take photos along the way.  Also, the more time you make up along this fast section, the more time you have up your sleeve later in the day to meet the later cut off times.

Brett and Miss V rolling along the Great Ocean Road

Brett looking like he's enjoying his Gran Fondo experience

 Brett catching up to us worked pretty well for all three of us since we could organise ourselves into a mini paceline and keep the speed up. To top things off we had a sensational tail wind for most of the run into Skenes Creek which meant that the Great Ocean Road stretch was fairly relaxed since we weren't fighting nature to get there! Unfortunately during this stretch we came across a few crashes. Given the outstanding safety record prior to this year, it was a bit disappointing seeing so many riders on the ground this year.

Skenes Creek Climb

We arrived at Skenes Creek in pretty reasonable time. Not a PB, but a pretty reasonable average speed and with ample time to spare.  From here Miss V and I (and Brett this time!) did what we have always done and take it at our own pace and meet at the top. Of interest would be to see how Brett's first time up Skenes Creek Road would go. It's not a super steep climb, so I had no doubt that he'd make it up there; but it's fairly long so it's easy to put yourself in a world of hurt early on and never really recover. Even more so if you're not familiar with the climb. Miss V on the other hand; I know she's fully capable of smashing herself up this climb, though I was a little worried that she might over do it and struggle for the rest of the ride given that her preparation for the event hasn't been ideal. I didn't feel super quick on the climb myself, but much to my surprise I managed a PB, knocking nearly a minute off my best.

Having got to the top I waited to see some familiar faces crest the KOM point. A weary looking Brett was the first to appear, while not too long after that Miss V crested the hill. She looked like she'd kept a little in the tank and not gone all out which was good to see. We headed downhill to the post-KOM rest stop at Mount Sabine to stock up on water and have a bit of a breather. Sadly, there were no bagpipe players this year, but there was water and food which was frustratingly absent last year by the time we got there.

Miss V at the KOM point

Mount Sabine to Forrest

After the rest stop we rolled out and headed towards the next stop at Forrest.  This bit is predominantly downhill, though there's a few small climbs to negotiate. Having told Brett that it's "all downhill to Forrest" I was reminded of the inaccuracy of that statement a few times when the road started heading upwards. Fair enough too I guess. I'm sure Brett learned his lesson and won't listen to me any more :D

It's all downhill from here Brett, trust me! 

Forrest to Deans Marsh

The section through Barwon Downs after Forrest is pretty and undulating, but can be a bit of a drag is there's a bit of wind about. Unfortunately we did have a bit of a breeze, though not quite as bad as in previous years. By this time Miss V seemed to be reaching the end of her energy reserves and was starting to struggle a little. Brett had shot up a ahead a bit though was still within reach.

Our overall pace had slowed a fair bit compared to earlier in the day and our time gains were slowly being whittled away. I'll admit to being a little concerned that we might be pulled from the course at the final rest stop, so I jumped in front in the hope that I could shield Miss V from the wind a bit and tow her to the final rest stop. Fortunately Miss V has ample experience in following a wheel from all her cyclosportif and racing experience and so she jumped in behind me and hung on for dear life. We made it to the last rest stop before the final time cutoff which was a massive relief. Huge effort from Miss V!

Deans Marsh to Benwerrin

The final climb of the day is really two climbs with a short downhill in between them. Fortunately I knew to leave a little in reserve for the final effort as it usually catches people unawares. So many people seem to push themselves so hard at the beginning and find themselves walking the last 500 metres.  As is usual Miss V and I went at our own respective paces. I think I went reasonably quickly out of the blocks, but then wound it back a little to make sure I got to the end in reasonable shape. I didn't feel like I had a PB in me at that time after pushing into the wind earlier, so there seemed little point trying to get one!

I got to the finish to find a Wiggle tent handing out muffins and assorted cakes, so I grabbed an apple crumble. Very delicious. I was hoping to take photos of Brett and Miss V as they finished, but sadly Brett arrived too quickly and I still had a handful of apple crumble rather than camera as he crossed the line. I think the last climb really took it out of him as he seemed to be slumped over his handlebars for some time. Alternatively Brett really likes looking closely at his stem. Not too long after, the familiar figure of the awesome Miss V came into view powering up the final climb.

POW! Job done! Miss V being awesome!

CLP and Miss V at the finish. Good times!

After a bit of a breather we headed back down the hill into Lorne to meet up with Karen at the Gran Fondo village and to refuel with the provided pasta meal.  A full 10km descent is always just the perfect way to end the ride and wind down. We sat around on the grassed area of the event village and recounted the days activities, and watched as other riders made their way to the village; each and every one with a smile after a fantastic day out on the bike.

Strava data

Post Ride

Sadly the spa in our hotel room wasn't working, but we did finish the evening with a delicious pizza from Pizza Pizza, gelati and a bottle of wine. This too is pretty much our go-to meal post Gran Fondo, and it's pretty much hard to beat when the legs are feeling pretty smashed!

So that pretty much wrapped up the fourth edition of CLP and Miss V's Gran Fondo adventure. Apparently if we sign up for our fifth event we get VIP entry. Do we think we'll be back?  damn straight!  Hopefully we'll run into even more Adelaide friends next time!

Thanks for reading! :)

Outback Odyssey 2015 - Getting Home and Wrap Up

Rise and Shine!

For our final morning we were provided with a cooked breakfast to get us through the long day of travelling.  I think Miss V and I were a little slow off the mark in getting our stuff together, but I don't think we were the only ones.

The trip back to Melrose

Some of the first issues that we noticed in this tour only started to appear at this point when it was mentioned that there were more bikes heading back to Melrose than had been allocated for. I'm not really sure how or why, but given that these things were being verified at Hawker, it's all a little confusing. As a result of this, our bikes and bags were loaded in a second luggage trailer attached to an Adelaide bound bus, rather than with the other gear heading to Melrose. We just needed to hope that our bikes and luggage appeared at Melrose with us!

The trip back to Melrose was a bit of a drama in itself. Initially a message came through that a driver thought they saw something fly off the back of the large bike transport truck. A little bit of time was spent trying to verify that there were no bikes laying in the middle of the highway. Then a little further up the road the Adelaide bound bus broke down with a broken alternator belt.

After some fantastic organisation and re-jigging of buses and trailers, we were headed back to Melrose. Unfortunately others were left at the side of the road while they rigged something up to get the bus moving again.

It was in Melrose that the first breakage of the trip happened. The bus driver was fairly heavy handed trying to get the bike out of the trailer and caught my pump on some luggage. I also have noticed that due to the bike not being protected that well in the trailer, the sticker on the top tube is partially scrubbed off. So, the better part of $100 worth of damage just on the trip back to Melrose. Not overly thrilled by that to be honest. Admittedly it's minor stuff, but all the same, it takes a bit of the shine off the week.

Wrap up

Even though we were only part of the event for five days, it felt like a bike of a roller coaster ride. The first day really wasn't much fun, but each subsequent day became progressively better, with the trails becoming more fun to ride and the scenery more impressive. I'm happy to report that my knees withstood the ride without too much trouble too. My new bike handled the terrain like a dream, though in some places I really wish I had my dual suspension bike underneath me!

Something that was really nice was bumping into a group of three guys (Fred, Andrew and Ian) that we met on Kangaroo Island two years ago. The three of them being on the trip, along with their constant hilarious banter, was the icing on the cake for the trip. Another plus was continually leap frogging another couple, Conrad and Judy pretty much every day. We'd pass them when they stopped to take photos, and vice versa. Turns out that they had also been on the Kangaroo Island Annual Tour, which was why they looked so familiar!

Would I do it again? Maybe. It might depend on what the goal is. If the goal is to ride Mawson Trail from start to finish, then I can't think of a better option. If the goal is simply to ride in the Flinders Ranges, then there are a few other options that we could seriously consider. One of the downsides to doing a tour like this is that you're always running to someone else's schedule, which can be a little draining after a while. 

This year Miss V and I had pencilled in to do the full Mawson Trail, but that was dependent on having completed the Mini Mawson 2 without difficulty last time. Obviously that didn't go to plan, hence the choice to take on another Mini Mawson. So we might have to have a think about whether in two years time we wish to ride the entire Mawson trail. It's something that I think I'd like to tick off the to-do list, but I'm not sure what time frame I should set for myself to complete it.

If we were to take on the full length Outback Odyssey, I think it's likely that we'd take on the deluxe camping option, coupled with hotel rooms on the rest days. I think this would eliminate some of the stress involved in getting us out on the road at a reasonable time, and making sure that we find a place for our tent each evening! I reckon the tent pack down and set up each day is worth about one and a half hours each and every day. Time that could be better spent exploring places on route or in any of the small towns we visit each day.

All in all, a really well run event by Bike SA and the local communities along the way, and one that I would recommend to others. If anyone is thinking of doing just one of the Mini Mawson rides, I'd definitely go for the third section since the scenery is just stunning and riding is a lot of fun.

I'm happy to answer any questions about our experience on this trip, should anyone be contemplating it in two years time.

Thanks for reading!

Outback Odyssey 2015 - Day 5

Mini Mawson 3 - Wilpena Pound to Blinman - 67km

Our final day, taking us from Wilpena Pound to Blinman for a well earned refreshment.

Smudge Monkees! Representin'!

Both Miss V and I jumped into our Smudge Monkees kit for this day. As a group that does so much to support other people, it seemed "right" for us to represent Smudge Monkees on this day, and hopefully drum up a bit of interest along the way. There were a few questions about the group, particularly about the "Black Dog Racing" graphic on my sleeve, and I overheard a few more comments between other riders talking about it. Job done :)

There was almost a feeling of relief as people were heading out of the camp this morning, with people knowing that this was their final day and that nothing, barring catastrophic failure, was going to stop them reaching their final destination. We had been told that the final day was going to be a lot of fun riding, and it very much delivered on that promise. Pulling out of Wilpena Pound we joined some trails which would wind their way through some lovely woodland areas. We had been warned that there might be a few points where rain run off had created channels across the road, so we were on the constant look out for those.

Stunning scenery to start the day

Fun trails out of Wilpena Pound

When we approached one of these channels (for the most part) we were going at a decent enough speed that we could just unload the front wheel and the bike floated across the gap in the road. As with the previous days, we had a number of creek crossings to negotiate, though today they seemed to be much more frequent and quite incised into the landscape. Our only near miss incident came when a creek crossing was coupled with a deep channel; Having successfully cleared it I stopped to try to warn Miss V about it, but I was too late, and watched as she was bounced uncomfortably airborne after hitting the channel. She landed on her wheels, so no harm done!

Miss V winding her way through the trees

Razorback Lookout

One part that took us a little by surprise was the approach to Razorback Lookout. Having finished our lovely sweeping descent, we turned a corner to see an imposing wall in front of us. The impact was comparable to the view when approaching Checker Hill just outside Kersbrook. Lots of people were walking along here, but I think I was too stubborn and got myself up to the half way point with fewer difficulties than expected. Lynskey is awesome like that :)  A few photos from this vantage point, then back onto the bike to reach the top.

From this point is where the classic outback Outback Odyssey promotional shot is taken, looking back onto the winding road below. This was one of those special moments of the tour for me. Cresting a high peak, looking back at the Flinders Ranges in the background, with the winding road I've just ridden in the foreground. A short distance later we arrived at our morning tea stop, our final one for the trip.

Razorback Lookout!

We had been warned that the turn off a short distance after morning tea was easy to miss, so we had our eyes peeled to make sure that we found the turn off marker.  It turns out that it was also a convenient location for a photo that I had wanted to take involving my Smudge Monkees cap.

Smudge Monkees on the Mawson Trail

This trail was markedly different from the ones we rode in the morning, with the vegetation noticeably sparser as the trail went on, except in the direct vicinity of the various creeks that we had to cross.  Most of the trail after morning tea was heading in the upwards direction, mostly easy gradients, but there was the occasional steep climb that had the quads burning.

Pulling into the lunch stop, we knew that there was only 18 km left to go, all of it on a sealed road. It felt a little odd thinking that the same time tomorrow we'd be heading home and not on a bike.

We had to pass our accommodation for the night (Alpana Station) on the way to the Blinman hotel, so as we were travelling towards our destination there was a constant stream of riders travelling back the other way, most of whom would give a thumbs up and a word of congratulation as we passed. After a few rises in the road we finally arrived at Blinman, and then a short while later we joined our riding mates at the Blinman Hotel.

Lynskey and Maretta arrive at Blinman

Three generations of Mawson trail markers

Happy and relieved Miss V.

Knowing that so many had done the full 900+ km distance, I felt that my own achievement was fairly dwarfed by theirs. All the same, I knew my reasons for only tackling the shorter distance, and I felt good about achieving what I had set out to do.

After a cold beer sitting outside the Blinman North Hotel, Miss V and I saddled up to roll back to Alpana Station. Job Done! :)

Dinner was prepared by the Blinman progress society and was an outstanding way to finish the tour. We were treated to a delicious vegetable soup, followed by big serving of roast beef with vegetables. Once again, local community groups have impressed, going above and beyond with their hospitality.

Strava data

Final night on the tour for the Taj

Outback Odyssey 2015 - Day 4

Mini Mawson 3 - Rawnsley Park to Wilpena Pound - 27km

The shortest day in our adventure, but one that was a lot of fun. A short day meant that there was much less pressure to keep moving, meaning that we could stop and appreciate the scenery, and of course take more photos! This shorter section was new for this year to enable people to enjoy explore Wilpena Pound should they have the energy. Personally I think it was a big win. Others that have done previous editions of the Odyssey seemed to share that view.

Overnight the temperatures had dropped and I found myself shivering in my sleeping bag, despite multiple layers of clothing. Fortunately being a short day we could ease into the task of getting out of bed.

While we were preparing to head out for the day, we ran into ride marshall Chris, who was admiring our bikes. He declared Miss V and I the Bike Porn King and Queen! I'm not really convinced that this is an official royal title, nor that Chris has the authority to bestow royal titles on people, but it made us laugh.

The first part of the day was over single track like trails through Rawnsley Park. These were a lot of fun, with an interesting mix of surfaces and terrain. Like yesterday, there were multiple creek crossings which were super fun. There was also an interesting mix of scenery,  After a brief stint on the sealed road we were back on the trails for the last 15 or so kilometers. These were similar to some of the trails yesterday, traversing fairly open fields.

Lynskey and Maretta taking a break	Miss V tackling a creek crossing
Miss V on the trails	Impressive scenery

Rolling into Wilpena Pound we found camping spots in short supply. We initially found a place, but the ground was so hard that we couldn't hammer our pegs in! Having relocated the tent, all was good!

Lynskey and Maretta arrive at Wilpena Pound

A smorgasboard lunch was provided by the Wilpena Pound resort which was much appreciated. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and doing a bit of bike maintenance. Both Miss V and I are thinking that a trip up here for a long weekend might be on the cards as a single afternoon here couldn't possibly do it justice.

Dinner was a pretty impressive affair with pumpkin soup, chicken, pasta, beef stroganoff,  potato wedges, and vegetables for the main course, and lemon meringue for dessert. This meal certainly made up for last night's meal.

During the night we had the appropriately named Port Augusta band "On ya bike" playing for us, pumping out some awesome classic tunes. They definitely got my attention when they performed a brilliant cover of the ZZ Top classic "Tush". Full marks.

Final day of riding tomorrow, so everyone in the camp is full of optimism and looking forward to a trouble free day.

Strava data

Outback Odyssey 2015 - Day 3

Mini Mawson 3 - Hawker to Rawnsley Park Station - 95km

Good Morning World!

Today was the second longest day in succession, and one that might break the legs. Any ride following yesterday would need to be pretty special to match the scenery we saw. Amazingly, it more than delivered. The day started in the most amazing way. Looking towards the ranges to the west, the early morning sunlight bathed everything in a dramatic red hue. Completely blown away.

What a sensational start to the morning!

Heading out of Hawker we had a super smooth run, clipping along at some pretty comfortable speeds. The trails here were nice and forgiving, allowing us to check out the scenery around us. We had a lot of creek crossings, which were fun as we would approach them at a respectable speed and could just blast over them and up the other side.

Somewhat unexpectedly we came across a lavish marble memorial to Douglas Bruce, dating to 1873. Given the size of the tomb, and the effort that would have been required to transport it to such a remote location, I have been surprised that I've been able to find precious little about who Douglas Bruce was!

Tomb of Douglas Bruce

Serious Cycling Begins

We also started getting a few fairly steep climbs and descents. One descent in particular we were warned that it might be best to walk. They could have sign posted it a bit better because I had already ridden half way down by the time I stopped to take some photos. Admittedly the second part of the descent seemed a lot more treacherous than the first part I rode down. Possibly knowing what lay ahead I'd give the descent a bit of a crack, though potentially putting your trip at risk just to say you can ride down a single rocky descent doesn't make a lot of sense.

Tricky rocky descent

Throughout the day the surrounding ranges grew larger in our vision, contrasting against the dark clouds acting as a dramatic backdrop. I think everyone we bumped into along the way felt awestruck by the surroundings. Light would peek through the clouds at various times, highlighting different parts of the ranges, obviously requiring a photo stop!

Impressive scenery like this was around us all day.

Miss V - enjoying the surroundings

Lynskey and Maretta resting..

After lunch was an entirely different matter. About 27km of corrugated roads into a cold head wind. Not fun. I don't think anyone enjoyed this. It was pretty difficult to appreciate the scenery with your eyeballs bouncing around in their sockets. A pity really. It was with some relief we turned off this road onto a nice sealed road. The road was a little on the hilly side of things, but at least it was smooth.

We rolled into Rawnsley Park fairly exhausted and feeling a little beaten up, only to find that there were limited spaces available that would accommodate our tent. Eventually I noticed that one of the campsite's permanent tents towards the top of the hill was missing, and that our tent would find neatly in the gap created by it's absence. We were pretty high up on the hill, but we were still well sheltered from any wind gusts.

Lynskey and Maretta arrive at Rawnsley Park

Always look back from where you've been!

As Rawnsley Park is set up as a tourist resort, I was looking forward to a pretty special meal. Unfortunately I can't say that I was that impressed with what was served up. Dinner consisted of a potato and leek soup that lacked any real flavour, a lasagne for the main course that appeared to only have one paltry layer, and an apple crumble that, to the chef's credit was pretty awesome. Fairly disappointed all things considered. Maybe I'm just spoiled by Miss V's awesome cooking when I'm at home, but I would have expected a chef to be able to serve up a lot better than we received.

Tomorrow is a much shorter day for us, though there is a relatively large amount of climbing. Hopefully we're able to get in early enough to have a bit of a rest and maybe a bit of a look around Wilpena Pound.

Strava data

Outback Odyssey 2015 - Day 2

Mini Mawson 3 - Quorn to Hawker - 95km

Chin Up!

Fighting back the dejection of yesterday, we awoke at 5:30am to face what would likely be our longest, and possibly most challenging day. The night was dry, so we awoke to find our tent had dried. Small blessings I guess. Though that soon changed when some light showers hit while we were eating breakfast. <sigh!> Wet tent pack up again.

Rolling out of Quorn, we had a fantastic tail wind on our back, a very welcome relief after yesterday. The scenery and terrain had noticeably changed from yesterday, with more elevation changes and our views changing from the flattish plains of yesterday to the Flinders Ranges looming large. We experienced the most amazing cycling, and stunning scenery. Lots of photo stops along here resulting in the sag wagon stalking us for a large part of it. Fairly early on during the ride today we decided to take the sealed road option after lunch, which gave us more time to enjoy the morning section as it cut off about 20km off the days total distance.

Entering Warren Gorge

Hugh Proby

Towards the end of Warren Gorge we arrived at the grave of Hugh Proby, an early settler in the region who lost his life not long after arriving during an ill fated creek crossing. We stopped to take a few photos, and to read the inscription on the headstone. This is one of the huge advantages when travelling by bicycle. I can't think of the last time I stopped the car to check out a small road side monument. How much more of our history is whizzing by when we're travelling along the highways? While we were doing this a local reporter from Quorn pulled up to chat to us and take our photo. So Miss V and I might be in the Quorn local paper :)

Exiting Warren Gorge we crossed Willochra creek (the same creek that took Hugh Proby's life) which had quite a decent flow in it, before climbing up to Simmonston, referred to as "the town that never was".

Miss V crossing Willochra Creek. 

Simmonston

Simmonston was surveyed 1872 and construction started on two buildings (a hotel and a general store) but was quickly abandoned. I think places like this give a fantastic insight into the early settlers mindset of rapid expansion and colonisation. On the other hand, it's a little sad thinking that people invested so much effort coming out this far, with very little return on investment.  We spent a bit of time looking at the ruins at Simmonston and admiring the view given the nice vantage point over the valley that we'd just travelled through.

The view from Simmonston

After Simmonston was one of the less exciting places to cycle. The Willochra plains are flat. Very flat. The roads are straight. Very straight. They seem to go on for ever and there's not much in the way of scenery to ease the boredom. Though just to throw some variety into the mix, there were a few corrugated sections to knock your body about the place.

We arrived at lunch, just in time to see unicycler Lindsey leaving. This guy is amazing, taking on the full length of the Mawson Trail on a unicycle takes a lot of courage, not to mention fitness! We sat under the shade and ate our lunch, reaffirming our decision to head up the highway after lunch.

Unicycling under dark skies.

Kanyaka Ruins

As a consequence of taking the sealed road option after lunch, we were able to visit the Kanyaka ruins. These ruins were established by Hugh Proby, whose grave site we visited earlier in the day. At it's peak it housed up to 70 families. I wasn't really expecting a lot, but after cresting the final small hill of the entrance road to get there it was like another world. Perhaps about 10 preserved buildings for us to explore, and a pretty awesome experience.

Kanyaka ruins

Kanyaka ruins

We pulled into the camp grounds at Hawker a little on the tired side, and with fairly gloomy skies overhead.  Space was a little tight, but we found a cozy spot to put the tent up. Miss V booked herself in for a massage, while I caught up with the world on my tablet. From this point on, phone reception was going to be non existent on Optus, so best make the most of it now!

Lynskey and Maretta reach Hawker.

A fantastic dinner was prepared by the local community group, consisting of a vegetable and pasta soup, steak with an assortment of awesome salads for the main course and apple slice with custard for dessert.

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Outback Odyssey 2015 - Day 1

Mini Mawson 3 - Melrose to Quorn - 75km

Overnight we were treated to a spectacular light and sound show courtesy of mother nature. By the sounds of it very few in the camp got a decent sleep, Miss V and myself included. Unfortunately, this also meant a wet tent to pack up, which is not ideal. One thing that we learnt from last time was that once things got wet, they tended to stay wet.  A quick breakfast of cereal, fruit salad and a cup of tea and we were ready for the start of our adventure.

Lynskey and Maretta ready for action in Melrose.

With a bit of nervousness, we headed out from Melrose into the unknown. I say that I was nervous, since it was on day 1 that my knees went haywire last time. First stop was not far out of Melrose to visit the marker designating the Goyder line. It seem appropriate to stop here since both Miss V and myself work alongside the Goyder institute.

Plaque at Goyder's line.

Mud!

Not far into the ride we were greeted with a long stretch of mud. Cyclocross skills came to the fore as we made our way through. The mud was thick and clayey and quickly clogged up pretty much everything. In hindsight, riding on the partly grassed side of the road, or even walking this stretch may have been the better option, but hey, it was a whole lot of fun! We took a couple of opportunities to stop and clear out any mud along here. A few who weren't quite so careful found that they ripped off their derailleurs. There were a few water taps at morning tea in Wilmington, so most took the opportunity to rinse off the bulk of the mud, Miss V and myself included.

Flithy Lynskey

Flithy Lynskey

After morning tea we had a nice run along Gunyah road towards our lunch stop.  Generally open expanses along here, with the peaks of the Flinders Ranges temptingly in the distance. We arrived at the lunch stop, located near not one, but two, dead animals. Not really ideal, but we managed to find a place to sit that wasn't downwind of them.

Miss V looking happy with her new bike.

Detour

After lunch we were advised that the actual Mawson route was very muddy and it was suggested that we head along the road instead.  Maybe a bit disappointed, but it sounded like a reasonable option given the aches and pains both of us had by now. Fortunately we were (initially) treated to some lovely scenery over some easy undulating countryside. The last 15km however was a hard slog, and to be honest, not much fun. We had a terrible headwind and there wasn't much interesting to look at. On top of this, I could hear poor Lynskey groaning and grinding as the remnants of the mud circulated on her drive train. During this section I was having thoughts along the line of "why am I doing this?". I will confess that touring style riding is not really my favourite thing. I can't really put my finger on why, but this stretch of todays ride seemed to back up this point of view.  

To add insult to injury, we were hearing that those that chose to take on the unsealed route after lunch (ie the true Mawson route) encountered little in the way of mud, and were fairly shielded from any of the headwind.

Lynskey and Maretta arrive in Quorn.

Arriving at Quorn, our tent was put up and I made a decent effort to clean and lube the drive train ready for tomorrow. Hopefully having a nice smooth running bike in the morning will perk up my spirits.

Dinner at Quorn was nice vegetable soup, followed by a main course of roast chicken, roast potato, roast pumpkin, carrots and beans. All good stuff to fuel us up for epic ride we have in store tomorrow. Have to love the food put on by the local communities!

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