Bike SA Annual Tour - Day 1

Penneshaw to American River - 20th October 2013

The day started with the alarm going off at the ungodly hour of 6:15am. resisting the temptation to sleep in we got ourselves organised and ready to ride. As a side note, I really appreciated the sleep that I got compared to Outback Odyssey where significant effort was spent trying to stop heat escaping the sleeping bag. 

Rolling out, we noted that Karen and Brett's tent was the last standing. Apparently they copped a little bit of a hurry up about that, and so they vowed not to be last out again :-) 

The ride started on a fairly intense note, climbing the same hill we rode yesterday up to the winery. Sadly, this time there was no stopping to sample a drop. We continued along the road which seemed to get more potholed as we travelled. The CX bikes handled this pretty well and we were frequently flying past people on route. The scenery was very pretty along the way, which tended to make you forget the hammering the body was taking.

This segment ended as we reached the lighthouse at Cape Willoughby. It was a really impressive sight as we travelled the road to the lighthouse, framed by ocean views on each side of approach road. Stopping at the lighthouse we had our morning tea and had a poke about the surrounds of the lighthouse.

Miss V checking out the ocean views at Cape Willoughby

Suitably fed and watered with tea and fruitcake we got back on the bikes and headed back the way we came, turning onto Willson River road, which later becomes East West road. Some of this road I really enjoyed on the CX bike, and I think I could see that my bike handling skills have improved a lot as a result of racing CX. That said, this stretch of road was generally pretty awful with sand, potholes and deep corrugations to contend with. The body really was taking a battering over this section, as was the bike.

Eventually I pushed the bike a bit too hard over some ruts and got a pinch flat probably less than 5 kilometres from the lunch stop :-(  Turns out this is my first ever flat in any of the organised events I've taken part in so I guess my luck just ran out.

With a quick tube change we were on our way again, reaching our lunch spot we sat and enjoyed our ham and salad rolls while trying to recover from the beating that we had just received. After licking our wounds we headed back onto the (thankfully) sealed road heading towards American River. We could feel the wind picking up as we approached our destination.

Miss V on the East West Road

Our camp site at American River was a thin strip of land next to the football oval, meaning that real estate was at a premium. Miss V and I found a nice patch of space and put up the Taj. Not too long after we were completely surrounded. Having a bigger tent sometimes has its disadvantages, in this case it meant that we couldn't just slot ourselves in to one of the many small spaces, but rather had to find somewhere much further out from the food hall and other facilities. No matter, we still had a delicious dinner at The Shed, home of the local sports and community club.

Dinner consisted of potato soup, a massive serve of lasagne with chips and three different salads and fruit salad and ice cream for dessert. I also discovered the delicious Somersby cider.. very tasty.

Weather forecast for tomorrow didn't sound too promising, with a 100% chance of rain, 10-15mm expected. While we had planned to do the unsealed road rides where possible, we were considering doing the sealed road option to save the bikes from getting too grubby this early on in the trip. To be decided tomorrow!

Strava data

    

Bike SA Annual Tour - Day 0

Arrival in Penneshaw - 19th October 2013

6:30am wake up, with an expected roll out at 8:00am. Miss V and I had taken the previous day off work so our bags were already packed and waiting in the entrance way for us. So our morning consisted of a fairly relaxed breakfast, load up the car and head off for our two hour drive to Cape Jervis.

Both Miss V and I had decided on taking our Cyclocross Bikes over for this event, mounting some 35mm Continental Cyclocross Speed tyres on the wheels, figuring that combination should given us some options when it came to the sealed and unsealed road options that will be presented to us in coming days.

On arrival, we were met by our riding buddies Brett and Karen, and an army of flies. Unfortunately, the flies were to be what characterised our day. Checked in, bikes and luggage loaded, we just had to wait for the Sealink ferry to take us to Penneshaw.

A fairly uneventful trip across backstairs passage and we were landed in Penneshaw. A short walk up the hill and we had arrived at our camp ground for the night, located on the oval of the Dudley football club.

View from the Deck of Dudley Wines

While having our lunch in the main hall we were told of a local winery not too far away. With that it was decided to make the trek out to Dudley wines. What we hadn't counted on was a whopping great hill to get there!  With a few photo stops along the way, we arrived about 5 minutes before closing time... oops.  Even so, we tried a couple of wines each and rode off with a couple of bottles. Hopefully that made it worth their while staying open.


Coming back into Penneshaw I was reminded of how weak the brakes are on my CX bike, So I tried to wash of speed where I could, unlike speed demons Brett and Karen who bombed down the hill at breakneck speed!

Dinner for the evening was chicken soup, roast lamb and cheesecake for dessert. Not a bad way to start things!

With a bit of excitement in the air, we all headed to bed ready for the adventure to start tomorrow morning.

Strava data

A difficult time of year...

11th of October, 2006 was, and still is, a day that I wish I could erase.

It was on this day that my Dad felt he could take no more of whatever pain he was suffering, and decided to take his own life.  It's a day that gutted me, and leaves be feeling hollow to this day. That said, I think it's possibly changed me in positive ways, though I wished that I could have found these things out in a less painful manner.

I remember seeing my dad the day before his passing, having dropped by to say hello. He appeared down and a bit withdrawn. He tended to get fairly stressed with the pressures of running his own business, so this wasn't necessarily unusual. This time, he was concerned about his yellow pages advertising not being effective enough. For a small business, advertising is fairly critical, so it's probably a reasonable thing to be concerned about.  Both my mum and I tried to reassure him that things were okay, and that things weren't anywhere near as bad as he was thinking.  It felt like he had listened and he seemed a bit more upbeat. With that, it was time to go home. My mum and dad saw me off in their driveway, my dad giving me a firm hug and telling me that he loved me, before I hopped in the car and drove away.  That was the last time I saw him alive.

In hindsight, I suspect at that point he'd already made up his mind, and that he was really telling me goodbye.

The following night, I received a phone call. It was my brother, sounding a little shaken. His words "..   he's done it. He's killed himself... " cut with a sharpness that is difficult to describe.  The phone nearly dropped out of my hands. I was empty. I was speechless. I felt lost.

I nervously got in the car and headed to my dad's workshop in Glynde, only a ten minute drive away. On turning into the street I could see the entire street bathed in the flashing red and blue lights of the attending police and ambulance. It was at this point that I knew there was no mistake. This was real; very real. I remember slowing as I approached, wishing it all to go away, but eventually I parked up the road and got out, to be met by my sister in law, and my brother. No words were necessary, the expressions on their faces spoke volumes. We stood around in the cool night air, comforting each other as emergency services went about their tasks, each of us not really knowing where things would go from this point forward .

I was fortunate to have a good mate, Nick, help me through this night, allowing me to visit to escape from it all for a while. This is something, that while small, meant the world to me at the time, and for which I'll always be grateful. Eventually though, I knew had to go home, but even when I did so I just sat in the park across the road and watched the sun rise.

During the next few days there were a lot of questions in my head. Why did he do this? How did things come to this? Could I have done anything? Could I have done more? Was it my fault? These are questions that realistically no one, save for my Dad, could know the answer to. So I'm left, to this day, without closure.

I've seen heartbreaking posts by friends, describing hospital visits where they've had to say their last goodbyes to loved ones knowing that they're soon to take their last breath. Deep down, I wish I had that opportunity. Instead all I was afforded was a few minutes alone, holding the cold hand of my lifeless Dad as he lay in his coffin, tearfully promising to be the best I could be, and that I hope I'd make him proud.

The funeral came and went, with me giving, in my opinion, my best ever public speaking performance. I like to think of it as a performance since I think at that point I still had a feeling of detachment from the whole situation. Slowly though, it was sinking in. Tears flowed as we listened to Phantom of the Opera, my Dad's favourite song (and his phone ringtone!) while watching an all too brief series of photos flash before us.

In the following weeks and months, my brother and his wife were absolute stars; taking care of most of the business related things that needed tidying up, allowing my mum to distance herself a little from this aspect. I doubt whether I could have been so strong in the face of this crisis, and so I saw a side of my brother that earned him a great deal of respect, not just from me, but I suspect from many around him.

My Dad was always one to put work above all else. It's an ethos that he drilled in both myself and my brother. He was also someone who respected someone doing their best, but didn't exhibit a win and all costs mentality. Basically, if you're going to do something, don't do it half arsed. Since losing him, I frequently question the work above all else mentality. It is, I feel, what put him in the situation that he was in. Always striving to work harder with no apparent reward, except to work harder still. It just makes no sense to me. Sadly, it took losing him to work out where that can lead to.  That said, I fully appreciate the "do your best" attitude and hope that my efforts in whatever I choose to do, qualify as "my best".

I wonder what he would have been doing now if he was still with us? Being a bit of a tech head like myself he'd probably be amazed but all manner of brand new gadgets. Since he was the person to teach me how to use a camera, what would he think of my fancy camera gear? And what would he make of me racing bikes? I have frequently found myself just pausing for a moment, having a mildly sad moment, thinking "dad would have liked this"

I think if he were with us, he'd be happy for me, and hopefully proud of the things that I've accomplished.

I can on only wish that no one ever has to go through the nightmare that is a loved one taking their life. Sadly, I know it's a wish that's unlikely to come true. Please look out for each other, and if you're feeling like there's no way out, stay strong, and talk to someone.

Cyclocross State Championships 2013

If we ever needed any proof of the leaps and bounds that cyclocross has made in this South Australia, and Australia in general, then the fact that we are having our first ever State Championships should be more than sufficient.  Full marks to Gemma and Neil for bringing their vision of mud splattered racing to fruition in Adelaide.

The 2013 state championships are being held in the town of Tanunda, about an hours drive out of Adelaide in the Barossa Valley, and more specifically on the grounds of the Chateau Tanunda winery.

Saturday

 Miss V and myself decided to make a weekend of it and stay in Tanunda overnight. We booked a room at the Valley Hotel, which is within easy walking distance of the event venue. On arriving at our accomodation we unloaded the car and walked over to see where we would be racing tomorrow.. Wow..  what a venue. Gemma and crew were still setting up some of the course, so we gave our two cents worth. The section that we were looking at looks insane with barriers, chicanes and a crazy steep hill to contend with. In all honesty, I'm not really looking forward to this bit!  The rest of the course  looks like I might enjoy it, though the run over the train line might mean running higher tyre pressures than is ideal to prevent pinch flatting.  My chances of walking away with a medal in the race tomorrow is, if I'm completely honest, zero. With a bunch of regular A grade and top of B grade riders to compete against, there seems no doubt that I'll be out of the running. Fortunately fellow PACC Man of Steel Gus K  is racing in my masters category, so I think we will end up having our own little race, somewhere near the back of the field no doubt. If I can finish ahead of Gus, I'll count this race as a "win" :)  Given that Gus takes part in something apparently referred to as "training" , I think I might have my work cut out for me.

PACC Barrier, masking the hellish descent beyond.

Sunday

Sunday morning arrived, and so it was a fairly lazy effort to get ready, pack up the car and head down to the course in time for sign on.  The weather was looking to be absolutely sensational, almost summer-like.

Signed on and number pinned, it was time to scope out the course. As predicted, the steep downhill section was no more enjoyable on a bike than on foot. Try as I might, I couldn't see myself riding down the slope without requiring hospitalisation immediately afterwards. Decision made to run this section. There was also another hairpin which had an awkward ditch on the apex which I felt better to run than risk nosediving into the ground.  What became apparent during this warm up was the uphill drags at the start and end of the lap was going to take a massive toll on the legs.

Race

With a few minutes to start, Gus and I waited to be called up to our starting positions. On account of my better placing in the previous series I was starting a row in front.  With the whistle we were off. The group stayed relatively bunched up through the vineyard and through the technical section in the wooded area. Through the hairpins I could catch a glimpse of Gus behind me. I also had another rider not too far ahead. So I immediately had two goals set. To catch the rider in front and to try to shake Gus off my tail.

Gus and CLP awaiting the start.

I pushed hard through the remainder of the first lap in an effort to get on the wheel of the rider in front. In doing so I put a bit of time between Gus and myself. By the downhill chicane, I was on the wheel of the rider in front and managed to run past him at the base of the hill, remounted and tried to open a gap. The problem I found was that in running down the hill I was taking so much out of my legs that I was struggling to get back up to speed on the uphill stretch to the finish line. Compounding this was leaving the bike in the wrong gear before dismounting. Each.And.Every.Freakin'.Lap.

Pushing hard!

Laps 2 and 3 were spent trying to maintain the gap to the riders that I had passed, while trying (in vain!) to catch up to riders ahead.  What I was finding was that I was getting more confidence and it seemed like I was cornering faster. Counteracting this was my legs getting tired and travelling slower on the straighter sections!

On lap 4 as I was running down the hill I noticed a bike overturned, with a couple of people attending to it. At the same time, commissaires were yelling "Number 61, no outside assistance!" repeatedly.    As I had been lapped, this turned out to be my final lap, so I struggled up the hill, rounded the final bend to take the chequered flag. Finishing position was, as predicted, somewhere near the back, though for what it's worth I felt that I raced a lot stronger than I have done in the past.

All things considered I'm relatively happy with how I rode, I just wish I could ride faster..  more training required! Each lap I think I was riding more confidently, no doubt helped by the cheers from the sidelines from friends. I think I pushed myself harder than I have in a long while, which seems to show in the heart rate data for the race sitting just under 180bpm for nearly 30 minutes.

Post race, there were calls for a rider to see the chief commissaire regarding receiving outside assistance, interestingly a name I recognised from my age group. Now, at this point in time I thought there were only five riders in my group. So with one rider behind me, and one looking like getting disqualified, I was thinking that I might be in the medals!  Sadly, it seems I (and maybe others!) misread the start list. My name was called out to get third place. Sweet! But then a last minute protest revealed that there were actually six in my group, so I had to give the medal back..  drama on the podium!    Fair call though, and congratulations to those that finished.

Handicap Race

Attacking the Cobblestones.

The final race of the day was an all-in two lap handicap race. I was given a time of 2:30 ahead of the scratch rider, which seemed like an absurdly low time over two laps. When I rolled up to the start I found PACC president and newly crowned MAS5 CX State Champion Marky G in my handicap group. Yep, this was going to go well!

We were lined up and watched the first groups go away. Listening to the count down from the starter until "two minutes thirty" was called and then we were away. Marky G blasted off the line, up the short rise towards the vines. I hung on until the cobbled section, but after that he was gone, pretty much as expected.

I found that the course felt much faster and with much more grip than in my race which gave a bit of extra confidence going into corners, though I think I still held back a little.

Even on the first lap I had a bunch of riders come past me, which made me feel unbelievably slow. I struggled over the line, to start my second and final lap. I think to this point I hadn't actually caught and passed anyone, which was a little disappointing.

Exiting the Vines.

Second lap I attacked the corners a bit harder and generally carried more speed throughout the course. Goal was to catch someone.. anyone!  This goal was looking a bit out of my reach until I saw Gus up ahead entering the downhill chicane near the dam. I attacked the corners just a little bit harder before dismounting and getting over the barriers. Running down the hill I passed Gus and quickly remounted, climbing up the hill to the finish.  Obviously not in the money, but oddly a fun way to end the event.



Massive kudos to all those involved in organising and hosting this event. Awesome venue, organisation and exciting racing. What more could you want?

Job Done! :)

Strava data for those that are interested:
Race
Handicap race

All Photos c/ Miss V :)

Amy's Gran Fondo 2013 - Sunday - The Main Event

The alarm went off obnoxiously early again, though in reality we were pretty much awake already. This ride has a weird buzz about it that's difficult to appreciate. It's both a race and a community ride, so prior to the event it has the tension that you'd expect from a race and the overall buzz you get from a large community event. With our hotel being a stones throw from the start line we pretty much just had to get dressed and roll over there.

Peeking out the window showed that we were in for a nice day. Nice, but still fairly cool. Unlike last year there seemed to be little threat of rain during the event. That said, with a few days of rain leading up to the event, there was likely to be plenty of wet patches present on the course.Remembering last year, I banked on the climb and subsequent descent through the rain forest being pretty cold, so we dressed warm, even though we felt inappropriately rugged up while waiting on the start line.

CLP and Miss V waiting for the start.

The start procedure was the same as last year, with groups of 200 being released. As a result of us lying on our registration, we started much closer to the front than we did last year. Also in our start group were the Smudge Monkees! :)   Nice!  Pre-ride, Miss V had a plan..  sub 6 hours. What wasn't specified was whether this was just over the 110km timed section, or the entire ride. Either way, there was a general thinking that we should try to push a little harder if we could.

On the Start Line looking forward.
This many riders were behind us also!

At 8am the first riders were let loose on the course. We waited patiently while the ten or so groups were started before us..  and then it was our turn! Woot! :D

The first run is spectacular, taking in approximately 40 kilometres of the Great Ocean Road. There's a few surprisingly sharp undulations along the way, but it's essentially flat and is a great opening section to the ride. Compared to last year, we were about six minutes faster, but significantly, well ahead of the 10:17am cut off time. This meant that we could settle in a enjoy the ride a bit more than last year.

It's a tough life having to cycle in these conditions.
Miss V on The Great Ocean Road

After that first 40 kilometres, the really fun stuff starts! Right turn onto Skenes Creek road for a 9.4 kilometre climb. I was hoping to complete this faster than last year, But looking at the official timing it looks like I was about eight seconds slower. Sigh.  I crested the climb absolutely soaked and with legs feeling like jelly, so I'm not sure I had much more to give. Miss V appeared just over ten minutes later having knocked about five minutes off her time from last year. Fantastic effort!  After a few minutes break to catch our breath we rolled down to the aid station where we stopped for a few minutes more.

Heading towards Forrest

Back on the road, and we where headed down the descent from the KOM to Forrest. Surrounded by rainforest, this is super tranquil, and yet super fast. There's also the occasional damp patch on the corners so there's an element of danger to be wary of. We took it fairly easy and arrived safely in Forrest, well ahead of the expected arrival time. In this sense, the ride was much more enjoyable than last year. While we pushed when we felt like it, there was no fear of missing a cut off if we decided to back it off a bit.   Adding to the enjoyment was that we would bump into the Smudge Monkee crew and have a bit of a chat before setting out again. Luxuries we didn't really have last year with the sag wagon stalking us!

From Forrest we pushed a little, trying to reach the final cut off at Deans Marsh with plenty of time to spare. That said, we made sure to enjoy the beautiful scenery in and around Barwon Downs which consisted of surprisingly smooth country lanes on gentle rolling hills.  As the day continued the weather just seemed to be getting better and better. There was always a bit of a cool breeze, but nothing to really slow us down a whole lot. Arriving in Deans Marsh, we knew we had but one climb to go, and a bundle of time up our sleeve, so we waited to see the Smudge Monkees roll in. Some of the Monkees seemed to be doing it tougher than others, however the overall enthusiasm seemed to still be there.

Happy and Relieved!
Finished Amy's Gran Fondo 2013

After topping up on fluids, we headed up the final climb to the finish. The climb to the finish isn't too bad for the most part as it's split into a few segments. There are flat, and in parts, downhill sections to give the legs a slight rest. The final part of the climb kicks up a bit, but nothing too bad and the sign boards telling you how far until the finish help dull the burning sensation in the legs. I passed a heap of people going up here as my legs were feeling really good.  After finishing I waited at the top to watch as Miss V and the Smudge Monkees come through.

Very proud of Miss V for battling (yet again!) a poor lead up to the event and pushing her limits to complete the event. I felt fortunate to be able to watch, one by one, all the Smudge Monkees roll over the line to complete their epic adventures.

A fun untimed 10 kilometre descent back into Lorne (think Montecute road, except through thick forest) rounded out the event as we all met back at the event village to finish off the ride.

We were absolutely starving by the time we got back, so we decided to forego the provided pasta meal and grabbed a late lunch from Pizza Pizza. This time a salami calzone..  a taste sensation.  We eased into a hot spa bath and tried to relax the muscles with varying degrees of success.

Still hungry, we later wandered over to Mexican Republic for some Nachos and Burritos, topped off with a Negra Modelo beer. Very delicious :D

Finally, back to the room to pack everything up and get an early night in preparation for an early start to head home via Melton to visit Miss V's sister and her new niece.

Wrap up
Once again, a sensational event put on by by the Amy Gillett Foundation, awesome weather and even better company.  Definitely worth the trip over, and we're already thinking forward to next year. Hopefully we can encourage a few more to make the trip over from Adelaide to take part next year!

My new bike performed flawlessly and was an absolute pleasure to ride. I'm slowly getting to grips with the quirks of electronic gears, primarily the lack of feedback that a shift has occurred! Even so, the consistency of each gear shift is just so awesome..

Strava data for those that are interested
http://www.strava.com/activities/82803361

Amy's Gran Fondo 2013 - Saturday

We awoke on Saturday morning, expecting the nearby camp ground to be bustling with activity, but strangely it was completely empty. Odd. And completely empty it stayed all weekend.  On the plus side the weather looked stunningly perfect. Cool, sunny and with minimal wind. Lovely. A brief stroll to Lick and Sip Cafe for a big breakfast and then back to the room to reassemble the bikes.

Miss V and Red Flash on The Great Ocean Road

With that done we rolled out for a brief pootle along The Great Ocean Road. This is simply an amazing piece of road to cycle along, with fairly reasonable roads, slowish traffic due to the twists and turns and absolutely breathtaking views. So many riders were out, including Aussie legend Phil Anderson, who apparently lives nearby.

Nearing our turn around point we saw the support vehicle for the Smudge Monkees.  Thinking that Smudge and Co might be following close behind we continued our ride for another few kilometres with the thought that we could ride the last few kilometres into Lorne with them... But alas, no Monkees. All up, a nice 30km trip, with only a couple of minor issues.

CLP and Pinny on the Great Ocean Road

On arriving back at the room we got changed and headed out to do a bit of shopping. A bit of lunch was also in order, so we stopped at the nearby Pizza Pizza which had been tempting us with delicious aromas since we arrived. We weren't disappointed.. absolutely sensational roast pumpkin pizza.  With our bellies full we headed to our safety briefing and then to the event village to collect our Gran Fondo kit. Nice looking kit it is too, in my humble opinion.





Dinner was a fun affair, with us dining in the company of the legendary Smudge Monkees at the Lorne Hotel. We were able to hear all the stories from their epic ride from Adelaide to Lorne.. inspiring stuff.

Back to the room, a few final preparations with nerves building slightly. Hoping for a day similar to today, and with no drama.... Fingers and Toes crossed!

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.