Tough day at the office

General Pub
1

So, todays mission: Ride solo from Echuca to Melbourne on the roadie.

Total distance: 250kms
Time on the bike: 7.5 hrs
Average speed: 33.3km/h
Kilometers uphill: approx 170
KCalories burnt: 6538
Punctures: 0
Magpie strikes on the helmet: 6
Swooping magpies successfully “chaffed” with a handful of pebbles: 2
Snakes ridden over: 1
Broken fan belts ‘jumped’ that looked like snakes: 6
Time wasted procrastinating after food breaks: At least half an hour

Consumed:

4 Powerades
1 Red Bull
1 Ice Break
1 Coke
1 Pastie
1 Doughnut
1 Hedgehog
1 Ham Sandwich
2 Slices Fruit Toast
4 WeetBix
1 Powerbar
2 Litres of Water

How I feel now: Like I’ve been at Revolver for 3 days straight.

Thanks for reading.

2

Buy a new bike?

Nah, its nice to see someone out riding!

3

I think the real question is how did you get to echuca in the first place and what were you doing there :wink:

4

Good stuff!

I like reading about other people’s big rides. Photos like the one currently on Dan’s site (pushing single-speeds up through the snow) and cannonball run and stuff like tristan’s hard man site get me angry to go riding and do stuff I’ve never done before.

I wholeheartedly support people posting about their rides as well as their “rides”!

5

I think the real question is how did you get to echuca in the first place and what were you doing there

I took the 6:13 Train + Coach from Melburn to Echuca just to ride back in the sunshine.

Photos like the one currently on Dan’s site (pushing single-speeds up through the snow) and cannonball run

I did the Cannonball this year, one of the best things I’ve ever done. Scooter is one crazy mofo though.

6

solid work. awesome.

7

And I thought Melbourne to Black Rock was tough! :stuck_out_tongue:

8

Epic…

Which way did you go. By the looks of it Northern Highway, Echuca - Heathcote - Over Mt Macedon?? that’s a big spike on the elevation profile.

But Fvck that Northern Highway is scary…Trucks and Cowboys.

9

Yeh I went down the Northern Highway for the first half, it wasn’t too bad cause the it had a fairly good sealed shoulder for most of it.

Echuca - Elmore - Heathcote - Redesdale - Kyneton - Woodend - Hesket - Kerri - Bolinda - Clarkefield - Wildwood - Tullamarine - Richmond.

I feel like turd today at work though.

10

so whats next, Deneliquin to melbourne? You seem to like going that way. Maybourough - Maldon - Bendigo then to Melb? Or is the stating point determined by PT options?

11

It is determined by train options. Echuca was really at the limit of available train/ time to ride home before dark criteria. It has been about getting the big km days in before I race Melb To Warny (300kms) next weekend. It seems to be the only way I can motivate myself to do the distance. There’s no way I could ride 130kms in one drirection and then turn to come home, I’d simply turn early when it got hard. At least if I get dumped somewhere I have to get home.

I’ve got a couple of plans ahead:

Benella - Mansfield - Yea - Kinglake - Melbourne. Big distance and big hills at the end when you’re buggered.

Bendigo - Dayelsford - Woodend - Mt Macedon - Riddells Creek - Wildwood - Tullamarine - Richmond. Not so tough, just a variation on my usual Bendigo to Melbourne.

12

Hey George
What bike were you on?
What spare euipment did you have with you (tubes, pump, shit like that)?
How confident were you of completeing the run?
What were the roads like?

13

What bike were you on?

I was riding a Specialized Tarmac SL S-Works.

What spare euipment did you have with you (tubes, pump, shit like that)?

I tube, 2 CO2 Canisters, I can Vittoria Pitstop.

How confident were you of completeing the run?

I was fairly confident everything would be Ok. I’d ridden close to the distance fairly regularly and I know the roads very well as I grew up in Woodend. I’d recently driven to Elmore so I knew which route I was taking and what the terrain was like.

What were the roads like?

The only time I was on the highway was from Echuca to Heathcote and the traffic is fairly sparse and has a good shoulder. After that it’s all backroads until Tullamarine airport. The majority of it is course chip road surface but there’s really not much drama with punctures if you have good tyres. I’ve done most of it on tubulars without any dramas too.

Why all the questions? Are you thinking of giving it a crack? I’d do it again no problem after Warny.

Matt

14

Good work George.

Reading this is inspiring me to get out and push some long rides myself. But before I do I think I will need a new bike :-D. Don’t tell the GF.

15

You’re quite special Matt.

16

dude, nice work. do it on the weekend next time and i’m in.

17

We’d have to go a teachers strike or something 'cause there’s no suitable train on weekends or PH’s.

I’m keen to do it again for sure.

18

i do have the day before cup day off… course, that’s between two alleycats. i’ll have a word to my union organizer and see what else i can do.

anyways, while matt is off shaving his legs, i’m probably going to tackle the yarra ranges again on sunday. 150ks, first 90 climbing. healesville / kinglake / whittlesea / home. leave around 11, return around 5. anyone interested should get in touch.

19

do have the day before cup day off… course, that’s between two alleycats

Are you going for the win? :wink:

20

naw, but i’d like to be able to move my legs…