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Friday 28th November to
Sunday 7th December 2008
This was the second time that we have been on
the Great Victorian Bike ride and me, my son (13) and father in law
were really looking forward to another great week of cycling,
meeting new friends, catching up with old friends and the great
Victorian scenery. If you want to read my log from last year then
please click here.
This year the route was a loop starting and
finishing in Ballarat. There seems to be much discussion around if
this is a good idea or not. For me it just meant that as it was
close enough to Melbourne to drive to, my wife could drop us
off at the start line.
Day 1:
Ballarat to Rokewood
Ballarat is 1 ˝ hours drive from
Melbourne and we left home at 7:00am. Nice
drive to the start of the ride and the parking although busy was
well organized.
Dropped the bags off in the luggage trucks, put
the bikes back together and after one last bike check, headed off.
It’s almost the first day of summer but the temperature was still
cold. Around 10 Deg so was complete with arm and leg warmers and a
wind vest. Daniel (my son) of course just had on short knicks and
Jersey.
I carried with:-
1. Two spare tubes and tire leavers
2. Pump
3. Phone, wallet, ride pass
4. Camera
5. Spray jacket
The day was a short 53km ride to Rokewood so we
just tapped along getting used to the ride. The weather was fine
even if it was cold. A westerly wind gave s a side wind for the day.
Rokewood put on some stalls and displays to
great the riders. The SES put on a display of their technique to
open up cars after crashes. The towns seem to get ready for the
riders too early. The SES display was at 1:30pm when most of the
riders either hadn’t arrived or were still setting up camp.
The camp was setup within walking distance to
the town which is always good. As last year the camp is setup like a
travelling circus. The main tent, food tent, 8 off semis for the
luggage, showers semis, toilet semis and the list goes on. All setup
by midday every day – a great effort.
Dinner tonight was roast beef and veggies with
a custard desert.
Day 2:
Rokewood to Cobden (90km)
Our morning routine is similar to last year. We
:
-
Try not to get woken up by others who stir
before 5:00am
-
get up at 6:00am,
-
head over for breakfast where the queue is
long but moves quickly. Probably a 5-10min wait.
-
Back to the tent to pack the bags and put
them on the truck.
-
Sleep easy tent means that the tent is
looked after by others.
-
Hit the road by 7:15am
This is a good routine for us as it allows us
to get on the road before it’s too busy. The less people we have to
overtake the safer it is. Some other riders seem to get on the road
much earlier. When we stir for breakfast there are already people
walking bikes out to hit the road.
Leaving Rokewood behind us we headed south
westerly toward Camperdown and Cobden. It was about 5 kms out when
we headed more southerly that we felt the full force of the head
wind. This was going to be a hard day even though the profile was
quite flat.
The route took us between
lake
Gnarpart and
lake
Colangmite.
Looks great on paper but in reality there is not much water left and
lake Gnarpart is empty and Lake Colangmite not much better. Stretch
between the lakes was a hard slog into a strong head wind through a
landscape of piles of dirt. The dirt had been scrapped from the road
as it was blown from the dried lakes. This moon scape and howling
head winds were to be discussion points and made into lyrics for the
talent show latter in the trip.
Lunch was in Camperdown where we also stopped
at a coffee shop for a coffee for me and a pie for Daniel. A kid
needs to keep his energy up.
The ride guide shows a hill after the lunch
spot and then a down hill run to the end. With such fresh legs the
hill was easily overcome. The hills still had some grass on them and
were not completely barren. The dams even had some water in them.
Not full but some water none the less.
Cobden is the home to a large Milk processing
facility that stands out above the town. The town had gone to some
effort for the riders and blocked off the main street and put on
some other stalls. The main street was a 15min walk from camp and
the local community also put on shuttle buses for the less inclined
to walk.
Rain came in the late evening which is always a
nice sound against the tent. Our bikes were outside so will need a
good oil when we make it home.
Day 3:
Cobden to Morthlake (59km)
There was another head wind to contend with on
a shorter day. Today finds us some light rain to contend with so the
spray jacket came in handy.
The terrain was fairly flat again but the wind
was making it a hard day. The rain hit us just before the rest stop
at Ecklin. Just another excuse to stop and have a coffee and cake
for me and sausage for Daniel. The Ecklin hall was open and it was
nice to get out of the rain. The locals were doing a great job. We
didn’t stay too long so as not to get too cold.
The rain stopped before the lunch break at
Terang. We also headed into town and sat in the bakery for a coffee,
warmth and some more food. We spent some time warming back up as
there was no rush to continue and the bakery was warm.
The weather cleared up by the time we got to
Mortlake. We were there before the camp had opened so we hit the pie
shop this time. Sampled the pies, coffee and swapped stories with
the other riders. It was a busy place for the hour before the camp
opened.
After a refreshing shower at the camp we headed
off to see what we could do. First stop the pool. It was cold (for
me) at 19Deg but it was a nice and clear and 50m in length. I swam 1
˝ km before Daniel got too bored watching me. Then it was off to
play bowls. Yep barefoot bowls as they call it. Great fun even if I
cant the dam balls to go where I wanted too. We played with an older
guy who was really much better than us. Daniel got the hang of it
really well while I was just happy if the ball didn’t go out of
bounds. See the Great Vic is not all about the bikes or the ride but
the journey and the people you meet.
Day 4:
Mortlake to Dunkeld (80km)
Today we head more north to the foot of the
Grampians. An 80km day were the wind should not be directly in our
faces.
The weather was cold again so the arm and leg
warmers were in use. In fact every day I would start out in both and
it was only one day I took off the arm warmers. I am a big wuss when
it comes to being cold.
A slight mishap on the way when the guy in
front of Daniel braked and Daniel hit his wheel and bounced off me
then went down. Luckily he had slowed a fair bit so only a minor
cut. It always pays to be safe when riding in a group. My moto is to
stay at the front if you can.
After this we joined a group of the camp physio
and doctors. A great group of people that joined in the group,
rotated the front and had lots of fun. We had met them the day
before so it was great to meet old new friends again.
The camp site at Dunkeld was on the race
course. Great site with lots of room to spread out. The views of the
mountains were just spectacular. We had a great tent right beside
the race course fence.
The local school over the road from the camp
put on a great event with everything from a yoga class, BBQ, wine
tasting, pancakes etc. The main street of Dunkeld was quiet except
for the pub which I believe had been booked out for meals weeks in
advance.
Day 5:
Dunkeld to Halls Gap (64km)
We woke this morning to the clouds low over the
mountains but otherwise a brisk day. Going through the mountain
passes should see us sheltered from the wind so the anticipation of
a great days ride was great. There was some hills but nothing to
steep. A steep climb out of town and then a gradual climb just
before lunch was on the map.
The climb out of town was steep but fairly
short (1-2kms maybe). The hardest part was that it was on cold legs.
From then it was a nice cruise through the mountain passes. Steep
cliffs and rocky abutments were either side of us as we wound out
way towards Halls gap.
Just before the rest stop I made a lone detour
up Mount
Williams. This is the highest peak in
the Grampians and added an extra 24 kms to the trip with a climb of
900meters. The road was 10km to the carpark which was itself quite a
good climb. I had to stop to takeoff the arm warmers and long gloves
at the bottom. About 2/3 of the way up I was in the clouds and it
got cold and started to rain. On with the spray jacket to keep warm.
The car park was a welcome sight. Little did I
know that the next 2kms to the top was very very steep. With some
water on the road the back wheel spent ˝ the time slipping. With no
view to be seen it was hit the top and turn around.
The descent was a slow one as the road surface
near the top was not a good one. Zipped down the last section to
lunch.
With the extra 24kms the lunch spot was a lot
busier than I have seen before. Even so it was still well organized
and the wait was minimal. Great work BV and all the support crew and
volunteers.
From the lunch break it was a 10km dash to
Halls Gap where I meet up with Daniel again.
The Halls Gap camp site was spread over the
camping ground and a local oval. The two sites were separated by a
short walk. The camping ground was a nicely grassed area that
provided some nice places to relax. The school kids got the oval
which turned into a dust bowl in a very short time. The roof of the
tent was covered in dust that promptly ran off when it rained a bit.
Day 6:
Halls Gap Rest Day
The rest day is a day when you can catch up
with old friends and let the legs recover if you need to. Each day
of the ride is not overly hard by itself, but when you have to back
up day after day it can get tiring. I suppose this is why everyone
likes the rest day.
For me it consisted of
-
12km run at 6:00am
-
7.5km Hike to the pinnacle 9:00 – 12:00
-
12:00 – lunch in Halls Gap
-
1:00 – Hired a tandem and Daniel and I peddled our way up
Mount
Victory.
690m climb over 12 kms
The tandem ride was a great experience. Even
though we are both strong riders the new experience on the tandem,
was unnerving. The stability takes some getting use to as any shift
if weight by the other rider moves the bike unexpectedly. The
turning circle is also like a truck. Everyone told us we were mad to
take it up Mnt Victory – so that’s why we did it. Great climb that
is higher than Mount Dandenong here in Melbourne. At the top walked to the Balconies.
The rest day also brings to stage the Great Vic
talent contest. This is one of the best entertainment night of the
trip as everyone who has some talent and many of those that don’t
get on stage to strut there stuff. There are many school groups, the
camp doctors, little kids and poets. Great night.
Day 7:
Halls Gap to Lake
Bolac
(88km)
Now that we were heading east we have a great
tail wind the whole way. This was a day to rest as it was an easy
ride. Passing through Moyston and Wallaura (Birth place of Aussie
rules) it was a nice day in the saddle. This is the only day that I
get warm enough to take off my arm warmers. Put the sunscreen on at
the lunch spot as I hadn’t done so before.
Lake
Bolac is a town with no
lake. (See the picture.) the sign on the way into town delights to
tell us that it is the home of Victorian Water Sports. Hard when you
don’t have a lake.
The town went to a great effort to put on
displays and food for us. There was the worlds oldest sheep, name
the pig, BBQ’s, scones in the local hall, eel touching and lots
more.
Day 8:
Lake
Bolac
to Beufort (106km)
On paper this was to be the longest and hardest
day of the trip. Some hills to climb and 106km in length. With the
winds now behind us this turned into probably an easier day than the
90km ride into Cobden.
The day started with a dirt section 11kms into
the ride. 3km of dirt track made some interesting riding on a road
bike. The only rider to go down was a mountain biker that we had
ridden with. Nothing serious just a great loss of ego. We did
mention it to him a few times after that.
A special mention goes to the Tatyoon group
that put on food at the second rest stop. Great chocolate slices.
After the dirt section the wind was either on
our sides on behind us. We taped along at some great speeds. The are
some undulations that both Daniel and I like. The short hills make
it interesting and you can sprint to the top fairly easily.
There was a steep but short hill near the end
of the day that rose about 100m in 1km and then a nice run into
town. We arrived just as the camp was opening.
The camp was at the local secondary colledge
that was a short walk to twon. Once again there were shuttle buses
if you needed them. Beufort had a Saturday market on and there cafes
and restaurants were doing a great trade.
Day 9:
Beufort to Ballarat (57kms)
The last day is like to last day on the Tour De
France. Short and a time just to cruise to the end with your team.
We took it easy and arrived before my wife came to pick us up.
Ballarat put on a cold windy day to welcome us
back and a few people were wrapped in foil blankets.
Great work Bicycle
Victoria
for a great event. Next year it is off down the great ocean road. We
will be there….
Notes for
next year:
-
Take warmer clothes to wear. Skull cap, long finger gloves etc
-
Pack light. We pack so that we don’t have to wash clothes along
the way which makes it harder to pack light.
-
Take a real towel. Loved it this year as the chamois that I took
last year is just not as nice.
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