We woke up at 2:15am Perth time to get to the start by 6am Melbourne time. We were at the back of the 25 – 30km section and so did not actually pass under the start arch until 6:30am when it was well and truly light. We zig zagged through the quite Melbourne streets being waved through red lights by support marshals and police before reaching the on ramp to the massive West Gate bridge which was not quite as steep as I had thought. We had started quite well back so spent most of the time overtaking people. They had closed off two lanes of the bridge but numbers had thinned out and most people kept to the left hand side. It is quite a long way down from at the very top. The downhill was the first of three in the whole ride, but despite a northerly, it was hard to get much speed going down and off the bridge. I do remember noticing a bike underside down at the bottom which means the rider had, for any number of reasons, given up. So early in the day, too. Suz caught up and actually led me most of the way south. We stopped briefly at Point Wilson Road but were disappointed at the lack of food and drink at the place, we had ridden straight past the first rest stop at Werribee (somewhere).
| We shared bananas and muesli bars into Geelong where I spied the shark fin public art near the water and down a side road that Suz and I had looked at our first road trip, ten years ago. |
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Suz was pushing the pace given our tailwind. By the time we got onto the straight into Queenscliff I was struggling to keep up, finding the rolling hills just a bit too much. We arrived in Queenscliffe at 10:30am to be told our ferry would be leaving at 12 noon. More than enough for lunch and a quick snooze.
Suz trying to hide at lunch on the lawn in front of the ferry terminal.
Once back on the road and into the wind, groups of riders thinned out and the rain started. A relief from the sun, the drops were heavy and cold. Fortunately, the road barely got wet before the sun came out again. We had rain four more times during the afternoon, but always short and welcome because of the heat.
On the ferry, someone had mentioned Mt Martha as being the only hill to come. Leading up to it, we pass someone whose rear wheel was making knocking sounds, then a loud bang. I realise immediately what it is, blown tyre, but continue regardless. A marshal on a motorbike will come along and help him out in due course. This hill with the heat (it got to 30), the northerly and the coarse aggregate, not to mention over a 100km in the legs, found a few walking up. So many had pulled over, I thought it was an official rest break. I caught Suz up somewhere on the downhill.
At some point after this, Mornington area, I remember a very straight road running for a few kilometres with mature shade trees lining the northern side and providing pleasant shade.
My favourite part of the ride, apart from getting off the bike at the finish, was the downhill into Frankston. The bitumen was smooth and we had been riding on an onroad cycleway which disappeared into a kerb just as the downhill was beginning and the road going right. There was a sign with a steep hill triangle on it. The road had two lanes and a bus had just passed me and I could see a cyclist upfront having to deal with the bus, a rather sharp right hander and the loss of the lane he was in. I could also hear a motorbike coming up from behind in the far lane. So when the bus passed me, I geared up, accelerated and hopped in behind it. And when the motorbike came past, I hopped into his lane, right beside him, to pass the bus as it slowed for the corner. Once past the bus, I moved back into the kerb. I pass a cyclist like he is not moving and the hill just gets steeper. There is a tight left hand corner at the bottom and I take the whole lane to get through it. What a rush. I pull over at the rest stop just down the road with Suz not far behind me.
We have coffee then continue, drafting most of the way. I take a turn up the front pushing 25km/hr into the northerly which really picks up after we round a headland. I don't last but remain near the front with Suz close behind.
With just 10km to go, and just as Suz pulls ahead of me, I recognise the bounce that comes from a rapidly deflating rear tyre. It is too late to yell out to Suz, she has the spare and I have to call twice before she picks up. I quickly swop the tyre, there was a leak in the valve in the old one, and I lead out.
With few kilometres to go, we are guided inland, with some very young traffic coppers waving us through and clapping, saying "congratulations" and "not far to go". We roll through the finishing arch, hand in hand, very glad it is over. Just under 8 hours riding time. Butts and backs rest for a bit before some food and the slow trip home down Chapel St . The northerly wind back behind us, again.
It was a long day, 235km in all with 9 hours in the saddle. But, over 10 years after I had read about the ride, job now done!
