I'm on the Road to Nowhere

The first step outside

 

Today I got to do something I don't do enough of. Ride my bike! Actually, to be more specific, ride my bike with no goals, time lines, other people or expectations. And I only had a vague notion of where I was going! I do actually enjoy riding with other people, racing and participating in community rides, though I could do without the timeline of having to start work that looms over my morning commute. But there's something to be said for just riding and enjoying the scenery.

What was in store for me

 

My rough aim was to find a way to Fox Creek without going up Stone Hut Road. I've only ridden Stone Hut Road once and I'm not sure I ever want to do that again. I think I'd go up it, but coming down it all I wanted to do was let go of the bike (I was walking) and slide down on my bottom. 

Linear Park - Suburbia

 

So Stone Hut Road was out, except as a last resort. I should probably also point out there's a perfectly good, sealed road all the way to Croft Road and Fox Creek, the only problem with it was that it's the long way round and requires me to climb Gorge Road and Fox Creek Road, not too bad on a road bike, but on a mountain bike? So essentially, I was after a short cut. 

 

My favourite path

 
With no real timeline, I rolled out of the house before 10am. Mr Carl had been gone since about 7:30 am, as he was racing a criterium in town. He'd actually already completed his race before I had even left! We did have a vague plan that he would meet me at Fox Creek (with the car) and go mountain biking with me, but that depended on me actually making it.

The end of the path

 

The weather was beautiful for bike riding, a little on the chilly side, but that's ok if it means I don't get sunburnt. I quickly made my way through suburbia and headed down to my favourite path along Linear Park. The slightly overcast conditions must have kept a lot of people inside, as there was hardly anyone along the park and I fairly quickly (for a mountain bike) cruised to the top.

Relaxing by the river

There's a historic aqueduct at the top of the path that makes for a nice place to stop and take a break. Usually it's fairly quiet, but unlike the rest of the park there were lots (well ok, 5 tops) of people here! Good to see people out and about enjoying themselves on a day like today.

10 seconds - smile!

They were about to head off, so I had the place to myself. It was nice to take the time to snap a couple of photos and generally enjoy the scenery. It feels so secluded there, but in reality there's quite a busy road just the other side of the river.

The road less travelled

 

 
I decided to head off just as another cyclist pulled in, it was becoming a regular thoroughfare there! From here I headed out onto Gorge Road. I didn't intend to be on it long, it's got a fair amount of traffic of both the two and 4 wheeled varieties and I wanted to enjoy my day. I bumped into a couple of riders going the other direction looking a bit lost. Turns out they were looking for the start of the Mawson Trail, so I signalled to them that I knew where it was and to follow me. 

Clearing skies

It's a good thing I didn't actually ride to the start of the trail, or at least where I thought it was, as we'd managed to have a bit of a communication error. I knew that the Mawson Trail turns off Gorge Road about 5 km from where we were and heads up Stone Hut Road. I assumed they were looking to ride the trail, as it happens, they had already ridden down Stone Hut Road and were looking for the official start! Unfortunately I couldn't help them with that, and last I heard they were going to ride back up Stone Hut Road to get home!

Adelaide Hills - Awesome!

 
Anyway, it was time to move on as I was eager to do my own exploring. Pootling along Gorge Road was fun and I wanted to stop to take pictures, but I was a little wary of the lack of road shoulder and unpredictable traffic. So I just kept going until I reached the turnoff for Corkscrew Road.
 

The dreaded Corkscrew

 
Corkscrew Road is absolutely lovely (except the end, which is a torturous uphill) and for most of the lower section meanders alongside a stream. I knew the road I was looking for was a left hand turn gravel road so I was keeping my eyes open, but when the road started to head up and I hadn't found my turnoff I started to worry. I didn't want to ride the whole way up corkscrew! As it turns out, the road was a couple of hundred meters on from where I stopped to check my map. Admittedly the break was kind of nice, even the lower slopes of corkscrew are hard work.

Not a promising sign

 
I had found Valley Road! That was one achievement for the day, now could I make it al the way to Fox Creek? The road sign wasn't all that promising, indicating that the road didn't actually go through to anywhere I wanted to be. Well, I was here already so I decided to give it a go.

A happy Contessa

 
Valley Road was a gravel road about one car width wide, the type of road you know you ought to be cautious on as the site lines round some of corners weren't brilliant. But it was gorgeous, starting out in luscious farmland, dotted with sheep, then winding its way between steep hills. The gravel was a bit loose and washed out in places, but nothing to cause any stress. I was grinning like a Cheshire cat as I pedalled along the road, the only other people I saw were a couple of bush walkers who looked a bit surprised to see a bike on the road.
 

Perfect place for a snack!

 

But all good things must come to an end, and about 4 km in I found the end. Not of the road, the road seemed to continue, but it was the end of me riding it as a padlocked gate barred my way. I would have loved to continue, but I'd had so much fun that I couldn't be all that sad, and anyway, my legs were starting to feel it. A quick phone call to Mr Carl confirmed that mountain biking was probably out (I don't think he was too disappointed, he spent most of the afternoon sleeping, recovering from his race) and that I'd ride home.

Hiding from the sun

 

 

 

 

I still wasn't in too much of a hurry, so I pedalled back the way I had come for a bit before stopping for a snack and a few more photos. It was impossible not to be happy, sitting in the dappled sunlight, eating the snickers I had brought as a reward for getting to Fox Creek. Well, it wasn't like it was going to keep, those things go off (or get eaten by other people) if they aren't consumed quickly!

Good spot for a tea party!

Thankfully it was mostly downhill on the way home and I made it back in just over 3 hours total. Not quite before I got rained on, but almost! I was happy to be home and thoroughly enjoyed putting my feet up with a cuppa for the rest of the day! It may have been a road to nowhere, but it made for an awesome ride!

Keeping my balance

Strava Link Here

5 Years Ago Today

Happy together

Just a warning, this is slightly off topic and possibly a little on the romantic/soppy side of things, so I'll understand if you decide not to continue, but sometimes it is worth stopping and acknowledging just how awesome life can be.

Mr Carl - The Cyclist

  

Five years ago I took Mr Carl to his first Womad and at some point in time that day we decided that we enjoyed each others company and wanted to make a go of it. It was a big risk we were taking, we worked together, literally a few metres from each other, and if something went wrong it would probably be spectacular. Still, from the moment I met Carl, I thought he was something special and I was willing to take that risk. Thankfully, so was he.

WOMAD - Hippy times!

Today will be our fifth Womad together and we've learnt a lot about each other in that time. Mr Carl's turned me from someone who thought I was doing well riding 5 km around the block to someone who just rode over 150km in one day. He's guided me up hills, taught me how to change a flat and listened to endless discussions about how I was progressing. I, in turn have encouraged him to try his hand at racing and mountain biking, having far more success with the former than the later. 

He does like Mountain Biking - I promise!

I'm a terrible mountain biker, however the mountain bikes are technically all my fault, as I suggested we get them to ride around my parents farm one year. I also put both of us significantly out of our comfort zone when I suggested that we have a go at the outback odyssey and brave the rigours of life in a tent. Carl stepped up to the challenge and proved to be an amazing travelling partner, even when injured. 

Pasta a Plenty!

 

It's not just cycling where we've complimented and challenged each other, Carl welcomed me into his house and I turned it upside down, in the process we made a home. We cooked together (now there's a real relationship tester), covering the house in flour as we made pasta. Feasts with friends became something of a regular occurrence and we spent many evenings in the company of good friends and good food.

 
I've also turned his garden upside down, installed raised beds and tried hard to kill the lawn out the front. I'm pretty sure Carl doesn't mind this too much, at least he seems to enjoy the snacking tomatoes by the front gate!

Happy times at Aquaterra

Carl taught me the value of having time to myself and not doing too much and I encouraged him to fill his calendar with races! It hasn't all been roses though, both of us have been through injury and illness and have had to learn to rely on the other at times. We've learnt when to step back and when to step in, especially working together as well. And we've been through tough times at work, with friends and colleagues losing jobs and significant changes to the small company that we both started out with.

Suave Mr Carl

 

We've had adventures and made friends, many of whom I couldn't imagine not having in my life now. Five years on and I'm still happy to be sitting on the grass at Womad, drinking a coconut, listening to music and enjoying the company of my wonderful partner. 

The awesome Mr Carl!

Tour Down Under 2014 in Pictures

Really this post is just an excuse to share my favourite pictures from the Tour! The Tour Down Under is an awesome excuse to take a week off work, though I've learnt to take an extra day at the end so I can recover. It's actually fairly exhausting trying to follow the tour and I have to hand it to the media that follow grand tours, it's not an easy job.

Speed and Movement

While the tour starts officially on the Tuesday, two days before on the Sunday the riders get to stretch their legs on a circuit in the city. Considering this was the evening after we had ridden Ride Like Crazy, it's probably no surprise that my favourite photo was the result of a bit of a mistake. Not realising how the camera was set up, I ended up taking photos with an incredibly slow shutter speed. Not surprisingly, most of them didn't work, but this one did and I loved the sense of movement it conveyed.

The Pres (vice)!

Prior to the men racing, the first race for the women's Santos cup was raced on the same circuit. While this race doesn't attract the international riders the TDU does, it certainly attracted top national riders, with many of the Greenedge girls (who do race internationally) putting on an awesome display of just how tough women's racing can be. But I guess what I like best is it's also a chance for state level riders to have a bit of a crack. Seriously, I got an invite! I'm not sure who sent it to me, but I'm pretty sure they hadn't seen me race! Given that I haven't yet raced a criterium, I didn't plan to start trying to take on the Greenedge girls. But some local riders did and it's awesome to see people you know, hence the photo of choice for this event is none other than our esteemed club vice president, Gemma Kernich!

Who knew fluro pink could look good?

Tuesday was the official start of the tour down under and Carl and I managed to sneak out to Bethany to catch the riders 3 times. The course for the day was a loop around the Barrossa, from Nuriootpa to Angaston. The first two laps kept things relatively flat however the third lap sent the riders up Menglers hill. 

Mr Policeman

We started at the sprint point in Bethany for the first lap then made our way up towards Menglers for the second and third laps. There was a nice spot on the top of a fairly steep rise prior to Menglers and I parked myself in the bushes to get photos looking up at the riders. These two photos were the result of my bush bashing, and probably the first photos I've taken that really excited me. I did have a chat to the copper in the photo, he was a really lovely guy and was pretty happy to be paid to be out riding his bike and not doing paper work!

Hard Effort

That evening the third round of the Santos Cup was held in Prospect, in conjunction with a street party. The ladies had raced a road race on the day previous, and had returned to the city to race a hotdog criterium. Criteriums either make for really boring or really good photography as you can't rely on the scenery to distract the viewer if the shot is no good. 

Vintage Shot - Awesome Rider

I like to focus on peoples faces and I think this shot really captures some of the emotion in racing. The second shot isn't the most fantastic, but I had a lot of fun fiddling with this photo to turn something that was pretty appalling (I was shooting pretty much straight into the setting sun) into something a little bit quirky and interesting. It helps that it's a shot of one of the local riders who always gets out and gives it a seriously hard go.

 

Commotion

For stage 2, Carl and I made it down to the start at Prospect. Starts are always a good place to collect goodies and I came away with lots! Unfortunately, photos were a little harder to come by and I've picked this photo to illustrate the commotion at the start of the race. 

Why are you pointing a camera at me?

  

 Stage 3 was another stage with a loop, although the riders were mostly taking it easy as they had to face the corkscrew later in the day. Carl and I took advantage of the loop to find a place where the riders went past us twice, before going home to watch the rest on TV. It was the day before the Challenge tour so a bit of rest wasn't a bad idea. I like this photo as the rider is actually looking at me and I'm pretty sure I can see myself reflected in his glasses. Admittedly, I'm not sure what he's thinking when he's looking at me, he doesn't look all that impressed.

Spirit of Willunga!

Stage 5 was out at Willunga Hill where we attended a bbq held by the awesome Smudge Monkee crew! It was my first time out at Willunga to watch the stage, usually I'm curled up on the couch, too sore to move. Willunga is the biggest day of the tour and usually where the race is decided and everybody really gets into the spirit of things as you can see by the photo. 

JENS

My other favourite photo of the day is simply because I finally got one of my favourite rider, Jens Voigt, the toughest cyclist there is! Yep, I'm definitely a fan!




 

So finally we made it to Stage 6, and after racing ozzie cross in the morning, I was a bit too worn out to get many good shots, however I got one, which sums it all up really. Jens bidding farewell to the tour, I can only hope he'll come back as a commentator! 

Farewell Jens

So that wraps up the tour for another year, in the mean time I get to look forward to watching the European races on the TV, but nothing is really as good as being there in person. I can't wait until 2015!

Crazy Cycling - Challenge Accepted!

All smiles at the start

As the name might suggest, the Challenge tour, the day that the recreational riders get to ride the same course as the pros, is meant to be a challenge, or at least that's how I interpreted it. And as I have developed as a cyclist it has offered me different challenges, from my first challenge tour in 2009, riding a "flat" course (according to Mr Carl) on a clunker to struggling in cross winds with a crook shoulder (2010) to last year where I finally rode the whole course with Mr Carl and made it under the arch! Actually, last year's was a slight disappointment as I really didn't feel the challenge as I had in previous years, but it was still a lot of fun. It did however leave us wondering whether the time had come to look for challenges elsewhere and both of us took a long time deciding whether to do this years challenge tour or not.

Christmas lights!

Ultimately, I think the lure of a gorgeous route swayed our decision, and we decided very late in the piece to have a go. One of the consequences of making the late decision was that I was possibly a little under prepared, considering the ride was 156 km and I think my previous longest ride was just over 120 km. Part of my brain pointed out that it was only 30 km extra, and I can ride 30 km fairly easy, the other part of my brain pointed out that it's an extra 30 km at the end of 120km and it was going to hurt! Writing this makes me laugh, as I contemplate the notion that some part of me now thinks that 30 km is an easy ride, in 2008 I was terrified riding the 35 km easy route of my first Amy's ride. I think that just maybe, I've improved since then!

Mr Carl - Ready to go!

 
Anyway, 156 km and the King of the Mountain (KOM) at 100 km, lets just say I was a little nervous. But the challenge tour is a good place to be out of your comfort zone, knowing that there is support if something goes wrong gives me the courage to try things I'd probably otherwise talk myself out of. I had no illusions about making it under the arch this year, I was just aiming to make it, and if I didn't have to walk up the KOM it would be a bonus.

Where's my croissant?

The forecast for the day was for pleasant weather, which is at least something that made me smile at awful o'clock that we had to get up at to reach the start on time. We managed to find Brett parked outside his favourite patisserie, Mulots, which happened to be located along the starting road. Unfortunately it wasn't open, otherwise I'm pretty sure we all would have jumped the fence and had a delicious croissant for breakfast!



 

Red Flash at rest

It's always a bit difficult to get multiple thousands of people started, but I was pleasantly surprised when we rolled across the official start line just 10 minutes after the official start time. The police escorted us to the base of the free way, where I was again surprised that we had been given two lanes! One of the most dangerous times in previous challenge tours has been the start where so many riders are crammed together, riding at different speeds with different skill levels. Having two lanes of the freeway up the hill allowed everyone a bit of a chance to get comfortable and find their legs.

Not tired - still posing!

We had ridden the beginning of the freeway the Sunday before, and both Brett and I commented that it felt much harder this time. later we realised that the lack of breeze made it a very stuffy ride, making us feel like we were almost swimming up the hill. It did make me a bit nervous, knowing that I was in for a more difficult ride and feeling like it was already harder then it should be.

 




 

Spectator on the course

Eventually we slogged our way up the freeway and the first little bit of down hill into Stirling was a welcome relief, right until we hit a traffic jam of riders! Still there are worse traffic jams to be caught in and it soon resolved itself. We had a quick stop at the first rest stop, then took off down some of the best rolling downhill I think I have ever ridden. I'm not a fan of steep downhills, but roads that have gentle curves, beautiful scenery and a slight downwards gradient always bring a smile to my face as I fly along effortlessly at 30 to 40 km/hr.

Food!

All too soon it was over and we were at another rest stop. This feeling of flying pretty much continued all the way to the main rest area at Mount Pleasant, which tested our CX skills. In fact, the sandy entrance made sure all riders stopped and walked in, which probably wasn't a bad idea, considering the bedlam that normally occurs at rest stops! There were plenty of snacks, cake, biscuits and fruit, though I was a little confused by the basket of lemons on offer. After a few snacks, a top up of the water bottle, we were on our way again.

Refuel Time

This was where I started to get nervous, we were 80km in and I knew another 20km would have us at the KOM. I knew there was an escape route if I needed it, but apart from my shoulder being a bit sore, I was feeling pretty good, so I talked myself into giving it a good go up what was reputed to be a difficult hill. 

  

Still not tired!

Well, soon enough we reached it, having decided not to take the escape route, we turned left and up we went. An air filled arch marked the beginning of the climb and there were spectators already lining the sides. Each of them cheered us as if we were the pros, which always makes me feel fantastic and is definitely one of the highlights of the ride.
 

 

Happy people at the top!

The hill had a fair kick to it and I was just beginning to contemplate the notion of walking when a bupa trooper told me I was almost at the top! Now, I've run into the bupa troopers before, and I'm not sure I'd like to pay their coffee bill, they're super enthusiastic, and often armed with loud speakers and jelly beans! In short they're pretty awesome, however they're known for slightly bending the truth when it comes to important things like gradient and remaining distance. So I was very surprised when I turned a corner and the road flattened! I was even more surprised when I looked ahead and saw the Arch marking the top of the climb, not up but ahead, as in not much high than where I was currently. It occurred to me at that point that I had made it to the top! It was all down hill from here!

KOM

Those of you who know the route can now stop laughing, as it turns out, I was a little bit incorrect, well a lot incorrect! I'm sure I can be forgiven for having happy thoughts at the top of the KOM. From the top of the KOM, we crossed the reservoir and headed up and it was at this point I asked Brett if he was sure it was all down hill to the finish. As it turns out, he'd just assumed! Oh well, I'd thought the same thing and we were in this thing together so up we slogged. We rode along the ridge line for a while, undulating with the wind starting to catch our wheels. Then we began one of the scariest descents I think I've ever ridden. The road wasn't bad, but it was just so steep and with the wind picking up it was white knuckles time trying to stay on the road! We dropped from the top of the ridge line to sea level in a matter of minutes and I know I went over 70km/hr! Eventually the road flattened and I could relax my grip on the bike, but it took a while longer for my heart rate to slow, as we turned left to ride along the coast.

The view from the road

Just enough energy to grin!

Did I mention wind earlier? If I thought it was bad catching my wheels, it was worse as a headwind, struggling to pedal 20km/hr. It was so demoralising, thinking we were home free after the KOM then turning into a roaring wind! At least that's what it felt like at the time, it probably wasn't that bad in reality.

We were now into that last 30 km I had been so worried about. As it turns out, I was probably right to worry, not that it helped! My shoulder was trying to see if it could blind me with intense stabbing pain and the only time it stopped hurting was when we were going uphill. Then my legs promptly started complaining, reminding me that I had promised them downhill from the KOM. To sum it up, I was in a fair bit of agony, but all I had to do was keep turning the pedals.


A bit of calculation at the next rest stop made us realised if we pushed, we might just make it under the arch! It was fairly unbelievable that we'd even come close, but that we might make it? So it was time to push and my shoulder would just have to suck it up!

My knight in shining lycra

Unfortunately for a lot of the remaining ride, 20km/hr was a huge struggle for both Brett and I, with one or both of us losing contact with Mr Carl at various points in time. But Mr Carl was our captain, and rallied us to keep going. We flew past the last rest stop in a desperate attempt to make the arch crossing, only for me to be stopped in my tracks as a hill loomed before us! All I had to do was keep turning the pedals, and that is all I did. Slowly I crept closer to the top, one pedal stroke at a time. I knew if I stopped, I wouldn't start again so I kept going until I saw my two knights in shining lycra waiting for me at the top.

Still too much energy!

And that was the last hill, with that we sped on (not breaking any speed records) towards Victor Harbor. With 10 minutes to spare, the three of us lined up and crossed under the arch together and I know I couldn't have done it without them! From there it was food and much to my delight, ice packs! Bupa gave out numerous passport sized reusable ice packs, chilled and ready to go. I probably would have kissed one of the Bupa troopers had I been able to get off the ground. That and the frozen icy poles that they had made me feel a little more human, still it wasn't long before I had found a seat on the bus and promptly fell asleep!

Suffer file here