Strzelecki Ranges Tour

For our first tour in a while (since March ...), we headed on the V-Line train to Traralgon on Monday 23rd November for a 3 night tour through the Strezlecki Ranges in Sth Gippsland. Once more the trusty Cannondale CAADX 105 was pressed into light touring mode for the trip.

Power station views, a rainforest walk, the Grand Ridge Rail Trail, wildlife encounters and hearty country meals were amongst the highlights over the three day tour. Unfortunately, rain thwarted our planned final day ride home from Warragul to Lilydale via Powelltown (we caught the train back...), but the three previous days had some great riding.

Winter Ride in Melbourne

 Confluence of the Yarra and
Mullum-Mullum Creek

Retirement is tough but someone has to stand up to calls from Abbott&Hockey wanting everyone to work until they drop ... I volunteered 4 years ago, and I reckon I'm making a decent fist of it so far !

Momma gets a bike !!

Bernie's new 2013 GIANT Rove 2

Remember this day - March 29, 2014 - as today we got Bernie her first ever bike. Yep at the ripe old age of 39 (?!?) Bernie has taken ownership of a new 2013 GIANT Rove 2, a women's specific hybrid model, sized and specced just right for her.

We hope that with regular practice (Bernie is a total novice ... ) she will be a competent and confident rider by next year when we head overseas.

We will get some local riding in over the Easter holidays and try to keep it going from there - I'm sure Bernie will quickly progress from cycling novice to mother superior !

Who..would... ever....ride a BIKE... to Woods Point ??

Commercial Hotel, Woods Point

Justin has wanted to ride to ...Woods Point (!!!) for a long time. Not quite sure why ... but what-the-heck, sounded like a plan.

Anyway he talked me into it as well so we took the train to Wang on Wednesday (it left 1hr50m late BTW ) and rode down to Whitfield first night. I guess any old trainspotters can reel off the names of the old stops on the Whitfield line? I recall being diverted down that way once upon a childhood drive... 

Badger Creek to Mt Donna Buang

Had a bonus ride up Donna Buang today whilst Bernie, Maddy, Rachel and Tim (Maddy's BF) visited the Healesville Sanctuary. It was an interesting afternoon.

Showers blowing over the mountains as we approached Healesville, wet roads on the way up but no rain at all and dry tarmac on the way down. Very chilly at the top as expected and cold descending but smashed all sorts of PBs in both directions,  mainly because of the cold I think !! Didn't want to stop really ..... pretty windy and bleak at the top.

Basin-Olinda Rd .... Finally !!

Basin-Olinda Rd

I've been wanting to ride the 'quick' way up to Olinda from The Basin for ages ! But as usual with these things the right opportunity had yet to arise. Justin and I had postponed the ride a number of times and once again this week we are out of sync with our rides so we each decided to tackle it alone. Today was my chance !! 

I have just acquired a new set of ín-between' wheels (Fulcrum 7 CX) and some new 28c tyres (Continental Grand prix 4Seasons), as well as a new climbing cassette with a low gear sprocket of 30t and these were all fitted to the CAADX yesterday ... so off I went !