You know winter is here when ...

.... your bike looks like this after a ride !!

Might be time to fit the mudguards methinks ...

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 !

Some more pics - Woods Point Tour

Here's some extra photos from the tour ...

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... 

Mt Donna Buang Ride

Descending the gravel from Donna Buang to Don Rd.

Justin and I are preparing for a 5 day tour next week and, as he is short on climbing recently, we ventured once more to Mt Donna Buang.

Our proposed tour has 3 tough days of 80+kms and some decent climbing so we need to put some altitude in the legs. Climbing on tour is a bit easier because you just take your time. On the other hand you have extra weight on board and heavier kit, so some training is wise. My recent efforts have helped me out a lot so I shouldn't have too much trouble - I hope !!

Still, I'll be fitting the new 34t inner ring to my cranks this week and riding with the big 30t rear cassette. We may do another ride up the back of Donna this week (on the gravel) as we have lots of gravel ahead of us next week. Should be fun ...

Here is the Strava from last Friday's ride.

AAC140 - Australia Day 2014

Two years ago I did the 130 ride from Bright to Falls Ck and return. This year's challenge was the 140 ride from Bright to Mt Beauty return and then up to Mt Buffalo and back. Plans went astray for my ride buddy Justin so Bernie was able to come along instead for a weekend in Bright - a bit of a bonus for both of us !

Mt Donna Buang ... again !!

Head in the clouds on Mt Donna Buang

Well there's no escaping the need for a final big climb before heading to Bright this weekend for the AudaxAlpineClassic 140 (Mt Buffalo) on Australia Day. So I headed off to Yarra Junction in the car and rode with my mate Dan to the summit of Mt Donna Buang.

It was a cool pleasant day in the valley but there was cloud up top and it was very cold and nearly raining so on went the jacket for the descent to Warburton. A pie and a hot chocolate later and we rolled back to Yarra Junction and home.

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.

Dirty Dandenongs

Harry the horse, and friend...

Today we covered some more new ground in the Dandenongs. There are lots of popular road-riding routes through the 'Nongs, and we've done the usual ones many times - 1:20 (The Basin-Sassafras), Mt Dandenong Tourist Rd, The Wall (Olinda-Monbulk Rd), Skyhigh etc - but occasionally we like to go exploring lesser used roads. This is great fun, despite usually involving unsealed roads and steeper climbing !!

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 !