Grafton to Inverell Cyclosportif. This event is run on the same route as the one day cycle classic race.
Why not go for a long roadie ride?!
So Kirstie & I left Brisbane at 1:00am on Friday morning to drive to Grafton. I dropped her in town then continued my drive along the 230 course to Inverell. There was one particularly long stretch where there wasn't any where to get water or food so I did a cache drop at the top of the Gibralter Range.
I parked the car in Inverell, threw my leg over the Look & started towards Grafton. After a few minutes it was very apparent that it was going to be a 25-35km headwind for the next 9-10 hours. It rained on me 5 times too!
The descent was very wet & clouded it. My Ay Up Lights & wind jacket saved the day!
9 hours: 15mins, 230kms & 2700m of climbing later I saw the wonderful smile of my woman waiting out front of our hotel in Grafton.
Food, water, shower, sleep!
Saturday morning: Awesome! my legs feel great...kind of.
We loaded up our pockets & headed to the start of the Sportif Organised ride. There is something very calming about a hotel room with a couple of bikes with numbers on them, riding food, course map... It's the small things in life I love!
Kirstie headed out about 40 minutes before me. 78kms later I found her 1/2 up the 18km climb. Said hello & rode on. The guys I was tapping away the mountain with were riding a little harder than my legs wanted. So when I got to the water station I looped back around, shot down the mountain 3 1/2kms & found Kirstie again. We climbed together to the water station then I took off again.
At about the 160-170km mark I stopped at the local shop & got them to cook me up an Egg & bacon burger!!! That washed down with 1 litre of Coke was quite simply an amazing experience. The small things in life.
8 hours: 38 minutes, 237kms, 3300 metres of climbing, another headwind all day, more than 10,000 calories I was at Inverell.
Phew. Oh, crap I parked at the hotel aptly named "Top Of the Town Motel" Oh well, back on the bike for another few kms up hill to get the car.
About 1 1/2 hours later Kirstie rolled in. She had found a peloton of women to swap turns with after being out in the headwind by herself for the first 1/2 of the ride.
Kirstie not only finished the single longest ride she has ever done in a very respectable time, she also rode with Stephanie Haussler (Heinrich Haussler's sister) Street cred on both accounts! Bloody AWESOME ride Kirstie! You deserve to put your feet up.
Until the next adventure...this weekend...
dog
