Category: Apr-Jun 2016

4,000 for 40 – April Ride 5

E Sharp

Devondale Chocolate and Caramel Milkshake: I can spell my name, too

Saturday April 30, 2016, 13 miles (21 km) – Total so far: 215 miles (346 km)

Ever since Greg plotted out and pedalled his name on the streets of HIS town, I wanted to rise to the challenge and do it, too.

I looked at all of the maps I use to plot overnight and three-day rides in an attempt to find my name hidden in the network of roads in my region. I just couldn’t find anything. I even looked at possibilities on the boring roads west of here which aren’t quite so constrained by topography and which might have greater grid-like options. Nothing. Read more →

4,000 for 40 – April 2016 Goal Summary

E Sharp

To make my goal of riding 4,000 miles this year, with 4,000 kilometres within that being loaded touring… I need to ride 350 miles each month, including 350 kilometres of touring: 350 miles/kms x 12 months = 4200 miles/kms

So for April I rode:
April Unloaded Miles: 68 miles
April Loaded Miles: 417 miles (671 kms)
April Total Miles Ridden: 485 miles

Year to Date Unloaded: 311 miles
Year to Date Loaded: 1342 miles (2160 kms)
Year to Date Total Miles: 1653 miles

We’re over halfway to our loaded goal for the year. We’re a bit ahead on our total miles for the year. But it’s not yet time to rest on our laurels. Forward and onward… let’s go ride!

4,000 for 40 – May Ride 1

4,000 for 40 – May Ride 1

E Sharp

Jindera – Mt Granya State Park via Wymah

Saturday May 14, 2016, 40 miles (64 km) – Total so far: 1,382 miles (2,225 km)

After two weeks of not much riding, due to other commitments and adverse weather, I had a really great plan for this weekend. But alas, it was not to be. However, I want to record something here so I don’t forget to include the loaded miles in my total goal tally.

Nigel agreed to go camping on Saturday night, so that meant figuring out a route that would incorporate Cottontree Campground at Mt Granya State Park. No worries. I devised a route that would give me a bunch of new roads on Sunday and Monday after riding up to the campground on a well-trodden route on Saturday. There would be 7,000 cumulative feet of climbing over the 2.5 days. Just great! The weather forecast was pretty great, too! Read more →

4,000 for 40 – May Ride 2 – Day 1

4,000 for 40 – May Ride 2 – Day 1

E Sharp

Jingellic to Burrowa-Pine Mountain NP via Munderoo, Tintaldra, Cudgewa North

Saturday May 21, 2016, 56 miles (90 km) – Total so far: 1,438 miles (2,315 km)

We’ve got two days to work with this weekend. It is supposed to rain on Monday, and Tuesday the bike goes to the shop for a ‘comprehensive’ service. The Wizard gives me so much joy, sometimes I feel like I must return the favor. So the bike gets a new chain, new rear brake pads (you would not have ridden in front of me downhill for the past couple months if you’d seen them), and a full-on tune-up on Tuesday. The headset has been grinding for awhile now and the bottom bracket has started to click, so it’s time…. Read more →

4,000 for 40 – May Ride 2 – Day 2

4,000 for 40 – May Ride 2 – Day 2

E Sharp

Burrowa-Pine Mountain National Park to Jingellic

Sunday May 22, 2016, 18 miles (29 km) – Total so far: 1,456 miles (2,344 km)

I’m dreaming that I’m in a dental chair being treated for a cavity, but the chair is at the base of a mountain range and there is a cold wind making me shiver. WTF?

Then I wake up. It’s cold and damp and my head has slipped from my makeshift pillow so that my upper cheek is mashed into the hard ground. My jaw and teeth hurt. I scoot down further in the bag, get my head back up on the pannier, then pull the top of the sleeping bag tight around me to cut out the cold air. I fall back to sleep quickly – the dental chair does not reappear. Read more →

4,000 for 40 – May Ride 3 – Day 1

4,000 for 40 – May Ride 3 – Day 1

E Sharp

Jindera to Lockhart via Rand

Monday May 30, 2016, 66 miles (106 km) – Total so far: 1,522 miles (2,450 km)

So the end of May is in sight. And thank goodness for that. I will not be sad to see the backside of this month. It has been one of frustration in all aspects of life.

On the bike side of things, rain, wind, other commitments, plus more punctures over two weeks than I’ve had in two years, kept me from getting many miles in. Then, on Saturday afternoon, the bike came back from a routine service with the chain rubbing in the easiest gears. Argh. Luckily, with the help of some crazyguys, I was able to get that mostly fixed on Sunday. I’d hoped to do a three-day ride Sunday-Tuesday, but true to form for May, that wonky derailleur means we lost Sunday. So much for tallying up some big mileage this weekend to make up for our woeful May. Read more →

4,000 for 40 – May Ride 3 – Day 2

4,000 for 40 – May Ride 3 – Day 2

E Sharp

Lockhart to Jindera via Henty

Tuesday May 31, 2016, 75 miles (121 km) – Total so far: 1,597 miles (2,571 km)

We need to go east this morning to start our route home. This means I’m in no real hurry to get going, since I want the sun to get high enough in the sky so that I’m not hidden in sun glare for drivers approaching from behind.

Sunrise is at 7.15am. It doesn’t rise directly to the east, but I wait until 8.30am anyway before I head out. I can’t wait too long though, because I need to get 70-80 miles done today before it starts getting dusk-ish around 4.30pm. Sunset is at 5.03pm. Read more →

4,000 for 40 – May 2016 Goal Summary

E Sharp

To make my goal of riding 4,000 miles this year, with 4,000 kilometres within that being loaded touring…

I need to ride 350 miles each month, including 350 kilometres of touring: 350 miles/kms x 12 months = 4200 miles/kms

So for May I rode:
May Unloaded Miles: 40 miles
May Loaded Miles: 255 miles (410 kms)
May Total Miles Ridden: 295 miles

Year to Date Unloaded: 351 miles
Year to Date Loaded: 1597 miles (2570 kms)
Year to Date Total Miles: 1948 miles

May I just say, “May, you were an awful month!” Wind, rain, other commitments, a string of punctures, mechanical issues. Blech! What a crappy month! We are still ahead of our loaded and unloaded goals, but I am very happy to see the end of this month. Fingers crossed June doesn’t have so many external factors impinging on our pedalling.

4,000 for 40 – June Ride 1 – Day 1

4,000 for 40 – June Ride 1 – Day 1

E Sharp

Jindera – Holbrook via Mountain Creek

Sunday June 12, 2016, 45 miles (72 km) – Total so far: 1,642 miles (2,643 km)

May has been kind enough to share its frustrations with June. I was hoping all the crap that coalesced in May might magically end with the turn of the calendar page. But, no. I’m hoping this doesn’t mean it’s a seasonal thing and is going to last all winter.

But never mind. Let’s get out there and go ride. The weather forecast is great for the next few days. I do need to be back by Tuesday, so I can get a flu shot. So I plan a simple overnight I can do from home that will allow me to pick up five new roads on day 2 for my ‘let no road remain unridden’ quest. Read more →