Saturday, September 22, 2007

100 km!

Yesterday I rode the furtherst yet in a single ride clocking up just over 100km in a round trip from home to Jambaroo roughly following the Illawarra Cycle Clubs training ride from bikely.

The 100 km took just over 5 hours inlcuding stops here and there for refreshments. I averaged 19.8 km/hr for the ride.

It almost didn't didn't happen. In the first kilometer I both broke my chain (hadn't refitted the conex link properly) and got clobbered by a Magpie at the corner of Crown street and Mt Keira road. Didn't know what had hit me.

Coasting into to Spearman cycles with blood dripping from my ear, I didn't have to explain anything. The bloody bird has been getting everyone who rides by!

The rest of the ride was less dramatic though pretty challenging at times. I took a wrong turning at Bong Bong road in West Dapto and ended up riding a few kilometers up a very steep hill before realising my mistake. Coming down the hill I topped out at 72 km/hr though which made the detour worthwhile.

Another Magpie wanted a piece of me at Marshall Mount but I managed to escape, squirting the bird with my water bottle seemed effective.

The climb up through Jambaroo was challenging. I really think I need to arrange lower gearing but that's another story. The descent was good and I stopped for coffee and cake at a Cafe in the village.

From there I rode back toward Shellharbour through scenic rural landscapes and a stong headwind before regaining the coastal cycle path that zips along the coast. Stopped again for a late lunch at Diggies on Northbeach and then home.

Recovering today I realised that I needed more regular food during the ride and should pack some snacks in future. Also, the saddle is getting better all of the time but I'm quite sore today. Gear changing was a bit fraught at times, lots of ghost shifts and rattles and while everything held together, I'm growing to think that the Apollogy may not be the right ride for the longer distances. At least not in its current form.

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