California Dreamer
Distinguished Member
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2006
- Messages
- 6,814
- Reaction score
- 3,305
Yesterday I joined with 14,000 other riders in the 210km Around The Bay bike ride.
The ride has become quite an institution in Melbourne. Essentially the course follows the shoreline of Port Phillip Bay, with occasional forays inland. Riders also get to ride over the West Gate Bridge - our biggest bridge, and usually closed to cyclists. The view from the crest of the bridge is pretty special, as are the vistas from some of the seaside towns we passed through.
There are two basic ways of tackling the course. The first is to ride from central Melbourne 100km SE to the head of the bay at Sorrento. You then get a ferry across to Queenscliff on the opposite head and ride 110km NE back to Melbourne. You can also go the opposite way, SW to Queenscliff and then NW from Sorrento to Melbourne, which is the route I took. This is the more popular option as it's a bit more scenic and supposedly a bit easier.
That wasn't the case this year, unfortunately. It was a beast of a day, near-record temperatures for October. I had to ride the 100km back from Sorrento in 33 degree heat and into a hot Northerly wind. It slowed me down drastically. I'm not quick at all, but I can usually sustain a 25 kmh average. This year it was down to 22 kmh. It took me about an hour longer than planned, which seemed to be a common story. Experienced riders reckoned conditions this year were one of the three worst ever.
In such circumstances, it is very important to avoid hitting the wall. I took three 750ml bottles with me. Two were filled with water, and one with electrolyte drink. I also took some electrolyte powder, some gels, a power bar and some sports jelly beans. I got through the electrolyte drink even before it started to get really hot, so it's lucky I brought the additional powder. As it was I ran out of it with about an hour to go, and only had water from then on. I'd made sure I refilled the water bottles at every stop and I'd estimate that I probably drank about 5 litres of fluid on the day. I think I ate 4 gels, the power bar, a ham salad sandwich, a banana and the jelly beans. I don't think I re-hydrated quite enough, and I also suspect I could have had a protein bar or something instead of one of the gels.
When I got home I had another electrolyte drink and a whey powder shake and they didn't even touch the sides.
The other thing I tried to do was to stretch whenever I stopped. I normally do this quite well, but I think I under-did it in my haste to complete the ride. The ferry ride involved a long break - 2 hours - and I definitely should have stretched more then rather than go cold. At least there was no residual muscle soreness when I was done, which always used to be the case when I started doing long-distance riding.
All other things went well - no punctures or falls, etc. There was some looseness in my derailleurs which caused me to lose my chain three times, but those things are easily fixed. Still, I was pissed off at the so called mechanic who had prepped my bike for the ride, as it should not have been happening.
I've now done Around The Bay twice - once in each direction. I don't think I'll try it again, as it would just be repeating something I've already done. So I am now on the lookout for another challenge to keep me outdoors and relatively healthy.
The ride has become quite an institution in Melbourne. Essentially the course follows the shoreline of Port Phillip Bay, with occasional forays inland. Riders also get to ride over the West Gate Bridge - our biggest bridge, and usually closed to cyclists. The view from the crest of the bridge is pretty special, as are the vistas from some of the seaside towns we passed through.
There are two basic ways of tackling the course. The first is to ride from central Melbourne 100km SE to the head of the bay at Sorrento. You then get a ferry across to Queenscliff on the opposite head and ride 110km NE back to Melbourne. You can also go the opposite way, SW to Queenscliff and then NW from Sorrento to Melbourne, which is the route I took. This is the more popular option as it's a bit more scenic and supposedly a bit easier.
That wasn't the case this year, unfortunately. It was a beast of a day, near-record temperatures for October. I had to ride the 100km back from Sorrento in 33 degree heat and into a hot Northerly wind. It slowed me down drastically. I'm not quick at all, but I can usually sustain a 25 kmh average. This year it was down to 22 kmh. It took me about an hour longer than planned, which seemed to be a common story. Experienced riders reckoned conditions this year were one of the three worst ever.
In such circumstances, it is very important to avoid hitting the wall. I took three 750ml bottles with me. Two were filled with water, and one with electrolyte drink. I also took some electrolyte powder, some gels, a power bar and some sports jelly beans. I got through the electrolyte drink even before it started to get really hot, so it's lucky I brought the additional powder. As it was I ran out of it with about an hour to go, and only had water from then on. I'd made sure I refilled the water bottles at every stop and I'd estimate that I probably drank about 5 litres of fluid on the day. I think I ate 4 gels, the power bar, a ham salad sandwich, a banana and the jelly beans. I don't think I re-hydrated quite enough, and I also suspect I could have had a protein bar or something instead of one of the gels.
When I got home I had another electrolyte drink and a whey powder shake and they didn't even touch the sides.
The other thing I tried to do was to stretch whenever I stopped. I normally do this quite well, but I think I under-did it in my haste to complete the ride. The ferry ride involved a long break - 2 hours - and I definitely should have stretched more then rather than go cold. At least there was no residual muscle soreness when I was done, which always used to be the case when I started doing long-distance riding.
All other things went well - no punctures or falls, etc. There was some looseness in my derailleurs which caused me to lose my chain three times, but those things are easily fixed. Still, I was pissed off at the so called mechanic who had prepped my bike for the ride, as it should not have been happening.
I've now done Around The Bay twice - once in each direction. I don't think I'll try it again, as it would just be repeating something I've already done. So I am now on the lookout for another challenge to keep me outdoors and relatively healthy.
