30 Nov

Thursday Social Ride – Woodend – 30th November 2017

3 riders arrived in Woodend this morning for today’s ride. Weather conditions were hot with a freshening North Easterly wind. To avoid the heat we rode a 55km modified version of our normal route. We rode direct to Newham, Carlshrue, Central Road and back along Ashbourne Road with the latter part of the ride mainly in the shade of the trees.

Once we started heading towards Carlshrue we enjoyed a tail wind for most of the remainder of the ride. With the favorable breeze the ride was conducted at a good pace.

Once back at the cafe it was inside in the air conditioning. A good chance to cool down from the heat on the ride. Following refreshments it was then back out into the heat and homeward.

26 Nov

Ride News

Sunday Social Ride – Kyneton – 26th November 2017

15 riders arrived this morning for today’s ride. Weather conditions were warm, overcast with thunderstorms in the area. The skies were clear in the direction that we were heading. The ride was a little late starting as one member arrived and it was noticed he was not wearing his helmet, a quick drive ensued to collect the offending missing article. Once properly attired we set off.

2 riders rode the short ride, 2 the medium ride and the remaining 11 rode the longer ride. One rider had a minor tumble being unable to unclip when halted by traffic leaving the velodrome. The roads were a little wet at the start of the ride but dried quickly and no rain was encountered on the long ride. There was some rumblings of thunder in the distance but nothing close to the route we were riding.

All riders on the long ride enjoyed the ride followed by socializing at the cafe before heading home. There was some rain commencing as we departed for home and 4 riders were riding home with varying distances.

 

 

23 Nov

Thursday Social Ride – Woodend – 23rd November 2017

5 riders assembled this morning for today’s ride. Weather conditions were warm with a medium North Easterly wind blowing.  We rode a 53km route to Newham via Bryces Lane, Chases Lane, Batters Lane and back to Woodend. The  ride into the breeze was cooling  but once we turned back to Woodend with the tail wind the heat became noticeable.

Once back at the cafe it was relaxing outside under the shade of an umbrella and enjoying the refreshments.

20 Nov

Ride News

Sunday Social Ride – Woodend – 19th November 2017

13 riders assembled in Woodend for today’s ride. Conditions were ideal with the sun shining and little wind. Rider numbers were 8 ladies & 5 men. Guys outnumbered again. An excellent number considering who many were away in Bright.

The group rode a modified version of the medium ride and then enjoyed refreshments in the sunshine at the cafe.

 

20 Nov

Ride News

Bright Trip – Day 3

15 riders rode 40.7km from Bright to the end of the sealed section along Buckland Valley. The ride was mainly flat with some undulations in the Buckland Valley section. Everyone enjoyed the easier ride after the climbing of the previous day. Just as we rode back via Porepunkah  some light rain started falling and most of the group continued on to Bright for lunch.

The remaining 9 riders rode a 78km ride from Myrtleford to Yackandandah with 2 riders returning via Beechworth. Riders were caught in a storm and were forced to shelter in a cafe at Yackandandah until the rain cleared. Some cyclists have to suffer for a ride.

Bright Trip – Day 4

13 riders climbed Falls Creek from Mt Beauty with 3 of the group riding from Bright over Tawonga Gap before the climb and 1 rider also rode back to Bright. Ride distances varied from 64km, 95km & 126km. All riders successfully completed the climb including 4 first time riders.

5 riders rode the rail trail from Bright to Myrtleford and back plus they were joined by 2 others who had ridden a 37km loop from Myrtleford. Conditions were ideal for the final day with warm sunshine and no rain.

Riders having to work returned home after the ride and 13 stayed in Bright for the evening.

Bright Trip – Day 5

2 riders decided to climb Mt Hotham this morning with 1 riding from Bright and the other from Harrietville. No further details of the ride available.

17 Nov

Ride News

Bright Trip Day 1

Weather conditions were so bad that no one rode that day.

Day 2

Mount Buffalo Climb

17 riders tackled the climb from Bright to Mt Buffalo, a return ride of approx 70km to 78km depending on the finish at the top of the climb. We had 6 first timers climbing the mountain including a newer lady member who only began riding in March of this year. A terrific achievement for all of those riders.  We were in the clouds and fog at the top of the mountain when we felt some spits of rain and within minutes we were in the middle of a thunder storm plus hail which was directly overhead making for a very interesting descent down the mountain. Everybody made it down the mountain safely. Once halfway down the sun began to shine and it was warmed up quickly. Some riders who started the descent first managed no rain at all.

Lake Buffalo ride.

8 riders rode from Myrtleford to Lake Buffalo and back a distance of approx 44km. The riders had some rain but more the inconvenience of getting wet and then drying out. One rider had the misfortune to have a puncture and once that was repaired another member of the group found that he also had a puncture. After both were repaired they completed the rides and enjoyed lunch in Myrtleford.

Details of tomorrow’s ride to come in the next installment.

12 Nov

Ride News

Sunday Social Ride – Gisborne – 12th November 2017

25 riders assembled this morning for today’s ride. Conditions were warm with a light breeze and some local fog starting to lift. We had two new riders this morning, one a friend of a member and the other an international visitor. Both riders enjoyed their rides and company. Also 2 members had just returned from overseas and were suffering from jet lag so the rides were a struggle.

16 riders rode the longer ride, 8 the medium ride and one member with time commitments rode the short ride which included the first part of the medium ride with the group.

After the rides all members had a good time sitting under the shade at the cafe with the warmth before they all departed for home.

09 Nov

Thursday Social Ride – Woodend – 9th November 2017

9 riders arrived in Woodend this morning for today’s ride. Weather conditions were excellent for riding with the sun shining, warm and very little wind. It was good to be able to ride without multiple layers to protect against the cold.

We rode one of our normal loops out to Newham via Bryces Lane, Chases Lane and back along Batters Lane. As there was only a slight breeze the ride was quick, being warm during a ride was a novelty that we had not had for many months.

Once back at the cafe we all enjoyed sitting outside in the shade having our refreshments before heading home.

05 Nov

Ride News

Sunday Social Ride – Kyneton – 5th November 2017

25 riders assembled in Kyneton this morning for today’s ride. Weather conditions were cloudy with a strong southerly wind blowing, which gave way to sunshine by the end of the rides. 10 riders rode the longer ride, 12 the medium ride and the remaining 3 the short ride.

As the ride commenced with a strong tail wind one Muppet (Me) in the medium/ short ride group decided to try and improve a Strava segment time to Malmsbury and the group averaged 28.8kph out . (New PB time. yeea) Other riders in the group on Strava would also have achieved PB’s as well. The ride split into two groups at the end of Youngs Road where the rides parted in different directions. Once we were on the climb up Shepherds Hill average speeds quickly came back to more normal speeds. From the top of the hill back to Kyneton we enjoyed a assisting tail wind all the way back. Riders on the long ride also had similar conditions except they had a longer ride into the head wind before having the tail wind back to Kyneton. As a result all rides were ridden at a fast pace.

Everyone was then together back at the cafe where we enjoyed the usual noise, chatter before heading home.

 

02 Nov

Thursday Social Ride – Kyneton – 2nd November 2017

4 riders arrived in Woodend this morning for today’s ride. Weather conditions were typical for Woodend lately, cold, wet and windy. . We decided to ride from Kyneton instead of Woodend as 2 riders came from Kyneton where the weather was fine.

We rode a 40km loop out to Malmsbury, Young’s Rd and Shepherds Hill then back to Kyneton. The weather was fine with some sunshine during portions of the ride. Definitely much better than the conditions we encountered in Woodend. With the tail wind to Malmsbury and being sheltered in Shepherds Hill Rd followed by a tail wind back to Kyneton it was an enjoyable and fast ride.

Once back in Kyneton it was then to the cafe for the usual chat and socialising before heading home.