I am determined to get home today, but it will be a challenge. It’s almost 170km with a lot of climbs and unpredictable weather.
Later... Today was an exceptionally long day of cycle touring. It’s the furthest I have ever ridden my loaded Thorn Sherpa in a day. I averaged 19km/hr to reach home which is 168 km from Gundagai with approximately 1500 metres ascending.
A cool wet weather change made the ride possible. Compared to the extreme heat of yesterday, today’s weather conditions were blissful to ride in. Even the drenching I received late in the day was welcome.
I started before sunrise and followed the 7km bike path to the Dog on a Tuckerbox tourist site. From there I started riding on the motorway again toward Yass. Despite some biggish hills, I made it to Yass easily for lunch. After an hour rest break, I set off in rain along the very busy Barton Highway to Canberra. It was a hard but fun ride. I finally feel fit for tour. Just as the ride ends !
Now I am home. The tour is finished.
So good to see family, Tyson the Staffy, our house and the garden.
Tyson is devastated that I went away for three weeks and didn’t bring home a bone for him in the panniers.
Today in pics:
Pre-dawn start on this trail which links Gundagai to the Dog-on-a-Tuckerbox tourist site 7km from town.
The underwhelming but very famous Dog-on-a-Tuckerbox statue.In earlier years of pre-motorway travel, this stop at Snake Gully used to be very well known as the half-way rest point between Melbourne and Sydney. Now it’s just another roadhouse stop. The tourist part of the site is rundown. A sidetrip into Gundagai is well worth it. It’s a lovely town.
Looking across to mountains ...the Brindabella Range we crossed three weeks ago via backroads on the start of the tour. The return route today via the highway has skirted the highest climbs.
Albury to home elevation. This shows the last 2.5 days of riding which was about 360km, mostly on the main motorway the M31 aka The Hume Highway. About 2700 metre of ascending total.The final day of this tour was 168km from Gundagai to Canberra. This starts on the elevation chart at about the 200km mark, and goes to the end. The highest point represents Conroys Gap, shown in the photo above. About 1500 metres ascending total on the final day.
