April 16, 2021
Introduction
5 Sleeps to go
I originally conceived the idea of riding from my home in Adelaide to Geelong a couple of years ago when I discovered the Cyclewayz app(Now called FarOut). A cycle tour route using secondary roads where possible was laid out ready to go. A personal challenge needing to be implemented I thought. Further research on The Great Ocean Road (GOR), stories of international travellers driving on the wrong side of the road, dozen of buses on the coast road daily plus further car traffic volumes scared me off. The tour was put to one side but not forgotten.
Fast forward and Covid19 hit in 2020, the Australia boarders have been closed for over 12 months now. No international tourists means a lot less traffic on GOR. I figured its now or never.
Wed April 21st is my departure day. The plan is to ride approx. 1000kms to Geelong by May 6th to catch the Overland Train home on Friday morning May 7th.
As a way of mentally commiting to the trip I've booked the first 2 nights accomodation and the train ticket home. The Overland train travels to Adelaide twice a week and can only take 4 bikes so booking the ticket home seemed essential.
I'm taking the typical Ozzie approach of she'll be right and crossing my fingers that Covid19 doesn't flare up and close the South Australian / Victorian boarder.
My training hasn't be to intense. I commute to work 2-3 times a week (a 42kms round trip) plus a longer ride on most weekends. Lets hope its enough.
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Looking forward to following your journey from my armchair in NZ. I agree you have picked the best time to ride, the lack of camper vans and crazy tourists on the road will make your riding so much more pleasant. Late last year, mainly because I couldn’t go anywhere else, I cycled the length of our South Island, there was an obvious lack of traffic, so peaceful, minimal petrol tankers over taking me, no lines of campervans trying to squeeze past me on narrow winding roads. This was a ride I would have put on my retirement list but it worked out really well doing it when I did. So easy to stop and take pictures, even do U turns for something I’d missed, I’d never normally make a U turn on the main highway.
Go well,
Sandy
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