𝖠𝖴𝖣𝖠𝖷 300

𝖶𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗂𝗍𝗌 350 𝗄𝗆 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗇𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗅𝗒 4000𝗄𝗆 𝗈𝖿 𝖺𝗅𝗍𝗂𝗍𝗎𝖽𝖾 𝗀𝖺𝗂𝗇 (including the Crafers bikeway) 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖠𝖴𝖣𝖠𝖷 𝖢𝗅𝗎𝖻 𝗋𝗂𝖽𝖾 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗌𝗂𝗆𝗉𝗅𝗒 𝗐𝗈𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖿𝗎𝗅 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝖻𝗋𝖾𝖾𝗓𝖾𝗌, 𝖼𝗅𝖾𝖺𝗋 𝗌𝗄𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗎𝗇𝗌𝖾𝖺𝗌𝗈𝗇𝖺𝗅 𝗐𝖺𝗋𝗆𝗍𝗁. 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒 𝖼𝗈𝗅𝖽 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝖾𝗆𝗉𝖾𝗋𝖺𝗍𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝗂𝗇𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗁𝖺𝖽 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖽𝗂𝗉𝗉𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗂𝗇 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝗂𝖼𝗒 𝗉𝗈𝖼𝗄𝖾𝗍𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝖺𝗂𝗋. 𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖾 16 𝗋𝗂𝖽𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝖽𝗈𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗅𝗈𝗈𝗉𝗌 𝗈𝖿 50 𝗍𝗈 1000𝗄𝗆 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗒𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗅𝗒 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗇𝗍. 𝖬𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝗈𝗇𝗀𝖾𝗋 𝖽𝗂𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝗋𝗂𝖽𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗒𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝗍 𝖢𝗅𝖾𝗅𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖧𝗎𝗍 & 𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗏𝗂𝖽𝖾𝖽 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝖻𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗄𝖿𝖺𝗌𝗍 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗇𝖾𝗋, 𝗂𝗇 𝖺 𝖢𝗒𝖼𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖻𝖺𝖼𝗄𝗉𝖺𝖼𝗄𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝗌𝖾𝗍𝗎𝗉. 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝗂𝖽𝖾 𝗈𝗋𝗀𝖺𝗇𝗂𝗌𝖾𝗋 “𝖣𝗂𝗏” 𝗁𝖺𝖽 𝗆𝖺𝗉𝗌, 𝖻𝗋𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗍 𝖼𝖺𝗋𝖽𝗌, 𝗍𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗄𝖾𝗋𝗌 & 𝗌𝗎𝗇𝖽𝗋𝗒, 𝗈𝗋𝗀𝖺𝗇𝗂𝗌𝖾𝖽 𝗈𝗇 𝖺 𝗅𝖺𝗋𝗀𝖾 𝗍𝖺𝖻𝗅𝖾. 𝖨𝗍 𝗅𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝗃𝗎𝗌𝗍 𝖻𝖾𝗅𝗈𝗐 𝖬𝗍.𝖫𝗈𝖿𝗍𝗒 𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖭𝖺𝗀𝖺𝗋𝗋𝖾 𝖻𝗎𝗌𝗁 𝗍𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗄 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗂𝗌 𝖺 𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗍𝖺𝖻𝗅𝖾 𝖺𝗋𝗋𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍.                       𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝗂𝖽𝖾 𝗂𝗍𝗌𝖾𝗅𝖿 𝗐𝖾𝖺𝗏𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖠𝖽𝖾𝗅𝖺𝗂𝖽𝖾 𝖧𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗌 𝗏𝗂𝖺 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗁𝗂𝗀𝗁 𝗉𝗈𝗂𝗇𝗍 𝖺𝗍 𝖪𝖾𝗋𝗌𝖻𝗋𝗈𝗈𝗄 & 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗎𝗇𝖽𝗎𝗅𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖽𝖾𝗌𝖼𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗂𝗇𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝗋𝖺𝗇𝗊𝗎𝗂𝗅𝗂𝗍𝗒 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖡𝖺𝗋𝗈𝗌𝗌𝖺 𝖵𝖺𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗒. 𝖠𝗌 𝖨 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝖠𝗇𝗀𝖺𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗇, 𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝗂𝗉 𝗈𝖿 𝗁𝖾 𝖾𝖺𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗇 𝖿𝗅𝖺𝗇𝗄 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝗂𝗇𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝗀𝗂𝗈𝗇, 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖳𝗈𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗍𝖺 𝖽𝖾𝗌𝖼𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝖺𝗅𝗅𝖾𝖾 𝗉𝗅𝖺𝗂𝗇𝗌 𝖺𝗍 𝖲𝖾𝖽𝖺𝗇 𝖾𝗑𝖼𝗂𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗆𝖾. 𝖶𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗂𝗍𝗌 𝖻𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗁𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗐𝖾𝖾𝗉𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖻𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗌, 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗏𝗂𝖾𝗐𝗌 𝗍𝗈𝗐𝖺𝗋𝖽𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖩𝖺𝖻𝗎𝗄 𝗋𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾𝗌 𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝖻𝗈𝗍𝗁 𝖾𝗑𝗉𝖺𝗇𝗌𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗀𝗂𝗇𝗀.          𝖡𝖾𝗒𝗈𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾  𝗉𝗅𝗎𝗆𝖻𝗅𝗂𝗇𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝖲𝗍𝗈𝗍𝗍 𝖧𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗐𝖺𝗒. 𝖭𝗈𝗐 𝗌𝗈𝗅𝗈, 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗋𝗈𝖺𝖽 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗇𝗀𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗈𝗇𝗅𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗆𝗂𝗌𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗏𝖾𝗋𝖽𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝗀𝗋𝖾𝖾𝗇𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖬𝗎𝗋𝗋𝖺𝗒 𝗋𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗌𝗉𝗎𝗋𝗋𝖾𝖽 𝗆𝖾 𝗈𝗇𝗐𝖺𝗋𝖽.At Swan Reach the ferryman was particularly interested in our Lofty Loops ride & the solitude of the setting was reviving. The Nildotte-Bowhill strava segment was particularly fast in the light tailwinds & the river views were magnificent. Unkown to me but verified via Strava 𝐹𝑙𝑦𝑏𝑦𝑠, one of the 1000km riders had been tailing me since the Barossa. At the side of the road he passed by, looking really fresh as I anxiously munched on a zucchini slice. By the time I reached Mannum, in the sunset, I had lost him. His group continued to Murray Bridge and I continued to Palmer, high on the pyrites highlands.Night riding is still a novelty to me & somehow my riding becomes more relaxed. In the inky blackness my sense of time, speed & effort seem to blend into an infinity.

The final kilometres through the Adelaide Hills were softened by the flat Onkaparinga Valley road before the final ‘sting in the tail’.

Sprigg road up to Lofty was a moderately steep gravel section, that eventually joined the Cleland Hut trail. 

Like a drunken man I wobbled my way to the door.

A warm welcome from ride organiser ‘Div’ capped off my solo day of Exilaration, Wonder, Joy and periods of despair.