Soon 𝖺𝖿𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗀𝗅𝗂𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗂𝗑 𝗌𝗐𝖾𝖾𝗉𝗂𝗇𝗀, 𝖽𝗈𝗐𝗇 𝗁𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝖻𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗌 𝗍𝗈𝗐𝖺𝗋𝖽𝗌 𝐶𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑜𝑛, 𝗐𝖾 𝗌𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 ‘𝗋𝗈𝗉𝖾 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝗍𝗐𝗂𝗌𝗍𝗌’ 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝗈𝗐 𝖼𝗅𝗈𝗎𝖽𝗌 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖶𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗎𝗇𝗀𝖺 𝖱𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾. 𝖨𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗅𝖺𝗌𝗌𝗂𝖼 𝖠𝗎𝗍𝗎𝗆𝗇𝖺𝗅 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝖽𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝗐𝖾 𝗏𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗎𝗋𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈𝗐𝖺𝗋𝖽𝗌 𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖿𝗂𝗋𝗌𝗍 𝖦𝗋𝖺𝗏𝖾𝗅 𝗌𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝖺𝗍 𝐻𝑎𝑟𝑣𝑒𝑦 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑. 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗁𝗂𝗀𝗁 𝗁𝗎𝗆𝗂𝖽𝗂𝗍𝗒 (82%) 𝖻𝖾𝖼𝖺𝗆𝖾 very 𝗅𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝖽𝗋𝗂𝗓𝗓𝗅𝖾 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝖿𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 16 𝖽𝖾𝗀𝗋𝖾𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝖽𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌. 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗈𝗉𝖾𝗇 𝗌𝗄𝗂𝖾𝗌, 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗅𝗈𝗎𝖽 𝗇𝗈𝗐 𝖻𝖾𝗅𝗈𝗐 𝗎𝗌, 𝗍𝗈𝗈𝗄 𝗎𝗌 𝖺𝗅𝗈𝗇𝗀 𝗌𝗆𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗌𝖼𝖾𝗇𝗂𝖼 𝗍𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗄𝗌 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝑀𝑡.𝐸𝑝ℎ𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑚 𝖺𝗋𝖾𝖺 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖿𝖺𝗌𝗍 𝗉𝗂𝗍𝖼𝗁𝖾𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝑂𝑙𝑑 𝐵𝑢𝑙𝑙 𝐶𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑘 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑. 𝖣𝖺𝗋𝗄𝗈 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝖺𝖻𝗅𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗉𝗅𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝗀𝗋𝖺𝗏𝖾𝗅 𝗈𝗇 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗋𝗈𝖺𝖽 𝖻𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝖿𝗂𝗍𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 30𝗆𝗆 𝖯-𝖹𝖾𝗋𝗈 𝗍𝗒𝗋𝖾𝗌. 𝖲𝗁𝖺𝗒𝗇𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖬𝗒𝗌𝖾𝗅𝖿 𝗂𝗋𝗈𝗇𝖾𝖽 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗈𝖿𝖿𝗋𝗈𝖺𝖽 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 38𝗆𝗆 𝗍𝗒𝗋𝖾𝗌 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗐𝖾 𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗀𝖾𝗇𝖾𝗋𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝗌𝗅𝗈𝗐𝖾𝗋. 𝐵𝑢𝑙𝑙 𝐶𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑘 was exciting, with descending views of the 𝐶𝑜𝑜𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔 and the hills near Murray Bridge. 𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑏𝑦𝑛 was a long food stop in the comfortable warmth. I was dreading the corrugations of the 𝐷𝑟𝑦 𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑 but this had been improved since our foray there in April last year. This year we were 0.60 kmh faster, as an average moving speed.                                  𝖠𝗌 𝗐𝖾 𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝖿𝗂𝗇𝖽 𝗈𝗎𝗍, 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝗂𝗆𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖼𝗅𝖺𝗒 𝗍𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗄𝗌 𝗁𝖺𝖽 𝖻𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝗇𝖾𝗐𝗅𝗒 𝗀𝗋𝖺𝖽𝖾𝖽, 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗌𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝗌𝗆𝗈𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝗅𝖺𝖼𝗄𝗍𝗈𝗉 𝗋𝗈𝖺𝖽𝗌. After passing through 𝑉𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝐻𝑎𝑟𝑏𝑜𝑟 the rolling climbs of 𝐼𝑛𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑉𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑦 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑 took us to the start of 𝐽𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑠’𝑠 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑘, with it’s light gravel climb of 350 metres over 11km (max height 424m). Gone were the sand patches, big rocks & ruts, since the last season’s track improvements. In long sections the trail was smooth shaved rock & was fast underfoot but at times required walking short sections. From there Darko could be seen summitting the second hill ahead of us.

𝖶𝗂𝗍𝗁 2600 𝗆𝖾𝗍𝗋𝖾𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝖼𝗅𝗂𝗆𝖻𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋 200 𝗄𝗂𝗅𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗍𝗋𝖾𝗌, 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝖽𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝗐𝖺𝗋𝗆𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝖿𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗁𝖾𝖼𝗄𝗉𝗈𝗂𝗇𝗍 𝖺𝗍 𝑀𝑦𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑎. By that time Darko had left the group & eventually made the final checkpoint an hour ahead of us. Scott, who did the shorter 100 kilometre loop achieved a great solo time for the course. The final gravel section was 𝐵𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑟’𝑠 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑, through dairy country to the single track of 𝑊𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑙𝑑 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑙. The trail was moderately steep at 6% (peak 11%) with coarse gravel producing only mild tyre slippage.

The final ‘plunge’ to the 𝑊𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑢𝑛𝑔𝑎 𝐵𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑛 down the very steep 𝐵𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑜𝑟 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑 took us to the well known 𝑆ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑎𝑧 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑙 where we ‘geared down’ & chatted our way home.

The 𝑺𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒏 𝑹𝒂𝒎𝒃𝒍𝒆 is highly recommended, with it’s parcour passing through scenic high points, pretty single track, has coastal views & has mostly quiet roads. With the recent road repairs this course is achievable on a road bike with 28mm tyres.