Saturday morning, up around 5 am: not much for brekkie (a few dry biscuits and a tea), but it does the job to get going. Meet-up in the village for a 6 am start (not easy finding the exact spot in the middle of the night!). There are five of us: Pete (the organiser) heading out for 300 km, Joshua and Peter on the 400 km, and Simon and me on the 200 km. The sun’s just about up when we hit the dirt roads—the sunrise is unreal! I keep Pete in sight for a little while, but he soon disappears up the road. Simon and I cross paths now and then, usually at a cattle gate to open and shut.

First stop in Boorowa, 70 km in, around 9:30 am. I take the time for a proper brekkie (flat white and banana bread)—a solid half-hour break. The headwind starts to wear a bit; we keep telling ourselves we’ll get a tailwind on the way back! Josh, on the 400 km, flies past me around the 110 km mark (he’s already done 140!). In Young, at km 133, it’s 1 pm—good timing for a Coke and a sandwich. It’s not that warm, but the sun’s out. Still riding into a headwind.

Roll into Harden just before 3:30 pm; Josh goes past me again. He pulls into the servo. No stop for me—35 km to go and finally a tailwind. A few short climbs that really sting the legs after more than 150 km. But it all comes together, and I get back to Binalong at 5 pm: still sunny, so I grab a beer at the pub. 203 km and 2,750 m of climbing, 150 km of gravel, just over 10 hours on the bike (20 km/h moving average) and about an hour off the bike.

Back to the motel for a nice hot shower. By the time I head to the motel restaurant for a well-earned meal, it’s just after 6 pm, and Simon gets in from his ride too. I have a quick bite (with a ginger beer) and turn in fairly early.