This November is a bit of a difficult calendar month for me as the only 200km rides in the calendar have more climbing than even a mountain goat likes. I take my hat off to the intrepid riders that have completed the Wonder of Glorious Mee but that is one ride I shan’t be doing at the moment.
Every Which Way is a very flat, achievable ride in my current state of riding fitness and I elected to ride it a little later at 6am rather than my usual starting time of 4am. I do like a little sleep in.
Preparation for the ride was very basic but the day had a lot of wind in the forecast with milder temperatures. I packed a cap and one of my Phairo bandanas just in case I needed to change.
As I set off I made very good headway due to the tail wind that I hoped was going to change direction later in the day. No sooner than a cycling blink I had arrived at the bottom of the Gateway bridge and proceeded to climb, sharing the pathway with a large group of runners heading down. Part way up I had an informal cheer squad (one of the personal trainers for the runners) giving me encouragement which I needed because near the top some of the runners caught up to me. I had a quick chat to one who had just finished his sprint and he told me he didn’t know how we do it (ride bicycles) and in mutual admiration I told him I don’t know how they can sprint up the bridge. I impressed him more though when I told him I had another 10 hours before I finished (compared to his 40 minute session)
With a photo taken I headed down the bridge and out to Wynnum – feeling the bite of a bit of a head wind on the way. My travel time was quick for me as I navigated my way down to Ormiston and my first stop for the day. Second breakfast consisted of a salad sandwich and a coke. Whilst I ate, I discovered that the seating area is also the occasional home of a community advocate who discussed topics with the locals. What a good idea. I soon headed southwards once more and made my way to Vic point. It is amazing what you notice the fourth time round – a series of buoys placed at strategic locations and even a small lighthouse!
The ferry terminal area tat the point was quite scenic as I rode around, taking a few photos here and there before setting off towards Loganholme. On my first ride of this route, Pete Watson pointed out a small shopping center to get cold drinks. I took advantage of this one to get a cold drink, an icy pole and a bottle of water to top up the supplies. While I was there an elderly lady arrived with her blind dog and we had a quick chat about her dog before I set off once again, using the surplus water to soak my jersey to help cool down.
I found the seven sisters (the lumpy bit before Mt Cotton road to be a lot easier than previous rides except for the sweat running into my eyes – I had to stop several times to dry my face to avoid problems where I didn’t want them. With the wind still behind me I arrived at Loganholme shops in remarkably god time which was code for “ýou will get the wind on the way back”. Another salad sandwich down I headed northwards, finding the first pinch a little tough after lunch.
The run to Springwood wasn’t too difficult after that and when arrivign near the hyperdome Ithe traffic was banked up with a police car lit up at the roundabout. Fortunately for me, there was ample space on the left to pass all the cars. As I got onto the Veloway I discovered one advantage of my late start – the left side of the veloway was in the shade -what an awesome benefit! I took my time, drying my face several times more before getting up to Greenslopes and losing all shade as I made my way to the Uni bus station and waiting water fountain. A top up and soaking saw me on my way over to Herston to take advantage of the amenities before tackling the bikeway towards Eagle Junction. On the way through Albion I discovered the section just after the concrete plant wasn’t complete yet so be cautious in the next few weeks when riding there.
The Eagle Junction control saw me demolish another salad sandwich before heading through Nundah. The hill after Rode Rd roundabout is definitely annoying this late in the ride. The rest of the journey was very windy but surprisingly I found the going to be easier than expected. As I got onto the bikeway beside the Houghton Highway I encountered a van with hazard lights running on the bike path and a long way from anywhere. With memories of the Southbank incident I approached with caution only to discover it was a police camera van hidden neatly at the end of the noise barrier. I dare say a number of speeding motorists would be getting a nasty surprise.
The path under the bridge was submerged except for the narrow high path and wind on the bridge was really getting to me as I crossed – amazingly quicker than I have been in that sort of wind. The run to the tip of the peninsula and back to Katies corner only had one discourteous driver telling me to get off the road – pity that I was in the bike lane at the time. All in all, only one for the day was pretty good.
I was pleased with my effort – the day was a bit cooler than I remember but the Wahoo did record 39 degrees road temperature.