Darko Bogdanovic, Shayne Husson & Myself had an early start at 06:02, which almost coincided with the Summer Solstice sunrise time of 05:58 and the opportunity to enjoy the 14:30:37 hours of daylight on the longest day of the year. This ruse would minimise the amount of night time riding and gave us the opportunity to take the challenge of a 400 kilometre Fleurieu loop. This would essentially would be a big “stretch” from the moody Southern Ocean to the Vineyards of Tanunda in the Barossa Valley, Eastwards to the dry Mallee country of the Murray River & the midcoast beaches to the west. To give some dimension to the size of this ride, it would be a 128 kilometre wide loop if it was simplified to a circle. For the other two riders this would be their first attempts at a such an endeavour & take them into unknown experiences. 

The 150 group of James, George & Elbert had left one hour after us & followed the same course as far as Myponga but were to take Pages Flat road back to Norwood via Penney’s Hill & then the tight pitches of Clarendon road.

With a blocking high pressure system, the wind pattern remained a steady S.E. for the whole journey, which effectively gave us  equal measure of tailwinds and some moderate (17 to 34 kmh) headwinds at the start of the ride. The Weather Impact™ score for this ride was 2.30%, which translates as the wind conditions being very mildly energy sapping. We were also prepared for predicted low temperatures of 8 degrees but this never eventuated, with a temperate range of 13° to a temperate 27°. We were to discover that in some ways, temperature alone is not a predictor of rider comfort.

After a tranquil traverse of Adelaide’s inner suburbs, we made our climb upwards on the Southern Veloway to about 190 metres, where a cloudy cumulus sky greeted us and the wind cooled us. With the weaving and undulations of this bikeway, we were afforded some cover in the lee of the wind. Once on the new Aldinga bikeway (also known by local Riders as the MSR) we were in open country & at the mercy of the wind but with the distracting views of the Willunga Hill’s escarpment, which stands abruptly above the Sellick’s basin. It’s a particulary beautiful scene at sunset, where the lead grey of the rises become a very beautiful ochre colour, often serenaded by large flocks of corellas seeking overnight rest points.

A coastal spin at Aldinga past a slightly choppy blue sea, was both beautiful & encouraging. This was the western end of our Fleurieu loop.

     We slowly climbed the Sellick’s Hill rises to Myponga & there we filled with water & continued onwards to Nettle Hill. We had some shelter on it’s weaving narrow road but at the eventual high point the breezes returned. Nettle hill road is one of my favourites, with its verdant scenery, small un-trafficked roads & is a safe way to reach Victor Harbor at our 100km checkpoint. Already we were 2:46 hours before the cutoff times & this was to be indicative of the whole day. Shayne the course creator, diverted us from the busy Port Elliott road along Waterport road which was far safer, as we headed eastwards.

The segment to Milang was a “wind on, wind off” course & we arrived there (148km) with  Lake Alexandrina looking it’s malachite colour & choppy as usual. As you approach the town, the lake appears to be above you and appears mysterious. For Cyclists, the Bakery behind the main street has nice sitting areas and great food. 

I have come to enjoy the expansive skies of this area but the straight Burdett’s road only gave us fleeting views of the muddy Murray. Our halfway point at Murray Bridge (202km) had us quite energetic and we sleekly continued without stopping. Once on the ferry at Mannum we chilled in the warm cloudless sky. The Ferryman was very amiable & offered to do our group photo for us. A group of Filipinos were curious about us & smiling from their tour vehicle tagged as “Pinay SA”; I suppose it was their first experience with MAMILS!

 Our group did well with riding times & the South Easterly had us gliding along at a peak speed of 57½kmh on the Cambrai Flats. The sunset views of the lumpy Eastern Barossa hills were our gentleness before the tough Towitta Climb (near Sedan). 

     A long stop at the refurbished Sedan hotel was quite pleasant sitting on the broad verandah, patting their cat & having cool drinks in the setting sun. With our high average speed maybe at 40kmh on the plains, we were ahead of time and were to be rewarded with a daylight ascent. I had dreaded doing so in the dark and this was the reward of the day for me. The views from Towitta were superlative, stretching to the distant, dusty Jabuk ranges.  We then corkscrewed upwards back to the Barossa. With 278km already in the legs, I nearly did walk!, but ate a mayo sandwich instead. I had struggled in the peak heat, (27°C) due to what  Shayne called 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑛𝑒𝑢𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 (an apt but innovative concept for me). Simply, there was no cooling wind on the Cambrai road, as our ground speed matched the airspeed. I tended to catch up on the hills (in a stop & start manner) but Darko’s prowess over all, was exemplary. Shayne, the master of pacing came to the fore on the flats. I simply struggled in the swelter, with headache and dizziness. My very large water intake seemed to make no difference in the humidity.

In the dark we had a smooth downhill into a very quiet Angaston. This town lies on the lip of the Barossa’s eastern flank & from there it was a down pitch back to Gawler (344 km) on the Adelaide plains. After the relative isolation of the Mallee plains, it was lovely to experience greenness and coolness. The Jack Bobridge Bikeway though, was potentially hazardous with jutting wooden fences & non-reflecting bollards. By the time I got to Gawler I had “sea legs” and found walking difficult. Seeing a bike rider ululating in the street must have been funny for the locals. Our ride finished on the millpond flat Stuart O’Grady Veloway, where the headwind briefly lessened & I enjoyed the coolness of the late evening.

We completed the ride in 19:25 hours at an average moving speed of 24.80 kmh and an overall, of 20.89 kmh including rests. It’s hard to comprehend that our trio of 150’s had completed their sojourn 6½ hours prior. Our achievement was curtailing the cutoff time by 7:33 hours. A big thankyou to Darko and Shayne for completing their first 400 and for re-grouping when I dropped back on the plains. 

JAMES LITT’s 150 ride report:

Marcus’ Summer Solstice was yesterday with 6 riders: 3 doing the 150 Elbert, George and James) and 3 doing the 400 (Darko, Marcus and Shayne). While the 400s started an hour earlier (6am) we all headed to Myponga along the Patrick Jonker Veloway, then the Coast to Vines Railtrail. It was actually quite nice doing the Veloway in reverse and with fresh legs, as it’s usually the opposite and after 150kms. And to be on a bike path all the way to Aldinga, fabulous!  

The joy of the Myponga leg is it takes you down to Pt Willunga and Aldinga along the Esplanade, which is so pretty. It’s then just 15 kms to Myponga.  

From Myponga the 150s returned to Adelaide via the scenic McLaren Vale and Clarendon. The 400s continued further south to Victor and Goolwa before skirting around Lake Alexandrina and heading north to Murray Bridge. From there it’s only 25km to Mannum (I’ve done that road a few times and it ain’t much fun). The photos show them crossing the river at Mannum. No wonder they’re smiling.

Thankfully the weather was kind yesterday, which makes all the difference. The 150s came in ~3.15pm while the 400s came in ~ 1.30am. 400s are always a big day out, so congratulations to Darko, Marcus and Shayne. 

There are no more rides this year, so I hope you enjoy the Christmas holidays with your family and friends. We’ll see you in the new year with the 1st ride in January being Scott’s Immortal (11 Jan) and my Mini Alpine (18th). Here’s the link to register https://audax.org.au/ride/event-register/ 

Until then, safe cycling!