Saturday -- Rowan and I rode the Audax Tasmania "
I Will Ride 100 Miles" event.
Online Ride Calendar
I Will Ride 100 Miles in Glenorchy, 06, Australia | MapMyRide
Description:This is a 163.85 km route in Glenorchy, 06, Australia. The route has a total ascent of 1837.08 m (6027 feet) and has a maximum elevation of 492.46 m.
Rowan and I turned up the start location early, got everything ready, and then waited. Shortly before the start time, the ride organiser arrived to inform us that we were the only riders! Oh well, no problem.
At 8am, when we set off, it was a cool 13C and reached a high of 19C up where we were. But not long after we started, we had wave after wave of rain. We had it all! Heavily overcast and rain, wind and rain, sun and rain at the same time ... some combination of overcast, wind, rain and/or sun all day long. On with the jackets, off with the jackets. On with the jackets, off with the jackets. But that's Tasmania in the spring.
The route climbed gradually with lots of little ups and downs. One of those "ups" was a Cat 5 climb, and I thought that might be the hardest climb. I learned differently! Then at about the 30 km point, there was a Cat 3 climb which, for some reason, I can't remember. Probably the next climb blocked out all previous climbs.
The next climb was a Cat 2 climb that just never ended. It was a curvy climb, one where you can see a couple hundred metres ahead, and you think that that's the top, then you round the corner ... and there's more! But you can only see a couple hundred metres ahead and when you round the next corner ... there's more! I think I moaned, "You have got to be kidding!" about a dozen times.
My legs were fried by the end of that climb, but that wasn't the end of climbing. There were 2 more Cat 5 climbs, plus a whole bunch of smaller climbs ... a never-ending stream of them! This is not a flat ride. But that's Tasmania!
And the wind ... not bad most of the way, but fairly decent headwind during the last 60 km.
What with the hills and wind, there were times I wondered if my legs were going to make it. Last year, and for about 5 years prior, my lungs have given out before my legs. Today my lungs were handling things quite well (only used the inhaler once in the middle of the hardest climb), but my legs ....!!! Of course, last year, and for about 5 years prior ... I wouldn't have attempted something like this.
There were several highlights ... one was the ongoing chorus of sheep! This route passes by field after field of sheep, all with different voices, and very chatty today.
Another highlight was the fact that we cycled to Bothwell. We've driven there, and spent a weekend there, and for whatever reason, I've always had the impression that Bothwell is quite a distance away. And yet, today, we cycled there.
... and back again!!
And a third highlight was that I rode Machak. This is the first time I've ridden him this distance since he was recovered. I've ridden him shorter distances, but after doing a few recent shorter rides, I decided to give him a go on a longer ride.
Rowan rode his Merlin, and kind of wished for lower gearing a few times.
Stats
Distance: 163.4 km (101.5 miles)
Total Ascent: 1837.08 m (6027 feet)
Total Time: 9:59:48
Moving Time: 8:55:40
Average Speed: 17.95 km/h