Westmeadows to University Hill Bundoora 15/08/2010

Written by Iain Indian.

8:00am : Sunday morning came all too soon. 6 hours sleep saw me struggling to exit the warmth of my lodgings, way before my body relented. The evening before I went on a night training ride in the freezing still coldness, but found myself at good friend John's "going away party" enroute. Some time later I decided to leave the cheerful gathering and catch a few hours sleep before the big ride. Sadly I got lost and 500m turned into a 5km tour of Tullamarine and surrounds. (Ed's note: A bit too much to drink the night before?)

Sunday 9.00am: Arriving with friend Neil at the marshalling point (Westie Bakery) I could sense the nervous energy as riders arrived, buffed in their lycra and smelling of coffee. It was a colorful sight as we embarked, participants jostling for position. George formed an early break-away and surged into a commanding lead. It took considerable will power for others in the peloton not to break with George but rather bide their time. At this point I realized that this relaxing Sunday ride appeared rather analogous of chess.

The ride glided purposefully down the Moonee Ponds Creek Trail toward the Broadmeadows Sporting Club where we veered left and up the steep valley wall toward Jacana overpass. It was here as I struggled for my next breath that I realized how nice poached eggs with crispy bacon could taste a second and indeed third time around. Cresting the long hill climb we proceeded under Pascoe Vale Rd then over Jacana Station to join the Western RIng Trail. From here the riding became very flat and relaxed as we headed east along the Western Ring road. Soon after, the peloton again made contact with George who was swallowed by the anonymous mass.

Carefully crossing several main roads we arrived at the La Salita Café where clever banter and magnificent coffee was used to wash down fresh muffins.

Mounting our trusty cycles we headed home at a leisurely pace. Riders dropped off at various points along the way (Ed's note: Luckily for Greg he didn't "drop off" when he ran off the path speeding downhill to Moonee Ponds Creek. He did well to maintain his control and balance, and recovered superbly.) to make their own way home, and relax after yet another enjoyable diversion to our daily grind.

Check out our ride maps (not quite the whole ride because Kevin's GPS app sometimes lost tracking and even crashed) at:

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/86993 Westmeadows to Ring Rd Jacana, 3.3 km

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/86996 Ring Rd Jacana to University Hill Bundoora,15.4 km

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/86995 University Hill to Dalton Rd Thomastown, 4.0 km

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/86994 Edgars Rd Thomastown to Westmeadows bakery, 12.5 km

and our photos at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/HumeCityBUG/WestmeadowsToUniversityHill20100815?feat=directlink

HumeBUG Aitken Creek Ride 1/08/2010

Composed by Iain Indian

Waking up at 8.00am, I was intending to participate in the 14-km Craigieburn family ride. Reminiscent of years gone by when I lived near the the surf beach I dragged myself from the warmth of my cot in the pre dawn. There was a sense of stillness and anticipation as I snuck a look out the front door and sniffed the air. On this occasion however I could hear the rain and realised that the ride was unlikely to proceed. I fired a quick SMS off to Kevin our ride leader to
confirm my analysis and headed back to bed. The previous evening was a late one. Kevin replied to my text saying that he would head to the start line anyway, in case others should front up.

At 9.30am I thought that I might just head over and meet him anyway. My wife Janine heard me preparing and by some miracle decided to keep me company and donned the lycra. Originally I had intended to ride up and back from Gladdy. With the clock ticking, I threw the bikes on the
car instead and headed for Mickleham Rd. By 10:00 we marshalled at the start point at Craigieburn Library and received a few inspirational words from Kevin prior to departure. Team photos taken, we proceeded with a rolling start. It wasn't long before the riders started to break off into smaller groups. One rider, Kevin shot into the lead with a cracking pace approaching 14-km per hour along Aitken Creek. The main peloton consisting of Janine, her first time on the
"Tour", was wondered how long he could sustain this speed and decided to pace herself and wait for a gap to emerge. As the tail ender, I managed to just keep in contact with the peloton and built up a nice camaraderie as we called out to each other along the way. At the end
of the first section Kevin was in the lead followed closely by Janine and then myself.

We had a well earned rest at the Highlands Lake Cafe overlooking the lake. As elite athletes we were mindful of the body's craving for energy. We indulged the craving with a little "carb' loading". Kevin had pancakes, Janine fruit toast and I tackled the Eggs Benedict. Very nice indeed and washed down with coffee. After a quick warm up we left in the same order to make our way back to the Craigieburn Library along Malcom's Creek. The scenery along the creeks and wooded areas was really very picturesque. In some areas we took to the back streets and admired some really nice homes. Overall Kevin led us on a guided tour of some of the really nice areas of Craigieburn and stopped occasionally to point out places of interest. The ride proceeded at a relaxed pace and had a very social feel. It was certainly within the grasp of any beginners and kids. A thoroughly worthwhile ride.