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:
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