Wandong Winter Wander

It was a case of best laid plans coming undone. You'll remember my pledge to try to ride with others on the Audax Wandong Winter Wander. I noticed a few likely candidates in the group milling at the start. Then I read the route notes. Us 150km riders were to ride a 3.2km loop before heading off on the same course as the 200k riders. Damn. Oh well, if I make good time to Seymour, I can ride with them out to the turnaround.

The whole plan was made more complicated by the fact that I was under some time constraints. Sunday was my daughter, Ruby's 5th birthday and I'd promised to be home by 3pm to help out at her party. Five year old girls are not to be disappointedly.

With this in mind, I polished off the 3.2km loop and set off in pursuit of the 200k riders. Easier said than done, even a 6 or 7 minute start is really hard to reel in, especially when Leigh's out there driving into the wind. When I got to the Seymour stop, the lead four where still there and I started looking at the next leg. Alas we were to go our separate ways again. They headed to Nagambie while I was off to Avenel. The head wind had come up a bit more by this section and it was more exposed than earlier. It still wasn't too bad and I knew it was only 20 odd km until I could turn for home with a tail wind.

The general store in Avenel was chock-a-block full of customers and it seemed to take forever to get my card stamped. The tail wind back to Seymour was a great help without being a gale but I made good time.

Back at Seymour I met up with the first of the 100k riders just preparing to leave so I jacked a ride with Stephen, Gareth and Jane. We had a fair wind through the winding hilly country to Broadford and Kilmore. I think my knowledge of these hills gave me a head start up most of them. These are my regular riding routes. It was great to have someone to ride with and chat to at last. I get sick of my own terrible singing after a while.

By Kilmore, I was keen to get to the finish, so I did a hit and run on the servo to get my card signed and was off on my own again. With a passable tail wind I gave the last 13 odd km a good thrashing. The East Kilmore road has a bunch of lovely rolling hills you can really attack, especially with a nice breeze at your back.

At the end, it was really hard to leave the nice warm hall at Wandong to go home. I really wanted to sit and chew the fat for a while, but there you go. All in all, another lovely day on the bike. Not too much wind, not too cold, a lovely course, nice people to ride with and a nuovo series completed. My shoulder feels like I've been hitting it with a hammer all day, but it'll get better.

I got home in time.