G'day everyone, I'm home! Came back pretty much via the Calder (with excursions via the Sunraysia and the Maldon road, just to keep sane) ... took eight hours all up, even with bugger all breaks. At least I made it in in daylight. Mostly a pretty miserable, boring ride and I'm not sure I can be bothered next year. Hope you had more fun going your way! -----sharks PS: Also hi to Sleepyhead Pete and to all the Pikers.
Mostly a pretty miserable, boring ride and I'm not sure I can be Thats the only downside. I get to ride 3.5 hours up the Midland Highway for an overnighter on teh boat. Then a boring 8 hours in an hungover condition to get to WS to sit around installing the next days hungover. Hell, I might just make an effort next year and do it again.
Marty turned off at St Arnaud to do the the only twisties on the way back and it rained, dry on the straight bits either side, same on the way up there too but did have fun over taking about 30 cars in the pouring rain just this side of Daylesford Marty H (winner of the 2005 WS hard luck story...up yours Goaty )
ok late last year, Just Al drops the viffer in the driveway and fucks it, got it resprayed and back together the first week of the new year 4 weeks later dropped on gravel over the road, $5k damage and a broken hand the bike out of action 14 weeks due to QBE being utter cunts bike back 3 weeks(3 weeks ago) and hit a roo @ 80kmh http://www.martyh.com/temp/roo007.jpg , got it back together with some 2nd hand pieces to get it upto WS on the way up I was following a Wagon that had a loose roof rack flapping around so I waved him over, as I pulled up on the inside of him on the grass the wife opened the door, clipped my pannier and over the bike went, only damage was a broken pannier mount....... and Goaty was trying to win it with a broken oil pump...pffffft mh
Jeez Marty, you'd better not carry this run of luck with you when you pick up that Strom... Pete's put in a lot of work on it, and you know how much he hates getting the spanners out...
I went on the sunday morning organised ride, and got in about 40k of nice corners. Since the ride ended at Nagiloc[1] Pub for lunch, I figured I was already on the way and stopped for a bite to eat. Pissed off down the Calder. Mostly uninteresting. A kind motorist coming the other way warned me about a rather well hidden radar trap south of Ouyen. The interesting stuff was the Bendigo bypass road. Lots of nice sweepers. What a pity it was quite dark by then and the traffic too thick for 'playing'. Maybe next year it's time to give the Alpine a go. I believe it'll be at the Caves site. Would that be accessible in June via Kiandra or would you need to go via Tumut? Either way it would be a more interesting ride. Moike [1] not Colignan!
Maybe a good way to start! Behind the 'Toxic Waste Dump' sign? Yeah, I got warned too, bless 'em. I was sitting on 110 anyway, figuring the coppers would be out making our holidays safer. Which one, C282 (Bridgewater, Newbridge, Maldon, Castlemaine)? That was good fun, although I'd be worried about hoppers at dusk. Almost no traffic when I went along it. Ditto the Sunraysia Highway ... according to this map it's 1km _shorter_ between Ouyen and Wycheproof, and much less trafficed. The zig-zag bit near Lascelles is actually kind of fun. I'm always amazed how much less fatiguing I find the B and C routes. I wonder if it's possible to put together a '90% backroads' route which isn't significantly longer. Mildura -> Euston -> Manangatang -> Sea Lake -> Birchip -> Wycheproof -> St Arnaud -> Newbridge -> Maldon -> ...? -----sharks
Sounds like a variant of the Travelling Salesman Problem to me! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travelling_salesman_problem GB
... oh he just hates working on those bikes!! cant get oggie knobs for the Strom either I dont think... but you can get great crash bars... where I plan to take the Strom, I plan for it to be on its side every once and a while Marty
I had a six and then an eight hour day of wondering where the smell of rotten roo carcases had gone, dodging rain squalls and mongrel head/cross winds. The Hay plains owe me big time for prevailing winds! Other than that, very enjoyable, and the Bell's Line of road was a blessing!
What he said this far ... I scared the shit out of some accompanying Geelong riders when I stopped just before Donald - just luggage shifting St Arnaud to Avoca overcast and a bit of occasional light rain. Avoca to Ballarat constant light rain, passed a head on which didn't look good[1]. After Ballarat the temperature rocketed up, and I was dry and warm when I got home. Half an hour later, the rain really started. ~50km rain over a 1000km trip - I can live with that! Cheers Goaty 1. No med kit, no first aid talent, plenty of others there so I didn't stop.
