The pain in the knee disappeared as a flock of black cockatoos jousted with black crows. I broke down the numbers and worked out how far I had actually come. A bit of a hand massage on the hoods, move around a little in the saddle and I just kept peddling. I just had to remind myself to keep eating and the salty nuts I had prepared actually tasted pretty good. The silence in the group moved to chatting, laughter, jokes, and even singing, I was having fun, all giddy and excited about the journey.īut alas, the many hours in the saddle brought new challenges and I started to feel little aches and pains appear in my hands, feet, arse, knees and where ever. The numbers also continued to mess with my mind, especially knowing how far I was from my final destination, the guy beside me was still talking, but he is not so funny anymore. Instead I rolled on, still apprehensive but the kilometres started to clock over and something changed, the sun came up and I soaked up the empty roads and golden rollers. Then after having 5 flats in the first 60kms (I had 3 of them) the excitement turned to some serious anger, doubt and I strongly considered heading for home.
#A1 ride daze mtb ride 2016 full#
We were all excited and nervous at the beginning, the dark roads of the Western Hwy were full of debris and some pretty close passing cars. That emotion began well before the ride even began - I could hardly fathom how was going to ride 450km in one day and back it up with 350km the next? My biggest ride prior was 180km and most of my weekly rides consist of what Jesse calls "Dad rides" 50-60km power rides early in the morning before the kids get up. It creates the memories that will stick with me forever. Mr Maven "crept" with us from Naracoorte to Murray Bridge.Īs the numbers suggest it was a tough physical challenge, but it's the emotional journey that got me through and stays with me still. After 280km we then had 1200 metres of climbing to through the Adelaide Hills. Some nice wineries then it was flat flat flat terrain into the hairdryer. Naracoorte / Keith / Tailem Bend / Adelaideģ8 degrees and a head wind. 25kph avg speed with stops about 31kph moving Lots of lovely rollers but a few annoying tyre punctures along the way. Melbourne / Ballarat / Dunkeld / NaracoorteĢ5 degrees, a climb into Ballarat and we had a nice tail wind for most of the day.
#A1 ride daze mtb ride 2016 plus#
Distance expert Jesse 'Kays' Carlsson, an experience rider in Mark 'Sambo' Sandon, plus a cameo by the Cycling Maven and me, Adam 'Captain Flat' Lana. Some young guns including 'Mouthie' Michael Crosbie and Ryan 'Funny Man' Flinn. To sum the ride up simply, it looked like this Ī father-son combo, Ol'Greg and Nic Norden. The 450km day one looked like this with another 350kms to ride the next. We had made it, 800kms from Melbourne to Adelaide in two days. "and may I take a photo with you?" he finishes.ī-A-D-E-N C-O-O-K-E is asking us for a photo. "Waiter can I shout these Guys some beers!" Baden shouts “are you the guys that rode over from Melbourne?" The former Tour De France Green Jersey winner is up and heading our way. The large table beside us is clearly here for the Tour Down Under, industry types and wait a minute… Baden Cooke. Still in a daze we order plenty of pasta and pizza to refuel and we begin to clock our surroundings. We are all feeling quite spaced out and need food NOW! We finally see some bustle around an Italian restaurant, the kitchen is open, we are seated and all flop into our chairs. You will need to hold the A2 licence for two years before you can move on to a full A licence.It's late Sunday night and 7 guys are rolling the quiet streets of Adelaide. Any bike originally making more than 94bhp is still out of reach of the A2 licence. It's relatively straightforward to restrict a bike, meaning you are not necessarily ruled out of riding the bike of your dreams - unless you are dreaming of anything 'more than twice' as powerful. In real terms, it imposes a minimum weight of 175kg for any bike using the full 47bhp, dashing hopes of super-lightweight 250s making a mockery of the bhp limit. Upon passing, the rider is restricted to bikes with a limit of 35kW/47bhp and a power-to-weight ratio of no more than 0.2kW/0.26bhp per kg, for two years. The power-to-weight ratio is an important qualification because it makes drawing a distinction between 'can ride' and 'can't ride' more nuanced than a simple bhp cap. From the age of 19, you are permitted to take an A2 test (which must be taken on a bike of at least 395cc, with a power output of between 25kW/33bhp and 35kW/47bhp). If you don't already hold an A1 licence you will need to do a CBT beforehand, as always, and pass a theory test, before you take the practical test. This is where the rules become slightly complex.
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