Wet n' loopy Tuesday

Today was my first venture out into the daylight since the end of November last year. It seemed that I would not have to worry about any skin photo-sensitivity. A day with full cloud cover and rain easing to torrential down pours. It is still raining as I write this entry.

The distance was a hard 48kms, for me anyway.  I started out and thought that today would be the day to attempt a bit of a bush bash. So off I go over Towners Road towards Clothiers Creek Road. At the end of the Road is some private property owned by a bloke I know by the name of Jim. So it was over the locked gate and an attempt at his hill/driveway. Well I only made it about 10 meters before the rear wheel  slipped losing traction and at the same time the front bumped a rock so off the bike I came. This was to be the start of the long push to the Summit of Round Mountain (the hill itself). After arriving at the top it was a little unclear as to which way to go as the whole area had been cleared. I selected a western track and finally got back into saddle. Came to a gate after some twists and turns and as it was scrub on the other-side lifted the bike and rode on onwards the North. This was to be a fairly short time in the saddle as the incline got so steep that the brakes no longe held the bike both the front and rear wheels slid over the leaf and sticks covering the running water covered clay. So it was off the saddle again. The descent was harder than the climb earlier. Just holding the bike by the brakes was difficult, it was sliding and so were both my feet for a meter at a time before I could get some purchase and take another step! This continued for about 200 meters until the track slowly started to level out a bit. So it was back in the saddle and on with the ride at last.

Leaving the forest behind I came out inside Tanglewood and decided to do a little look around as it turned out I was able to climb up to the top of Tanglewood Hill along Tanglewood Drive and through the next downpour down to Clothiers Creek Road. From here I decided to do a loop over Reserve Creek along Round Mountain Road via Watti Bishop Road etc This didn't seem long enough even with the heart pumping Maremma Race along Reserve Creek Road so I doubled back via Kanes Road and onto Bogangar along Clothiers Creek Road.

At Bogangar I went into



To ask Jeff about a 700c rear wheel as a spare  for the  Home-Grafton Trip and as a replacement for Humphery's warped one. While I was there I asked how he was getting on with his website, to cut a long story short nothing is in the works but the desire is there, so in the meantime I offered to promote his shop here (for free) and he agreed. It would be good if happy and not so happy clients were to add comments about the shop as It is good to have this shop locally and I think we need it to stay and will need to thrive to do this!

OK! back to the ride. After the rest stop I was now thinking of extending the ride by doing a standard Hastings Point, Pottsville, Cudgera Creek then Home loop and that is what i did.

But I was really starting to feel the last couple of little climbs, my legs were now spent, even though it was only just aproaching the 50k mark. I had not taken anything to replenish my depleted energy, especially after those couple of kilometers of pushing the bike which had taken a lot out of me...



All in all a thoroughly enjoyable Rainy Summer Ride!