Great Vic Bike Ride 2019

We had a quick breakfast and were at the long term car park in Torquay by 6:30am. Bikes were already in bags, so it was a quick shift to load them on the waiting cattle trucks. We then stood in a queue for the buses to Robe. As they arrived, it was apparent that there were no toilets on board, necessitating a quick visit to the cross-training gym nearby. There were a few cyclists taking advantage of this. We stopped for a quick break en route and then lunch in Hamilton.

The site was awake early but we didn’t see the need to rush and took our time arriving at breakfast around 7:15. As we ate our muesli, fruit and yoghurt, the volunteers were stacking the tables around us and by the time we were back at our tent, the campground was almost empty. Our bags ended up on truck 6 as the rest were full. We were wheels rolling just after 8am and were definitely at the back of the pack.

We were up at a similar time and again one of the last group to leave as we breakfasted and watched as the tables were packed up around us. Clearly this is not the same as a leisurely cycle touring trip. We were on the road by around 8am to a slightly overcast day

Today was the biggest ride and we wanted to be ready. We had learnt from experience so were up at 5:30 and ready to go to breakfast a little after 6am. But then we saw the queue. So we kept packing up and the queue kept getting longer. And longer.

We were still working on our 5:30am starts but a deluge of rain made it hard to get moving. The rain had stopped when we emerged from our tent for breakfast and it was a beautiful morning looking over the bay.

A well earned rest day and a late breakfast. This was followed by a walk through town for coffee and a browse through the shops. Recently voted the world’s most liveable town, we were keen to see what it had to offer.

It was drizzling as we left and the rain worsened as we cycled up Tower Hill with magnificent views to the sea. We skipped the morning tea rest area at the top and continued on through the little town of Woodford, where the primary school kids lined the road, clapping and high fiving as we cycled past.

The day of the big climb - 23 kms uphill. And we had to be past the 12 apostles by 10:30 or be picked up by the SAG wagon. This meant another morning of long queues for breakfast. We had drunk our coffee by the time we got our breakfast.

Another overcast day but the Great Ocean Road was still magnificent and there was minimal traffic.

For once we woke to sunshine and no queue for breakfast. That didn’t mean that we left any earlier. It was a gorgeous morning though still cool. Before long we were making our way along Turtons Track which had been closed for our ride today. It was sensational. The road meandered through the rainforests of the Otway with lots of long downhill sections.