{"id":725,"date":"2017-12-05T09:42:20","date_gmt":"2017-12-05T14:42:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.randonneursontario.ca\/?p=725"},"modified":"2018-01-07T09:52:16","modified_gmt":"2018-01-07T14:52:16","slug":"2017-sydney-melbourne-1200-november-19-22","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.randonneursontario.ca\/?p=725","title":{"rendered":"2017 Sydney Melbourne 1200 (November 19-22)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ride Report from Dave Thompson:<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the pub get-together before the ride, an Aussie warned me that this was going to be difficult, that nothing about Florida would prep me for this ride. In emails before the ride we were warned about wind, rain, cold, sleet and high DNF rates.\u00a0\u00a0Kangaroos and wombats are an issue from dusk until dawn.<\/p>\n

Now the ride is finished.\u00a0\u00a0Looking back, it\u2019s hard to rank 1200s on any difficulty scale as weather, personal conditioning and route familiarity play such a huge role. One edition is never the same as another, especially four years later.<\/p>\n

I was lucky. I saw kangaroos.\u00a0\u00a0They watched me pass.\u00a0\u00a0Nothing jumped out in front of me.\u00a0\u00a0I did almost hit a wombat at slow speed.\u00a0\u00a0The latter are big; it would be like hitting a slow moving hog.\u00a0\u00a0One Australian rider died the first night.\u00a0\u00a0Speculation was that he hit an animal.<\/p>\n

We could have had huge headwinds, but the winds were kind and often at our backs. We could have had sub freezing temps, but we didn\u2019t.\u00a0\u00a0I never even used my heavy jacket that I lugged for all but the last day, let alone neoprene booties!\u00a0\u00a0I don\u2019t think that the temperature dropped below 10C.\u00a0\u00a0That heavy jacket of mine usually gets a lot of use.\u00a0\u00a0It’s highly unusual not to give it some exercise, whether due to cold or wet.\u00a0\u00a0I also brought along rain pants, the ultimate protection from the elements and heat retention.\u00a0\u00a0They stayed in my drop bag.<\/p>\n

I did try out the new lightweight RUSA wool jersey the first day; the\u00a0midweight\u00a0jersey the second.\u00a0\u00a0Long sleeved jerseys also got some use, as did my leg warmers.\u00a0\u00a0My featherweight PI jacket blocked the wind nicely.\u00a0\u00a0It was all I ever needed.<\/p>\n

We could have had rain; it threatened but never happened.\u00a0\u00a0The forecast changed daily but we were lucky.\u00a0\u00a0Originally it looked like we would start in the rain, but it was glorious weather, dawn at Sydney\u00a0Harbour, the iconic Opera House in the background.<\/p>\n

With less climbing than the Rome 1600 earlier in 2017 albeit longer climbs, moderate grades, no get-off-bike-here steeps, it had a lot of climbing but not a lot more than the average.\u00a0\u00a0Numbers are meaningful for planning but at the end of the day it’s the “feel” of the ride that’s important,\u00a0vs\u00a0the hard numbers.\u00a0\u00a0This didn’t feel any harder, climbing-wise, than the Granite Anvil and certainly not the Rome 1600 earlier in the year.\u00a0\u00a0It was probably less difficult than LEL; certainly, the weather was better.<\/p>\n

We did have heat, intensifying as we got closer to Melbourne. At its hottest, it was hotter than Rome, furnace-like and similar to the Gold Rush final day in the desert.\u00a0\u00a0I made ample use of my pour-on-head cooling strategy.\u00a0\u00a0I never came close to running out of water.<\/p>\n

Getting out of Sydney wasn\u2019t fun, nor was getting into Melbourne.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The latter had heavy traffic, bike trails, sidewalks, traffic lights … slow going.\u00a0\u00a0There were some high traffic 100\u00a0km\/h\u00a0roads well into the ride but not enough to be bothersome.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I heard some mention of unfriendly drivers but experienced nothing firsthand.<\/p>\n

The ride is a point-to-point, which is harder for the organizers and riders.\u00a0\u00a0That said, suitcases and bike boxes were transported to the end; drop bags were moved from overnight to overnight.\u00a0\u00a0They made it as easy as possible for the riders.\u00a0\u00a0Sandy took the train from Sydney to Melbourne while I was riding — that was a 10-11 hour trip.\u00a0\u00a0It is a long way no matter how you get there.<\/p>\n

The overnights were mostly camp-ish, with bunks, shared bathrooms and showers, good food fresh prepared, lots of volunteer support.\u00a0\u00a0It was all well organized and efficient.<\/p>\n

As usual, I was close to being\u00a0lanterne\u00a0rouge early in the ride, long before we ever got out of Sydney. I had to wait for every traffic light and there were many.\u00a0\u00a0At some point during the day I passed Hamid, I don\u2019t remember when that was.\u00a0\u00a0He was certainly way ahead of me mid morning.\u00a0\u00a0He rolled into a control as it was getting dark and I waited; it’s always good to have companionship in the dark.\u00a0\u00a0We finished up that first day together, sometime after midnight, and planned a 4:30 wake up and 5am departure. We were close.<\/p>\n

We rode together for a while on the second day; Hamid got ahead and I passed him at one point as he was at the side of the road doing something with his bag. I stopped shortly afterwards at a cafe and thought that he\u2019d passed me; didn\u2019t find out until much later that he had trouble with his light and was well behind. I waited a couple of times, expecting to see him, but he was further back.\u00a0\u00a0I figured minutes but it was hours.\u00a0\u00a0He spent a lot of time dealing with his light.<\/p>\n

Getting to the second overnight, I told the\u00a0vollies\u00a0that Hamid would room with me but when I awoke, he was still out there. He and Wolfgang arrived just as I started to pull out.\u00a0\u00a0They beat the clock, but not by much.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I was happy that he was with Wolfgang as W can need encouragement at times.\u00a0\u00a0He likes doing long touring rides and doesn’t have any hesitation about turning a brevet into a tour.<\/p>\n

I rolled out by myself but met up with Mark Thomas not far down the road. We were both happy to have riding company.\u00a0\u00a0This was Mark\u2019s 10th 1200 for 2017!\u00a0\u00a0That by itself has to be some sort of record. I remember Bill Olsen doing 8 x 1200s one year but those were all North American.\u00a0\u00a0It’s another thing altogether to add in the time zone, jet lag and travel issues. I was “only” on my fourth.\u00a0\u00a0We rode most of that day together, save about the last 30 km. I deal with the heat better, otherwise there’s no way that I’d have kept up.\u00a0\u00a0After dark, on a section that was flatter, I was feeling sleepy and made a couple of check-myself-over stops, leaning against a guardrail and closing my eyes.\u00a0\u00a0If I fell asleep, that would be a good indication that I was really sleepy.\u00a0\u00a0I didn’t trust myself!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0With 15 km to go to the overnight, I had a 10 minute nap on a bench.\u00a0\u00a0I could have finished up but that 10 minutes felt good.<\/p>\n

Mark was just hitting the sack when I got into that third overnight, having arrived before me.\u00a0\u00a0He was planning a late departure.\u00a0\u00a0I had my roughly 3 hours sleep, I think, got up and had some breakfast, expecting to roll out at dawn.\u00a0\u00a0Mark was up earlier than expected; Ricky was also planning on riding.\u00a0\u00a0Ricky had\u00a0DNF’d\u00a0the second day in the heat but rode part of the third day and all of the fourth.\u00a0\u00a0I waited for them to get ready, no records were going to be set that day. We were together through the end at the\u00a0Velodrome.<\/p>\n

Mark rode a disciplined fourth day in the heat.\u00a0\u00a0I was happy with the pace.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Alone, I might have spent less stopped time and would have pushed myself in the heat … probably would have pushed too much.\u00a0\u00a0Riding together was good; it’s not usually my inclination.<\/p>\n

Finishing up at the\u00a0velodrome\u00a0at 5 something, Sandy was there to meet us.\u00a0\u00a0I don’t ask that of her but it’s great when she does.\u00a0\u00a0Wait … I’m trying to think of another ride where she was at the end but I’m drawing a blank – no, she and\u00a0Shab were waiting for Jerry and me at the end of the 2016\u00a0Miglia.\u00a0\u00a0Our bags awaited us at the\u00a0Velodrome\u00a0and I was able to shower and change right there.\u00a0\u00a0Still early, Rus Hamilton gave me and the bags a ride to our hotel, returning to wait for his billet and Hamid.\u00a0\u00a0I was originally going to be staying with him but with Sandy coming into Melbourne a day earlier and getting a hotel, keeping the hotel made more sense.\u00a0\u00a0I had met Rus on the Sunshine 1200; the ride where he had his episode of hyponatremia … where we almost lost him.<\/p>\n

Now we wait.\u00a0\u00a0I was anxious to see Hamid and Wolfgang, finish.\u00a0\u00a0We were trading messages with\u00a0Shab, watching his Delorme tracker.\u00a0\u00a0I was worried that the traffic and bike trails might slow them down so much that they’d be late.\u00a0\u00a0If they’d planned it too closely, that could happen.\u00a0\u00a0We had a couple of false alarms — cyclists on the paths coming in the dark — me yelling “they’re coming, they’re coming” and lit the\u00a0velodrome\u00a0for nothing … no, it wasn’t for nothing, they came in a little after 10pm with almost 2 hours to spare.\u00a0\u00a0Whew!\u00a0\u00a0It’s so unusual for us to finish separately!\u00a0\u00a0I’d have had a hard time reconciling finishing and Hamid\u00a0DNF’ing.<\/p>\n

Hamid almost sacrificed his ride for Wolfgang.\u00a0\u00a0It reminded me of the 2016\u00a0Miglia\u00a0in Italy, me helping Jerry Christensen finish.\u00a0\u00a0Some things are more important than the extra notch in your belt.\u00a0\u00a0Friendship is everything.<\/p>\n

The ride was well planned and organized, from registration to food at the finish to beers & cheers at a pub the day afterwards.\u00a0\u00a0I had lots of silly questions about baggage logistics etc. before the ride and they were answered immediately.\u00a0\u00a0A large crowd of volunteers staffed the Controls. There were a couple of unstaffed; we sent a text to Bec when we got there.\u00a0\u00a0Another couple had staff but you were on your own for food.\u00a0\u00a0It all worked very well.\u00a0\u00a0In spite of the remote nature of the ride, it wasn’t quite as remote as the Ontario Granite Anvil, from a facilities standpoint.\u00a0\u00a0Hamid and Wolfgang stretched the volunteers a little, since they were on the outer edge of the time limits and actually beyond for a couple.\u00a0\u00a0That’s usually ok with 1200s — even PBP — as long as you make it up later.<\/p>\n

Will I do this one again ?\u00a0\u00a0Who knows.\u00a0\u00a0My inclination is “no” but ask me again in four years time.\u00a0\u00a0The scenery was great; different than North American or European.\u00a0\u00a0Perhaps if I do a different Aussie 1200 in the meantime, like Perth-Albany-Perth, I’ll consider the landscape ho-hum,\u00a0but it wasn’t so this time.\u00a0\u00a0At times it reminded me of the Serengeti, baked landscape and sparse trees … ok, there were no Wildebeest.\u00a0\u00a0I expect that if we (Hamid and I) do another Oz ride,\u00a0Shab will be there. She got less sleep than we did, staying up all night watching the trackers.\u00a0\u00a0A couple of days ago, Sandy said that she wasn’t interested in returning to Oz … but a little touring through the wine region of Margaret River and a good time staying with Neil and Annie has changed that.<\/p>\n

As always, I enjoyed myself.\u00a0\u00a0I love doing 1200s of every shape or form.\u00a0\u00a0I’d rather do a 1200 than a 200.\u00a0\u00a0This one, with 350 km or so each of the first three days and a healthy amount of climbing, is right up my alley. Yes, I finished late each day, but not at dawn.\u00a0\u00a0I’d have liked to finish a bit earlier the second day and get an earlier start on the third, but I shorted myself on nourishment and bonked on a long climb.\u00a0\u00a0Stop, take in a couple of gels, I was going again.\u00a0\u00a0I probably lost a half-hour there, paying the price for the bad\u00a0judgement\u00a0call.\u00a0\u00a0It certainly wasn’t a big deal.\u00a0\u00a0Most riders wouldn’t make that mistake.\u00a0\u00a0I’m too impatient.<\/p>\n

We’re on the way back now, having spent several days in Perth with my cousins Neil & Annie, their adult children, our grand-daughter Kylie, in addition to our couple of days in Melbourne.\u00a0\u00a0Who knows if we’ll make our connections in Dallas; the flight was very late leaving Sydney.\u00a0\u00a0 Life goes on.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ride Report from Dave Thompson: At the pub get-together before the ride, an Aussie warned me that this was going to be difficult, that nothing about Florida would prep me for this ride. In emails before the ride we were … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ride-reports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.randonneursontario.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.randonneursontario.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.randonneursontario.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.randonneursontario.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.randonneursontario.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=725"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.randonneursontario.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/725\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":726,"href":"https:\/\/blog.randonneursontario.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/725\/revisions\/726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.randonneursontario.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.randonneursontario.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.randonneursontario.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}