With alarm set for early start to try and beat the heat, and the bike prepared, it was early to bed.
After a week on the gold coast, with some quality miles chewed, it was time to do the long ride for the week, and find some hills too.

Just before nodding off, my phone pinged with a SMS from a mate of my brother, seeking some suffering. So I rang him to arrange an agreed meeting point and route. He was keen to throw in Springbrook, so I had to adjust my thinking. The planned route was Robina, Springbrook, Numinbah valley, Chillingham, Murwillumbah, tweed heads, Broadbeach.
I was up at 4 am and downed some breaky and got kitted. I rolled down the driveway to find my cadence sensor was interfering with the GPS ( I’d changed my wheels for the ride but not the magnet) so had to ride back to cut the sensors off the bike.)

Anyway I got 20 km’s in before meeting Brett at 530 at Robina.

Now Brett was an ex professional cyclist who liked to train alone… because he has limited cycling time these days, so when he’s out he is hammering the pedals….

I was feeling pretty guilty at this point, because I was wired to 160 km distance pace but we worked out a solution. Brett only had a ‘couple of hours’ while I was out for 6, so I suggested he tag along til he had to turn back, and he could open the jets on the return, sweet….

So we rolled through Robina and onto Springbrook road, which goes up a valley with rolling climbs, it took me back to my childhood passing the Mudgerabah war museum, little Nerang dam, and a picnic spot next to the river where I cooked my first damper on a stick with my brothers nearly 40 years ago…

Brett was great, happy to spin uphill…..I worked away trying to keep my heart rate down, good practise for 3 peaks I thought.

We finally emerged at the turn off well up Springbrook  after climbing 500 m, from here after a right turn the descent is technical and fast, averaging 15 degrees down over 6 km’s bringing us out in the Numinbah valley for a left turn and the beginning of a gradual climb of over 400 m to get us to the NSW boarder. This part of the ride is spectacular, with rain forest, no traffic, the incredible beauty of the Natural arch, and  the breath taking views when crossing the grid on the Qld/ NSW boarder.  90 km’s in with plenty to go. Oh and yes Brett turned back at Numinbah, thanks mate.

From here I descended again loosing the 400 m in a few km’s before rolling into Chillingham. This area is spectacular forming the rim of the volcano now known as Mount Warning.  PowerAde top up, and water filled before off again to Murwillumbah . This area was familiar having rowed on the tweed river between Murwillumbah , Condong, and tweed heads at school, they were the days…The sugar cane area is flat until  a climb through Terranora before descending into Tweed heads and then the familiar drag along the coast to Broadbeach for breakfast.

The hinterland is amazing, I’m hooked!

ride time 5 hours 51 minutes, 155 km’s. 2000 m vertical climb. Suffer score on strava ‘extreme’.

Cheers
Van Diemen

http://app.strava.com/activities/35877297

A HNY to all ER’s, their significant others, families and respective accountants.

A brief report of a quality vastly inferior to the standard now accustomed for ER foreign correspondent reports – apologies up front for that.

Plans were hatched about a month ago between Beebs*, WBA and myself for the potential for a canter in Beebs’ backyard – the Adelaide Hills. RTG too expressed interest however was rostered off South Australian family duties this year. Both Beebs and WBA are Adelaide-region locals from way back.

* for those newer members who haven’t yet met Beebs, he’s President of the South Australian Chapter of ER, having relocated home from Sydney a few years back now. He’s one of the few ERs who have been able to escape with providing their own ridename. Longer lived members will lovingly recall Beebs’ first email to the group regarding his thoughts on Alberto. Beebs is doing 3P (again) with us this year, so yet another reason to sign up pronto….

So the stage was set for a NYE spin. Designated meeting point with Beebs…. atop Greenhill Road, about 15km from town of which Strava suggests around 7km is climb (ave 5% or so). Departure time shifted from 5am to 5.15am at last minute as we know WBA likes his sleep.

Another cloudless sky delivered – as seems to be standard here – WBA weaving us through town around the waifs and strays from the night before – noting with great accuracy the judges’ chambers where he cut his legal teeth and still has his initials etched on the benches.

Only a couple of vehicles spotted on the drag up the hill to the meeting point – one cyclist going past but no appetite to chase down (sorry Clutters). A few minutes behind schedule prompted a WTFRU text from Beebs…..responded with “we’re near the top when we find out where it is”….

Eventually we found our man; still with Mallee Bull strength in whippets clothing; De Rosa champing at the bit; has got himself acquainted with a power crew of locals including his 37 year old neighbour he’s “domestiquing” in her prep for Ballarat shortly….watch this space.

Beebs took the reins for a spin of about 65km through his backyard. Absolutely sensational. Great roads, quiet, tree lined sections, plenty of opportunities for pain uphill or pinning the ears back going down. Beebs being the consummate gentleman guided us through some sharp downhills but regained elevation gently – the reverse route would have been a much different story – leaving ample opportunity for discussion and dissection of all matters important in the lives of three young practitioners of the pedal. Couldn’t ask for better.

Coffee absorbed at Stirling – alongside an electric power bowser which we assumed was for WBA’s Di2 – and a quick drool over an Eddy Merckx steely being piloted by a fellow practitioner sitting closeby.

Thence onward/upward to Mt Lofty – 180 degree views down over town and far beyond – mugshots below:

We bid Beebs thanks and farewell and headed off for a 15km downhill roll back to town – on bike path for the majority – and dreamt what it might be like to have all of this on your doorstep…..

[as an aside, I went for a drag up to Mt Lofty myself this morning, where the Egg and Tomato was recognised by a fellow cyclist……a mate of Schleck’s from Artarmon no less….needless to say, recruited]

[another spin with Beebs planned for tomorrow morn – excellent – WBA unfortunately on family duties. Lobbster, will be trying the Corkscrew; cleat covers will be carried]

Great to read about so many being out and about on the pedals over the holiday period……take care out there and watch out for fellow cyclists trying to slingshot.

Yours in spreadsheets.

Mark/Satnav