- Weeks until Bridge 2 Bridge ride - <7 Weeks
- Donations collected - $2,330.00
Training Stats:
- Distance YTD - 2,364 km
- Elevation YTD - 20,950 m
- Ride Hours YTD - 97hr 33min
- Current Weight - 77.5kg
Continuing on the theme of the year - it has been a mixed bag in terms of training. The weather in Brisbane has been terrible for training - rainy days with the old day of clouds, then more rain again.
This has made training hard (as morale can get low if you spend 10hrs a week sopping wet and cold). Cleaning the bike is just about a weekly chore and I need to buy some new brake pads as the water is quickly dissolving mine away.
I have still been putting in long commuting hours (incorporating the Riverloop) which has been good and I am looking forward to finding some new weekend rides to do. Strava has a great "Activity Search" function where you can see the rides other cyclists have been doing near you. Good for new route ideas!
Newcastle and Hunter Valley Trip
Bianca and I flew down to Newcastle on the 9th March to spend just over a week in the area. The main reason for the visit was to see my grandma for her 89th birthday (not a bad innings!!) and see my aunty and uncle as well. I also wanted to spend some time in Newcastle city and Hunter Valley with Bianca and explore a little bit.
Contrary to most peoples opinion - I found Newcastle to be a great city to visit. Its a smaller, sleepier city compared to Brisbane - its CBD is only a few blocks across - but this was a great change of pace. Work has been really hectic lately (I had to work late in the days before we left) so the slow pace and lack of schedule suited me just fine.
Me enjoying my morning coffee and paper
We stayed at the Novotel near Newcastle Beach which was right in the heart of the city. The cost was pretty good and the room was very nice. Our morning ritual consisted of waking up (without an alarm) and wandering off to find a good cafe for breakfast. One our favourite places was the Estabar Cafe which overlooked the ocean and had really good coffee. They also served yummy bircher muesli and gelato (which we sampled many times). I highly recommend visiting.
Estabar - A must visit cafe
The trip was timed perfectly with the 2013 Loop the Lake charity ride, which circumnavigates Lake Macquarie over a distance of about 90kms. The lake is a beautiful area and I was really keen to take part in the ride. More on that ride below.
I borrowed a hard bike case off a forum friend, and packed the bike neatly into it. The only other cost was for additional baggage on the flights and for 2 waterbottles as I forgot mine in the rush to pack! The hard case was excellent in protecting my pride and joy, but was a little on the heavy side. I have heard many horror stories of heavy-handed baggage handlers breaking carbon frames on delivery - I was keen to avoid that happening to me!
After 3 days in Newcastle, we caught the train down to Morisset where my relatives live. Its a sleepy town (theres only one main street) next to Bonnels Bay which is a part of Lake Macquarie. I was amazed that every area around the lake has beautiful views and barely any of it is ruined by high rise apartments or commercial developments. Its a great place to live. My extended family was excited to see me and even more excited to meet Bianca. I can read them like a book and I can tell they absolutely loved her. Nan was especially delighted to have someone new to tell all her stories too. I think I heard over 1000 stories during our 3 days stay - theres no secrets about the McGlinn family now!
Family portraits
From Morisset we hired a car (Nissan X-Trail) to drive up to the Hunter Valley. The car was beautiful to drive and I was thankful for paying more for a "4x4" as the potholes in the Hunter Valley would have swallowed up a small car.
We stayed a Peppers Guest House in Pokolibin, just north of Cessnock. It was very expensive and in high demand as there was some country music festival on the same weekend. The room was nice, but I couldn't help compare it to the places we have stayed in on our trips to Asia (for much, much less money). But it is what it is.
We visited a few winerys (even found a Petersons Winery, which we bought two bottles of Shiraz from) and drove off road to the various lookouts. It is not a flat area and you seem to either be driving uphill or downhill. I even got to take my bike out a few times and it was very hard work. It was quite hot during the day (between 25-30 degrees) which was quite a change from the dreary Brisbane weather. The scenery on my rides was fantastic - like nothing I have ridden thru before. I am glad I took lots of photos (which are now on my electronic photo frame).
Mt View Lookout - This climb was tough!
All in all it was a great trip south and I was really happy to have the sunny weather. Can't wait for our next adventure!
Hunter Valley Ride Strava Link
2013 Loop the Lake
I rode from Newcastle city to the start of the Loop the Lake at Spears Point, about 20kms away. I knew the Loop ride was about 90kms so I was in for a big day on the bike. I decided to go pretty quick at the start to keep up with the fast groups and then take my time on the last leg so I didnt have to limp back to the city.
Loop the Lake - Looking euro pro...
It was a beautiful ride - the weather was just perfect with blue skies and whisps of fluffly clouds. As we started early at 7am it wasnt too hot either. The roads on the loop are quite good considering you are pretty rural and alot of the roads had a generous shoulder. There were some parts of bad shoulder and potholes but this was less common than I had expected.
Although 2000 riders had signed up for the ride (it has several route lengths you can choose from), I found myself riding alone or with a handful of others most of the time. This was quite nice and allowed me to enjoy the scenery and new sights without being worried about crashes or crowds etc. On the last leg, I made friends with Russell from the Central Coast and enjoyed a good converstation which made the last 20kms fly by. Russell has signed up for the Five Peaks Challenge in Canberra which is on my bucket list of things to do one day. Lots of climbing but we cyclists are suckers for pain :)
Loop The Lake Ride Strava Link
Donations:
Big thanks to the following people who have donated - It really means alot to me to have your support!
Chris McGlinn (my brother), Damon Oudejans, Tara Puzin, Nik Vassilev, Mum & Dad, Josh Taylor, Brody Willys, Dorothy McGlinn (my grandma) and Shirley & John Schulz (my aunty and uncle).
Thank you all so much.
Hunter Valley...blue skies, dirt roads and vineyards
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