Bridge2Bridge Day 5: Armidale to Tamworth

Well Armidale lived up to its reputation and we had a cold, cold, cold start to the day. The thermometer read 5 degrees and chill factor was 2.5 degrees! Brrrrrr!

Armidale is in a valley which means two things: fog would fill up the valley and we would be climbin up out of the fog. 

We travelled about 20kms thru thick cold fog. Visibility was down to 20m and I was thankful for bringing my bright Leyzne front light and super bright rear light. Eventually we rolled into Uralla where we all rushed into Trina's Cafe for coffee, tea and fruit toast. It was a warm oasis. 

After procrastinating for half an hour, we set off once again. The fog had cleared by now but the air was still chilly. We took the time for photos at Thunderbolts Rock (Splits Rock). Captain Thunderbolt the bush ranger would use this high vantage point to spot travelers and coaches along the highway...and promptly rob them. 

The landscape was full of grazing fields and sheeps galore. They would look up as we neared and run alongside us. It's pretty dry out here this time of year and the land is a beautiful mix of browns and reds. 

We moved thru undulating terrain before a series of long downhills which was most welcome. We would climb a little more up to the edge of the Moonbi hills. Personally, I had been waiting for this point becuase it signaled a steep 6km descent into the town of Moonbi. As a confident descender, I volunteered to go down first. It was fast and furious descent with my speedo showing speeds  up to 70km/hr! All good fun. The best part is that you barely need to pedal into Moonbi as the momentum takes you there. 

Lunch in Moonbi beside the big chicken statue finished, we set off for the easy 20km ride into Tamworth. After saving our energy for most of the day, it was nice to ease into the finish line. 

I was glad to take it easy today as my left knee was still giving me some pain. I could still put some power down on the flats but the hills were difficult. It's feeling abit better so I am hopeful that it will be okay for the next few days. We have two big days ahead (both over 140km) so I need my good legs back!

Bridge2Bridge Day 4: Glen Innes to Armidale

We're into cold country here - thankfully Glen Innes kept it above zero for us. It was still pretty tough riding off in 4 degrees. I found that the cold wind really caused havoc with my joints, especially my knees. By 30mins in, I was in a lot of pain. But I kept on riding, spinning a smaller gear in the hope of warming up the joints.

We had a big climb early on to bring us to the top of the Ben Lemond Range - the highest point of our ride. In theory, it is more downhill than uphill from here on.

I should clarify that the day did not get much warmer - even at midday, it was barely about 15 degrees and the wind was bitter cold.

I couldn't keep up with my two breakaway companions so I was in between the groups for most of the day.

We stopped in Guyra and found a cafe catering just for cyclists! There was a bike rack made from a huge gum tree stump and a mechanics setup in the corner. And most of all, the coffee was great! It was paradise for us on a cold dreary day.

The other reason we stopped in Guyra was to do a small appearance at the local school. We talked to them about our ride, the cause and why it was important. We also did a Q&A time which was quite funny. The kids asked all sorts of questions including "how fast can you ride?", "who has the best bike?" and "what color is your house?" Haha it was great fun. We enjoyed some sandwiches afterwards and had a good time showing the kids our special cycling shoes and gear.

Waving farewell to the kids we motored towards Armidale. Thankfully it was mostly downhill with only a few climb leading into the town. Dinner was at a great pasta/pizza place where we enjoyed enough food to feed an army. It's already pretty cold here now and due to drop to 1 degree overnight! I bought some deep heat cream which I will put on my knees to avoid more aches and pains tomorrow. Fingers crossed it works.

Bridge2Bridge Day 3: Tenterfield to Glen Innes

It was a chilly start to the morning by we posed for the obligatory photo in front of the Tenterfield Saddler, an icon of the town.

After a long decent (which had us absolutely frozen) it was straight into rocky cattle country. The early morning mist was hanging low and the sunlight was peeking thru the gum trees. It was beautiful!

Again our crack team of three was off the front, leading the charge. We were so quick that the support van almost missed meeting us at the designated rest stop. After a hot tea, we pushed on to tackle the major climb of the day - Bolivia. No idea why a climb in outback NSW is named after Sth America democratic republic but oh well. Up the Bolivia climb I pushed a decent pace and managed to snag a close second place to Lawrie (who is the fittest 60yr old on the planet). Not bad!

After that we motored into Deepwater, a sleepy town halfway to Glen Innes. We enjoyed some coffee and an apple turnover. The next riders were far behind and it was decided that we wouldn't wait for them and instead head straight to Glen Innes.

There was a bitter cold headwind and the cloudy sky meant the temperature hovered under 20 degrees. My nose and lips are cold and wind burnt now.

Rolling turns into Glen Innes we passed their famous Stonehenge copy and numerous pubs. We were so quick that on arriving at the motel, we were told we are too early to check in! Off to the local coffee shop (as all cyclists do) for a skinny Capp and more baked goods. I might even put on weight by the end of this trip!

Dinner is at the local steakhouse then tugging up for bed. It will be a cold start tomorrow, with -5 degrees pretty common around here! Lets see if I can defrost the legs in the morning.

We covered 95km and climbed 1200m in 3hr35min today. A nice and easy day.

Bridge2Bridge Day 2: Warwick to Tenterfield

Yep, we're in cold country now! It was a brisk 10 degrees in Warwick this morning when we headed off. I had rugged up with ear warmers, arm warmer and undershirt for the cool start. It wasn't long before the fabled breakaway of 3 (Lawrie, Ivon and I) were back on the front working hard and setting a cracking pace. The major climb for the day was within the first 25km so that was a good way to get the legs warmed up.

We had a short rest stop at the top of the climb (and a photo) before powering onto Stanthorpe. Our breakaway had kept a great pace and it was soon clear we were at least an hour ahead of the others already. We enjoyed a scenic ride along the old Fruit Run road which was lined with orchards. It was decided that lunch would be in Stanthorpe and we settled into a nice cafe for a coffee and something delicious to eat.

Stanthorpe is beautiful this time of year with all the trees painted a mix of autumn orange, yellows and reds. People were rugged up against the cold wind and enjoying lazy Sunday morning breakfast. Lucky them!

Rolling out of Stanthorpe as a group we came across a big triceratops dinosaur on the side of the road at Balladeen. By sheer luck it was the exact spot that Bianca's cousin and Uncle were standing watching their kids play soccer! After a quick hello and chat, we waved farewell and headed to the QLD/NSW border.

The mayor of Tenterfield, Cr Peter Petty, had decided to ride into town with us from the border (about 25km). For a non-cyclist it was a great show of support for our cause and he warmly welcomed us into Tenterfield. He even shouted us all a beer!

After showers and rests, we took over the local bowls club and made the most of their roast special Sunday deals. The mayor again joined us for dinner and entertained us with a few stories and some history facts on his beloved town. A few from memory:
- Peter Allen the singer/performer was born there.
- Banjo Paterson was married to a Tenterfield local in the town chapel.
- Tenterfield shire area is well known for its tin deposits.

Today was a much more pleasant day and much easier than yesterday. That said, we are still heading upwards and there is more climbing than decending at the moment. After 4hrs49min riding time we covered 121km and 1400m elevation.

Bring on tomorrow!

Bridge2Bridge Day 1: Brisbane to Warwick

Wowsers. What a day!

Firstly, apologies for the lack of fancy formatting as I am using the blogger app and I'm too tired to learn HTML coding right now.

Well this morning we were up bright and early meeting outside All Hallows' school in Fortitude Valley. Everyone was packing the van and doing last minute checks on their bikes. Dad, Bee, Sarah (Bees sister and Matty (Bees brother in law) all came out to see me off which was great. The Retro Riverloop crew (ie. bunch of great guys who like to ride older bikes and talk a lot) also dropped by to follow us out over the Story Bridge. We rode out as the sun rose and riding across the bridge in the early light was magic.

I waved farewell to the Retro kids and we continued down Ipswich Rd, following it to Rocklea. From there we beelined towards Springfield and entered the highway at Goodna. After a quick stop outside Ipswich we headed down the Cunningham Hwy.

Up until this point we had stayed largely together a group for safety and to get to know each other. I quickly worked out that myself, Lawie from Brisbane and Ivor from Caloundra were the quickest three riders. We formed a breakaway and kept a high pace along the highway until the lunch stop in Aratula.
Lunch was a great spread of smoked ham, silverside, salads and fruit. We stocked up knowing that the big climb was still to come.

Our breakaway of 3 left together for the climb but at a more reasonable pace to conserve energy. Before long we had spotted the "9km of bendy roads" and "caution 8% grades" traffic signs signaling the start of the climb.

Once on the climb, I let Lawie and Ivor go ahead and went at my own pace. It was a really, really long climb. 9km is a long way to go uphill and it was quite hot and humid by now. Nevertheless, I pressed on with my steady cadence. A few times, passing cars would slow beside me long enough for me to notice people staring at me with a mix or wonder and pity on their faces...presumably wondering why the heck would someone want to ride UP this road!
The climb has 3 false peaks but eventually I got to the top in a time of roughly 23mins. Not too bad for my first go!

A long and fast descent followed before a rest stop at the service station down the road. It was over half an hour until the next rider arrived which hinted that it would be a long, long day for some of them. We decided to push on as Warwick held the promise of a hot shower and something to eat.

The headwinds leading into Warwick were horrific. We were only 40km from our destination but it felt like million. The rough open gravel road surface combined with the headwind sapped all energy and momentum until we were 3 mortals struggling to keep moving.

I started to hunger bonk (cycling term for no energy & low sugar levels) badly. My vision was blurry and I could barely turn the pedals anymore. Worse still, I was still 25km from Warwick. The next 15km were easily the worst I have ever had on the bike. I felt terrible - the true definition of depleted, empty and alone. I had no water or food with me and if it wasn't for the company of the other 2, I probably would've stopped. Eventually, I got my second (or third) wind and my energy levels came up a notch or two - but still nowhere near feeling 'good'. It was enough to get me to Warwick and I have never been so happy to see a McDonalds sign in my life. The motel was a few block down and we rolled in thankful to be home.

For reference, we arrived around 4:30pm and the last rider was 2hrs behind us. It was a long day for all. After 7hrs20mins riding time I had travelled 170km and climbed 2150m.

Showered and changed, I filled up on the BBQ dinner and salads. It's amazing how much better you feel after a shower and some food.


Tomorrow is a shorter day (100km) thankfully, but we will be abit ginger getting back on the bike. Also, it will probably be below 10 degrees up here which will make life interesting.

See how we go.