Thursday 14 April 2016

Rolling Along Towards Departure Date

Another day, another training ride


Well! It's only five weeks now before Dianne and I board the Big Bird and fly off to London. After farewelling visitors from interstate we have been trying to mix some cycling and walking training (the latter due to our intention to complete a long hike in Europe after our cycling adventure.)

Things were going pretty well, but Di has had a bit of a setback a week ago (more about that later), so I was off riding on my own again today. Here's the route I took ...


This ride goes out the bike path through Hobart's industrial heartland, on to the road and past MONA; through more (but less dense suburbia) and then along the Derwent to view black swans and the occasional pelican; over the bridge at Bridgewater and on to the rurality of the eastern shore and the Coal River Valley. Some rolling hills, vineyards, a couple of bridge crossings, through Lutana and back on to the bike path before negotiating the city centre and our little hill before arriving back home.

Although it can be a little tedious navigating the city during rush hour, most other times it's pretty easy getting through our small city centre, and we like to get down on the bike path as soon as we can. It's about 3 kilometres from our place to the bike path - and no, we don't ride in a straight line as the next image might suggest!


My friend Tony has lent me a Sony Action Camera, so I thought I'd try it out today. (An apology in advance: I forgot to reduce the road noise on a couple of the videos, so you might want to turn your sound down.)

It's a nice run down the hill to start ...


... except when someone you know and love runs into you unexpectedly!

Our Intercity Cycleway might not be the most aesthetic bit of infrastructure in Hobart, but for cyclists, runners, roller-blade aficionados, mums and dads pushing prams and sundry other self-propelled folks it has been a huge boon. The pathway through the industrial heartland north of the city, and is great for getting out of the city without too much hassle from motorists.

The one not-so-good thing about the bike path is that there are some awkward road crossings through Derwent Park and on into Glenorchy. Four of them stand out, and and if you look at the links for Sunderland Street, Derwent Park Road, Lampton Avenue and Elwick Road you will see why. It was at Lampton Avenue that Di was nearly bowled over by a young lass and her boyfriend zooming in from a side street while my darling was crossing. Di managed to narrowly avoid a collision but not without wrenching her lower back, hence the time off the bike the past few days.

Basically, the problem is the number of streets that are adjacent to each of the crossings of the bike path. While some motorists have become more cyclist-friendly there are lots of others who are aren't. I like to try to get through this section of the bike path as efficiently as I can as it is easy to get stuck at some of these intersections.

Things went pretty well today ...


A good opportunity to exit the bike path presents itself at Berriedale Road. By turning right at this intersection and then left on the old Main Road, one finds oneself riding close to the water and past the previously-mentioned MONA and the Moorilla Vineyard and Winery. Riding past the vines on either side of the road provides a nice preview of what's to come in the Coal River Valley.

The riding is very pleasant for the next five or six kilometres, before one must navigate across the Derwent River between Granton and Bridgewater ...


Despite us not having the best road surfaces here in Tasmania, I do tend to rave on to whoever will listen about how good the riding is hereabouts. It was a pity that my first outing with this camera was on such an overcast day. Here is a little video taking as I was approaching Brinktop Hill from the east when a bit of blue sky did appear, albeit rather briefly ...



The final video is coming into Richmond via the oldest bridge in Australia (google it if you think I am making this  up!) and then arriving at the Richmond Bakery for a rest, seventy-five kilometres after leaving home ...



Here's my (second best) bike, also happy to have a short break from the road ...



(Despite being such a reliable steed when we rode across Australia, it doesn't get to go to Europe with me. Dianne and I have decided that we might as well take our best bikes on this grand adventure.)

I had thought about going home via The Bonnet and back for a little extra distance (and "Brinktop and The Bonnet" has a nice ring to it, don't you think?), but because I was so late starting this morning I decided to save that for another day, meaning that I only had another thirty kilometres to cover before arriving at my doorstep. Hopefully Di will feel recovered enough tomorrow for us to do a nice gentle ride somewhere in the country.

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