The Countdown Continues ...

One Month To Go and training the house down!

We Ride!

(Kudos to whoever can first identify my jersey and its most significant wearer and post a comment.)

Today is the eighteenth of April, so it is one month to the day before Dianne and I fly out of Hobart for London and the start of our great cycling adventure. Yes, we are excited. And focussed. 

Di's injury put something of a dampener on our preparation for a time, but she seems to be recovering and is managing to get more riding done with less discomfort each time she gets on the bike. So far I have managed to avoid any setbacks since getting back into proper training towards the end of March and have put in some quality kilometres on the bike. Yesterday climatic conditions in southern Tasmania were outstanding for bike riding, and I managed to do my first imperial century for the year. Di repeated the ride from Richmond to Colebrook and back that we did a few days ago, but at a faster pace.

One aspect of Hail Caesar! we are really looking forward to is meeting our fellow riders. Of the 20 punters, we are told half are couples. The age range is from 28 to 71.  I expect the 28 year old and some of the other young ones (?) will be able to tow some of us older, slower folk along some of the flatter bits so we can save ourselves for all the climbing (over 40,000 metres of it in 28 days of riding). Whether we'll be able to keep up is another matter.

Today's Ride: A Derwent Duet for Dianne and Doug

After my big ride yesterday and Di's encouraging solo foray we decided to head up the scenic Derwent Valley for a short but rewarding loop.  Di says that this is her favourite short ride. I too like it very much, and if the road surface on much of the south side of the river wasn't so bad I might agree with her. Riding along the Derwent towards Bushy Park brings one close to the river for much of the way, then it's past cherry orchards, the Kinvarra Estate winery and on to the hop fields, across the Styx River and then the Derwent itself. A lovely climb yields views such as this one down on to the river ...

... which looks lovely even on a dull day. 

Here's a photo I took from the same spot, of Di, looking back towards Mt Field National Park in the distance ...

Once on the other side of the river a short, sharp climb gives way to a long, swooping descent and more great views of the river and more orchards. Quiet country roads, open vistas, interesting terrain and attractive scenery. What's not to like? 

We cruised along, taking turns at the front and just enjoyed being out. Another day of living life and interacting with the environment. And the major bonus is that we've gone a little further down the track to being ready for a gorgeous, month long cycling extravaganza.

Caesar's Itinerary Keeps Us Motivated

Every once in a while we have a peek at the details of Caesar. Looking at the route from time to time and reading about some of the historical highlights along the way is really good for keeping us on task. I can now share what that route looks like ...

Each purple dot represents an overnight stay, with Troyes, Como and Venice marking two-night stops and a rest day and a chance to do the laundry!  

Finally, if you're a serious cyclist how about taking part in my chamois cream survey on the right of the page? It would be fun to see what people think about different potions and lotions to keep things peachy down there!