Wednesday 3 June 2009
Some roady type tyres for the KLX
Getting closer to Ben getting his Learner's Permit for the motorbike and so will get some slightly more roady-type tyres instead of the full knobby tyres on the Kawasaki KLX250. Going for the Dunlop K850A - 3.00x21 front ($97 fitted) and 4.60x18 rear ($105 fitted) from Western Motorcycles in Penrith.
Tuesday 2 June 2009
A day's ride at Louee
If you are into trailbike riding and you haven't been to Louee (near Mudgee in NSW - check the web site at http://www.louee.net.au) then you are missing a great day out. On Friday May 29, we made the three hour trip from home to Mudgee to stay at the Ningana Motel on Mortimer St - 2 bedroom apartment for $130 per night. Dinner at Rajarani Indian Restaurant - Tarn had a spinach/beef medium curry, Ben had a medium Butter Chicken and I had the medium Vindaloo - very nice.
Out early next morning for the half hour drive to Louee with Ben (16 years old and riding the KLX250). Tania was going to to spend the day riding the Trek 6500 to Rylstone and back - a round trip of about 110km with some stiff hills and headwinds to deal with.
Ben and I signed in at Louee, paid Tom (the owner) the $60 ($40 for me and $20 for Ben) and away we went. Some photos below - great riding, great day had by all. The Thumpers Track was in the best condition I have ever seen it - 1.4 km of winding race dirt!
Tarn finished just on dark at the motel and Ben and I arrived soon after back at the Ningana for the night. Had a great Italian meal at the Trattoria - Tarn had Osso Bucco, I had Penne pasta with a mushroom sauce and Ben had the Chicken Parmigiana.
At the top of the "Sticks" trail
At the bottom of the "Sticks" trail
At the top of "Tom's Hill" climb
A view of the motocross tracks from the top of "Tom's Hill"
Ben getting air on the "Thumpers" track
Me roosting on "Thumpers"
Ben practising wheelies at the Freestyle track
Ben on the "Thumpers" track.
Out early next morning for the half hour drive to Louee with Ben (16 years old and riding the KLX250). Tania was going to to spend the day riding the Trek 6500 to Rylstone and back - a round trip of about 110km with some stiff hills and headwinds to deal with.
Ben and I signed in at Louee, paid Tom (the owner) the $60 ($40 for me and $20 for Ben) and away we went. Some photos below - great riding, great day had by all. The Thumpers Track was in the best condition I have ever seen it - 1.4 km of winding race dirt!
Tarn finished just on dark at the motel and Ben and I arrived soon after back at the Ningana for the night. Had a great Italian meal at the Trattoria - Tarn had Osso Bucco, I had Penne pasta with a mushroom sauce and Ben had the Chicken Parmigiana.
At the top of the "Sticks" trail
At the bottom of the "Sticks" trail
At the top of "Tom's Hill" climb
A view of the motocross tracks from the top of "Tom's Hill"
Ben getting air on the "Thumpers" track
Me roosting on "Thumpers"
Ben practising wheelies at the Freestyle track
Ben on the "Thumpers" track.
Wednesday 20 May 2009
More bikes in the family!
With Ben nearing the getting of his learner's license, we bought a Kawasaki KLX250F (2006 model) from Paull's of Richmond. Its a hoot to ride and came with Staintune pipe, full knobbies, bashplate and a battery charging plug.
We followed this up with a Honda CRF230F (2007) for me as my old faithful TS185 (1971) paddock basher decided that it had finally had enough. Got the CRF from Mudgee Honda - cracked rear rim and all.
We followed this up with a Honda CRF230F (2007) for me as my old faithful TS185 (1971) paddock basher decided that it had finally had enough. Got the CRF from Mudgee Honda - cracked rear rim and all.
Cooma to Home
Monday 6th April
Cooma to Canberra
Leave: 7:50am
Arrive: 3:15pm
Ride time: 6hr 10min
Total so far: 473.76km
Total today: 119.29km
Maximum speed: 54.2km/h
Average speed: 19.3km/h
Continental breakfast was good at the Sovereign Motel and it set us up for the day. We wore our raincoats to keep the cold at bay as we left Cooma in 7 degrees and overcast but with a good tailwind. The road to Canberra has a very good verge all of the way - a bit rough in parts and lots of broken glass but it at least allowed us to get off the road a bit out of the, at times, heavy truck traffic.
We made good time to Bredbo (34km in under 2 hours) and the "Gourmet Food Store" had some beautiful coffee - lots of good food here too. The road to here was fairly flat. On to Micalago (27km by 11:45am) for an early lunch, but we should have kept going. The only shop around was the petrol station and pies were the only food.
We crossed the border into the ACT and saw Tuggeranong in the distance at the 96km mark. Traffic got heavier as we followed the "City" signs and stopped at Kingston shops soon after 3:00pm for very nice coffee.
We followed Wentworth Ave, then Bowen Drive and then followed a bike path over Kings Ave bridge along the north side of Lake Burley Griffin and then over a footbridge into the back of Rydges Hotel Lakeside - $150 per night in room 411 with a city view. Bikes got stored for free in the luggage room on the ground floor.
Had a drink in the bar (they had Asahi beer on tap) and wandered up toward Civic and found the Jolimont Centre on Northbourne Avenue where we will catch the bus on Wednesday. Had dinner at a Singapore Restaurant ($50 inc. a "Shanghai" beer - roast duck, sweet and sour pork) and back to the hotel. Great day and fairly easy riding overall.
Tuesday 7th April
Around Canberra
We did about 20km around Civic, Parliament House and the Embassies at Yarralumla - BTW there is a bike rack at the new Parliament House in the underground carpark right next to the stairs up to the front door. Went to the Portrait Gallery on the the lake - brand new building and makes for an easy couple of hours of wandering around.
In Civic, "Dobson's Bakery" on Bunda Street was great for almond croissants and the "SupaBarn" supermarket inside the Canberra Centre on Bunda St is great. Called into the Greyhound desk at the Jolimont Centre and got a printout of our tickets for tomorrow - this is important as we couldn't print them out seeing as we were on the road and you need a printed ticket to show the busdriver! The desk is only open 9-5 and we are leaving at 7:15am in the morning. Also bought 5 metres of bubble wrap to help pack the bikes up tomorrow.
Wednesday 8th April
Canberra to Home
Down to the luggage room to pick up bikes at 6:00am - lucky we were early as I had a flat front tyre! So we walked the bikes up to the Jolimont (took about 20 minutes) and packed the bikes ready to put onto the bus (flat tyre and all!) - take front wheel and handlebars off, wrap the handlebars in the bubble wrap and cabletie them to the front fork. Use the climbing tapes I kept from the Albury boxes to tie the front wheel to the frame triangle. This way the bikes fit upright into the luggage bin of the bus balanced on fork ends and back wheel.
Bus to Central station in Sydney took nearly 4 hours - I put the bikes back together again here and fixed the puncture, then caught the Mountains train for Springwood and rode home. Great trip!
Cooma to Canberra
Leave: 7:50am
Arrive: 3:15pm
Ride time: 6hr 10min
Total so far: 473.76km
Total today: 119.29km
Maximum speed: 54.2km/h
Average speed: 19.3km/h
Continental breakfast was good at the Sovereign Motel and it set us up for the day. We wore our raincoats to keep the cold at bay as we left Cooma in 7 degrees and overcast but with a good tailwind. The road to Canberra has a very good verge all of the way - a bit rough in parts and lots of broken glass but it at least allowed us to get off the road a bit out of the, at times, heavy truck traffic.
We made good time to Bredbo (34km in under 2 hours) and the "Gourmet Food Store" had some beautiful coffee - lots of good food here too. The road to here was fairly flat. On to Micalago (27km by 11:45am) for an early lunch, but we should have kept going. The only shop around was the petrol station and pies were the only food.
We crossed the border into the ACT and saw Tuggeranong in the distance at the 96km mark. Traffic got heavier as we followed the "City" signs and stopped at Kingston shops soon after 3:00pm for very nice coffee.
We followed Wentworth Ave, then Bowen Drive and then followed a bike path over Kings Ave bridge along the north side of Lake Burley Griffin and then over a footbridge into the back of Rydges Hotel Lakeside - $150 per night in room 411 with a city view. Bikes got stored for free in the luggage room on the ground floor.
Had a drink in the bar (they had Asahi beer on tap) and wandered up toward Civic and found the Jolimont Centre on Northbourne Avenue where we will catch the bus on Wednesday. Had dinner at a Singapore Restaurant ($50 inc. a "Shanghai" beer - roast duck, sweet and sour pork) and back to the hotel. Great day and fairly easy riding overall.
Tuesday 7th April
Around Canberra
We did about 20km around Civic, Parliament House and the Embassies at Yarralumla - BTW there is a bike rack at the new Parliament House in the underground carpark right next to the stairs up to the front door. Went to the Portrait Gallery on the the lake - brand new building and makes for an easy couple of hours of wandering around.
In Civic, "Dobson's Bakery" on Bunda Street was great for almond croissants and the "SupaBarn" supermarket inside the Canberra Centre on Bunda St is great. Called into the Greyhound desk at the Jolimont Centre and got a printout of our tickets for tomorrow - this is important as we couldn't print them out seeing as we were on the road and you need a printed ticket to show the busdriver! The desk is only open 9-5 and we are leaving at 7:15am in the morning. Also bought 5 metres of bubble wrap to help pack the bikes up tomorrow.
Wednesday 8th April
Canberra to Home
Down to the luggage room to pick up bikes at 6:00am - lucky we were early as I had a flat front tyre! So we walked the bikes up to the Jolimont (took about 20 minutes) and packed the bikes ready to put onto the bus (flat tyre and all!) - take front wheel and handlebars off, wrap the handlebars in the bubble wrap and cabletie them to the front fork. Use the climbing tapes I kept from the Albury boxes to tie the front wheel to the frame triangle. This way the bikes fit upright into the luggage bin of the bus balanced on fork ends and back wheel.
Bus to Central station in Sydney took nearly 4 hours - I put the bikes back together again here and fixed the puncture, then caught the Mountains train for Springwood and rode home. Great trip!
Wednesday 15 April 2009
Thredbo to Cooma
Friday 3rd April
Thredbo to Jindabyne
Leave: 10.00am
Arrive: 1.15pm
Ride time: 2hrs 18mins
Total so far: 290.45km
Total today: 37.25km
Max. speed: 72km/h
Av. speed: 16.2km/h
Leisurely start - coffee and croissant at the bakery and checked out the bikes of the DH riders turning up for the NSW State Round 1. Took my back wheel down to the servo to get a new spoke fitted - $10 all up.
Good breakfast at the lodge - toast and cereal. Packed up and on the road by 10am for a leisurely ride to Crackenback Cottage for morning tea - the scones are superb by the way. Rode across the road to the Wild Brumby distillery as well. Tasted peach, sour apple and apple but he best was the Butterscotch Schnapps. They've got a German beer on tap as well - had to partake!
Staggered back onto the bike for the last 8km to Jindabyne and along the bike path to the Horizons Resort to check in. We will stay 2 nights here to fully recover - the climb yesterday really took it out of us and we haven't recovered yet.
Wandered into town and did some shopping and internet catchup and of course Serge's croissants and the mobile Op Shop on a Friday.
Saturday 4th April
Around Jindabyne
Rest day in Jindy. Full buffet breakfast after a good Mexican dinner we cooked in our apartment last night. Had another croissant from Serge's as well of course. Got the back wheel trued ($35) and hit the shops for a look but generally relaxed and read the papers. Its also the end of daylight saving time tonight and it is probably a few weeks late - sunrise today was 7.36am.
Cooked up a great Indian meal for dinner - the Woolworth's supermarket at Nugget's crossing is great for all sorts of stuff. Itinerary for the remainder of the trip is to ride to Cooma tomorrow and then onto Canberra for a couple of days.
Sunday 5th April
Leave: 8.00am
Arrive: 12.30pm
Ride time: 3hrs 49min
Total so far: 354.47km
Total today: 64.02km
Max. speed: 57.1km/h
Av. speed: 16.7km/h
Another nice breakfast and off in about 10 degrees C out of Jindabyne. Good road verge pretty much all the way to Cooma but the bitumen is generally fairly rough. Superb clear skies and a slight tail-wind meant we could see for miles and were in Berridale (30km) by 10.00am for morning tea and good coffee at the "MooPlus" coffee shop opposite the public loos.
Wind got up a bit as we wandered on to Cooma by 12.30pm and staying at the Sovereign Motel in an apartment - straight opposite McDonalds for $130 (02 6452 1366). Very comfy place. Walked to Woolworths supermarket and bought wine and Ploughman's makings for dinner. Ready now for the final 100'odd km to Canberra. At Berridale, I rang Murray's Buses (132251) and Greyhound (1300 473946863) to see about getting a bus from Canberra to Sydney.
Turned out Greyhound didn't need us to box the bikes (Murray's did) and could transport us non-stop 6.30am-10.00am Wednesday 8th for $87 including bikes. Booked it over the phone and paid by Visa.
Thredbo to Jindabyne
Leave: 10.00am
Arrive: 1.15pm
Ride time: 2hrs 18mins
Total so far: 290.45km
Total today: 37.25km
Max. speed: 72km/h
Av. speed: 16.2km/h
Leisurely start - coffee and croissant at the bakery and checked out the bikes of the DH riders turning up for the NSW State Round 1. Took my back wheel down to the servo to get a new spoke fitted - $10 all up.
Good breakfast at the lodge - toast and cereal. Packed up and on the road by 10am for a leisurely ride to Crackenback Cottage for morning tea - the scones are superb by the way. Rode across the road to the Wild Brumby distillery as well. Tasted peach, sour apple and apple but he best was the Butterscotch Schnapps. They've got a German beer on tap as well - had to partake!
Staggered back onto the bike for the last 8km to Jindabyne and along the bike path to the Horizons Resort to check in. We will stay 2 nights here to fully recover - the climb yesterday really took it out of us and we haven't recovered yet.
Wandered into town and did some shopping and internet catchup and of course Serge's croissants and the mobile Op Shop on a Friday.
Saturday 4th April
Around Jindabyne
Rest day in Jindy. Full buffet breakfast after a good Mexican dinner we cooked in our apartment last night. Had another croissant from Serge's as well of course. Got the back wheel trued ($35) and hit the shops for a look but generally relaxed and read the papers. Its also the end of daylight saving time tonight and it is probably a few weeks late - sunrise today was 7.36am.
Cooked up a great Indian meal for dinner - the Woolworth's supermarket at Nugget's crossing is great for all sorts of stuff. Itinerary for the remainder of the trip is to ride to Cooma tomorrow and then onto Canberra for a couple of days.
Sunday 5th April
Leave: 8.00am
Arrive: 12.30pm
Ride time: 3hrs 49min
Total so far: 354.47km
Total today: 64.02km
Max. speed: 57.1km/h
Av. speed: 16.7km/h
Another nice breakfast and off in about 10 degrees C out of Jindabyne. Good road verge pretty much all the way to Cooma but the bitumen is generally fairly rough. Superb clear skies and a slight tail-wind meant we could see for miles and were in Berridale (30km) by 10.00am for morning tea and good coffee at the "MooPlus" coffee shop opposite the public loos.
Wind got up a bit as we wandered on to Cooma by 12.30pm and staying at the Sovereign Motel in an apartment - straight opposite McDonalds for $130 (02 6452 1366). Very comfy place. Walked to Woolworths supermarket and bought wine and Ploughman's makings for dinner. Ready now for the final 100'odd km to Canberra. At Berridale, I rang Murray's Buses (132251) and Greyhound (1300 473946863) to see about getting a bus from Canberra to Sydney.
Turned out Greyhound didn't need us to box the bikes (Murray's did) and could transport us non-stop 6.30am-10.00am Wednesday 8th for $87 including bikes. Booked it over the phone and paid by Visa.
Sunday 12 April 2009
Some more notes - Tallangatta to Thredbo
Wednesday 1st April
Tallangatta to Khancoban
Leave: 7.40am
Arrive: 4.00pm
Riding Time: 6hr 45mins
Total so far: 165km
Total today: 110.39km
Max. Speed: 61.6km/h
Av. Speed: 16.3km/h
Rode in the dark to the Bakery in town for breakfast - coffee scroll and good coffee. Left at daylight and quite cool (10 degrees C) and good road verge to Old Tallangatta (8km). Undulating riding until Bullioh when we hit the hills - a 3km steep climb and then some quite big hills through to Shelley. Pretty tough riding with no verge after Old Tallangatta but very little traffic.
The pub at Koetong didn't open until 11am (not even when we asked nicely for coffee!) and so we were glad we were carrying bars and an extra 3l of water. We also carried a 2 cup thermos flask which we had filled with boiled water in our motel room this morning and we used this to make coffee at the 42km mark at a reserve called Tom Mitchell - just past the worst of the hills.
Fantastic downhill after this toward Berringama but then some big undulations and Wabba Gap (465m) near the Cudgewa turnoff had me run out of water about 6km short of Corryong. This was a pretty tough ride of 83km to here but we found and had a great lunch at a local cafe on the left hand side at the far end of town. Bought some more water (2.5l) for the final 27km to Khancoban. It was 1.38pm in Corryong and about 30 degrees C.
6km out of Corryong turn right and go straight up the 2.5km climb of Towong Gap (425m).
Down the other side and cross Swampy Plains River into NSW
and climb up another unnamed gap before turning right for the last 5km into Khancoban. Very hot and tough riding! Staying at the Lakeside Caravan Resort on the entry to town in a luxurious demountable motel unit for $85 including a cereal breakfast and a microwave. Went to the pub for a drink (200m) and checked that the General Store will be open when we go in the morning (most days open 6.00am to 5.30pm).
Dinner at the pub - Fisherman's Basket ($19) and Rainbow Trout with all-you-can-eat vegetables and salad ($14).
Thursday 2nd April
Khancoban to Thredbo
Leave: 7.50am
Arrive: 5.50pm
Riding Time: 7hrs 26mins
Total so far: 253.2km
Total today: 78.21km
Max. speed: 70.6km/h
Av. speed: 10.5km
Wow - what a climbing day that was! From Khancoban at 300m to Geehi at 600m to Dead Horse Gap at 1582m to finish at Thredbo at 1330m.
Had brekky at the General Store and stocked up for morning/afternoon teas and lunch - no shops or civilisation until Thredbo. Couldn't buy 1.5l waters (they seem about the best carrying size) so bought a 1.5l softdrink, emptied it into the garden and filled it with water from a tap near the store. Also filled our bottles and another 1.25l bottle kept from yesterday. We've been starting the day with one of our water bottles filled with Gatorade as well (we are carrying Gatorade powder and so can make them up).
Had a "Switchyard" for breakfast - a bread roll filled with bacon, 2 eggs, uncooked tomato and onion and melted cheese - yum! The burger was named after some guys who used to work at the switchyard in Khancoban and would come in each day asking for these ingredients on a burger. The Switchyard was where NSW cattle were taken on into Victoria by Victorian drovers.
There is no shop for the next 8o km though the Murray Power Station Number 1 has a coffee shop about 10km out of Khancoban. Doesn't sound far but the climbs made it an hour's ride - there are some big hills to get out of Khancoban! We didn't stop as the road into the power station would've added another 2km.
We pushed on until 21.4km out (10.30am) we climbed up to Scammell Spur Lookout - brilliant view of the Alps - clear sky, no haze and warming up from the 10 degrees C start. We were able to fill our water bottles here (don't rely on this BTW) at the toilet tap from the tank. I have already finished 2.5 bottles to here. Had coffee (from our thermos) and morning tea here.
There was a 7km downhill from the lookout - brilliant! Then there were lots of BIG undulations down to the Geehi Rest Area at 33km mark. We pushed on to Tom Groggin Camping area (54.5km) with some big climbs before we got to Tom Groggin on the Murray River - very hot now with about 30 degrees C. Got in at 1.00pm - had a swim in the cool water - poor old Murray River level is quite low here compared to previous years. Had lunch - bread roll, cheese, tomato, vegemite and juice.
Left Tom Groggin about 1.40pm for the 19km climb up to the top of Dead Horse Gap - this was very hot for the first half and very steep - the steepest roads we have hit so far anywhere on any tour we've done. Had to get off and walk for one particularly steep 200m pinch just before the Leatherbarrel Creek Camp Area. Only 8km to here but I had been through 3 bottles already - bloody steep and hot. Spent most of the time in either 1-1 or 1-2 and about 4-6km/h max. We replenished our water supply from the creek here - very cold and sweet tasting water.
The next 11km to the top was again very steep but we were in a rhythm now (albeit a slow one!). The red snow poles started about 3km from the top and I somehow broke a spoke about 1km from the top. It buckled immediately but thankfully held until Thredbo.
We made the top of Dead Horse Gap by 5.30pm in cloud and about 13 degrees and rolled the final 4km down to Candlelight Lodge in Thredbo - at last!
This was the toughest day we have ever ridden by far. Thankfully only 30km to Jindabyne tomorrow for a rest. Will check with the bike shop here to fix the spoke tomorrow - I am carrying spare spokes so shouldn't be a problem fitting it.
Room at the Lodge is great. Went to the T-Bar (near the supermarket) for a very expensive dinner but very nice.
Tallangatta to Khancoban
Leave: 7.40am
Arrive: 4.00pm
Riding Time: 6hr 45mins
Total so far: 165km
Total today: 110.39km
Max. Speed: 61.6km/h
Av. Speed: 16.3km/h
Rode in the dark to the Bakery in town for breakfast - coffee scroll and good coffee. Left at daylight and quite cool (10 degrees C) and good road verge to Old Tallangatta (8km). Undulating riding until Bullioh when we hit the hills - a 3km steep climb and then some quite big hills through to Shelley. Pretty tough riding with no verge after Old Tallangatta but very little traffic.
The pub at Koetong didn't open until 11am (not even when we asked nicely for coffee!) and so we were glad we were carrying bars and an extra 3l of water. We also carried a 2 cup thermos flask which we had filled with boiled water in our motel room this morning and we used this to make coffee at the 42km mark at a reserve called Tom Mitchell - just past the worst of the hills.
Fantastic downhill after this toward Berringama but then some big undulations and Wabba Gap (465m) near the Cudgewa turnoff had me run out of water about 6km short of Corryong. This was a pretty tough ride of 83km to here but we found and had a great lunch at a local cafe on the left hand side at the far end of town. Bought some more water (2.5l) for the final 27km to Khancoban. It was 1.38pm in Corryong and about 30 degrees C.
6km out of Corryong turn right and go straight up the 2.5km climb of Towong Gap (425m).
Down the other side and cross Swampy Plains River into NSW
and climb up another unnamed gap before turning right for the last 5km into Khancoban. Very hot and tough riding! Staying at the Lakeside Caravan Resort on the entry to town in a luxurious demountable motel unit for $85 including a cereal breakfast and a microwave. Went to the pub for a drink (200m) and checked that the General Store will be open when we go in the morning (most days open 6.00am to 5.30pm).
Dinner at the pub - Fisherman's Basket ($19) and Rainbow Trout with all-you-can-eat vegetables and salad ($14).
Thursday 2nd April
Khancoban to Thredbo
Leave: 7.50am
Arrive: 5.50pm
Riding Time: 7hrs 26mins
Total so far: 253.2km
Total today: 78.21km
Max. speed: 70.6km/h
Av. speed: 10.5km
Wow - what a climbing day that was! From Khancoban at 300m to Geehi at 600m to Dead Horse Gap at 1582m to finish at Thredbo at 1330m.
Had brekky at the General Store and stocked up for morning/afternoon teas and lunch - no shops or civilisation until Thredbo. Couldn't buy 1.5l waters (they seem about the best carrying size) so bought a 1.5l softdrink, emptied it into the garden and filled it with water from a tap near the store. Also filled our bottles and another 1.25l bottle kept from yesterday. We've been starting the day with one of our water bottles filled with Gatorade as well (we are carrying Gatorade powder and so can make them up).
Had a "Switchyard" for breakfast - a bread roll filled with bacon, 2 eggs, uncooked tomato and onion and melted cheese - yum! The burger was named after some guys who used to work at the switchyard in Khancoban and would come in each day asking for these ingredients on a burger. The Switchyard was where NSW cattle were taken on into Victoria by Victorian drovers.
There is no shop for the next 8o km though the Murray Power Station Number 1 has a coffee shop about 10km out of Khancoban. Doesn't sound far but the climbs made it an hour's ride - there are some big hills to get out of Khancoban! We didn't stop as the road into the power station would've added another 2km.
We pushed on until 21.4km out (10.30am) we climbed up to Scammell Spur Lookout - brilliant view of the Alps - clear sky, no haze and warming up from the 10 degrees C start. We were able to fill our water bottles here (don't rely on this BTW) at the toilet tap from the tank. I have already finished 2.5 bottles to here. Had coffee (from our thermos) and morning tea here.
There was a 7km downhill from the lookout - brilliant! Then there were lots of BIG undulations down to the Geehi Rest Area at 33km mark. We pushed on to Tom Groggin Camping area (54.5km) with some big climbs before we got to Tom Groggin on the Murray River - very hot now with about 30 degrees C. Got in at 1.00pm - had a swim in the cool water - poor old Murray River level is quite low here compared to previous years. Had lunch - bread roll, cheese, tomato, vegemite and juice.
Left Tom Groggin about 1.40pm for the 19km climb up to the top of Dead Horse Gap - this was very hot for the first half and very steep - the steepest roads we have hit so far anywhere on any tour we've done. Had to get off and walk for one particularly steep 200m pinch just before the Leatherbarrel Creek Camp Area. Only 8km to here but I had been through 3 bottles already - bloody steep and hot. Spent most of the time in either 1-1 or 1-2 and about 4-6km/h max. We replenished our water supply from the creek here - very cold and sweet tasting water.
The next 11km to the top was again very steep but we were in a rhythm now (albeit a slow one!). The red snow poles started about 3km from the top and I somehow broke a spoke about 1km from the top. It buckled immediately but thankfully held until Thredbo.
We made the top of Dead Horse Gap by 5.30pm in cloud and about 13 degrees and rolled the final 4km down to Candlelight Lodge in Thredbo - at last!
This was the toughest day we have ever ridden by far. Thankfully only 30km to Jindabyne tomorrow for a rest. Will check with the bike shop here to fix the spoke tomorrow - I am carrying spare spokes so shouldn't be a problem fitting it.
Room at the Lodge is great. Went to the T-Bar (near the supermarket) for a very expensive dinner but very nice.
Wednesday 8 April 2009
Some details from my notes
It was difficult to get internet access to write anything much while we were on the road - we are home now and so I'll add a bit more detail.
Sunday 29th March
Home to Sydney (by train)
Packed the bikes up this morning into boxes we had got previously from a local bike shop - Blaxland Cycles. Boxes must weigh less that 20kg to be accepted by Baggage Collection at Central station. Got the 4.05pm train. I rigged up a strap system to be able to carry both bike boxes while Tania carried the 4 panniers. We were able to check the bikes into Country Link Luggage station (accepts luggage up to 24hrs before departure) and so saved lugging them to the Mercure Hotel next door ($139 through lastminute.com). Dinner at our usual Chinese near UTS - steamed dumplings, salt/pepper squid and rice for $24.
Monday 30th March
Sydney to Albury (by train)
Tain was good - dining car nearby, plenty of leg room - left Central at 7.45am and into Albury at 3.45pm.
Bikes were on the platform when we got off the train and as we were carrying all our stuff to the Albury Manor Motel about 3 blocks away on Young Street, a local minibus driver pulled up and gave us a free lift to the motel! Very friendly intro to Albury and this was carried on with the Manor staff as well - they took our boxes away for us for recycling after we'd removed the bikes of course!
Put the bikes together in our room and they were all OK. Wandered into town to buy some bits ready for tomorrow - muesli bars, fruit and cable ties. Dinner at Taco Bill's Mexican on Dean St - very nice and quick. Motel was booked online through lastminute.com for $85.
Tuesday 31st March
Albury to Tallangatta
Leave: 9:00am
Arrive: 1:00pm
Ride total: 54.6km
Today total: 54.6km
Riding time: 3hrs 28 mins.
Max speed: 44.7km/h
Av. speed: 15.7km/h
Left the hotel about 8am - sunrise was 7:32am with daylight saving still in operation. Around the corner was a cafe with reasonable coffee and bacon egg rolls for 2 for $20. Rode down Dean St to the park on the Murray River - still a beautiful sight even with not a lot of water in it. The bike path along the river is great and it leads you onto the Causeway over the Murray and into Victoria - followed road signs to Tallangatta which was well signposted.
Picked up a Rail Trail path soon after the Mt Beauty turnoff - it was quite good to Bonegilla - sealed mostly.
We stopped at the General Store here for coffee (quite good) and visited the Bonegilla Migrant Museum - a bit like the Welcome Wall in Sydney with the Wacol Migrant Centre from Brisbane attached.
The Hume Dam is very low and disappeared altogether by the time we left the by now very rough rail trail past Bonegilla. The trail joins the B400 road in parts as the rail bridges are mostly not well!
Got a bit hillier toward Tallangatta and the water disappeared with just ponds showing - very sad looking. Had lunch at the main street takeaway and checked out the info centre and Op Shop - won't tell you who checked which shop! Picked up a great map from the Towong Shire Office (free) which we will use through to Khancoban.
It was coolish (13 degrees) when we started in Albury but was 30 degrees by the time we got here. Stocked up here at the IGA supermarket for tomorrow - no shops until 80km away in Corryong. There is a pub apparently in Koetong and pretty hilly around there for 20km but we will see.
Bought some bars and 3 litres of water to carry with us. The Tallangatta Motor Inn where we are staying is a bit like a caravan - mobile floor, ants, saggy ceiling but was the only one in town - the pub has accommodation and may have been better. Had dinner the Victoria Hotel - Reef and Beef and Fisherman's Basket and drinks for $48.
It was a toss-up whether to stay here on our first day or to go through to Corryong - I'm glad we stayed here in Tallangatta - love the name and centre of town has a beautiful park area with big trees. Cycle touring in Australia is a lot harder than in Europe - things are much farther apart with little or nothing in between in terms of shops or accommodation so uless you camp, you need to plan fairly carefully and be very confident about your ability to make certain distances in a certain times so you can book ahead.
Sunday 29th March
Home to Sydney (by train)
Packed the bikes up this morning into boxes we had got previously from a local bike shop - Blaxland Cycles. Boxes must weigh less that 20kg to be accepted by Baggage Collection at Central station. Got the 4.05pm train. I rigged up a strap system to be able to carry both bike boxes while Tania carried the 4 panniers. We were able to check the bikes into Country Link Luggage station (accepts luggage up to 24hrs before departure) and so saved lugging them to the Mercure Hotel next door ($139 through lastminute.com). Dinner at our usual Chinese near UTS - steamed dumplings, salt/pepper squid and rice for $24.
Monday 30th March
Sydney to Albury (by train)
Tain was good - dining car nearby, plenty of leg room - left Central at 7.45am and into Albury at 3.45pm.
Bikes were on the platform when we got off the train and as we were carrying all our stuff to the Albury Manor Motel about 3 blocks away on Young Street, a local minibus driver pulled up and gave us a free lift to the motel! Very friendly intro to Albury and this was carried on with the Manor staff as well - they took our boxes away for us for recycling after we'd removed the bikes of course!
Put the bikes together in our room and they were all OK. Wandered into town to buy some bits ready for tomorrow - muesli bars, fruit and cable ties. Dinner at Taco Bill's Mexican on Dean St - very nice and quick. Motel was booked online through lastminute.com for $85.
Tuesday 31st March
Albury to Tallangatta
Leave: 9:00am
Arrive: 1:00pm
Ride total: 54.6km
Today total: 54.6km
Riding time: 3hrs 28 mins.
Max speed: 44.7km/h
Av. speed: 15.7km/h
Left the hotel about 8am - sunrise was 7:32am with daylight saving still in operation. Around the corner was a cafe with reasonable coffee and bacon egg rolls for 2 for $20. Rode down Dean St to the park on the Murray River - still a beautiful sight even with not a lot of water in it. The bike path along the river is great and it leads you onto the Causeway over the Murray and into Victoria - followed road signs to Tallangatta which was well signposted.
Picked up a Rail Trail path soon after the Mt Beauty turnoff - it was quite good to Bonegilla - sealed mostly. 
We stopped at the General Store here for coffee (quite good) and visited the Bonegilla Migrant Museum - a bit like the Welcome Wall in Sydney with the Wacol Migrant Centre from Brisbane attached.
The Hume Dam is very low and disappeared altogether by the time we left the by now very rough rail trail past Bonegilla. The trail joins the B400 road in parts as the rail bridges are mostly not well!
Got a bit hillier toward Tallangatta and the water disappeared with just ponds showing - very sad looking. Had lunch at the main street takeaway and checked out the info centre and Op Shop - won't tell you who checked which shop! Picked up a great map from the Towong Shire Office (free) which we will use through to Khancoban.
It was coolish (13 degrees) when we started in Albury but was 30 degrees by the time we got here. Stocked up here at the IGA supermarket for tomorrow - no shops until 80km away in Corryong. There is a pub apparently in Koetong and pretty hilly around there for 20km but we will see.
Bought some bars and 3 litres of water to carry with us. The Tallangatta Motor Inn where we are staying is a bit like a caravan - mobile floor, ants, saggy ceiling but was the only one in town - the pub has accommodation and may have been better. Had dinner the Victoria Hotel - Reef and Beef and Fisherman's Basket and drinks for $48.
It was a toss-up whether to stay here on our first day or to go through to Corryong - I'm glad we stayed here in Tallangatta - love the name and centre of town has a beautiful park area with big trees. Cycle touring in Australia is a lot harder than in Europe - things are much farther apart with little or nothing in between in terms of shops or accommodation so uless you camp, you need to plan fairly carefully and be very confident about your ability to make certain distances in a certain times so you can book ahead.
Friday 3 April 2009
To Jindabyne
I'll just give a quick rundown now and add some specific details later.
Train to Albury was fine and boxes arrived with bikes on the platform when we got off. Note to self - must not pack more than 20kg in a bike box for the train otherwise it gets refused! We had to repack them at the Central station.
Headed off next day to Tallangatta along bike path/rail trail and an easy 45 km. Dinner at the Victoria Pub was great.
Wednesday was 110km to Khancoban and quite hot and tough especially between Corryong and Khancoban.
Thursday's 78km to Thredbo though was the toughest riding we've ever done - 10 hours on the bike and into Thredbo at near 6pm absolutely destroyed!
Friday nice and easy to Jindabyne via Crackenback Cottage for scones and via Wild Brumby for Schnapps tasting!
Staying at the Horizons Resort tonight - our reward!
Train to Albury was fine and boxes arrived with bikes on the platform when we got off. Note to self - must not pack more than 20kg in a bike box for the train otherwise it gets refused! We had to repack them at the Central station.
Headed off next day to Tallangatta along bike path/rail trail and an easy 45 km. Dinner at the Victoria Pub was great.
Wednesday was 110km to Khancoban and quite hot and tough especially between Corryong and Khancoban.
Thursday's 78km to Thredbo though was the toughest riding we've ever done - 10 hours on the bike and into Thredbo at near 6pm absolutely destroyed!
Friday nice and easy to Jindabyne via Crackenback Cottage for scones and via Wild Brumby for Schnapps tasting!
Staying at the Horizons Resort tonight - our reward!
Wednesday 25 March 2009
Accommodation on the ride
We've pre-booked some of the accommodation to make sure that we don't have to search when we arrive in a town. Early on, there are few towns and so we want to be sure there is somewhere to sleep. The plan so far is:
Sunday 29th - Mercure Hotel nr Central Station in Sydney - early start on Monday so we will train down with our boxed bikes on Sunday afternoon to Central.
Monday 30th - train from Central to Albury and stay at the Manor House Hotel in Young Street.
Tuesday 31st - ride 45km to Tallangatta and stay at the Motor Inn.
Wednesday 1st - ride 110km to Khancoban and stay at Lakeside Caravan Resort in the motel section. 1 block walk to the pub for dinner apparently.
Thursday 2nd - ride 74km to Thredbo and stay at Candlelight Lodge in Diggings Terrace.
Friday 3rd - ride 33km to Jindabyne and stay at Horizons Resort on the lake.
Saturday 4th - ride 68km to Cooma
Sunday 5th - ride 110km to Queanbeyan
Monday 6th - ride 137km to Taralga via Bungendore
Tuesday 7th - ride 102km to Oberon via Abercrombie
Wednesday 8th - ride 62km to Lithgow
Thursday 9th - ride 82km to home via Little Hartley and Darling Causeway.
Total of about 828km.
Sunday 29th - Mercure Hotel nr Central Station in Sydney - early start on Monday so we will train down with our boxed bikes on Sunday afternoon to Central.
Monday 30th - train from Central to Albury and stay at the Manor House Hotel in Young Street.
Tuesday 31st - ride 45km to Tallangatta and stay at the Motor Inn.
Wednesday 1st - ride 110km to Khancoban and stay at Lakeside Caravan Resort in the motel section. 1 block walk to the pub for dinner apparently.
Thursday 2nd - ride 74km to Thredbo and stay at Candlelight Lodge in Diggings Terrace.
Friday 3rd - ride 33km to Jindabyne and stay at Horizons Resort on the lake.
Saturday 4th - ride 68km to Cooma
Sunday 5th - ride 110km to Queanbeyan
Monday 6th - ride 137km to Taralga via Bungendore
Tuesday 7th - ride 102km to Oberon via Abercrombie
Wednesday 8th - ride 62km to Lithgow
Thursday 9th - ride 82km to home via Little Hartley and Darling Causeway.
Total of about 828km.
Tuesday 24 March 2009
Next ride - Albury to Blue Mountains!
On 29th March we head off again but a little more local this time. We are taking a train to Albury (on the Victoria/NSW border) and then riding home via Tallangatta, Khancoban, Thredbo, Cooma, Queanbeyan, Goulburn, Taralga, Oberon, Lithgow, Winmalee.
Am a little worried about the lack of much civilization along many of the roads - just in terms of having to carry water and food due to the distances between shops etc.
Of course also a little worried at the climb from Khancoban to Thredbo!
Have pre-booked the train ($83.50 each including bike) - the bike has to be boxed and put in the luggage compartment of the train. Leaves from Sydney Central station at 7am on Monday 30th March and arrives Albury at 3:19pm that day. We'll stay in Albury that night and put bikes together etc and head off on a gentle starter day to stay at Tallangatta (45km) on Tuesday 31st. Heading for Khancoban to stay Wednesday (120km) and Thredbo to stay Thursday (80km) and then Jindabyne on the Friday night (33km). After that we will see how we feel.
Since we left our Raceline mountain bikes in Milan, we bought new Trek 6500's and we will ride these with Schwalbe Marathons for rolling speed.
Am a little worried about the lack of much civilization along many of the roads - just in terms of having to carry water and food due to the distances between shops etc.
Of course also a little worried at the climb from Khancoban to Thredbo!
Have pre-booked the train ($83.50 each including bike) - the bike has to be boxed and put in the luggage compartment of the train. Leaves from Sydney Central station at 7am on Monday 30th March and arrives Albury at 3:19pm that day. We'll stay in Albury that night and put bikes together etc and head off on a gentle starter day to stay at Tallangatta (45km) on Tuesday 31st. Heading for Khancoban to stay Wednesday (120km) and Thredbo to stay Thursday (80km) and then Jindabyne on the Friday night (33km). After that we will see how we feel.
Since we left our Raceline mountain bikes in Milan, we bought new Trek 6500's and we will ride these with Schwalbe Marathons for rolling speed.
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