orange is a lovely colour!

Since beginning our cycling adventures just prior to Christmas we have managed to travel over 500 kms in our first month… okay so we are not up there in the dizzy heights with the Tour de France cyclists yet, but we are pretty chuffed with our efforts thus far!

This morning I sit, reflecting on our very first ride with a group. We were invited to join a group of local riders in their regular trip to Little River/You Yangs. With the eagerness and enthusiasm of those still wet behind the ears (in terms of cycling) we jumped at the opportunity to tag along! Little did we know that we would be riding into a fierce head wind both to arrive at our meeting point and to reach Little River/You Yangs.

Leaving home by 7.30am (on a Sunday of all days! No such thing as a sleep in now we are cyclists!) we were on the road heading to our meeting point, Werribee. Upon joining the group I discover I am the only female rider! Whilst being introduced to the other cyclists I try to block out thoughts like… ‘Oh my god these guys look fit!’, ‘There’s no way I’ll be able to keep up!’, ‘I’m going to slow them down!’, ‘Perhaps I should go home!’…

Well I am glad I managed to stand up to my self-defeating thoughts because I did manage to keep up, even in the strong headwind. You see the beauty of riding in a pack is (and you may already know this) the cyclists at the front make it easier for those riding behind. It was still a hard 18km ride at an average speed of 21km/h to reach the exit but before I knew it the sign ahead read…Little River exit 1km. Soon after, there we were pulling off the freeway, riding over the bridge and into Little River.

Out of our group of 7, 3 continued on to mount an attack on the You Yangs whilst the other 4 (including me and my partner) headed back to Werribee with the wind behind us hitting a top speed at times of 49-50km/h. Wooo hoooo - what an exhilarating experience to be travelling along the roads by way of your own peddling power!  I don’t know why everyone doesn’t just do away with their cars and take to the roads on bicycles!

Upon arriving back in Werribee it was time to stop off, have a hot chocolate and a short rest before riding another 14km home. All in all by the time we arrived home we had completed a 67km ride in 2hours 40minutes, meet a group of very helpful cyclists who were happy to share their knowledge of riding in a group with us to make our first group ride a safe and positive experience. Thanks guys for inviting us and taking care of us too. This may just become a regular ride with a goal of one day mounting our own attack on the You Yangs!

We went cycling Monday, just for something to do and keeping up New Years resolutions, so we thought we’d try some of these ‘great’ bicycle tracks. So with a bike paths map in hand and no idea where we were going (except to get to Ceres) off we sped.

Almost 5 hrs later and over 90km behind us, we discovered the paths are in desperate need of decent signage!
The maps were helpful but when you come to a junction that isn’t listed, what looks like decent tracks in multiple directions, fading light and terse words spoken it quickly turns an enjoyable day into a frustratingly slow journey.

The bike paths taken where:
Federation - poor signage and some poor surfaces for a road bike and lots of crossings.

Ring Road - very poor signage to none at all! Lots and lots of crossings. Confusing on the map but the surface was good. Thanks to the people that got us going in the right direction.

Merri Creek - signage was good in parts and great paths, but some how we ended up on a shocking path of very loose stones, only to ride up a incredibly steep hill to find another path that looked superb! Discovered the Brunswick Cycling Club (I feel a new sport coming on). Also a big shout out to the guy at Ceres for filling up our water bottles. Some great sights along this track and a cool ride under the trees next to the creek, almost an oasis for the soul.

Saint Georges Road - we knew there was a bike track around there somewhere but couldn’t find it (signage) so we roaded into the city via the bike lanes.

Flinders St to Docklands - in peak traffic is exhilarating and terrifying.

Docklands to Footscray - great track, very easy and signed well.

Footscray to Williamstown - interesting bike tracks (good to poor) that take in port views but would prefer to be riding on the road. signage becoming poorer again.

Williamstown to home - just a ride along the road and have done it a few times now.