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My first Audax ride
I just organised my first Audax ride up here in Mackay. Here's a video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN009bimWaw Well what a great day it turned out to be for Mackay's first ever Audax brevet. We had perfect weather and even though there were a few complaints about it being a little on the cool side at the start, it soon became a very pleasant Spring day, topping out at around the 24°C mark. The course was especially chosen to be an easy introduction to Audax riding with almost no hills for the first 100km. We also saw very little traffic due to the early start. Probably the most challenging part of the course was the 8km of dirt between Mt Ossa and Seaforth, the only place I heard any complaints all day. At Walkerston the two faster riders (Terry and Greg) decided to bid us adieu and shot off in the direction of Eton. We in the slower group received reports at each control that they were progressing well, even though Terry was suffering from back pain. In the afternoon those two battled stiff headwinds, which abated by the time the rest of us started travelling south. Mackay was at its best with clear blue skies and the green rainforested hills looking more luxuriant than ever due to the La Nina weather conditions this "dry" season. It all made for very easy and companionable riding. The volunteers at each control were a boost to the spirits, as was the delicious food and drinks. Thanks to Michele, Jacki, Phillip, Margaret, Gina and Fiona for helping out on the day. What was the outcome? Well 9 started and 9 finished. Terry and Greg in the very respectable time of 8 hours 23 min. Roli shot ahead at the 170km mark and finished at about 4:30pm. The final six, Sue, Peter Rosier, Louis, Jeanie, Andy and me, all finished at 5:23pm, 11 hours 57 minutes after starting. It was great to ride the whole thing as a group and keep each other going throughout the day. A special mention should go to Mackay Main Roads for providing funding to cover the cost of all the fantastic food we had during the day and for providing some really good quality roads to ride on. I'm sure that one day the Seaforth-Mt Ossa Rd will be completely sealed and we'll have a 200km training and touring route in Mackay. Education Queensland should also be thanked for opening up the toilets at Mt Charlton State School for us. There are a lot more rides in store for north and central Queensland cyclists throughout the year, so have a look at the list I've posted on the Bicycle Mackay website for more details. http://bicyclemackay.org.au/Touring/.../calendar.html |
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