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