This year the Canterbury Rotary Bike Riding Team again completed the 100 km Melbourne to Frankston Return ride. There were nine ride options, ranging from 20 km Melbourne to Elwood return to a 300 km ride around the bay plus diversions - the shortest ride totally around the bay is 210 km. Trains between Camberwell and the city didn’t operate over the weekend, so some riders had an extra 25 km ride to get to the start at Albert Park Lake. Daylight saving also added a challenge with the 7 am start.
More than 8,000 riders participated in the event with 1,100 riding the Frankston Return option. The ride started in warm conditions with a strong north-westerly tail wind, but at Frankston a strong cold change arrived from the west, so that the wind became much more variable in direction - at times from the side and other times from the front on the journey back to Melbourne.
Around the Bay attracts many bike riders of different ages and abilities coming together to enjoy bike riding. One of the Canterbury Riders, Jim Chambers, went on the 20 km ride with two of his primary school grandsons - he has promised his 8 year old granddaughter that she will be old enough for the 20 km ride next year. We all look forward to the event next year when the Canterbury Rotary Bike Riding Team will again participate in Around the Bay 2020.
The riders were Dave Dolan, Neil Williams, Gerry Cross, John Eddison, Claude Piccinin, Max Holland and Denis Blom.
