Around the Bay in a Day Challenge
Posted by Martyn Thompson
on Oct 24, 2012
Ok my fellow Rotarians. Here is how I spent Sunday or more importantly how I earned your sponsorship dollars!
The day started early, with a 5am rise to be in Port Melbourne to park the car by 6am. A short ride into Alexandra Gardens next to the Swan St Bridge followed to make sure we were at the start line for our allotted 6.30am start. On the way there we went passed Crown Casino to be met by “revelers” coming out after a big night out. Clearly they were going to be in bed a lot sooner than me.
The ride started gently enough at 6.50am but it was pretty cold until we got moving and even then it didn’t improve much as we headed to Geelong. First obstacle was a little thing called the West Gate Bridge. I never thought it was steep and I suppose it isn’t really, but it is long and I was glad to eventually be at the top, but then came the “going down the other side” bit with a cross wind. We were quickly onto the Geelong Road and a head wind was there to greet us. My positive thinking friend said “let’s try and stay above 20kms per hour”…….which we did, my ride computer told me that we were doing 20.1kms per hour!!!!!
It is fair to say some hours passed before we eventually got into Geelong. The ride through the petrochemical/industrial part of town was an eye opener if not depressing, before finally reaching the Geelong Foreshore. I don’t think I fell in a heap, but it felt like it. We had a short rest there and then we were “promised” we would get a tailwind down to Queenscliff. We weren’t disappointed. We flew down to Queenscliff and finally got there at Noon on the dot, to try to catch the ferry to Sorrento. We had to wait for the 1pm ferry across to Sorrento, which we didn’t mind, but then we were put on the 1.30pm ferry, so a bit more of a wait than we wanted. The trick was to not get too cold (or stiffen up too much). The body was complaining (in a number of areas), so I was happy to lay there in the park and eat my lunch!!!
Finally got put on the ferry and across to Sorrento, by 2pm, but no time to enjoy the scenery there, it was back on the bike and back to Melbourne. It’s pretty flat from Sorrento to Dromana (a blessing) and if you think they’re close together - they’re not!!! We then started the gradual climb into the hills around Mt Martha and Mt Eliza, the body was complaining, but that was the least of my problems. “It can’t get any worse” (I thought), then it started to rain.
We finally got in to Frankston at about 4.20pm wet to the bone. We would have happily not gotten back on the bikes there, but we didn’t have myki cards and no other way of getting home. So we pushed on with a tail wind which help a lot, until we got to Beaconsfield Parade where it turned into a cross wind off the bay and we got sand blasted all the way to Port Melbourne – what fun!
On the ride back up City Road heading for the finish line I was riding on memory (or was it adrenaline?) I got separated from my ride partner and was alone on this stretch when a big, mean looking bald bloke with a meaner looking mongrel dog went to walk out in front of me….I didn’t have the energy to reach for the brakes! Luckily (for him) he stepped back at the last moment and said “Good onya Mate”, luckily (for me) he did, it was ex AFL player Barry Hall. “Thanks Barry” I whimpered back.
My ride partner caught up to me and we reached the finish line back in the Alexandra Gardens at 6.42pm. Almost 12 hours in all, 210kms behind us, I had a sore…….everything and raised over $400 through the Rotary Club of Greensborough, for the Smith Family.
My thanks again to those Rotarians who sponsored me.
Martyn Thompson,
The day started early, with a 5am rise to be in Port Melbourne to park the car by 6am. A short ride into Alexandra Gardens next to the Swan St Bridge followed to make sure we were at the start line for our allotted 6.30am start. On the way there we went passed Crown Casino to be met by “revelers” coming out after a big night out. Clearly they were going to be in bed a lot sooner than me.
The ride started gently enough at 6.50am but it was pretty cold until we got moving and even then it didn’t improve much as we headed to Geelong. First obstacle was a little thing called the West Gate Bridge. I never thought it was steep and I suppose it isn’t really, but it is long and I was glad to eventually be at the top, but then came the “going down the other side” bit with a cross wind. We were quickly onto the Geelong Road and a head wind was there to greet us. My positive thinking friend said “let’s try and stay above 20kms per hour”…….which we did, my ride computer told me that we were doing 20.1kms per hour!!!!!
It is fair to say some hours passed before we eventually got into Geelong. The ride through the petrochemical/industrial part of town was an eye opener if not depressing, before finally reaching the Geelong Foreshore. I don’t think I fell in a heap, but it felt like it. We had a short rest there and then we were “promised” we would get a tailwind down to Queenscliff. We weren’t disappointed. We flew down to Queenscliff and finally got there at Noon on the dot, to try to catch the ferry to Sorrento. We had to wait for the 1pm ferry across to Sorrento, which we didn’t mind, but then we were put on the 1.30pm ferry, so a bit more of a wait than we wanted. The trick was to not get too cold (or stiffen up too much). The body was complaining (in a number of areas), so I was happy to lay there in the park and eat my lunch!!!
Finally got put on the ferry and across to Sorrento, by 2pm, but no time to enjoy the scenery there, it was back on the bike and back to Melbourne. It’s pretty flat from Sorrento to Dromana (a blessing) and if you think they’re close together - they’re not!!! We then started the gradual climb into the hills around Mt Martha and Mt Eliza, the body was complaining, but that was the least of my problems. “It can’t get any worse” (I thought), then it started to rain.
We finally got in to Frankston at about 4.20pm wet to the bone. We would have happily not gotten back on the bikes there, but we didn’t have myki cards and no other way of getting home. So we pushed on with a tail wind which help a lot, until we got to Beaconsfield Parade where it turned into a cross wind off the bay and we got sand blasted all the way to Port Melbourne – what fun!
On the ride back up City Road heading for the finish line I was riding on memory (or was it adrenaline?) I got separated from my ride partner and was alone on this stretch when a big, mean looking bald bloke with a meaner looking mongrel dog went to walk out in front of me….I didn’t have the energy to reach for the brakes! Luckily (for him) he stepped back at the last moment and said “Good onya Mate”, luckily (for me) he did, it was ex AFL player Barry Hall. “Thanks Barry” I whimpered back.
My ride partner caught up to me and we reached the finish line back in the Alexandra Gardens at 6.42pm. Almost 12 hours in all, 210kms behind us, I had a sore…….everything and raised over $400 through the Rotary Club of Greensborough, for the Smith Family.
My thanks again to those Rotarians who sponsored me.
Martyn Thompson,