Cycle Tour

-CYCLE TOUR-

-Cycle Tour Overview-

Day 1: (am) Wambana to West Point Souter (20km)

(pm) Warooka loop (23km)

Day 2: Innes National Park (37km)

Day 3: Central Southern York Peninsula to Edithburg (48km)

Total distance covered: 128km

DAY 1

On Tuesday,9th March 2010 we began the cycle tour. We mounted our basically brand new bikes and set off from Wambana along a small beach side track and the main road of Point Turton, passing the Jetty and the Point Turton Tavern. We then moved onto a long dirt road along the coast, passing many beach side shacks with the wind on our backs and Henry up front leading the way. We then turned onto a dirt road and started up our first hill for the tour, on my way down I forgot to indicate at an intersection and was punished with 2o push-ups, which I did but had to do again later because no one else did theirs. We then looked around an old school that had been abandoned for many years. Once we got out we had to carry our bikes on our shoulders up the road about 100 metres because people were doing skids and wheelies. We got back on our bikes and rode up a long dirt road into the wind. I finally got to the end but Owen was giving up and pushing his bike so we had to carry our bikes with him until he either rode or got to the end. This moment definitely brought about a change in both Owen's attitude and the attitude of the group. We finally got back and I enjoyed a lunch of tuna, biscuits and a fruit cup thanks to Ian. We set off once again, this time in a long loop into the middle of the countryside along a long bitumen road at a steady pace in a long "train". Eventually we got a a small off road dirt track which was a welcome change to the comparatively boring roads. Once we finally got to Warooka the any challenge for today was well and truly over and the rest was a fun downhill ride on perfect bitumen back to Wambana.

DAY 2 - Wednesday, 10th March 2010

Day two we bussed out to the Innes National Park and saddled up for another days ride. Me and Jimmy were leaders today and we had to make sure everyone was ready. The road we were to ride on weaved its way around the coast, up and down hills and near some beautiful scenery. After going down "The Hill" (Very big and steep) my chain slipped off for the first of the five times it would fall off during the one ride. We continued riding along the road, admiring the sea, lakes and forests until we stopped and had lunch near a lighthouse. Tuna and fruit cups again. After lunch we wet off again for Surfers Beach where we saw kangaroos and stood around aimlessly looking at a beach we weren't allowed to swim at. On the way back we had to do "The 2-8 Challenge" which consisted of riding the whole way back in gears 2 and 8 (pretty high gears) even up hills and if we push our bikes or changed gears we failed. I got through pretty easily until I got to "The Hill" (the big steep one from before) and after ages I finally got up, calves aching where all who had stopped went back to help the stragglers. The last person to arrive at "The Hill" was Jarred, he was struggling but he hadn't changed gears and was determined to get up "The Hill". When everyone came down to him and cheered him on it was amazing how well it worked because Jarred began to absolutely power up the hill and when he got to the top it once again proved the growing camaraderie within the group.

DAY 3 - Thursday, 11th March 2010

The third and final day of cycling had us in a bus to a dirt road in the middle of the Southern Yorke Peninsula. We began our ride and it was pretty cruisy. The scenery wasn't as good as the previous day but it got better as the day went on. We began to work our way towards the coast along assorted country dirt roads with little fuss, two days of riding had already had an affect on my leg muscles and fitness and riding was becoming way better. We eventually got to Suicide Point and we stopped for lunch on the beach, yet more tuna. After lunch we set off again and we began to ride along a road parallel to some nice coastal cliffs. I chatted to Henry and Jimmy for a while and that made the ride heaps enjoyable and relaxing. After a stop at a lighthouse we continued on towards a large wind farm about 8km from Edithburg. When we finally got to Edithburg we had to hand in our bikes and go for a swim in the freezing salt water pool in Edithburg, which I didn't find too bad and I actually stayed in for a while.