Day 38. Tour 4 Legacy ANZAC DAY

Plan....

*Dawn Service 

*Breakfast 

*Stuff everything in the Jaffa 

*Ride

Yet another day begins... I had the alarm set for a 5.15am start, to be able to get to the 6am Dawn Service for Benalla's ANZAC Day.

Campsite to Cenotaph.. a 15min ride. 

... I just happened to notice the lights were on at the Golden Arches as I was heading in....

of course..junk calories are one of the major food groups, for any meal aren't they? 

Solemn and respectful to start the day, with quite a large crowd in attendance. 

A nice service with just the noise of the birds breaking the dawn stillness...

I stopped to get a picture of daybreak from the bridge over LakeBenalla... and with yet another discussion about the bike and Legacy, find myself in the picture. 

Loaded with calories, the Jaffa also Loaded....it was one of my latest starts for getting out on the road. 8.30am. 

20km into the morning and I'm feeling like it's time for 2nd breakfast....

BP Glenrowan for toastie and, you guessed it....Coffee 🙃😎

I'd like to make it to Chiltern today, seeing as i had a later start...or possibly Wodonga, depending on the "terrain"...(read that as "how big are the hills?")...if things go well I'd consider the extra few km's into NSW. 

It'll feel good to be back in my home State again. 😌 

All this cycling and I'm hungry again...10km to Chiltern and I'm feeling the "bonk" starting to come on.....

Maybe a comfort stop and a couple of muesli bars will settle my stomach...

I spy with my little eye, something beginning with .👀.....Bakery!  🥧🥪☕️!!

Chiltern Bakery..... 2 pies, coffee, chocolate milk.....and buy a Coke (to save for the end of the day 🥫)

After getting some food into me and checking the road's elevation profile ...it's pretty much downhill....NSW HERE I COME!

A really good downhill run too...the so called "bike" lane has been mostly clear of debris pretty much all day...fairly stress free riding 😀 

Cruising along at 28-45kph was rather enjoyable for those last 20km or so of the day. 

 Back in my home State IS a good feeling....now to get tonight's stopover sorted..

Spotted by Dot watcher Steve just as I rolled back into NSW, we had a good chat about my time on the road so far. Thanks Steve 👍🏻 

This looks like a decent spot to spend the night....🤔

Day 37. Tour 4 Legacy

... a heavy dew has settled on the tent fly, that's going to have to be packed up wet....of which I'm not a fan...

Still, I've places to go...

Packed and mobile at 7.15am....

Oh! Breakfast?...

Of course 🤔 next block along from last night's camp 🏕 

Gotta keep those points happening 💲to score the freebies 😎😉

A bit of a steep climb back out onto the highway, which always gets rid of the morning chills.  ❄️❄️

20km on, comfort stop and 2nd breakfast 😋 

Just before the village of Avenel, I came across this sign...

...as this ride is a fund-raiser for Legacy and tomorrow is ANZAC Day, it made me feel pretty emotional...and I'll admit I shed quite a few tears 😢   

Ever grateful for their sacrifice. 

Just prior to Euroa, the scheduled lunch stop for today, the "boys in blue" appeared again to do their "duty of care" and check on my welfare .... all those concerned truck drivers,  gotta love 'em 🙃 so worried about my safety ... it's obviously too hard to move 1m to their right....they don't even have to move into the next lane....

Just move across to the centreline and just drive past.... I'm riding ½m to the left of the fog line.. you move to the centreline.....voila! 

1.5m clearance as required by law!

Anyway, I digress....

Almost at today's destination and the Jaffa needs another comfort stop....must be all the coffee, water, electrolytes and chocolate milk 🤷‍♂️

Into Benalla and tonight's digs at the Tourist Caravan Park 

Just have to dry off last night's dew, and settle in... with a bit of Jaffa maintenance while things dry out....

Dinner done, feet up.....

They even have "recumbent" chairs in the camp kitchen 👍🏻

All set 😎....

Day 36. Tour 4 Legacy

It's a gloomy looking morning out there, with a very light sprinkle of drizzle. At least I get to repack under the front verandah. 

By the time I've got the first couple of items in, the drizzle is over. 

Fully loaded, keys returned, navigation set up..out we go. 

The "komoot" app I've been using to navigate through the city areas has been pretty good, using lots of shared pathways and quiet streets. I've been pretty impressed by how good it's been. ... I'm following it again to try and have a quieter ride to the outskirts of Melbourne before I take on the highway. 

I never knew there was a shared pathway running almost parallel to the M31 for a good 20km. Nice 😎 

There was just one bum steer due to a road closure, and I had to backtrack...fortunately it was only a short distance and not something like 10 or 20km. 👌

See ya later Melbourne!

48km had me looking at lunch at the Wallan Service Centre...junk food city 😋 

I sort of found the "healthier" option... 

As I was pulling off the highway, the "boys in blue" followed me into the carpark....

Expecting another "discussion" about something or other, they just drove on 🤷‍♂️..made a nice change from having to explain myself ....again. 😎

Then began the long slow climb for quite a few kilometres, till finally, the chance to wind out the legs and get some decent speed happening....once I exceed 30+kph it becomes too dangerous to stay in the Emergency Stopping Lane, due to the amount of damage to it, and debris in it, as well as trying to steer a 3 wheeled vehicle around it all is just crazy. Any swerving and I'm bound to hit something and end up in strife. Especially the "ripple strip"!! If any wheel rides on it for a couple of seconds, the velomobile flips sideways!!

I don't like that!!

I take the lane, as I'm entitled to do. Getting up to and over 60kph on the downhill runs in the Stopping Lane isn't comfortable and is obviously not safe...hence road riding. 

I can be predictable...staying in the lane until most of the speed is washed off, then back to the "crap dump" and slowly beginning the next climb. 

On one of these descents, around Tallarook,  something went under the wheels and got flicked into the rear Rolhoff gear mech, causing the rear selector cable housing to vibrate loose....when the housing comes loose, I'm unable to change gears....I have just enough speed to get me to the roadhouse where I'm able to stop safely and have a look at it. 

Unbeknown to me, Dot Watcher Miles was following....aka "Road Angel"

It turns out that the hit on the gear mech,  actually bent its covering. Damn!

A bit of problem solving over a coffee and "cheese rolls"...thank you Miles 🛠

The day was getting long....normally at this time I'm looking to camp....

A suggestion from Miles, and with him being my escort into Seymour.....Camp Seymour is set up. 

Kudos to the crew at Highlands Caravan Park for their generous donation to Legacy. It is very much appreciated. ⛺️

Camp set, the day's grime washed off...

What's for dinner ?

Day 35. Tour 4 Legacy ...rest day 4

Rest day antics ..

8am!  Sleeping in!. That's a novelty for me, it's extremely rare for me to sleep past 5.45am...the bush alarm, birds at dawn, up with the sun, THE best part of the day. 

Body must have needed it. 

Laundry 

Done! 

I had to chase down a new rear light. 

.....as I was approaching my rest day accommodation yesterday, a following cyclist caught me at a set of traffic lights and handed me my rear light which had broken from its mount. Thanks. (broken lens as well).

Ok. I'll get it sorted... with something to appease those that can't see a bright orange velomobile. 

Visit to TREK Coburg, young Jamie set me up with the latest & greatest...

Let's see how this goes..

Reset,repack...ready to carry on 

Day 34. Tour 4 Legacy

MarkyDee Moviestar!

I was contacted yesterday by Legacy Media, wondering if I would be able to do a short interview, with ABC News Breakfast live to air. 

Ever happy to promote Legacy, I agreed. 

The reporter and cameraman arrived early today about an hour before goinglive. 

A couple of questions on Why Legacy? Why cycle? Highlights etc..., 

I think all went well 👍🏻 

My plan for today, a short days cycling, was to ride into Melbourne and introduce myself.  

A bit of bush navigation 🤔 due to a couple of pathway closures, 😫 but successful in the end. 👍🏻

A late 2nd breakfast today after the visit to Legacy House. 

Then on to my pre booked accommodation and a rest day tomorrow ...

Rest day number four. 🛌

Day 33. Tour 4 Legacy

Ballarat... 6am... 8°C

🤔 breakfast or packing first? .... 

Pack, Eat and 8am, let's roll. 

Nice and quiet for the morning peak hour?, or is it too cold to be out driving 🤷‍♂️ I even got a string of green lights 👍🏻.. Conservation of momentum. I like it. 

Then,

The 6% climb out of Ballarat to the highway certainly steamed things up ...

....2nd breakfast.. the Golden Nugget drive thru... Coffee and toastie. 

...3rd breakfast? or morning tea/ early lunch? 

Ballan Bakery...comfort stop, coffee, pie, chocolate milk 

..I think there's a theme again today 🤔 😂

Bakery Crawl!! 🥧🥪👌

....good choice or not is what I was thinking as I slogged up the NINE% climb... but at least I had a full belly 😋 

Back out and it's downhill we go... 30kph, 40kph, too fast to be trying to stay in the breakdown/ so called "bike lane"..Into the traffic lane..

50kph..60kph...70kph...

80kph! 

Absolute concentration on the road surface... 

Fun is soon over once momentum is lost on the next rise ..

Over the rise and off downhill again 

50kph 

60kph....68kph

Afternoon tea and I'll use some frequent flyer points for a freebie. 

Belted out the last 20km towards tonight's bed.. top run for 100km! 

Day 32. Tour 4 Legacy

Magpies carolling at dawn.... 4.40am? 

Just because the external camp kitchen lights are on, doesn't mean it's dawn!....

There were a couple of light rain showers throughout the night, nothing too severe, loud enough on the tent to wake me & roll over nod off again. 

Breakfasted, packed and rolling just after 8am. 

The local Highway Patrol car followed me out of town, probably wanted to make sure I left 😉... he drove beside me for about 30 metres then went off on his way. 

Cool 😎

It seemed like a good omen for the day, hopefully. 

The day went surprisingly well...I think it was because there are more overtaking lanes,  and dual highway sections as I get closer to Melbourne. 

Beaufort was 2nd breakfast stop. The Pyrenees Pantry was Bakery of choice. I dined in on a great Lamb and Rosemary pie 🥧 😋 

Coffee was good as well. 

I collected another sticker for the collection 👍🏻

More riding,  then I took the turn-off to ride through the Avenue of Honour...

Every tree, on both sides of the road, for almost 15km has a plaque placed beside i naming all the local Service People that did their duty during times of War...

On to Ballarat, where I'd organised to meet up with "middle sister" ❤️ whom I hadn't seen since "The Before Time" .... before "Covid" was a word.. we'd even heard of. 

Lunch sharing and yarn telling quickly filled in a couple of hours. It was excellent to get together after such a long separation. 😊😎

Early check-in by 25 minutes ... time to dry off last night's rain...

Who says you can't get things dry in Ballarat 🤔😯🤣

Camped up indoors tonight,  it's been about a week since I last slept in a bed.... I'm going to enjoy it. 

Then, there are calories....I need calories 😍

Day 31. Tour 4 Legacy

Southern Cross just as dawn breaks....

Welcome to a new day, one I've never experienced before, let's get it started and see how it works out....

By now, the morning's "pack drill" is second nature....

It's been 5 nights in the tent,  surely the Jaffa can do this on its own by now🤔 😎

1st breakfast at 7am

On the road at 8am.....

😯 a late start! 😉🤣

10am, 2nd breakfast. 

Dadswells Bridge and the Giant Koala. 

...with its baby Jaffa 🤣🤣

Thanks Grampians Motel for the coffee 👍🏻 it hit the spot nicely ☕️

Dot watcher Bernie caught me just before Stawell👍🏻😎...and VicPol 🚨 joined the fun😉

and were happy to hear my story 

....apparently truck drivers reported the orange "thing" they can't see BUT they have to SEE me first before they can report me.... 

yet I'm exactly the same colour as all the orange roadworks bollards....& they're only 5 inches in diameter ...but they see them ok🤷‍♂️....

This situation is getting tiring 😫 

Lunch time....with dot watcher chat 👍🏻👍🏻

I had a good time 😎🍔🍟, junk calories included 😋

Tonight's camp brought to you by Acacia Caravan Park,  Ararat....I couldn't recommend this site for excellence enough!....they look after the smallest details! 👍🏻👍🏻.... I'm so tempted to stay another night, just to enjoy using all the facilities a second time. 💯😍

THE BEST CAMP KITCHEN SET-UP I'VE EVER EXPERIENCED ❤️! 

Beer o'clock 🍺 

Day 30. Tour 4 Legacy

It seems a shame that I have to leave such a great Caravan Park 🙃 .... it's cold enough to stay in the sleeping bag, but there's miles to be covered. 

Autopilot.... deflate, compact, reload, breakfast and on the road.....again 😀

It must be cold, it's after 8am. 

Stiff legs this morning, it took about a kilometre to get the rhythm back. 

Once I'd managed the first 2% climb of the morning, the legs, heart and lungs are back in full working order 😎

Just under 40km and I'm rolling into Nhill and looking for......Coffee and cake or maybe a couple of pies 🥧 🤔 

Today's bakery of choice...Wimmera Bakery 👍🏻

For second breakfast 😋..

Back into it and the search for the next bakery..

40 more km's and Dimboola is ......lunch time 🥧🥧

I had fresh legs after a couple of pies, but the 4% incline to get back on the highway soon brought back reality that I've been travelling for 30 days. 

I like how, now that I'm back in "civilisation", I don't have to carry 14 litres of water every day.....and cafes are a comfortable 40 or so kilometres apart. 👍🏻

I'd come across my first lot of roadworks in quite a long time. The flagman allowed me to keep riding through while stopping the traffic behind me ... at least this time I know there won't be some impatient driver trying to squeeze past....just because they "must get in front"!!

This made for a pleasant ride for the last 3km into Horsham. Nice. 

The desire for afternoon tea strikes 

and, what do you know....I  see the Golden Arches in the distance....cool...Coffee time! 

The legs are pretty tired after today's 120km. It might be time to call it a day. 

Yeah. That's enough for me today. 

Tenting it again tonight. 

Dinner time. Camp kitchen style 😋 👍🏻