Cycled to work

Yes, it's Saturday, and yes, I rode to work. Why? To prove that I could. I'd put the new road tyres on the mountainbike (they're called a Trekking/City tyre: basically a slick across the centre, with a row of knobbles just up on the sidewall) and arrived in Mt Evelyn in better shape than on my last attempt. Cut down across Lillydale Lake (dam) and through to unsealed Taylor St. This street will be the measure of my fitness, as it's the only really nasty uphill. I got about 10m before getting off to walk. Then along a walking track beside Maroondah Hwy and a final grunt along the road to the top of the hill, before freewheeling all the way down again until I hit the office. Where I celebrated with a gel and a drink, before heading home again.

The freewheeling bit wasn't as nice going uphill, but I could use a service road all the way back to the walking track, staying off the Hwy completely. Passed a dad and his son on the way back up to Mt Evelyn who asked me how much further uphill it was. Only 2-3kms to Mt Evelyn, but they were heading all the way to Warburton (~40kms)! My legs were pretty tired by this stage, and enjoyed the long downhill almost all the way back to Seville. At one point, during a short uphill, I was so knackered that I sat in a rest area and had a couple of barley sugars from my emergency stash. They didn't really help much, and it was a slow final few kms home.

39 kms. 18km to the office, plus a short detour to measure out my footy field loop. Over three hours in the saddle, including breaks.


elevation: the graph should be symmetrical!



Was a bit careless in not putting sunscreen on my arms and legs, and am now sporting lobster limbs. Hopefully my idiot-proof kiwi skin will recover overnight and not show too much damage.