Final Training Block - Day 4

Heavy overnight rain meant a cool start - nice!  Have some serious issues with my undercarriage at the moment, enough to ruin my day. If you've not ridden a tredley for 100kms with an abscess, you really should try sometime.  According to the bride, it couldn't possibly be worse than child birth. She may be right, but that's what drugs are for.  Besides, I'm only a boy.

Anyway, decided to go via the Sunshine Coast marathon which was on this morning, any excuse to get off my bike. Picked my way through the traffic and the people at Alex Heads and then came back up the coast the back way behind Buderim.  Rested the backside for couple of hours and then did a shortish ride to make up the kilometres to 100. So that's 400 km in four days, the legs feel OK.  Off to the doctor tomorrow to get some prescription antibiotic cream and if they'll give them to me, some royds. I hear they work wonders!

Below is a picture of 10 days food, that we will be dropping off on the way up to Lake Eyre. All the major food groups of there - biscuits, chips, lollies,  tinned meat and port - what more could you want!

Sunshine Coast Marathon

Sunshine Coast Marathon

10 days food. To be wrapped in chicken wire and dropped along the way

Final Training Block - Day 3

The forecast for tonight is thunderstorms and 20 to 30 mm of rain, so no overnight camping tonight. Instead, today's ride was along the coast to Caboolture and back. Cycling is supposed to be fun, but not much joy today. A seriously sore arse (I have a mangina developing, God knows what's happening down there in the nether regions), a stiff headwind and too much traffic made it hard going. The important thing is I got to 100 km, one more 100 km ride in this the last training block. If it weren't for my arse, I'd actually feel pretty good.

Bribie Island and Caloundra

Final Training Block - Day 2

A wet start to the day.  Rode to Palmwoods and then caught the train to Landsborough. The road from Landsborough through Mooloolah, Eudlo to Chevallum is cut through sub-tropical rainforest and is a series of short sharp climbs and decents - excellent training ride and magnificent scenery. I finished with a quick blast out to Mooloolaba and back.  Total distance for the day a bit over 100kms. Two days and 200kms to go in this training block.


Thunderstorms are forecast for tomorrow night with 20 to 30 mm of rain, so an overnighter is off the agenda unfortunately.

Plenty of good hills out this way

Catch train from Palmwoods to Landsborough

Final Training Block - Day 1

This is my final training block for the Salt to Summit.  I've done a bit over 12,500 kms in total training, no wonder my arse hurts! Still too fat though, how can that be?

My plan was to do a 4 day, 3 night, 400km tour out West, but the forecast here is lousy.  As I'm writing this, it is pissing down, glad I'm not lying in a tent somewhere.

So what I've decided to do is two 100km day trips and then an overnighter on the weekend, when the weather improves.

Today, I rode down to Caboolture.  I've just come off a recovery week and felt a million bucks. Beat my best ever time to Caboolture on MTB by 10 minutes.  Then caught the train back to Woombye and a leisurely ride back to the coast. Total distance 100kms in a bit over 4 hours.

Tomorrow is thru the Sunshine Coast hinterland - Landsborough, Mooloola, Eudlo, Palmwoods. Some of the best cycling roads around.

Dull morning on Maroochy River

Catch train back from Caboolture to Woonbye

Update August 2015

Not long to go now, things are progressing. I'm excited!

Training is peaking, averaging about 250 km's per week. Legs like lead at the moment, but feeling fit. Still way too fat though.  

The last training ride will be a 400 km tour over 4 days in the last week of August.  The route is west of the Sunshine Coast through Woodforde, Nanango, Kilkivan, Gympie and the Noosa hinterland. It's quite hilly out there so it will be a great opportunity to test gear, bike, trailer and fitness.

With the Sea to Summit being unsupported, food and water drops are planned for between Wentworth through to the West of Lake Frome.  There'll be only one supply point in that 800kms, being Yunta (near Broken Hill).  The drops will be about every 80kms as we expect the going to be pretty tough through that section. There seems to be plenty of sand near Lake Eyre and around Renmark so some days may be as short as 50 kms,  which is not much to show for a days work.  Towing a trailer through sand ain't easy.

The plan is to wrap a days food in chicken wire and tie up in a tree.  The theory is that cats, dogs, dingoes and another hungry critters won't be able to get to the contents that way. Let's hope so! We'll be picking landmarks for the drops and noting on maps.

That's it for now.

The Trusty Steed

Training Ride - Montville

Packed for a previous tour

Early morning training - Byron Bay