Audax 200k ride, Cobram

Outside Cobram Hilton

Audax ride start

My fixed bottom bracket front wheel drive, Simon's moving bottom bracket front wheel drive

Road to Berrigan

Apple Supply

Fuel tank with pizza and apples

Refuelling

Still trying to perfect the on-bike selfie, the colourful background keeps getting in the way of the blurry thumb covering the lens.

Waaiwa Post Office. Zoom out a bit and you would see sheep and horses.

A 2d selfie, just before sunset near Namurkah

Brevet Card, Job Done.

Ambience Cafe Cobram, from left to right in foreground Simon, Rodney, Ann, Peter

OzHpv committee meeting in Cobram. We struggled through the adverse conditions which included a few wasps and hoards of pesky noisy gossippy nearby but mostly friendly Audaxers. Left to right, Richard, Simon, Dome, Ian. Tim is in the meeting by the wonders of modern communication, Simon's circled black phone was on speaker mode.

Hi

A few months ago, the OzHpv committee planned a meeting for July, and it was suggested that it coincide with an Audax ride, and we chose Rodney Cruz's North and South of the Murray rides around Cobram as the best alternative. Dome lives in Western Sydney, Richard in Tungamah only 50k from Cobram, Tim, Simon and I are in Geelong and Melbourne,  so Cobram seemed fairly central.

The weekend and meeting went exceptionally well, having got back and had a few days to recover feel quite refreshed.

So I went up to Cobram on Friday, and arrived in time to set up my tent at the Willows caravan park, then drive out to visit my Dad's cousin and her husband, Mary and Geoff.  Mary and Geoff are both well, in their late 80's and still living on the farm which their son David runs.

I drove back into town and bumped into Dave Harrington who was pootling around the caravan park looking for fellow Audaxers, and then Ian Boehm, staying in a nearby cabin. We arranged to meet at a pub for dinner later.

Then followed "First dinner" of bread and left over casserole, microwaved in the caravan park's outdoor kitchen microwave with some friendly locals mingling around.  After meeting Ian and Simon in their cabin I was bumped up to first class, a couple of people had withdrawn from the cabin due to injury and family issues, and I had a bed! in a heated! cabin with a colour! TV and microwave and kettle and other modern accoutrements.

Second dinner was pizza and a few beers at the pub with Dave, his partner Ann, Simon and Ian. I really couldn't eat all the pizza and drink all the beer, I was full up and felt a bit sick but wrapped the left over pizza in some serviettes for later consumption.

Up early next morning for the ride (link to route map) , and we met up with a few familiar crew at the start in central Cobram.  Squawly winds had been predicted and they duly arrived, cold and with a small amount of rain from the west.  So the ride to Berrigan (mostly North) was ok, but turning left to go to Finley it was headwind all the way.  Luckily I was riding with someone then and we took turns pushing into the wind.  After morning tea in Finley, it was a solo ride for me the whole way, although we had a bit of overlap at the Cobram lunch stop, the Ambience Bakery.  The hard bit of the second 100k was from the start of Blarney Road, about 24k of headwinds diluted only by roadside trees and crops.  Right at the start there were lots of apples lying on the ground, and I helped myself to some and that was most welcome.

Here is the video  I took near Waaiwa, a town with a very small post office!  I ended up getting back in to Cobram about 8pm, which was not bad I reckon.  My gps had been (gasp, shock) useful, and I'd been able to light it up with my helmet light when required, so that pleased me a lot.

Next morning, after an evening spent watching the Tour De France start, we packed up and reconvened at the Ambience Cafe, first (9am) to catch up with some fellow Audax ne'er do wells, and then 10am for a very productive Ozhpv committee meeting.  The Ozhpv Challenge 2018 is on, woohoo! If I keep up the Audax riding I might even be really fit for it.

Thanks to Ian and Simon for the upgraded accommodation, and to Rodney for organising the Audax ride.