Adventure Time on the Launie Gran Fondo

Waiting for the green light in Launie

If you ask Stuart, today was the best day for riding since we started Red Shield Riding three years ago.  After my earlier comments of fog, by the time we cleared Launceston and began heading out on the country road, the sun began to shine and it pretty much continued all day.

The first couple of hours just hummed by; it was just really nice riding.  A sustainable pace along level and quiet country roads not us out to Longford for a bite of lunch - and a cup of tea!

I confess I ate a chunky pie - don't tell Josh.

Cyclocross on the Red Shield Ride

The third quarter blues hit right on cue.  After passing through the lovely Evandale, Stuart's energy levels gave out; he's been battling a dodge stomach since before starting yesterday.  But his pulling up stumps when he didn't impress Craig or I when another 200m down the road, the bitumen gave out and we went off road!  YAY!

Unseal road was unexpected - pretty sure
Stuart knew it was coming...?

The surface was pretty good on the whole, just slighty wet which prevented us from getting much of a roll on.  The other thing working against our momentum was the 12% gradient we had to climb as well.  Definitely the hardest part of the any Red Shield Ride that I can remember - but oh so fun!  Aaron would have loved it.

I estimate that we were cyclocrossing for about 6km.  By the time we turned back onto the good stuff, I think Craig and I were quite happy it was all over.  I remember thinking how our little adventure mirrored life - in a small way:  There we were, humming along, optimistic and then BAM the road gives out!  It wasn't expected and wasn't even really unwanted, but it did take it's toll.

Despite a headwind of 'light winds', we still managed to push up the average over the last 20km which included a nasty little sharp climb at about the 90km mark.  We put our backs to the wind for the last two or three kms and that was that!

We are over 200km through and the legs are feeling good!  The bikes needed a good wash this evening, but now we are all washed and clean and about to eat!

Thank you those who've sponsored us today, if you haven't yet, please do.  There are plenty of people that are walking along unsealed roads of life everyday.  The Salvos camp out on these byways to help in any way we can but we need your help to keep on helping others keeping on!

You can sponsor a rider here.