On Saturday 10th November in temperatures exceeding 36 degrees Celsius our group of 5 determined cyclists succeeded in an ambitious plan to cycle around Darwin Harbor.
We were hoping for cloud cover and more showers as were prevalent earlier in the week but a clear sky and lack of shade provided far from favorable conditions.
The early morning start made our first leg quite comfortable and we arrived at Berry Springs in pretty good shape. A lovely swim at Berry Springs reserve had the group in high spirits and ready to complete our journey on the Cox Peninsular Rd.
Unfortunately when we returned to the road heat and fatigue begun to take their toll. The temperature began to soar and our gear became hot to the touch. My panniers were close to melting! Thirsty and tired we tried to keep a reasonable pace.
We peddled on regardless of our discomfort but the pace slowed and many rest stops were required. We clocked up far more road hours than we ever intended but eventually reached our destination! Mandorah Hotel! Exhausted but relieved our celebration was subdued to a grateful swilling of multiple jugs of iced water and heads bowed in exhaustion!
I hope all the participants are rested and re-hydrated by now. Risk of dehydration was a real problem on the ride and we found ourselves needing more water than we/I'd prepared for.
Congratulations to you all! Completing this trip was an exceptional and heroic feet of endurance!
We were hoping for cloud cover and more showers as were prevalent earlier in the week but a clear sky and lack of shade provided far from favorable conditions.
The early morning start made our first leg quite comfortable and we arrived at Berry Springs in pretty good shape. A lovely swim at Berry Springs reserve had the group in high spirits and ready to complete our journey on the Cox Peninsular Rd.
Unfortunately when we returned to the road heat and fatigue begun to take their toll. The temperature began to soar and our gear became hot to the touch. My panniers were close to melting! Thirsty and tired we tried to keep a reasonable pace.
We peddled on regardless of our discomfort but the pace slowed and many rest stops were required. We clocked up far more road hours than we ever intended but eventually reached our destination! Mandorah Hotel! Exhausted but relieved our celebration was subdued to a grateful swilling of multiple jugs of iced water and heads bowed in exhaustion!
I hope all the participants are rested and re-hydrated by now. Risk of dehydration was a real problem on the ride and we found ourselves needing more water than we/I'd prepared for.
Congratulations to you all! Completing this trip was an exceptional and heroic feet of endurance!
Congratulation:
Patricia ~ You stuck with what must have felt like an impossible journey!
You managed to persist regardless of your physical exhaustion and the
unfortunate encounter with some rather unpleasant wildlife. You could have
quit but you persisted despite the pain
Chris on a road bike slightly smaller than required
Chris ~ What can I say. Chris you are a mad man! Taking that mountain bike
on such a long journey with a bunch of road bikes. Well done mate! I doubt
I could have managed to push that thing so far! And you said you'd do it
again!
Sue ~ On an oversized bike that you'd never ridden before was quite a feat!
But as I later found out you did it all in one gear! you are amazing! You
are the toughest grittiest rider I have met! Then to top it off after more
than 12 hours on the road Martin tells me you had a blow-out on the way
home from Cullen Bay! You could have got a lift home but you were
determined to make it under your own steam and pushed your bike the
remainder of the way! You are a bicycling legend!
Martin ~ Well done! This ride took it's toll on us all. Your energy is
astounding! Volunteering to ride the mountain bike probably allowed Chris
just enough energy to get over the line. Thanks for keeping the pace and
sticking with us all the way.
Grateful view of Mandorah from the Seacat voyage home!
Thanks to you all for coming!
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