Sydney sprint

nev

Super Térrarist
A rider from another group I'm a member of passed away last week and his funeral was on Tuesday in Sydney at 2pm. The alarm was set for 3:30am Tuesday, but didn't sleep very well, so at 2:30am I was out of bed and 3am the bike was packed and I was on the road. A few roos on the grass verges on the Hume but none near the road. Only a few trucks on the road heading north so most of the time I had the road to myself.

First refuel in Albury at 6am. Took the Gundagai south exit and headed up to the lookout over the town. 8am and 500km under the belt and plenty of time to spare.

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One further fuel stop in Goulburn and then arrived in the western suburbs right on midday. 880km before lunch.. no wonder I'm hungry.

After lunch headed to the cemetery/crematoriuma and caught up with other riders as they arrived.

After the service and wake at nearby RSL I hit the road again, up the Great Western Hwy to Lithgow. After fuelling in Lithgow I ordered some chinese takeaway. "Ready in 15 mins" she said. I already had 975km on the GPS for the day so I headed up the hill east of Lithgow towards the Bells line of road to the Zig Zag railway. A nice 10km stretch of tight twisties. I've never ridden this section in the dark before and like many twisty roads, is as much fun at night as during the day. After collecting my food and heading to a motel with exactly 1000km for the day. By 8:30pm I was in bed asleep.
 

nev

Super Térrarist
Wednesday the alarm was set for 5:30am, but as per my usual on-the-road schedule, if I wake up any time after 4am I will generally get going. Today I woke at 4:45 and was packed and rolling out of Lithgow at 5:15am.

Out the back of town and through a series of sealed backroads which run through Tarana, O'Connell, Barry and Neville, and hit the Midwestern Hwy in Mandurama about 2hrs later. A couple of small roos on this road but no close calls.

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Mandurama isn't faring too well
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The peace bell in Cowra

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Continued down the highway to Grenfell where I refuelled. The next tank of fuel is all on roads I've never ridden before. Bimbi to Barmedman on the "Mary Gilmore way" where there is a Bills trough lurking.

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This was also the only close call of the trip. 8:35am a wallaby shoots out from my left and probably the first time I've used the brakes on the Super Tenere in anger, and they really pulled the bike up quickly!

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The farmers out this way have nice tractors, but they're not very talkative.

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Continued along the Mary Gilmore Way to Ariah Park then south to Tara, Coolamon, Collingullie, Pleasant Hills, Walbundrie, Burrumbuttock and into Howlong for fuel and it's just gone midday so it's lunchtime too.

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Another Bills trough in Coolamon

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After Howlong a quick stop to see the olde fashioned street of Chiltern,

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and then straight down the Hume Hwy for the last 3 hrs to home. Despite the rainguage at home showing about 25mm of rain, I managed to avoid almost all of it, only donning my wet weather gear south of Benalla to shield against the road spray from the other traffic on the road.

The sun was shining in Cragieburn, but the city was draped in a dark cloak

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Home shortly before 4pm. Exactly 900km on the GPS for the day including about 350km of roads i've never ridden before.

Google map of the whole trip
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1yhn-EohqaBV-lJAOnoRtDhS2AG0&usp=sharing
 

John_Johnny

Long Timer
Despite the rainguage at home showing about 25mm of rain, I managed to avoid almost all of it, only donning my wet weather gear south of Benalla to shield against the road spray from the other traffic on the road.

Always the way mate. Beautiful sunny day in Benalla, head off to Melbourne and by the time you hit Euroa it's cloudy, then by Broadmeadows it's all turned to shite, plus smog, plus traffic etc, etc.....

That bridge at Gundagai is stuffed isn't it. Imagine all the wonderful things you could make from that weathered timber. I'd say it's all red gum.

Your photos are beautiful as always Nev, but I reckon the sunrise behind your TerraTilda stands out....and the Coolamon pub.

Great stuff!:clap:
 

Paul n Dixie

Part of the furniture
Hi Nev, firstly our condolences to yourself and the family and friends of the rider.
Loving your RR and images as always :) a few places ring a bell- pun intended (I lived in Cowra as a kid and loved the place,and briefly stopped there on my way to the AT. Eskdale Anniversary)
That S10 IS getting a workout :)! it seems an early start is a good recipe for getting a lot of Ks' under the belt.
I,m looking forward to studying your map and RR in more detail :)
Thanks for posting!
 

nev

Super Térrarist
Hi Nev, firstly our condolences to yourself and the family and friends of the rider.

No funeral is good to go to, but in this case the rider had been battling cancer for some time so it was not a sudden departure. In fact the whole service had more of an aire of a retirement party than a funeral. His children all related some very funny anecdotes of their father to the assembled.


That S10 IS getting a workout :)!

My word it is. I think i have managed to put all of the rides I have done on this bike onto a single google map.

http://tinyurl.com/z42u9m8

it seems an early start is a good recipe for getting a lot of Ks' under the belt.

I reckon a km before breakfast is worth two after lunch... but yes, if you have to bang out some big km, there's no substitute for an early start, and getting through the first tankful before the sun rises.
 

ozav8r

Tour Pro
Sorry the occasion was not the best, but what a way to travel to a funeral! HARDCORE mate, and beautiful piccies as always!
 
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