2005 must certainly go down in history as the Year of the Never Ending Indian Summer. With rain apparently now a thing of the past and a forecast for a yet another mild day with a top temperature in the high 20s, it certainly looked as if this would be another memorable day for the Ghost Riders.
My high hopes were a little dented when I arrived at Cardinia to find only Ross and Little John at the meeting place. Ross had also bought along his infamous friend Peter Johnson, who still holds the club record for the most dangerous cycling display in heavy traffic that any of us had ever witnessed. But where were all the other Warbies? We were soon joined by Duncan, who had taken his life in his hands, and ridden down Wellington Rd, but with the starting time rapidly approaching, I was worried that the final peloton would be disappointingly small.
Fortunately my worries were ill founded, and by 2.00 pm we had been joined by JCL, Lex, Cheryl and Mal. It was also exciting to see that Tom Forshaw was present to complete his fourth official ride and thus finish his probationary period to become our 20th jersey wearer.
The hardest part of this ride is the gut buster climb from the picnic ground up to the dam wall. Although only a few hundred metres it must have a gradient of 10% or more and it is a rude awakening to cold legs immediately after a leisurely lunch. The only approach is to select your lowest gear and hope that you can just keep the pedals turning long enough to propel you to the summit.
Before our departure I received a phone call from Hooters and the Spanner, informing me that they had been having their own version of a relaxing picnic lunch - at La Porchetta's Restaurant! They assured me that they would be joining the ride and I promised that we would wait for them at the exit gate. I was a little surprised but was hopeful that maybe Hooters had finally decided to rise to a challenge.
We filled in some time by riding back and forth across the road along the top of the dam. It was a welcome relief to be riding along a perfectly flat surface, but such riding quickly gets boring. By the time we got back to the upper car park we were eager for some real riding and headed straight out the gate and off towards Upper Beaconsfield.
After we had ridden a couple of km I belatedly remembered my promise to Hooters, and called on the peloton to stop and wait for them to catch up. I rang John to apologise for my forgetfulness. He only laughed and said that he had no intention of riding on the road - he would only be riding back and forth on the dam wall! I am not sure how he could call that a ride at all and I could only hope that he had not worn his yellow jersey for such a disgraceful effort. We do have a reputation to uphold.
The rest of the real riders headed off, still stunned at Hooter's lack of backbone. Even though most riders do not really enjoy riding up hills it is the achievement of reaching the summit that makes it all worthwhile. This ride is only a relatively short ride, but it does involve a good degree of effort and also rewards the rider with some spectacular views. The effort level was significantly increased by a steady headwind, but all riders safely managed to complete the journey to the Emerald Bakery.
Cheryl commented that she is really starting to enjoy riding her new road bike and has decided to enter the Round the Bay in a Day ride in October. We were joined by some members of the support crew and spent the best part of an hour enjoying the chatting, companionship and coffee.
Although the Ghost Riders have been in existance for less than 3 years, it is encouraging to see the way we have developed. Not only have we seen a steady increase in our numbers, but (apart from Hooters) I think every rider can take satisfaction from their own personal improvement. We have also shared some fantastic experiences together, and in my mind that is the most important thing of all.