Situated about 30 mins west of Melbourne, the modern township of New Gisborne was the starting point for this ride. The initial temperature was only about 6C, sending riders scuttling for long fingered gloves and extra layers, but once we got moving we soon warmed up to the task before us. Bill Vandendool had brought along a cycling mate of his - another Cannondale owner.
Due to some cold weather confusion near the start we missed the first turnoff and rode on about 3 km in the wrong direction. Once this mistake was realised the remainder of the ride went without a hitch. We soon settled into some team riding, especially on the long climbing upwind section towards Lancefield. A stop in this township gave us time for a coffee and a stroll around the bustling "farmers' market" operating in the main street.
Then it was back on the bikes for the 20 km undulating section to Hanging Rock. A short distance up the road Werner realised that he had left his pack in the Bakery and had to make an unplanned return trip to collect it. The rest of us rolled along slowly and noticed a sizeable group of serious looking riders approaching us from the other direction. One of them was even being motor paced !
We finally rode into the Hanging Rock Reserve at 2.00 pm but the lack of take away food at the kiosk meant that our stay was relatively short. Soon we were back on the bikes for the final stretch back to Gisborne. To our delight the wind was behind our backs and , with the gentle downhill gradient, we soon rocketing along at up to 55 kph ! What bliss it is so be able to fly along the bitumen powered only by nature. Just as important was the fact that the predicted showers did not eventuate - to the contrary we were blessed with blue skies and sunshine for much of the ride.
We reached the cars at about 3.15 pm (well ahead of schedule), recording a total ride distance of just over 80 km. If we had not made the wrong turn at the start, the loop would have been almost exactly 75 km - a useful fact to know when planning future rides. After a few handshakes we were back in the cars for the pleasant drive back to Melbourne. It was a pity that so many riders were apparently deterred by the distance and the poor weather forecast, this really was a very enjoyable ride.