Monday 27th December 2004
The Bellarine Bicycle Birthday Bash

The annual trip down to Queenscliff for the Bellarine Circuit is one of my favourite rides of the year. With a great variety of coastal scenery (and not too many hills) it really is a very pleasant end to an eventful cycling year.

On our two previous journeys down to this area the days had started out overcast and showery but had cleared up to magnificent cycling conditions. When the Weather Bureau again forecast less than perfect conditions I was therefore not unduly worried. Even if their dire predictions came true, we had cycled in much worse conditions than 18C and 40 knot winds. It sounded almost balmy in comparison to our Mornington Ride of a few months ago (6C and 50 knot arctic blizzard).

After packing the car and leaving home at 7.45 am we were soon making good progress towards Geelong. Although the sky was black and the rain steady I kept looking out for signs of improvement. Sure enough, by the time we reached Werribee the drizzle had stopped and most of the sky had cleared. I felt I had good reason to be optimistic.

It was about this time that my mobile phone rang. It was John Seamons calling from the warmth and security of his bed. Apparently he had been busy studying the weather radar. "I don't think anyone will be riding today", he said. "I looked on the Internet and there's a funny little blue dot down Cape Otway Way".

"But we are not riding to Cape Otway, we are riding the Bellarine Circuit", I replied. "Besides I have already booked your seats at the restaurant for Richard's Birthday". I hoped that this might have put some semblance of backbone into him but of course I was wrong. John promptly went on to say that he NEVER rides if there is any chance of (a) hills (b) head winds (c) dogs (d) cars (e) clouds (f) kids (g) rain (h) snakes or (i) pot holes. I guess you could also add to this list (j) any strange dots near Cape Otway.

Apparently he had already also persuaded Warren to withdraw from the ride as well (leaving us 4 short for our restaurant booking). Rather than try to change his mind I let him slip back under his doona and return to his slumber while I continued on my quest.

Faced with John and Warren's desertion I decided I had better check with Ross to make sure he had also not been deterred by strange meteorological phenomena near Cape Otway. I was soon reassured that he was on his way, but that they were "running late". Not content to buy a salad roll from one of the local shops, apparently Estelle had spent the past 60 mins concocting a special lunch for Ross. Maybe Belgian Broccoli and Bolivian Bean Sprouts are not readily available on the Bellarine. I am sure that even Lance Armstrong's minders don't spend as much time over his food requirements as Ross does, but I was pleased that at least he was on his way.

By 10 am I joined Lex and Richard at Queenscliff and began the long wait for the late arrivals. It also gave me another chance to look at the heavens. I discovered that the entire sky was now black (probably due to the disturbance near Cape Otway) and that the wind had risen to a genuine Force 10 Gale. This was going to be fun.

Within 30 minutes we were joined by Peter, Little John and Mal and we all huddled in our cars sheltering from the cold. Fortunately the rain finally cleared and we started unpacking our bikes and doing warmup laps up and down the road. We decided that, since we had come this far, we should at least give the ride a go. All we had to do was wait for Ross to arrive (which he did at about 11 am).

Finally we were ready to face the onslaught and, after kissing the support crews farewell, we cleated up and headed off into the wind. One good thing about the Bellarine Circuit is that you cannot have a head wind for the whole day. You can be confident that hard work into the wind will, sooner or later, be rewarded by great high speed downwind sections.

The first part of the ride took us through Ocean Grove and on to Barwon Heads. With the wind in our faces we had good incentive to try to maintain a tight peloton. After all, what's the sense of having riders like Legs Warren if he can't be allocated a position at the front of the peloton when riding into a hurricane?

It was a relief to turn into the Main St of Barwon Heads and settle down to morning tea. It is a proven fact that all riders need caffeine and cake to perform at their best, and who are we to disagree with this fundamental tenet of cycling? As we downed our cappuccinos it was a good chance to talk about the ride so far and also to rubbish John Seamons for his sheer lack of gumption. The fact that it had been hard work into the wind made the achievement all the more enjoyable, and now we could look forward to a long section of wind assisted cruising.

Flying back down the smooth black top towards Ocean Grove was about as close to cycling heaven as you can get. It combined all the key elements - smooth surface, howling tail wind AND great riding mates. What a way to get the endorphins pumping.

Even the section up to the Bellarine Highway was basically wind neutral and by the time we turned right onto the railtrail we again had the wind right at our backs. It was a great chance to just enjoy the ride and catch up on a friendly chat as we allowed the wind to do all our work. Even the weather was being kind as we were teased with sections of sunshine to keep us warm. Although the black clouds were threatening, they all seemed headed for Cape Otway and gave us a wide berth.

Between the turn off from the rail trail at Drysdale and lunch at Portarlington, lies the formidable challenge of Scotchman's Hill. This is a multi-peaked hill which, on a hot day, is a challenge for the tiring cyclist. It was a blessed relief to actually be able to fly up the incline with the timely assist of a howling tailwind. If only all climbs could be wind assisted we wouldn't need huge misshapen muscle bound legs to pedal our bikes. (But then we probably wouldn't be nearly so attractive to the opposite sex).

After a final high speed burst into Portarlington we were ready to settle down for lunch. A pity that no-one warned me about the quicksand trap just near the picnic table. I nearly lost control of my bike and almost performed an inelegant cleated crash in full view of the waiting support crew.

I was soon seated at the picnic table and trying to find a way to get my jaw around the huge sandwich that Maggie had bought in one of the local shops. The bread must have been at least 2cm thick, but the turkey and salad was just what I felt like after the 60 km morning ride. We all knew that the final section of the ride would be almost all into the wind and would require our utmost riding discipline if we were to succeed. As we finished lunch a quick passing shower sent us scurrying for cover at the same time as the wind strength increased from 40 knots to approx 60 knots.

Standing up on our pedals we battled our way slowly into the maelstrom. Clicking down to our lowest gears and steeling ourselves for the battle ahead we faced our foe head on. On the long upwind ride along the Esplanade we slowly fought our way kilometre by kilometre, relying on tight riding and regular rotation of the leading riders. Although it was hard work I was somewhat surprised that it actually was not quite as bad as I expected it to be. We were even managing to maintain speeds of about 20 kph. Maybe all those hours of training for the Round the Bay have actually born some fruit.

Eventually the worst section was past and we were able to enjoy some easier riding, although buffeted by a side wind. It was only when we turned for the final 15 km section that the weather decided to turn nasty. As the rain (sleet?) fell for a few minutes we were glad that some local farmer of about 60 years ago had the foresight to plant a row of nice shady pine trees on his property. Keeping a wary eye out for his shotgun wielding descendents we waited until the worst had passed and then headed off once more.

Squinting into the setting sun at the restaurant - a rare picture of the President and his wife

For the next km, as the icy needles stung my cheeks and the wind tore at my thin lycra top, I almost let fly with a "Why do we do this?", but then took a look around at my great companions. I could not help but think of John, probably still huddled in his bed and the answer was simple. Although this was hard work it really was fun. We were honestly thoroughly enjoying ourselves. Surely this is what living is really all about, and not hiding in the corner and jumping at shadows.

The final couple of km to Queenscliff saw a couple of the less discliplined riders take off in a silly sprint race. (I probably could have won, but the rider in front cheated by taking the final corner at an unsafe speed).

Huddled in the public toilet we changed out of our riding gear into our formal party clothes for Richard's Birthday. I asked Richard if he could think of any better way to spend his big day. He thought for about 0.1 of a second and then answered "Nope". Little John had to get back to Melbourne and, as he drove off, we all agreed that he had put in a fantastic effort. Has it really been only 12 months ago that he joined us?

Larry and Libby at the Ming Terrace Restaurant

Somehow, in spite of the wind and the late start, we had managed to finish the ride ahead of time. We still had a couple of hours to fill so we all took over a local coffee shop for another nourishing cup of caffeine. It really had been a great ride and somehow the wind had even heightened the experience. At least that's the way we felt now that we had finished.

By 6.15 pm we were ready to eat and filed to our large table in the corner of the Ming Terrace Restaurant. The rough weather had whipped up the waves and we watched with awe out the panoramic window as the huge breakers crashed onto the rocks. It was a pity that Peter and Joan were facing the wrong way and had to spend the entire evening looking at Richard and Ross.

Peter and Joan getting warm and fuzzy

When the waitress started bringing out the long succession of delicious courses I soon realised that I was not quite as hungry as I first thought. "This is harder work than the ride", I remarked. "And it is taking longer", Ross quipped. With each course, the once pristine, table cloth progressively started looking more and more like Peter's bike workshop.

With the food splashing and wine flowing we took the chance to arrange some important coming events, including the Awards Night. It was decided that this should be held at Lex and Celia's home. Everyone was in favour of this except Lex and Celia.

Lex (trying hard to remember when he turned 50) and Celia

A hearty rendition of Happy Birthday reminded us all that this was a special occasion. Richard had finally come of age. I also took the opportunity to inform him that it was now essential that he complete the next section of his apprenticehip by accompanying me on my next trip to the Himalaya. He even seemed interested. (Only three more people to go.)

The discussion soon turned to nick names and we realised (to our shame) that Richard has not yet been awarded an official riding title. Several suggestions were mooted leading to the promising possibility of "Mo" (for obvious reasons). Very quickly this metamorphosed into "Larry" (something to do with the Three Stooges and some dark secret from Richard's past). So LARRY it is.

The drive back to Melbourne was wet and windy but it didn't worry me - Maggie was doing the driving. After all, I had earned a rest. And wouldn't it have been such a pity if we had all cancelled such a memorable day because of the mysterious Cape Otway Grinch?

Spectacular Ocean View from Restaurant (a pity that Peter and Joan never got to see it)