Except it wasn’t!
The BMCEC organised a ride to Tumut, Myrtleford, and Gundagai, returning to Bathurst on day 4. A new procedure was put in place where riders would book their own accommodation and then contact the ride coordinator.
When I returned from Melbourne for the 220km Around The Bay bike ride, I re-arranged some medical appointments, booked my accommodation, and contacted the ride leader, as per the club’s email.
Flabbergasted, and in disbelief, was my reaction when I received a message back from the ride coordinator stating that the ride had been changed to a totally different route.
There had been no communication to the club’s members of this change. WTF!
It is almost unbelievable how a group of intelligent sensible people can collectively come up with awful decisions. Not only in this case, but more often than not with any group, such as committees, political parties, clubs, etc. An explanation of sorts can be found in Psychology Today.
I was unable to get a refund for all of my booked accommodation. I really had no choice but to ride the original route. I had ridden solo before and enjoyed being able to travel at my speed of choice, stop when my body said to, and refuel at appropriate intervals for my bike. The only difference was that this time, I was almost forced to, while previously it was my choice.
This shouldn’t make a difference, but it did. At least to start with. By the end of the ride, I had a thoroughly great time, with beautiful weather, and good roads, and catching up with wonderful friends. I wished that the ride had continued for another week.
The Ride
All days were relatively short, being less than 400kms each day. The bike didn’t hit the road until after 9, and was off the road by 3 o’clock each afternoon. There were the usual animals: snakes, echidnas, sheep and emus. But no kangaroos! [Well, I didn’t see any.]
Very chilled!
Day 1: Bathurst to Tumut
Day 1 took me via Trunkey Creek, Crookwell (almost), Boorowa, Harden, Jugiong and Brungle to Tumut. [The map only shows from Boorowa onwards.]
The road to Crookwell via Trunkey Creek is so busy, and takes a lot of the fun out of that route. The usual animals stopped me for about 20′ around Brungle.
Tumut was awash with maintenance workers while Visy was closed during it’s shutdown.
I caught up with Marcus and Sarah, for dinner at The Orient Hotel… always a pleasure with these two wonderful people!
Day 2: Tumut to Myrtleford
I believe I must have been the last to leave the Orient Hotel on Day 2.
The route on day 2 took me from Tumut to Myrtleford via Tumbarumba, Jingellic, Tawonga and Bright.
There were heaps of bikes on the road today, especially around Tumbarumba, as they returned from the MotoGP at Phillip Island. From all reports, the weather was much more hospitable than in 2023.
Travelling solo, I was able to detour to the Mt Granya State National Park for lunch. A very pleasant interlude.
Day 3: Myrtelford to Gundagai
Day 3‘s route was from Myrtleford to Gundagai via Yackandandah, Tallangatta, Corryong, Tumbarumba and Adelong.
Rain today, but none really of any significance. The wets did get used at least.
I swapped my usual vanilla slice for an apple turnover with cream at the excellent Tallangatta Bakery. This is a mandatory stop! 😁
Day 4: Gundagai to Bathurst
There was a change of plans for Day 4. I originally planned to ride straight back to Bathurst (via Greenethorpe), but decided a few more twisties were needed to clear the cobwebs. The route was altered to travelling via Wallendbeen, Harden, Boorowa, Wyangala Dam, and Guyong Rd.
The intention was to take a back road from Harden to Boorowa (the same as Marcus, Sarah and I used when training for the Around the Bay), but the road was blocked off at Harden by police. There were police vehicles and an ambulance. A long freight train had been stopped, and police were searching the track. It looked serious, but I was unable to ascertain the reason.
Wyangala DamStatistics
Total distance travelled: 1396km
Total moving time: 15 hours 21 mins
Average speed: about 88kph
Maximum speed: 133kph
Total travel time: about 20 hours 40 mins
Closing remarks
In conclusion, the ride was extremely enjoyable, and could have been extended by a week, with lots more twisties. People all along the way were friendly; the weather was almost perfect; the other drivers were polite; the animals didn’t do anything crazy, and the riding days were short.