Return to Huonbrook

I've had a relative shortage of 200km rides in recent months. In fact, the last 200 I had apart from the Alpine Classic was a ride to Huonbrook in October. This time I went with Martin, my regular ride partner. We had intially been lining up one of the Tweed Valley rides on dirt, but Martin only had is road bike available, so it was a return to Huonbrook.

We made a fast start down the Tweed Coast early on, taking advantage of a tailwind. I was surprised at just how quickly it all went by. Our quick start was halted, not by hitting the hills just before Mullumbimby, but by a flat tyre -- and for once it wasn't on my bike. Martin then proceeded to blow up a valve, meaning we would then have to pause in Mullumbimby and replace the tube. It was in Mullumbimby that I fell in love with a touring bike that would have cost me $1,895. I could probably pick one up cheaper -- especially as I already have many of the "extras" that came with this one. Maybe I'll just convert my hybrid.

We set off into the hills after Mullum, and for the first time I felt in control of the climb over Wilson's Creek. One day I'll do it in temperatures under 30 degrees C, but for now I'm just satisfied to have owned it. Once upon the plateau, it feels like a completely different world, one of lush greenery, rushing streams and a few other surprises. Traffic seemed higher than usual in this instance, but that wasn't unbearable. About the only downside of this ride is that a trip to Minyon Falls is about the only way to make a circuit out of it. Nevertheless, the descent back to Mullum is much quicker than the climb.


After this, it was simply a ride across to Brunswick Heads, and a series of climbs over the Burringbar hills to get home. We had lunch at the Humble Pie shop at Billinudgel, which was most notable to discover that my own celebrity seems to be spreading. A family who are cycletouring in New Zealand have apparently printed off my route map and decided to use it. That's flattering, and they seem well prepared. I just hope they're aware of the spontaneous route changes I made along the way.
After the lunch stop I had problems getting back into the grove, as the heat took effect. Our pace dropped dramatically as a result. This causes it's own problems, because the heat makes it more difficult to eat enough food get enough carbohydrates to maintain performance, and at the same time, the body probably burns twice as many in coping with the heat. By the end of the 206km, I was basically riding at a cycle-tourist's pace, and spent a lot of time sitting in front of a fan on my return home.
It's also entirely possible that I wasn't completely recovered from the Alpine Classic, but one of these days I'm going to have to learn to handle hot and humid conditions. Despite all of this, however, it was still a memorable ride. Martin and I are already talking about a 300km ride through Ballina and Evans head as a possibility. I might wait for the cooler months to try that one.