Easy riding

As someone recently pointed out to me, I already live on a Peninsula, so why do I want to go visit another one? Yes it is true… Qld’s Redcliffe is a Peninsula, but Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula is quite different to where I regularly reside and train… so maybe it is simply a case of “grass is greener on the other side of the fence” for me.

I had the awesome opportunity to do some riding around this area when I travelled down to race at ‘Bay Crits’ in January.

Then, as it happened, when I returned home, the floods swept through SE Qld, and lots of other stuff consequently ensued, and I never really got the chance to write a quick report on the vicinity.

Apart from being a very scenic area (and the weather just happened to be awesome too), it was also a very effortless place to ride around, and not get lost!

Yes, Nikki and I were fortunate enough to get a ‘guided’ tour (thanks for arranging it Amy!) by some of the “local” riders from the O2 Networks Team and also from Team Sky (Simon Gerrans and Greg Henderson… not dropping names or anything!).

However, it is also a particularly straightforward region just to go for a solo bike ride around, and still get back to where you started, even without the aid of a GPS.

And there are so many places to check out… Portarlington, Ocean Grove, Queenscliffe, Barwon Heads, St Leonards, and even Torquay.

The roads are well signposted; the Victorian motorists are (mostly) very courteous; and most of the road shoulders are really nice and wide (and often you get to ride on a bit of hot mix too!).

Anyway, if you get some time, the area is certainly worth a visit; especially in January when the Jayco Bay Criteriums are on. 

(Thanks to Tim Moreillon for some of the photos).

New Bike... Thanks Velo, Thanks TREK

Not much to say (... I am almost speechless!) except that I am completely delighted with the new 'pony'...

Trek Madone Project One custom frame...

definitely worth the 3 month wait to get it here to Australia. (Ordered it in November, due in late Feb, and then it arrived early!). 
Thanks so much to Brant and Sasha for helping me with the choice (nicest bike sales people on the planet, and I am not biased just because I get to work with you!) and to Bevan for building it up for me (best bike mechanic ever, even if you are from NZ!).  Thanks also to Kerry from Trek Bicycles Australia.

Just beautiful.  Can you tell I am in love with bikes!