One More Ride

With under three weeks before I get a new shoulder installed followed by months of rehabilitation, I’m going to be off the bike for some time. So, I need one more decent ride before then.

The Great Ocean Road and Painted Silos

There are a few rides that we’ve talked about doing for many years, the two main ones, Tasmania and Victoria’s Great Ocean Road. Both iconic destinations in their own right and both great riding destinations. We’ve had plans for Tassie a number of  times over the last three decades but they’ve always fallen through, and while I’ve done the Great Ocean Road a few times we haven’t ridden it together.

With Deb having a conference in Melbourne on the weekend we booked ourselves a week off to ride the Great Ocean before I drop her at the conference and I’ll continue riding to meet up with some long distance riding friends in Echuca for our annual muster.

One Last Ride for 22

On Tuesday Deb said why don’t you go for a ride for a couple of days as I won’t be able to get away. With the statement still hanging in the air I was already planning where to go and like a cartoon all that remained of me was a dust outline, and I was outta here.

The plan was simple – drop in on a mate in Wagga who has recently just got out of hospital and then head west to check out a few more painted grain silos in west Victoria, find somewhere to camp overnight, and head home the next day.

The Silo Run

This morning I was going for a ride with Ed who is heading to Western Australia to visit his folks as he hasn’t seen them since before Covid. I had set my alarm for 3:45am and was planning to meet Ed on the highway at 4:45am and tag along with him for 500km to Hay where I would peel off and drop down into Victoria and check out some more silo and water tower art to add to my collection before heading home. I packed an overnight bag in case I needed to stop.

An appropriate sign on a Saddlesore 1600 ride with 1400GTR and ZX14R

Saddle Sore 1600

While I’ve completed a few of these rides now, I wouldn’t say they are easy, just that our approach to them is more casual. We know what it takes. A ride like this is not about speed it’s about consistency. It’s spending time in the saddle not in the cafe sipping your latte.

The Saddle Sore 1600, or 1600km in 24 hours. The minimum endurance ride certified by the Iron Butt Association (IBA).