2 weeks to go

Well the training thing from BQ says I should be doing 2 days in a row of 80km. I did 33 km yesterday, but pushed it quite hard and whimped out on doing more for the day. Today I did nearly 80 km. According to the speedo I did 79.56, but according to the GPS, I only did 78. mmm. Normally they are the other way around. I expect the GPS is the more accurate, so I will have to do a calibration run to make the speedo correct. Still, I nearly did 80 km and was pushed the speed quite a bit on the long gentle downhill run along the cooks river track.

I started up along the cooks river track, heading north west. To avoid the narrow underpass at Canterbury Road, where the GT3 does not fit, I tried going up over the other side of the river. This is a bit better as the traffic lights are closer to the river and the footpath flatter and wider. From there I continued up. I did one detour to see what was over one of the bridges, but only found some access tracks. I thought that maybe there might be a cycleway along the railway line.

At Homebush bay, I had an early lunch. I then continued through the Olympic Park Precinct. I went along the trotting track as one of the gates was open to the track from the north end and then along a track I had not cycled before. Unlike the rest of the park, there were only a few walkers and even fewer cyclist in this part of the park.

Eventually, I found my way onto the cycle track along the M4. At the Duck River, it becomes the Duck River Cycleway. I followed this, past Parramatta into Merrylands. The track mysteriously ended there. I was not sure if I was supposed to use the side streets or the emergency stopping lane on the freeway. So I turned back. There is an interestingly pleasant section of the track underneath the elevated freeway. It was quite and quite cool down there and protected from the harsh sun.

I stopped at the super centre in Auburn for a toilet break and a drink. My upset stomach from the day before was still following me. Then I headed north along the roads parallel to Silverwater road. At the Parramatta River, I found a car show. They were just about to start the presentations for prizes, I think for the best presented cars. They all looked like Holdens to me. I had a chock soft top ice cream from the van and continued on my way. A bit of research shows it was the 46th anniversary Show and Shine show of the EH Holden club.

Crossing over the Parramatta River I found that much of the cycleway is a massive construction zone as some new housing estates are built. So the track was a mix of on road sections and very new and nice cycleways. Where it does exist, it is called the Parramatta Valley Cycleway. I crossed over the bridge at Meadowbank along the old railway bridge. The climb from the east side is very new but also quite steep. Back in Homebush Bay, I had some afternoon tea, a drink and a roll, and then returned back along the cooks river trail.

So could I get up tomorrow and to another 80km? That will be a test. I am confident I can. But time will tell.

Speedo:

79.56 km
14.50 ave km/h
5:29:19 moving time
37 max km/h

Man: shit! They didn’t know this and they stuffed that!

Man: they have to explain this document.

Man: god she is buggered!

Man: oh no, not the recipie bit!

Man1: they thought he was a hard man. Man2: who did?

Man: they said he was on happy drugs!

Man: he’s a buff head… Well he was!

Man: you’re an arsehole; Woman: you’re an arsehole

Woman: we can’t believe that they thought he stole the bike.

Girl: they said, he won’t admit!

Girl: so if he did this, where are your witnesses?

Hoon man leaning out the drivers window: keep it up! You can do it! Keep riding!

Woman; a bungee is a strap.