Around the Bay in a Day - 2002

It was hardly a cycle tour. There was no relaxed pottering along quiet roads admiring the scenery and no stops at the café in the town square for a cup of strong coffee or a glass of pastis. This was a challenge ride. Two hundred and twenty kilometres from Melbourne around Port Phillip Bay.

Alan and David travelled to Melbourne to join 7,000 other cyclists on Bicycle Victoria's annual ride. Starting at the inner city suburb of St Kilda on the shores of the Bay, riders had a choice of riding clockwise or anti-clockwise around the bay. Unfortunately, it wasn't a case of turning up in the morning, checking the wind direction and then choosing which way you wanted to head. The choice had to be made at the time of entry and the carrying capacity of the ferries across the entrance of the bay meant that there was a limit on the numbers which could go in each direction.

We had chosen to cycle clockwise. Some local cyclists had advised us that this was the way to go on the basis that we were probably more likely to get a tail wind as we cycled through the flat open country on the western side of the bay from Geelong back to Melbourne. This was obviously a popular choice as we were told that the limit on the numbers for the clockwise direction was reached by the end of June more than three months before the event. However, on the day before the ride a meteorologist acquaintance argued strongly for the anti-clockwise direction.

The fastest riders were supposed to start leaving at five o'clock in the morning. We left our hotel, a couple of hundred metres from the start point, at five past five. So many cyclists were heading down the street that it took us nearly five minutes to get onto the roadway. Quickly down to the start point and off we went. We joined on to a large peloton and had a fast ride through the flat beach side suburbs. It was a long way to go, so we decided that we would not push it too hard as we headed out. After all, we had all day.

The peloton worked well and we were dragged along at 35 kilometres per hour into a slight head wind passed the sleeping, affluent suburbs of Brighton, Sandringham and Beaumaris. A few riders seemed to be joining the ride along the way as we passed their homes. At Mordialloc, we turned onto the Nepean Highway and sped towards Frankston. The wind seemed to be picking up but we were very well protected in the large group of cyclists. As we approached Frankston we started passing small numbers of people cycling a lot slower than we were. Hey! If the ride started at five and we joined in a few minutes after, how come it had taken us thirty kilometres to catch people who were cycling at what appeared to be half our speed? We came to the conclusion that they had started much earlier than the official start time.

Not long after leaving Frankston, the route became undulating and we had our first and only steep climb of the day at Oliver's Hill. It was only a short climb but it was made worse by the route detouring onto a narrow access road.  Many riders made no real effort to climb it. It was as if they had been told that they couldn't make it and got off their bikes and started walking before the climb began. There were refreshment stops every 20 to 30 kilometres but we didn't stop at any of these. After 50km, we stopped at a bus shelter for a quick snack before joining on the back of another large group of cyclists. The pace slowed as we reached open country and the full force of the south westerly wind hit us. After a short distance we headed into more sheltered country and we lifted our speed.

As we rode into Sorrento after 90km and 3 hours 40 minutes, we joined the long queue of cyclists waiting patiently for their lunch pack and their ferry tickets. We settled down on the shore of the bay and waited for our ferry. It was two and a half hours before we rode off the ferry at Queenscliff after a 25 minute journey across the Port Phillip Bay heads.

We were very lucky in that we were able to be some of the first cyclists off the ferry and we were quickly on our way passed the historic buildings of Queenscliff. After a fast, 40km ride through undulating country to Geelong, we met up with Noelene and Lyn who greeted us with fresh home-made muffins and hot drinks. We were well and truly on the home stretch now - only 90km to go.

The countryside north of Geelong is very flat and open. Fortunately, we had our expected tailwind and made good time as we wound our way along the narrow country roads. We stopped for a snack at the rest stops at Little River and Werribee and started heading into the outer suburbs of Melbourne.

At Altona North, we joined the M1 Freeway and quickly headed for the West Gate bridge. Around the Bay in a Day is the only time that cyclists are allowed on the freeway and bridge and a whole lane had been closed to motor vehicles to allow us an easy ride over the high arching structure. Our slow speed allowed us good views over the city and docklands.

Once down off the bridge we wound our way through the suburbs for a couple of kilometres before joining the closed off section of Beaconsfield Parade for the last section to St Kilda. It was very satisfying to be still passing other cyclists as we made our way to the finish. Two hundred and twenty kilometres in 8 hours 40 minutes riding time. Not bad for a couple of old guys who were nearly 60. Mind you, our total time was eleven and a half hours but most of that was spent either on or waiting for the ferry!