The commuting cyclist

Route: Eltham to Southbank via Yarra Boulevard and Albert Park Lake
Distance: 43.3km
Duration: 1 hour 53 minutes

Riding to work is one of those things that I know I should do more of, but I just don’t. I always seem to find some excuse not to ride the 25km or so into the city but today I had none.
It’s a fairly undulating ride in from Eltham, the first ten kilometres along Main Road being particularly lumpy. In addition to this, the ride down Rosanna Road is particularly unpleasant with narrow lanes, an inconsistent road surface and plenty of angry drivers. It also happens to be the most direct route for me to take and so I put up with it again today.

With a bit of time up my sleeve I decided to go the long way into town, taking a detour via Yarra Boulevard. If the road surface along here was improved it would be perfect for cycling – undulating, windy and largely car-free. As it is it’s one of the most popular cycling roads in Melbourne and it plays host to time trials for various cycling clubs around the city.

After taking Johnston Street and Swanston Street into the heart of city I decided to push on a little further, making the most of the amazing weather. I headed down to Albert Park for a quick lap of the lake before pushing back into the wind and heading to work.

Having a backpack on makes one a little less aerodynamic and obviously a little heavier but nonetheless I still felt pretty strong. I feel far better than I did the other day at Kinglake and with more riding I can only assume that I will continue to feel stronger on the bike.

Last time I spoke to Brendan he was in the process of organising a group ride for Saturday morning. The plan is to head out quite early and get in some hillwork around Kinglake and the surrounding area – a perfect opportunity to try out Helmet Cam for the first time!

52 days to go…

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