Yesterday I had another go at Mt Lofty on my bike and this time I made it to the summit. Sure, people ride up there all the time, but I’m hardly known for my physical feats so I thought it was a good achievement. A few things I learnt were
- I need a headband to keep sweat (and sunscreen) out of my eyes
- It might be because I’m not used to using the low gears but I had the chain come off a few times so a rag to help put it back on without getting grease all over my hands would be good.
- I need a second water bottle. By the time I got to the top of Eagle on the Hill I was out of water and really needed more. In fact, I may have turned back at that point, but I figured that Crafers was the nearest place where I’d find a drink.
- Assuming that I have my second water bottle then I shoud bypass Crafers. From there the climb up the summit road to the entrance to the Botanic Gardens is pretty nasty, it just goes on & on. Also there is no bike lane. Actually there’s something that looks like a bike lane, but the surface is too rough to be useful for cycling. There’s a bit of traffic and the limit is 80km/h so it’s not the best way for cycling. Apparently, back before entering Crafers you can take a back way avoiding the main road, and which also breaks up the climb a bit.
After my next ride, when I’ve found the best way and know the route a bit better I’ll give a detailed description of the route (and maybe I’ll have a go at Bikely) for anyone else who is new to riding in the hills and wants to give it a try.
[…] Le Rayon Vert made it up Mt Lofty. The biggest achievements in cycling are the ones you never hear about. It’s daily personal victories like this one that make cycling so satisfying. Yesterday I had another go at Mt Lofty on my bike and this time I made it to the summit. Sure, people ride up there all the time, but I’m hardly known for my physical feats so I thought it was a good achievement. […]
Just in case you haven’t yet found “the way” to avoid Crafers: instead of heading down to the roundabout (ie where you go right and down) just go straight ahead, and keep on, keep on, keep on climbing. The road through the back streets veers slightly left; just follow it around. About a kilometre later you see that the very pleasant, carless side street you’ve been riding on is very close to the car-filled nightmare that runs up left from the roundabout. Don’t rejoin the main road until you see a tiny little right turn to take you back on; the main road will be about 50m away, end easy to see.
This alternate route is of course easier to do in person than describe, and it definitely makes the last part of the ride to Mt Lofty more pleasant.
Cheers,
Paul
Thanks Paul, I haven’t had another go yet. I wanted to late last week but got a minor injury playing soccer which kept me away from any serious riding for a few days. OK now, but have been at the film festival all weekend (with bits of work squashed in the occasional breaks) … if I get time there will be another post all about that pretty soon.
congrats on your sporty feat!
Thanks. Coincidentally I was just reading about your sporty feats over at Seagreen, good to hear that you’re a soccer player now – keep it up.
Actually I’m embarassed to say I’m thinking of piking… I am just so bad at it. Guess perserverance is one of the things you’re meant to learn through playing a sport. So maybe if I didn’t quit I’d become the kind of person less likely to quit. Hmmm – circular.