This was the 31st edition of Around The Bay. My son A opted for postal delivery of our Rider Packs. In the packs were our bike number plates and two jerseys each.
There were five ride options – the 220km classic, the 135km Geelong start, the 100km, 50km, and Lap the Track family routes. We chose the 100km route. Which was 120 km in total because we rode from A’s house to the event village and then back home again after the ride.
The event village was beside Albert Park Lake. The organisers planned a day of live entertainment at the event village with DJs, bands, a circus, a marching band, and roving performers. There would be food trucks and a fully stocked bar with a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
The same entertainment theme was planned for the rest stops. In addition to providing plenty of water,
electrolytes, snacks, gels, energy bars and porta-potties, the rest stops promised live music.
The spanner in the works was the weather forecast. Sunday’s forecast indicated rain at 11:00 am and continuing into the afternoon.
We left A’s home just before 6:00 am to get to Albert Park in time for the 6:45 am start of the 100km event. The 220km classic had started at 5:30 am in the rain. The rain had stopped, but the roads were still wet.
We joined a few hundred riders at the start line. The route took us around Albert Park Lake and north-west on Bay Trail toward the West Gate Bridge.
The West Gate Bridge crosses the Yarra River where the river flows into Hobsons Bay. The bridge is 2.6 km long and 58 metres above water at its highest point.
After we crossed the West Gate Bridge, it wasn’t far to the first rest area at Williamstown. It wasn’t raining, but the skies over the city, as viewed from Gem Pier, looked ominous.
The rest area at Williamstown had bananas, water and porta-potties. I didn’t need to refill my bidon, but did take a banana to augment the Snickers Loaded bars I had with me.
The next rest area was back over the West Gate Bridge and 40 km into the ride. I had another banana and bought a chai latte from the coffee van at Elwood. It wasn’t raining, but the roads were damp and the sky was very cloudy.
We arrived at the turnaround point at Mordialloc just before 11:00 am. As forecast, it was drizzling. That put a damper on The Ramblers performance.
Despite the rain, the Ramblers were good, but the highlight for me at Mordialloc was the Winners bars being handed out. The Apple Berry Crumble ones were delicious. There were apples on offer, too. I put one in my pocket for later.
You can see the rain drops hitting the water in Mordialloc Creek.
It was pouring as we rode through Blackrock on the way back to Albert Park. I was doused a couple of times by cars driving through puddles beside me. The rain eased with about 10 km to go. A and I splashed our way across the finish line, soaked to the skin.
To their credit, volunteers were standing in the rain at the entrance to the event village, handing out finisher’s medals.
There weren’t many riders in the event village. The promised day of live entertainment and food was washed out by the incessant rain. Many finishers went straight to their cars and drove home rather than spend time in a wet and cold event village.
A and I wanted some hot food before we rode back to Ascot Vale. I ordered two fish and chips meals from the Chef Calamari food truck. The wind picked up as we were waiting for our food. We were dripping wet, and it was 15º Celsius. And shivering by the time our food was ready. I was shaking so hard that it was difficult for me to pick up my chips.
Unsurprisingly, I turned down an offer of free gelato from the Scoopcalicious truck. It was so cold that they couldn’t give their gelato away.
The fish and chips were yummy, but it did little to warm me up. I was shivering so badly that my bike was wobbling back and forth as we started our ride home.
People say Melbourne has famously unpredictable weather. They say right! It was still raining when we got home at 11:20 am. This was the view from A’s home at 3:00 pm. The weather was mocking me!
Despite finishing wet and cold, A and I are glad we did the ride. I really enjoyed riding with him that weekend. Will we do it again next year? Registration is already open for the 32nd edition of Around The Bay.
If only the organiser could guarantee riding conditions like this:
I have had enought of this!
Old Roots, New Routes 