30/04/2022 The Downhill Bit: Crafers Bikeway

In a fit of enthusiasm earlier in the year,  Roger and I decided that every month we would try to ride just a few kilometers more than what we did the month before.

In January I rode 193 km.

In February I rode 220 km.

We won't talk about March.

Today was the last day of April, so April's total relied on how far I rode today, but we had other commitments taking precedence over bike riding.  Namely, our weekly drive up to the Adelaide Hills to visit with family.  From the car it's possible to catch glimpses of Lycra Lads on a bike path beside the highway, usually grinding up the hill to earn the coffee that they'll have at the top.

The sight of the Lycra Lads set off a light bulb in my wee brain:  what better way to round off April than to get Roger to drop me at the top of the hill so I could have fun going down without all the hard work of going up?  Even better, if I did it after lunch all the Lycra Lads would have gone home so I wouldn't shame them with my awesome descending skills.

Thus it was that, suitably fortified with coffee, chocolate, and family lunch, I set off from the Crafers Park & Ride.  "Call me from the hospital!" Roger said cheerily as he kissed me goodbye, demonstrating both his skills of encouragement and a remarkable lack of faith in my brakes.

The first little bit was uphill, which was insulting on a downhill bike ride.

Bike buddies in Crafers.

And then I reached the start proper, and it was all downhill from there.

It wasn't a nice sunny day either: it was overcast and so cold that I had to put on my safety vest to keep me warm.

The first 8 km was on the Old Mt Barker Road, with sweeping curves to keep me awake and a gradient steep enough to be fun but flat enough to keep me out of hospital.  

Old Mt Barker Rd.

I'd rather be up here than down there.

 

Little birds twittered in the trees around me and I had fleeting views of the sea out beyond Port Adelaide.  I stopped at all the lookouts, just because I could.

Now I know where Cleland NP is, I can come back and go hiking.

 

More bike buddies along the way.

The last 2 km ran beside the highway down into Adelaide.  It was still fun, just a lot noisier.

Big and little.

 

Having finished the fun bit I was left with 20 km through the suburbs of Adelaide to home, which wasn't as bad as it sounds.  I wended past the University of Adelaide and through older suburbs chock full of beautiful old stone houses, crunching through drifts of leaves in streets lined with autumn trees.  The weather didn't get any warmer, which encouraged me to keep up a smart pace.

Roger was out when I got home, no doubt clocking up some final April kilometers on his bike.

In April I rode 330 km.  This is a problem because there are far too many months left in the year for me to keep going at that rate.  So, in the spirit of avoiding too much effort, I'm going to change the rules.

I don't know whether I'll change the rules to something sensible, like a minimum number of kilometers/month or something less sensible but much more fun, like an obligatory increase in coffee shops visited by bike per month.  I'll have to think about this.

In the meantime, if you'll excuse me, I have a cat to brush.

This is not a cat.  This is a police horse.  It bites.