Rafael

With clear skies & the temperature on 28 degrees, it was a good day to cycle, especially this weekend when it's going to hit the 40s, an impossible task to take on any other day. Although I have ridden along this trail before, today I focused on my surroundings, landscapes & possible photo backgrounds. It's actually beautiful along that section of the Maribyrnong River, I don't think the photos do it justice... I'm in such good shape these days with all the workout I'm doing, I could've kept going for another while keeping in mind how many ups & downs we come across, unlike the rides along the bay trails in the weeks before it.

After last week I had to cut this ride short, I was determined to get it in full before schools & chaotic traffic get back to normal. Being a coastal trail, it snakes in all directions no matter which way it is approached & with such a windy day the only certain factor was that at some point it was going to affect my ride. On the way in, it was on & off, never bad enough to make me feel like I wouldn't be able to cope with it. Instead, on the way back there were long sections where I met with the winds head on, hitting me hard, slowing me down & wearing me off. It was so strong that along Altona Beach I got sandblasted as I rode past it. Battering me so much that I even got to a point where I was eying up a spot to take a long break to recover my energy; I also even considered giving up altogether. Fortunately, I pushed through all the way back to the car. In fact, when I got to the point where I dismounted the bike last week, 5ks from my car, the winds cease their pounding me & I proved that I still had gas in the tank being able to accelerate & ride at a good pace. This was due to the build up area with lots of trees along the way that stop the wind in its tracks. The fauna you see in this environment consists mainly of birds -if not exclusively- so I have to mention that at some point I found a young chick dead on the trail so on my way back I paid my respects, pick him up & put him where there was dense bush for an honorable resting place... that was the black spot of the ride, I did it with a heavy heart...

Adventure, Reconnaissance & Odyssey, this ride had it all! This is one of those rides that I used to do a lot back in the days when I'd ride 3 or 4 times a week but I hadn't come back here for more than 12 years, so I was longing for it lately. Today I felt daring enough to undertake it so I ventured. It didn't start well: when I was packing the bike in the car I found the front well was flat so I inflated it to see if there was an obvious puncture in it. Since I didn't find anything unusual I packed & drove to Williamstown to reconnect with my old rides. I hadn't been in that area for many years, possibly since I last rode there so even driving I didn't find my way easily. Once there, I noticed the tyre had lost some air already so I decided to take a short ride while checking on the wheel constantly not to get stranded in the middle of nowhere. Fortunately, I took the pump with me so I inflated the tyre once more before starting. The anxiety I was feeling before going there quickly gave way to familiarity & confidence, I recognized all sections of the trail quickly, nothing seemed foreign. For the first few kilometres the tyre looked fine. That ended when I got to the Altona Yacht Club; there & then I realised I needed to head back urgently or I wouldn't be able to make it back to the car... at some point I began to sit straight in the bike, hardly touching the handlebar not to put any weight on the front wheel because its deflation had become so obvious, I could hear it, especially when taking a turn which is when it takes its heaviest load. Sure enough, 4.9k to get to my car, I had to dismount it altogether or else risk damaging the rim. So I jog with the bicycle by my side for some good 2 & a half ks; then I stopped to take some photos, drink some water & rest. The last 2ks I walked the bike at a good pace to get to the car. Along the drive back home, I decided to stopped at the shop where I had it serviced just last weekend because I thought they had to do something with it, after all, when I took it there a puncture was never part of the reasons. Because it was only 10 minutes before they'd close the shop, they just changed the tube with no charge for me instead of finding out where the puncture was. And that's how good & bad my day was: it wasn't the best but it could've been a lot worse! One thing's for sure: I will go back to the Williamstown Foreshore Trail (WFT) to properly do it all the way I know & beyond if possible.

January 1st, a brand new year! I wanted to start it with a bang taking a ride I hadn’t done for a while (1 year & 7 months). I also assumed that many people leaving town would make the traffic, both cars & foot, a lot lighter; this assumption would prove to be wrong in both cases, the weather was too good for people to let go… it was fairly windy though & it made the first leg of my journey a little tougher. I paced myself through not to burn all my energy at once. That was a wise decision that took me all the way to Mordialloc, a destination I hadn’t been able to reach in my previous two attempts. The head winds hardly let me move at times but I patiently pedalled my way through constantly, almost without stopping on the way in but never pushing it hard. That is until some 5k to Mordialloc this old man passed me without much effort; at that point I felt I would make it anyway so I pressed hard on the pedals, feeling strong I passed & left him behind & soon after I was in Mordialloc. For some reason the app stopped registering there but luckily I stopped to check & noticed on time to resume so I only lost a couple of hundred meters. The way back was a lot easier with the tailwinds only favouring me which in turn, gave me the chance to stop a few times to take photos & soak up the ocean breeze. Only at the very end, for the last kilometre or two, the wind turned against me again but with the finish line on sight, I just pushed through. With 60 kilometres ridden, this has been my longest ride for a long time; incidentally, it was also a 60-kilometre drive to & from my starting point

Being Boxing Day, when a lot of people are away on holiday therefore traffic is lighter than usual, I thought I’d drive to get to my starting point for the ride. With the unveiling of the new freeway some additional bike paths were created including the Footscray bypass which hangs from the bridges above it; that was a path I wanted to ride from the beginning & today I finally did! It was fun, made the journey not only much safer but also faster & interesting because it’s only for cycling excluding even pedestrians, who a couple of times complicated my ride: they seem to forget that most paths are shared getting in the way selfishly. At the end of it I was really tired but pleased, glad & proud of seeing new builds & sights of my city.

When I started riding it was cloudy & non-inviting but at the end of it, it was sunny & welcoming (that’s Melbourne!) Saturday isn’t my usual riding day but yesterday the temperature was in the 30s with occasional showers so I didn’t do it… As for the fauna, it was almost nonexistent, not even the ubiquitous rabbits… until the end, at the lanky woods that I so much like! A kangaroo mob was on my path ahead & as they saw me approach, they hoped away. Then a flock of crows crossed the path ahead of me, they looked really funny because they just walked & walked… I have to note that standing the bike for the photo with the electricity towers took a delicate balance as well as patience to achieve: it’s being held upright only by my water bottle…!

On a hot summer day, with a temperature of 31 degrees, I was very reluctant to go for a ride; in fact, it was late in the afternoon, after we had done the shopping with Elaine & she had even put dinner to cook, when I decided to venture & do it. It paid off in many ways the sighting of kangaroos being the main one. In total, I encountered 3 different large mobs & 5 different families along the way not to mention a few lose ones... By families I mean a small mob of 10 members or fewer. The ride itself was short but that was the plan since I didn't want to push it under such temperature; even the kangaroos were craving shade & that's how I came real close to some of them; because it was rather late (the first photo I took was at 6pm) there wasn't any human around & that might also be one of the reasons for the many sightings. In spite of the heat, I've got to say that it didn't diminish my energy levels at any point, I was simply playing it safe for myself.

It started with disruption when my pouch broke & fell off; luckily I was near home so I returned to change it. Disruption continued later as the bicycle chain came off twice when I attempted to put it in “climbing”. It was warm, in the high 20s, but I had gas in the tank so instead of ending the Roxburgh ride the way I usually do, I extended it to come back through the Park. Not long after I realised that was a bit ambitious so I took a shortcut through Westmeadows, which also meant exploring a different route, a path I was curious about but wasn’t familiar with. Once in the Park, I began to tire quickly so I had to take a break… As I was approaching the end of the ride exiting the Park I was thinking how I don’t encounter kangaroos along the way the way I used to just a few months ago & then… a kangaroo mum with her joey & a couple of hundred metres ahead, another pair. It was good to see them but I still think they have been rounded up & taken away…

Felt pumped up energetic so I went for the longest ride I could do around here & extended it some more. I found it strange that I didn’t see a single kangaroo along the way; saw a few birds, some rabbits but the biggest highlight was the lizard in the photos, who didn’t run away from me, instead stuck around while I got my phone out & took a few pictures. He even looked at me while doing it… Lizards are not sociable creatures but this one was different, he made me feel good, in fact, he made my day!