Hi everyone,
Another fabulous day of gravel riding took place on Monday, January 19, 2015, here in South Australia. On the other side of the world, many folks in the USA are enjoying the Martin Luther King holiday at the time of this posting. As a reminder, yours truly is currently in a timezone that is 15 1/2 hours ahead. Unfortunately, I cannot help anybody with their lotto numbers… bummer.
Monday’s route departed the town of Willunga (which features the Willunga Hill climb in the Tour Down Under), to Sellicks Beach, Mount Compass and returning to Willunga. With all of the gravel riding I’ve done on this trip, this one could be the winner for scenery if you enjoy coastal views.
My ride took a bit longer than planned, considering how many photos I took (condensed to 29 for this posting), and the video I shot – coming later. There was a Kangaroo sighting, which I captured on video!
The route was shorter at 77.6 kilometres (47.8 miles) of the route, with 1,310+ metres (over 4,300 feet) of elevation. Weather was bright and sunny, with the high temperature around 32 degrees Celcius, or 89 degrees Fahrenheit. Consequently, hydration, calorie intake and sun protection during this ride was important.
Willunga
If you follow professional road cycling, you will have heard of this little town. It is known for Willunga Hill, a shortish climb with some sections at 10% that the pro’s hammer during the Tour Down Under. But, I wasn’t climbing Willunga Hill today. Rather, I was off on a loop towards the beach, and back inland.
Sellicks Beach
Is a small little town, with a deli and post office at its centre. As this town came early in my ride, I had to load up on hydration at the deli and make it last until my next stop at Mount Compass.
The distance between the two towns on my route is only 40 kilometres (25 miles), but with all of the climbing and heat of the day, I would be conserving. The coastal views and beach are amazing. This beach is similar to Daytona Beach, Florida, in that you can drive your vehicle along it; free to residents, a fee for visitors.
Please enjoy today’s photos.
Gallery – Click a thumbnail image to see full size (hosted by Flickr).
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Nice beaches!
How come you never took us there?
How was the crit yesterday?
We didn’t head that far south during your visit. If I recall, we headed to Aldinga Beach one day, but the winter weather wasn’t so nice. The circuit race was awesome, amazing speed. I would have captured some sweet POV footage, but my dodgy Go Pro decided to poop out at an inappropriate time 🙁
gorgeous!
I just got my Lynskey Cooper CX built up – I had been riding my old 531ST Touring bike on the gravel – so I am keen to hit up some roads a bit further afield than the Hills. Is it local knowledge or did you use Google Maps/Streetview (or something else) to find out what are gravel roads?
Ultimately, I would like to put together a series of gravel randonneurs ~60-80km long – say in the Barossa, McLaren Vale, Adelaide Hills, etc – that wineries could host that maybe could be incorporated into the CX program for the year? It would be pretty low-key to start, but with the burgeoning CX scene here in Adelaide, it could be easier to leverage off that?
Adam,
My routes were a combination of tribal knowledge, and using Google Maps / Street view / Satellite view. Part of that ride was on some dodgy territory for sure, but I don’t think there was any trespassing or such. If you need any help, I’d be glad to send you the routes I rode during my time in Adelaide. I reckon there is HUGE potential for regular CX type races in the Barossa, McLaren Vale, etc, on the winery properties.
As an example, the Southern Cross Ultra Cross race (not a regular CX type race) has in the past started in a winery in the mountains of Georgia, and features a true CX course at the start and finish. After 90+ kms of suffering, a CX course to finish it off really hurts the brain… and legs! Here is my video from 2014, before I started the Gravel Cyclist entity – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R27BvnIvdU8 – it wasn’t my best race 🙁
If I was living in Adelaide, I’d be all about promoting randonneur rides, or something longer. Assuming I return in December 2015 / January 2016, I’d love to put together a ride to get people out and ride. It could be major fun! My second ride in Adelaide was 125km of hard but awesome riding, all through the Barossa, taking in towns such as Freeling, Nurioopta, Tanunda, etc.
At some point in time, I hope I can live seasonally in Adelaide… I am really missing home.
Let’s stay in touch.