To contast the wet cold RR...
Headed out from work for my normal travel commute home today (Melbourne
Australia) - I live 8.5km from work but stretch it out to between 15 - 40kms
with my ride along paths then single track when I get to it.
Bloody hot today (36 degrees - that's Celcius), and just bought a Caribee
Hydration pack this morning that I wore over the top of my laptop backpack -
riding with the extra water certainly came in handy today, covering 35km,
15km of that on single track.
Starting from a steep decent that you have to take carefully (trees
surrounding you and sudden drops to either side) I decided that my tyres are
not really well designed for loose dirt, gravel or sand - but they do well
enough seeing as most of my riding is on paved surfaces.
Riding along the Yarra river, there are no really fast decents or wracking
climbs - everything is relatively flat. There are some rocky sections of the
path that require concentration, and other sections that require better
tyres than I have to ride down safely (my Geax Evolution tyres just skid
down loose dirt slopes of over 30 degrees).
It is fun though to get onto some trail however so close to the city (about
6km from the Melbourne CBD).
As we had a big storm here last week, it was disappointing however to see
the amount of rubbish that enters the waterway from the surrounding city and
rural areas, washed up into the trees etc.
After two hours of riding trail and bike path however in 36 degree heat, I
was certainly glad to immerse myself in a cool bath, and also glad to be
able to drink over two litres of water on the ride.
All the best,
Tim