Coastal 200. A Brevet Permanent ride

Well today is my first Audax ride since Paris Brest Paris in 2011. That's incredible. I can't believe how quickly that time has gone. Actually I did the 70 km Mt Buffalo Alpine Classic option in 2012 but I'm not really counting that. That ride was really a manifestation of my cycling 'burnout' and need for a break. I was entered for the 250km but decided the day before that I'd just do the 70 and enjoy it.

I see today's ride as the beginning of the journey to London Edinburgh London (LEL). Riding a brevet ride introduces some discipline. You have to follow the route, in the timeframe and not just go with the flow. This time back though, I'll be more careful to mix it up and still do some long rides 'without the card' so I have the freedom to go where I feel like at the time.

6:00 am was the start time I had designated for this ride. I had no real idea how long this would take but I was hoping that I would finish within 11 hours and therefore be home for dinner!

The start. 202km in front of me

The ride has about 2000 metres of climbing, so not too much, not too little. It would be a ride of quarters. Most of the climbing in the first and third quarters. Stunning scenery for most of the ride, either coastal vistas or country riding. The only downside, if you can call it that, is the amount of navigation. Lots of turns. Today is the first time I've used my Garmin 1000 on an Audax ride so it will be a good test. I'm nervous about the battery life so I've also brought a battery pack charger.



Anyway, lighting check etc done and I'm off.


Winding north through the suburbs of Wollongong, enjoying the quiet streets,  quickly brings the undulations of the coastal road to Bald Hill and Stanwell Park. Traffic is not too bad at this time of day and the workers who are heading off to work are behaving themselves on the road today. It was a stunning, blue sky spring day. Not too hot and whilst a bit windy, not too much. So the option of riding verses going to work was a great one.






The top of Bald Hill has one of the most iconic views of Wollongong. The view south along the escarpment, with the spectacular Sea Cliff Bridge in the foreground, it is a spectacular sight.

Looking south from Bald Hill

Coffee at the first checkpoint was greatly appreciated. 52km and 700 metres of climbing done and feeling pretty good.

The next 50km was the most challenging from a navigation perspective to stay on the designated route. Winding to North Wollongong, around the Steelworks to Port Kembla then along the north edge of Lake Illawarra to Dapto. Time for an early lunch with 102 km and 1002 metres of climbing done. Halfway in all respects.

Now this next 50 km was going to be the test. Roads and hills that I know well, but not with 100 km under my legs. At least not for quite a while. Why is it that I only remember that I need a couple of more gears on my bike, when I'm on my bike, not at home where I can do something about it? The route from Dapto down to Kiama is quite hilly, so there will be a few quite slow climbs today.

It's quite amazing how strong the pull of home is on a course that brings you back to the finish at the half way point. I had no intention of pulling out. Felt tired and a bit sore but still good and yet I could not wait to get 20 or so kilometres away from Dapto so I was back on the ride and away from home. Mind games of long distance riding. Crazy hey?

Kiama Blowhole. Spectacular when there is a big sea running

That's right, it's school holidays. The Kiama Blowhole was pretty crowded even though there was no 'blow' today. A final chai latte at Kiama and then it was back on the road for the last 60 km. Hills for the next 10 km and then the final 50 km is flatter.

I could feel my speed starting to drop and I was spinning rather than powering up the hills now, but I was still going forward.

Eventually I hit the southern edge on Lake Illawarra and followed the bike track around to Yallah. School holidays introduced some traffic onto the bike path but it was all good.

The wind today had not been my best friend, changing direction to give my a headwind for about 75% of the ride but it was not too strong. Heading south west along Avondale Road straight into a headwind did make me struggle. I just kept thinking that the direction and strength on the wind would be a great asset on Cleveland Road. This turned out to be true with the wind helping me over the undulations that can be draining on Cleveland Road.

With just over 2 km to go and around 199km on my Garmin I looked down at the screen and it was completely blank. Time to panic! If it's not on Strava, or at least recorded by a Garmin, it didn't happen. I stopped the bike straight away thinking that the battery had gone flat. I had to connect the battery charger at the halfway point because I was down to 25%. This is poor for a device that is targeted at endurance riding. You should not have to turn off all the functions just to get good battery life.

I plugged the charger in and the device came to life, still with the ride loaded. Great, what a relief. I checked and there was still 65% battery life, so I don't know what caused the Garmin to shut down. By the way, navigation worked without issue for about the first third of the ride. After that, I had to follow the navigation line. I was not getting the advance turn information. I'll be interested to keep an eye on this. Was it an issue with the Garmin or an issue with the route loaded from RidewithGPS??

Finished with a smile

With that saved, it was time to finish the last 2km. Then before I knew it, it was all over. Time 4:01pm. By the time I had got off my bike, took a finishing photo, found some change in my handlebar bag to buy an icecream it was about 4:03. The lady signing the card rounded it off to 4:05!! Oh well, it's only time... 202km. 10h 05mins.

Such a great day, such as great ride. More to come.

Now to ride home and tackle my home hill, that tops out at 18% in places.