sadsacnews2013: TRAMPS: Gormandale

A solid attendance of around 20 riders assembled at Gormandale for a relatively easy ride.
The weather prediction was right in that the showers, if any, were expected to come early. As it turned out they came and went prior to the start. I was slightly concerned by the selection of Richard 1 as ride leader as his recovery was still in progress. It turned out that my fears were groundless as his pace was quite solid and initially he even had the group spread out somewhat. The first leg to Rosedale was actually the shorter of the two halves and we arrived at lunch prior to midday.
Conditions at lunch were rather cool despite the fine conditions. Support man, Darryl, attempted to warm us up with some hot rock from the support vehicle. He was not successful in this but his fine selection of cakes was far more appreciated. While at lunch we managed to attract a couple of young ladies to join us for the return leg. They said that they regarded even half of a Tramps ride as a weekend highlight.
The run back to Gormandale was initially flat but exposed. Fortunately the headwind was not too strong but it was still felt for the first 10 or so kilometres. We did have one tumble on this leg at one of the stops. In this case it was put down to a wardrobe malfunction, but not shoes this time. Once onto Flynn's Creek Road the previous headwind was less of a worry.
The final scenic run to Gormandale contained the main climb of the day. As it appeared towards the end, most riders were well and truly prepared for the increased effort. All that was left was the final descent to the finish. Overall it was yet another successful Tramps adventure.