SADSAC: Stratford Double Loop 01 September.

This blog is running slightly late due to illness.

The idea of the Stratford Double loop was to hopefully get some new riders.
As it turned out we only managed to attract old riders, as per usual.
Twelve riders presented on Father's Day at Stratford in quite pleasant weather conditions.
We had a strong showing from the valley which is becoming the norm. One of our regular riders was somewhat worse for wear having come second in a race with a cow. Jim claimed it was the first time in 66 years, and hopefully the last. He kept Lorraine company in the backup.
The ride itself headed out on the Briagalong road for the first ten or so kilometres. This is not one of my favorite roads and my Wednesday group try to avoid it. On this occasion the ride along here was going OK until a few hoons from the Newry car club managed to startle some of the riders with their very loud vehicles.
The rest of the run back to Stratford was much more relaxed. We chose to use the Apex park next to the river for lunch, just for a change. During lunch, apart from the lovely cakes, Dads were given a small bag of lollies to sustain them for the remainder of the ride.
The second loop started off on the first part of the rail trail. Being a regular user of the Stratford bridge footpath is has been noted that the local anti-bike bottle smashers tend to frequent this thoroughfare.
So I hastened to the bridge approaches to clear the path of glass that I noticed driving in. It appears I was not fully successful as Richard 1 punctured a few kilometres down the road. I took the group past the Airley Primary school just for a few corners. Once onto the Bengworden road we encountered another stoppage. In this case it was the Titanium bike trying to slow down the rider. A bolt holding on the mudguard had come loose and was rubbing on the tyre. Once fixed it was on the road again. As expected the group split up a bit on the climb out of Chinns bridge. However, the regroup spot was mosquito infested so we had to regroup on the roll. The total distance for the day was 66.
Off to Wa De Lok  for coffee.

On the road to Briag

Getting closer

Crooked Lane stop

More of the ladies

Dads shot for paper

Blokes on bikes

TRAMPS: AGM 25 August

There was a good turnout in the high teens for the shortish ride on the AGM day.
We had one new rider with Geraldine giving an activity that does not require a partner a go.
As expected there was a fair bit of traffic around so most of the time the riders were in and out of single file.
The one thing that was most striking was that all the local streams and rivers were full to overflowing, a result of the significant rainfall earlier in the week.

The ride itself had us out across the Latrobe River and on through Tyers. It was then on to Thoms Bridge before the turn was made for home. The fresh westerly meant that to this point it was heavy going. Once clear of the Thoms Bridge crash site it was considerably easier riding with the tailwind. I suspect that the wind had made the ride somewhat longer than usual and we did not reach the carpark until around one.
Suitably frocked it was on to the RSL for lunch and formalities.
The main speaker for the day had a croaky voice so the jokes were omitted for this year.
The meeting room had a good projector and screen. This allowed Vance to keep us entertained with the his vast array of images from the rides thus far.
The details of the meeting I will leave to Vance but the assembled sincerely thanked Vance and Jan for the considerable efforts over the last year and beyond. These clubs do not run themselves.
Once the formalities were over we viewed a short video about the defibrillator.
This was followed by considerable discussion on the proposed Traralgon to Morwell bike path.
Overall a rather full day of activities.

On the Tyers/Thoms bridge road

I chatted with this chap

We followed these guys

Thoms Bridge stop

Rather happy riders

Gerry declares no trucks in sight

SADSAC: AGM 18 August

We ended up with 9 riders for the short AGM ride.
Conditions were fine but with a significant northwesterly wind.
Despite the wind I chose to take the group out into the Cobains area.
The ride started with a predominately tail wind. Once we moved into a cross/headwind the group started to spread out a bit. As a couple of riders were feeling the conditions I chose to cut the ride short. The last part of the ride from the Regional Sports Centre was conducted almost entirely on bike paths. The total distance ended up only being 19 km. It was still a pleasant quiet ride.
The BBQ lunch was very enjoyable at Cathie's place and was preceded by a tour of the new motorhome.
The AGM itself went off smoothly enough with the only changes of significance being the office bearers.
The two main positions in the club, namely secretary and treasurer, had not changed hands for quite some time. I suspect most of the club members considered the two concerned irreplaceable. While it might make the members feel comfortable with such stability it is not fair that all the work is done by the same people.
The secretary position in particular had not moved in over ten years.
The end result was that Ann has taken on secretary and George the treasurer. The other office bearers remained the same. The assembled thanked Shirley and Cathie for all their efforts over the years and I suspect Shirley will take quite some time to pass on all her collected knowledge.
While the club has moved into a much more sound financial position it was decided to keep the current fee structure. The only rule that had been recently removed, for some reason, that new members are encouraged to join the club after three rides has been re-established. The only problem that I found with the day was that there was too much cake.
I was a bit slack with the camera.

Liz was a bit too quick

Overtaking the camera bike

TRAMPS: Longford - Seaspray. 11 August.

Ended up with two reports, the first from Linden.

The day dawned sunny with light winds for the club’s ride from Longford to Seaspray. Our ride leader for the day brought along his brand new bike with its “eye- catching” colour scheme for its “maiden outing” with the club.

Seventeen riders assembled at the Longford Hall in anticipation of another great ride and plenty of socializing. The first challenge of the day was one of the few hills for the day known as 3GI Hill a short distance up the road. Most riders were sufficiently warmed up after tackling this.

The rest of the run down the Seaspray road was fairly uneventful with everyone enjoying the cool but pleasurable riding conditions. Our lunch spot was in closer proximity to the sea than last time.

After plenty of conversation and the consumption of several biscuits and slices, it was time to head back to Longford.

The run after lunch proved to be much more of a challenge as the wind had sprung up quite considerably with gusts to 30-35 kph. The wind was mostly a crosswind until the riders hit the Seaspray to Stradbroke road, which then became a headwind. On this leg one of the riders benefited from the assistance of an “aftermarket human turbo charger” going up some of the hills, which was greatly appreciated.  This rider was going so fast sometimes she couldn't keep up with the gear changes and her feet nearly flew off the pedals several times!

The ride down the South Gippsland Highway to Longford was fairly straight forward.

All in all another good day out was enjoyed by all.

Linden  Roberts

Liz added,

Photos from Tramps ride. Linden took lots more with Vance's camera. She also made very yummy Anzac biscuits, lemon slice and decadent chocolate brownie made with lashings of dark chocolate. Morning ride to Seaspray was enjoyed at a leisurely pace. Lunch by the beach and ride back into a very stiff breeze followed. We enjoyed seeing lots of sheep with twin and triplet lambs in the green fields near Stradbroke. Banksia and pine forests provided some welcome shelter on the downhill ride back to Longford. Photos include Colin on his brand new Italian Wilier bike and new wood carving at Seaspray.

On the way to Seaspray

One happy rider

Getting close

By the new landmark

A well trained crew

Impressive lunch stop