Ellenbrae Station

16 May. Day 14. 3rd day of The Gibb Challenge ride.

Ellenbrae Station. 0825/ 1535. 140KM

Another early start as we had to renegotiate the horror track. We were filtered out in a schedule from the station, regrouped on the Gibb Rd and our group start was at 0825. Varying terrain with a fair amount of climbing. I scored the Three Bitches and their Boyfriend - 4 sharp climbs in about 6 km. It was 32 deg and a somewhat headwind. I was pretty tuckered out, but chuffed, as I had paced myself against some other riders before cresting the final hill and doing a transition and handing over to Gordy.

We were now very comfortable with our driving techniques v v other Gibbster support teams. Likewise with radio technique on the dedicated UHF frequency.
And our transitions ( rider changeovers ) were pretty slick too. We completed the 140 km by about 3:30 pm, for an average speed of 22kph. Another healthy performance by the team. The general opinion is that 50 km of this sort of riding is equivalent to about 100 km of road bike riding on bitumen.

We pulled into a very pleasant campsite with a rustic and lush green convenience area. Best part, a swimming area down on the river a couple of hundred metres away. Best way to get rid of the dust, and very refreshing. Needless to say a frothie or two assisted well.

The catering team were up to the task again and dinner was served at 6 pm. Sunset here is effectively about 5pm at this time of the year. And with no moon it is seriously dark, quick smart. But the stars are awesome. Haven't seen a cloud for don't know how long now.

Another early night into bed, about 8 pm. Surprise, surprise.Read more