Rest Day in Inverloch

After two hot days of cycling and over 140 km covered, it was evident that the ageing legs of our team had taken quite a beating. There is only one known cure for this malady - a break from cycling. So that's exactly what we did. Nothing.

It was delightful to have a slow start to the day and then catch up on a little bike maintenance (ie squirt the bike with a hose, give it a shake and hope for the best). This approach appeared to work a treat with the bike and their riders.

The only commitment that some of us had made was to meet for a Devonshire Tea at the Bassine Cheese Factory in Bass. Where else would the "Bassine" Cheese Factory be located ?

At the civilised hour of 11 am a group of us were gathered in the verandah outside the factory. We would all have preferred to be enjoying the warmth inside the premises, but one of our group (let's call her "Maggie") insisted on bringing along her little yapping poodle. That meant we were all banished to sitting outside in the biting wind.

Fortunately the coffee, scones and clotted cream almost made the frostbite worthwhile. In fact we stayed on so long that some of the group decided to imbibe for a second time.

Much later in the day we all gathered for dinner at the Esplanade Hotel in Inverloch. The dinners were going quite well until one of our diners (name withheld) decided that chewing was a waste of energy and decided to send a vast quantity of something called "ancient grains" straight down the tube leading to his left lung, instead of to his stomach where it was intended.

After an extended period of choking, eye rolling, gagging and gurgling, we decided that the situation was serious enough for him to go to the nearby hospital (presumably to have his stomach pumped and the errant food rechewed). It was a slightly alarming end to the meal, but the person in question was discharged a couple of hours later (with most of his bodily functions working again).

Tomorrow we get back on the bikes again for a ride along the Bass Coast Rail Trail from Wonthaggi to San Remo. What else could possibly go wrong ?Read more