Geelong Sunday Run Report, 7 Nov 2021

Geelong to Trentham

Plan was to ride to Trentham for the day but as usual the best laid plans came a little unstuck because of poor co-ordination with the guy upstairs.

7 riders and Rod’s  gutsy wife Caz as pillion set off and enjoyed a spirited run through Barabool Hills, Merewarp Rd and Batesford to Anakie where we regrouped. Thereafter the decision was to head through Straughton Vale and then up Granite Rd (which is less bumpy) to the Bacchus Marsh Rd and then into Bacchus Marsh.

Trouble is Leader Stan due to inattention and speed flew past the Granite Rd turnoff so we continued on the BM- Balliang Rd instead. This (much more bumpy) route caused Noel to whinge for easily 15 minutes when we finally got to Bacchus Marsh. Being on another road  also caused Leadership confusion going through the now much more built up Bacchus Marsh – such that we ended up on the motorway going TOWARDS Melbourne when we should have been going the other way towards Ballarat! Nothing a flyover couldn’t correct and things were going OK as we sped towards Ballarat looking for the Blackwood exit.

Fortunately it then started to rain (which took riders minds off the fact that our leaders ALWAYS seem to get lost and lead us down gravel roads and in wrong directions)?

The rain intensified as we hit the twisty and rather dangerous bits approaching Blackwood and the leadership decision was taken to call off the ride at Blackwood and forget  going on to Trentham. We ended up for coffee and grub at the very nice Garden of St Erth at Blackwood  https://www.diggers.com.au/our-gardens/st-erth/cafe/

After some considerable time enjoying good fellowship there waiting for the rain to ease, we headed back to Anakie through the Brisbane Ranges where we AGAIN stopped for a lengthy coffee break and chat- proving that at our age chin wagging and drinking coffee is possibly  up there with riding?

Stan Rogers

 Riders on the 1st Sunday Geelong Run: