"An epilogue or epilog is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature or drama, usually used to bring closure to the work."
After my ride I was a bit flat. I think that it was due to it being much tougher than I thought. I had hoped to cover about 260Km over the five riding days but only made 200Km. After a couple of weeks I can see that I had chosen a really hard route for my first unsupported tour in over twelve years. I will review the ride under the following headings.
- The route.
- My bicycle.
- My health.
and most importantly - - The Pubs.
Maps for each day are in the blog.
I had chosen the route because I had ridden most of it before I broke my leg in 2000 which had put an end to my cycling until Margaret's death in November 2010.
The first day was a shock. The road from Eumundi to Kenilworth was a fairly narrow two lane road with a double white line down the centre. Apart from my problems previously reported in my blog for day one I also found this road to be one of the most dangerous I have ridden in the last two years. It is used by gravel trucks travelling from the Moy Pocket Quarry near Kenilworth to the Bruce Highway near Eumundi. They travel at maximum speed in both directions and do not give cyclists any clearance. I felt that I was in danger even when i was walking.
A gravel truck leaving the Moy Pocket Quarry.
I wouldn't advise cyclists to use this road when the quarry is operating which probably means only Sunday is OK.
Day two was a much nicer ride. Although the roads were narrower the traffic was lighter and better behaved. I took the opportunity to use back roads and think that my route was very pleasant even with the big climb in the morning.
Day three's route was good until I entered Gympie and I found the bridge crossing the Bruce Highway to be dangerous. I was really tired at this point of time and this could have contributed to this.
Day four was a lovely ride. It was hilly but with little traffic and I really enjoyed it.
Day five was another good day.
My Bicycle.
I used my Bike Friday Pocket Expedition folding mountain bike for the ride. See the picture on day one. I had changed the original 24 speed dérailleur gears for an 11 speed internally geared rear hub (see My Health below). This give a very wide spread of gears from 20 to 82 gear inches. In the lowest gear I can climb quite steep hills at 4KPH but wobble and weave a bit so I walked below about 5KPH. In the highest gear I can cruise at over 30KPH on the flat with a following wind or downhill. Normally I ride about 18KPH. The hub gears worked perfectly throughout the trip.
I carried my main luggage in two rear panniers made by a German company called Ortlieb . These are large - too large and I should have used my front panniers and taken less luggage. However the panniers are robust and water/dust proof and gave no problems. I also had an Ortlieb handlebar bag to hold my wallet, glasses case, lock and camera. This was removed and taken with me when I left the bike unattended.
I had one large and one small water bottle in cages on the bike and another large bottle strapped to my luggage rack.
All in all a nice set up for the ride and I han no problems with the bike after fixing the handlebars after my accident on Day one.
My Health
I started this ride with several health issues.
The week before the ride I had a severe infection in my left ear which is fitted with a permanent grommet required to cope with geriatric glue ear. I had the ear cleaned up the day before I left and used antibiotic drops twice a day during the ride. I think that the infection added to my poor performance during the ride.
Since my minor stroke last year I have been on Calcium Blockers to reduce my heart rate which lowers my ability to generate peak energy over a prolonged period. This coupled with an Atrial Fibrillation attack on day 1 set me back a bit.
Since my accident in 2000 I have had a tibia nail in my left leg as the break has never properly healed. I cannot exert full force with my left leg nor can I stand on the pedals to climb hills. I just use low gears and walk when I get too slow. The accident also fractured my hip socket which although healed means that i can not swing my leg over a normal bike hence my little folding bike.
My stroke has left my left hand side a little weak and I had difficulties using my left hand to change gears but the hub gears are operated only by the right hand.
In spite of this I had no health problem at all through out the ride. I ate well, enjoyed a few beers and glasses of wine and slept well. I put on 3Kg over the ride.
The Pubs
Each pub was unique. The best was the Kandanga Hotel on day 2 due to the owners Trevor and Justine. Good company and good food.
The Good Life Hotel in Kin Kin was also excellent but the kitchen is not open on a Monday so I had to make do with a reheated meal.
The Kenilworth Hotel was the biggest but was very quiet for a Friday night.
The Railway Hotel in Gympie was full of character but its shower and toilet facilities were a little primative.
It should be noted that none of these hotels have air-conditioned accommodation and the rooms were stuffy during the warm nights. The rooms are basic and none had a chair to sit on.
This wraps up my pub crawl.
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