Day 87: 5-day Ride In 3 Days!

June 10th, 2011

Jerramungup to Albany
Distance: 189km
Total distance: 5577km

Left Jerramungup before the day breaks. Took a wrong turn at first and nearly went to the longer route to Albany via Stirling Range. Would have been a scenic ride but at the cost of having to ride on steep gradients. Since I started the journey so early in the morning, I was all determined and well charged to get to Albany by the end of the day!

The tailwind still blows strongly and I was having a good time riding. Today I encountered numerous long descent and ascent, some of the longest ones stretches to 10km. By midday, I have already covered more than 80km, not a bad figure but I was doubtful that I can make another 100km for the rest of the day. The road was relatively smooth apart from the unusual appearance of gravel surface on a few sections. Rode past two roadhouses and decided to have a sausage roll snack at one of them.

At about 40km to Albany, I started seeing sign posts for wineries. And what do wineries like? That’s right, hills and valleys, the more the merrier. The long and gentle gradients now become short and steep. Since Albany is a major town, the traffic builds up very quickly. Soon, I found myself having to stop at the roadside every 2-4 minutes so that cars can pass safely. At one point, I felt something sharp poking on my right hand index finger. I was shocked to find out that my gear cable nearly broke! Only three strands of fine wire holding it together. I immediately stopped using the right shifter, effectively downsizing my 81-speed drivetrain to 9-speed. At times like these, I am very grateful to have the 3-speed internal gear hub.

I survived the remaining distance to Albany, albeit the sun already long gone. The last 12km was rather fun as it was nearly 100% downhill. The not so fun part was having to ride on the unsealed shoulder whenever a vehicle passes. I got onto the footpath nearing the town centre as the traffic becomes heavier. Checked myself into a YHA backpackers as soon as I got into town.

A great sense of achievement today! I predicted 5 days of riding for the 500km journey to Albany but it took me only 3! Tempted to claim I did it all on my own but the tailwind deserves a credit! I shall rest in Albany for a few days before leaving to Perth. This will probably be my last rest stop before Perth.