Introduction

This was my third Big Ride. Like last year I was going to do this on two wheels, it seems that I am fated to do each of these on a different bike, as this year I am on my brothers LearSport 9000 which he isn't using as he is currently in the UK.

This years route is a classic Summit to Sea as it goes from Kosciuszko to Kiama. Although the overall profile is downhill, most of it is on the first and last day.

The rest day was in Queanbeyan, which while large was a good choice as it gave us access to Canberra and Queanbeyan was still quite small. All of the towns along this route were small country towns, very few had populations over 1,000 and one had only 60 people. This year there were higher numbers, about 1,200 as opposed to about 700 or 800 over the last two years.

The Route

Day/Date	Start	Finish	Distance
Day 0 - February 18th 2005	Sydney	Jindabyne	82.24 km
Day 1 - February 19th 2005	Charlotte Pass	Jindabyne	41.16 km
Day 2 - February 20th 2005	Jindabyne	Dalgety	72.72 km
Day 3 - February 21st 2005	Dalgety	Bredbo	88.46 km
Day 4 - February 22nd 2005	Bredbo	Queanbeyan	72.82 km
Day 5 - February 23rd 2005	Rest Day		56.41 km
Day 6 - February 24th 2005	Queanbeyan	Gunning	70.83 km
Day 7 - February 25th 2005	Gunning	Marulan	110.58 km
Day 8 - February 26th 2005	Marulan	Robertson	80.86 km
Day 9 - February 27th 2005	Robertson	Kiama	36.10 km

Conclusion

This was my third Big Ride, while there are some people out there who have done many more I am now getting very used to the format and the lifestyle. Each year I find new ways that they are enjoyable. Like last years ride we had some bad weather, but at least this time we didn't have any cancelled days or early route closures. Despite the weather and nearly everything coming home damp I still had a great time, and from the general feedback I noticed everyone else did as well.

While on this ride I was often the first cyclist to lunch and to camp, I don't believe that I was the fastest cyclist on the ride, I just happened to be the fastest who left when the route opened. I think that my cycling improved, so I am looking forward to returning to my usual stomping ground to see if that is the case. That said I am still looking forward to a few days off the bike first, having rode everyday for 10 days straight with an average of about 70kms my legs are glad of a break. I must say I don't know how the Tour riders can do even greater distances, faster and for longer. Mind you, they probably don't spend as much time in the pub at the end of each day.

As before, I have people to thank from this Ride.

1. Bicycle NSW - Another great ride, and next years looks like being as good.
2. My Parents - For the fantastic Dinner on Friday Night.
3. The volunteers - Again they get a mention, they are usually the same people year after year who give up a week of their time so that we can have a great event.
4. Anyone I worked with on the ride - Riding with someone means that you can work together to cover the distance faster, plus it is someone to talk to along the way.