Sedan

This ride was a warmup for a later trip. Next week, 9 days later, I will retrace some of it, plus doing the Coast to Coast beforehand. All for the big ride planned in the days after Easter.

I also trialled a racktop bag as a more aerodyamic option than panniers. The bag looked a bit untidy, but seemed to ride well.

I left Elizabeth at 6am with a planned riding speed of 20kmh for the day. The route was Murray Bridge, Mannum, Sedan, Angaston, and then home to Elizabeth.

Checker Hill is always waiting... and photos can never do it justice!

The most efficient route to Murray Bridge from our place is through Birdwood and Palmer. It's shorter still to go over Checker Hill, despite the 18% climb that involves. I am now certain that the small ring on my new bike has less teeth than the old Blade 4- Checker Hill was a breeze, relatively speaking.

  
In the hills above Palmer

Murray Bridge took six hours raw time. A few photos, a water stop, and a feed simply chews up time. The actual riding time was far less, only 4 hours 50. Riding time versus time lost is a major issue for longer endurance rides which I have still not managed to my satisfaction. Obviously, ordering a hamburger involves a lost of maybe 10kms, but it can take a lot of time to find water and etc. Next Sunday I plan to drain my bidons before stopping at water points, so that I am only stopping to refill. Although it's not something I like doing, I will also see how much I can eat on the bike, to see how much time that.

Murray Bridge is almost exactly 100km to the Bridge. The road to Mannum was surprisingly busy, and the traffic was less bike friendly than most country roads. Mannum itself has a great IGA on the road in, tailor made for a cyclist to grab stuff and go.

  

The road to Sedan is one of my favourite rides. It's quiet; the traffic is polite, and the surface is good. It's also a ride along the backside of the Adelaide Hills, with the deep yellow of Australian summer brought out by the late afternoon sun.

It's also a sad road, in some ways. Hildesheim was renamed Punthari; Rhine Villa to Cambrai;Rhine River South to the Marne. Oddly, although Sedan had it's Lutheran School closed due to World War 1, the name survived. It was named after a German victory over France in 1870!

Leaving Sedan means climbing about 6km back up the range to Keyneton. The first 2km or so sits at about 2% and the rest between 4% and 6%. Last time I did this was in 40 degree heat with no breeze; 30 degrees with a bit of breeze feels a lot better!

  

There is one more decent hill from Keyneton on the way to Angaston, and then it's all downhill to home. Nuriootpa to Gawler is all bike path, if you wish, and it's a pleasant way home after a long ride.

Total Distance 264km, Average Speed 20.23kmh, Riding Time 13:04, Total Time 15:35, Time Efficiency 84%

 

Sedan GPX