Purple and Pink Ride
Day 1 – 17th September, 2016
Well, this is it! The start of my Purple and Pink Ride, from Sydney to Melbourne. This is a day I’ve been planning for just over a year. And now the day has finally arrived.
It was an early start, at Spotless Stadium, arriving just before 07:00. I had my brother-in-law, Cameron, turning up, along with one of his friends, Marco, and church friends Wallace, Quyen, Lynn, and Joseph. Thanks guys, for turning up!
After a bit of a chat, and a quick prayer, I set off a little later than expected. Joseph, Cameron, and Marco joined me for about the first half hour, or so. It was all pretty easy going. Not too much traffic out along Parramatta Road. They left me at around Westmead, and it was just me. Cycle paths are still very patchy in Sydney, and probably only carried me about a quarter to a third of the way. The aim was to get out to Penrith by about 10:00. I ended up getting there at about 10:30.
I decided to take a break at Penrith, and got myself a chocolate milkshake. 🙂
After about 20 minutes, it was time to move on. Shortly after, I crossed the Nepean River.
Not long after, I began the climb up the mountains. This is were it really got tough.
Suffice to say, I didn’t ride up all the way. I walked up it, for the most of it. Pushing became much easier than riding.
It was pretty hard going, most of the day. I left, this morning, with a developing cold. By the afternoon, it had taken hold. I managed to make it as far as Lawson, about 15km short of Katoomba, before I decided it was getting too dark. I caught the train for the remaining balance of the day’s distance.
My overnight stay, in Katoomba, was at the Blue Mountains Backpacker Hostel, which is located near the railway station. It’s a pretty good hostel, with very friendly staff. I would definitely stay there again. Within an hour of my arrival, I crashed out for the night.