April 15, 2021
A lesson in why mud brick houses last hundreds of years
Kapunda to Clare Valley
It rained on and off last night. It sounded heavy, but there was only about 2mm in my unwashed tea mug when I crawled out of my sleeping bag at around 6.30. It was a beautiful crisp clear morning, and with a big day ahead we had a quick breakfast and packed everything up in record time. We left the tents up to dry and ducked back in to Kapunda for a quick coffee at a florist/cafe run by an overly friendly lady with an out of control iPod that blasted music at random volume levels that defied any means of trying to control it. She blamed ghosts and even computer guru Pete couldn’t fix it.
By the time we left the cafe the wind was up, clouds had rolled in and the rain started again. Looks like we’re packing up soggy tents. Worse still is the thought that the red dirt on some of the tracks turns to a gluggy cement if it rains too much, and that makes riding impossible. Surely a few mls would be OK and by the time we left it had cleared again.
The first 15 k’s took us on a circuitous route up onto a range and through an old gum forest. It started raining again just as we turned onto an ominously red track. it looked Ok as no vehicle had been over it, but it didn’t take long to realise that we were rapidly picking up mud on our tyres and slowing to eventually a grinding halt.
We had to use a stick to get rid of the built up mud, push a bit and then repeat the process. I tried wheeling the bike through the gorse on the side of the track but that made it worse. We did 500 metres in about 20 minutes, with no sight of the conditions improving. At least the rain had stopped.
Eventually we crested a hill and saw a gravel road below us with Pete’s yellow jersey visible in the distance. Another 20 minutes and we’d finally got back on the bikes. 2 hours down and we’d barely gone 15 k’s. It’s going to be a long day!
Luckily we got no more rain and we didn’t see any red dirt for a while. By then it had dried enough for us to ride in the tyre tracks of Pete’s Ute. The wind was still blowing right in our faces and it was cold. We struggled into Riverton for a late lunch and some respite from the conditions.
From Riveron there’s a cycle path/rail trail all the way to Clare, taking us through another iconic wine region. I was meant to drive halfway to Auburn and ride back to meet the others. I got about 200 metres when I saw the Grosset cellar door and figured that sounded like more fun than pedalling into the wind.
The final 25ks on the Riesling trail was with the wind (finally!) . Pete and I cruised along a smooth flattish path that couldn’t have been more different to what we were slugging through in the morning. Steve was meant to drive to Clare and then cycle back to meet us. Knowing his penchant for red wine I was pretty sure that wasn’t going to happen and the lure of a Grosset tasting got the better of him. How much wine he bought and sent home is confidential so my lips are sealed, although apparently the 2008 cellar release is an absolute cracker.
We’ve got a rest day coming up in Clare Valley and 2 nights in a bed! Absolute luxury. And I badly need a shower.
Today's ride: 89 km (55 miles)
Total: 240 km (149 miles)
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