Mt Macedon township is a picture postcard little village.  Good enough location in which to get married.  It worked for me!!!  After getting out of bed when all sane people are asleep,  myself and Kylie made the trip to the Mount so that I could take advantage of the tailwind and Kylie could enjoy (is that the correct word?) some running trails with like minded enthusiasts.

Starting at the Trading Post (best vanilla slices in the world I hear),  I glided down the mountain.  Hitting speeds above 70 km/h, it’s like a cycling theme park ride.  You feel so quick, when you tail off at the bottom you experience that sense of being held back.  Like you do in the car when coming off a freeway and hitting a 60km/h zone.  This is the perfect way to start a ride.  The first 10 km’s go by so fast,  you’ve barely felt like you’ve warmed up.

At the bottom of the Mount,  I turned left towards Riddell’s Creek.  The wind by now was coming across me,  so I was resigned to having to do some work.  Riding with the foothills of the Macedon Ranges on my left and the odd winery on my right,  you could be mistaken for thinking that you were in Europe.  At this time of the morning, with the smell of eucalyptus and the screeching of cockatoos in the air,  the scene had a very distinct Australian flavour.   How good it is to have this in our own backyard!  

Maintaining a good pace, I passed New Gisborne,  ripped through Riddells Creek and pedaled towards Lancefield Rd.  I knew this is where
the fun would continue; with the wind behind me heading toward Clarkefield.   Clarkefield is in the middle of paddocks, thus apart from a school, cricket ground and train station, it doesn’t have a lot going on; but it does have one of the most haunted pubs in Australia,  the Coaches and Horses Inn.   Great old worldly pub. Like Sovereign Hill but real!!!

The wind advantage besides, there are several workouts on this ride.  The first of the gully’s cut by Deep Creek appears pretty soon after turning left into Konagaderra Road off Lancefield Rd.   A second gully is further on in Oakland’s Junction.  Providing ripping downhills and uphill gradients of up to 15%, they get your heart pumping.  Between these two gully’s,  I passed several groups coming  the opposite way.  For a second, I felt a slight sense of shame whilst those boys were working hard into the wind and I was hightailing it the other way.  Following a few friendly waves and beaming smiles,  I sensed they understood that they would get their just rewards at some point (and maybe that I would have to pay my dues!).   The third workout is a short uphill heading into Greenvale after another rewarding  short descent coming into Somerton Rd  and the final workout is the slow steady climb up Somerton Rd into Greenvale proper.  Although not particularly taxing, there is something about the little kicker just prior to Section Rd that saps your energy.

Like most times, the knowledge that your close to home invigorates the usual fast trip down Mickleham Rd.   On another day, this ride could be extended into the Docklands via Moonee Ponds Creek Trail or even further to Williamstown; and with the tailwind it almost seems criminal not to take advantage of it.  However, after almost 60 kms,  with other commitments and the thought of working against the wind in the return home, I finished the ride.   The Garmin informed me that I had achieved my fastest 40 km ride, topping an already satisfying morning.  Wind assisted I may hear you mutter, but the score is in the book.  No-one bothers to ask how you hit the shot later. 🙂