Day 10: CANBERRA - GOULBURN

GRAHAM BROWN: A highlight of today's ride has been cycling beside the rather barren but beautiful Lake George. [See photos 4 and 5]. The heavy Saturday morning traffic detracted somewhat from the otherwise delightful ambience and we were not graced, as we were yesterday, by the sight of soaring wedge-tailed eagles. Instead, another raptor, a recently knocked brown hawk, rared its wing forlornly as a car swished by at speed. A sobering moment was morning tea-ing at the Rawdon Middleton VC memorial parking bay and remembering that his picture was a feature in my now closed-down and removed school at Yarrabandai and also at Parkes High.

BETH ROBERTSON: Hi guys and gals - after 6 days and about 600km of riding, today we arrived at my old home town of Goulburn from which I retired about 15 months ago - forgot how cold it can get here after coastal Sussex Inlet.

Have had a great ride but wimped out of the 6 km of winding road up Talbingo Hill and ran out of daylight into Providence Portal so I missed 30km there to give Fay time to pick the guys up before they froze in the fading light.

FAY KEAST: Now, how many days can there be left to spend driving at 20 km per hour? Seems like we've done about 25 days on this 13 day ride. However the end is near and I've got less than 200 k's to go - or 10 hours at 20 k's. Grocery shopping is all done, car fueled and riders convinced that we shouldn't get out on the road until it hits at least 1 degree Celsius in the morning, so I can sleep with a clear mind tonight (and hopefully a bit longer than usual).

My worst fear - we are heading for the Southern Highlands and I think there is a cloud in the sky so rain is a definite possibility. I'd hate to refuse to pick up wet riders at the end of the ride!!!!

GRAHAME KEAST: We started out today at 6 degrees from Canberra. (Thanks Roger and Edna for lending us your house last night. We were VERY comfortable, and did the club thing for dinner.) Temps warmed up fairly quickly today and we had plenty of long downhills (which made up for that enormous uphill which Browny reckoned was 8 km.) I figure today was one of the best team riding we've done. Even Kay Moore - a roadie from Gymea - would've been proud of us. Thanks Browny for encouraging us to whack a bit more air in the tyres.... up to 110. We did roll pretty well. Thanks Fay for pumping some pills into me also. Lucky we didn't get drug tested I guess. Today was probably one of my best days. Tomorrow - off to Mittagong via Tallong, Penrose, Bundanoon, Moss Vale etc. What do you think? About 80 km? Maybe 90!

This is the well oiled machine. How does it look to you?

* * * * * * * * * * * *

We've just learnt that Jim Blaxland has completed another Sydney to Melbourne ride. He's now on his way back to Sydney. He tells me he'll be cycling beside Lake George next weekend! No rest for the wicked!

Hey Kerrie, hope you appreciate a few new authors!!