We've started!

So far so good! Yesterday we negotiated getting the bikes onto a cattle truck (number 8, but that didn't matter, they were there long before we went to look for them), the luggage into the underneath of bus 39, and we took the last 2 seats of bus 45. I sat next to a sponsored cyclist (female) and we had such an interesting chat! She's a museum curator at the VRC. Not into horse racing, but started cycle racing aged 40! She went to NCYC in 1987.. "Do you know Mark Lawrencce?" Turns out her kids went to primary school with Ethan & Tobias! And she would chat to Ruth at the school gate. 

We had a break at Colac & lunch at Port Fairy. It was good to arrive in Mount Gambier, find our stuff and a place to pitch our tent, get in line for registration kit - the all-important lanyard with card, the key to all meals. And queue for event cycle jerseys - then go & find the bikes. 

A grey day - cold & raining on & off. We thought we'd go into town for tea, but there were good choices in sale - we had couscous & Moroccan lamb, & shared a sticky date. We went into a tent to find a dry place to eat - & right there were a couple I know from the yacht club in Inverloch! It was great to see them. 

It felt like it rained most of the night - not so good packing the tent up wet. That was after breakfast of fruit salad then bacon & egg sandwich - the local scouts. (Formal event meals started at lunchtime today).

It was exciting starting the ride!

We went into town to the camping shop - Rikky's sleeping mat blew up with an aneurysm! We bought a few other things too. Rikky thought we'd be the last on the route, but there we're bikes everywhere in town. We had a coffee & set off. 

It was great to see the Blue Lake

Quite a lot of rain en route, & it was very windy. 

Here we are in Nelson, set up & we've had showers. The number of tents is amazing. 

Looks like mostly downhill, but there was plenty of uphill!