Great Victorian Bike Ride is organised each year by Bicycle Victoria. Both my children participated in it. Twice. My turn came in 2004. It was quite special event. Firstly it was run on most spectacular route - Great Ocean Road. Secondly, it set a world record in number of participants - over 8000 cyclists.
Some people complained about queues. That's right, there were long queues everywhere - for each meal, to load luggage on tracks, to showers and toilets, to local pubs.
But on the other hand - so what? We were bunch of happy, fit people. Waiting in the queue was another way of socializing. I did not complaint.
The course was as follows:
- bus from Melbourne to Port Fairy, then ride to Koroit - 47 km
- Koroit to Camperdown - the longest leg - 102 km
- Camperdown - Port Campbell - 89 km - here we entered the Great Ocean Road.
- Port Campbell - Gellibrand - 67 km. It was the smallest of towns visited by us. Only 51 dwellings and 8,500 visitors! GVBR had to provide its own water and sewage system. Network of pipes ran everywhere. Pumps, water tanks and containers. Before filling my bottle, I checked carefully where from the water comes.
- Gellibrand - Apollo Bay - 87 km. It was the hardest stage with longest climb in Otways National Park and snow showers on the way.
We were rewarded with one day rest in Apollo Bay and a chance to visit Cape Otways Lighthouse once famous as the first light seen by people sailing from Europe.
- Apollo Bay - Aires Inlet - 62 km
- Aires Inlet - Queenscliff - 78 km - here we could participate in Christmas Carols singing - it was 4th of December.
- Queenscliff - Geelong - 55 km.