Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Can any of you fine Victorian riders give me details of the route used for the annual Bay in a Day ride?
I don't need it to be too exact and pretty much need the major roads used, the towns the ride goes through and the start/finish points for the various ride distances used for the event.
Any other detail you might have, such as the waiting time/cost for the ferry to cross between the Port Phillip Bay heads would also be useful.
Appreciate any help you can give.

fyi https://www.bicyclenetwork.com.au/around-the-bay/

The ATB route takes the M1 Freeway down to Geelong. On the event there's a lot of piss farting around getting on & off the freeway getting out of town, & maybe easier if you pick a different route out to Werribee from the city.

Riding solo on a freeway with cars flying past you at 100km/h isn't the most pleasant experience. There are some roads which parallel the M1 between Werribee to Geelong that you can use which would be much more pleasant.

I've had friends do this ride solo before and they've all said that they enjoyed the experience.
Good luck!

For the Melb-Geelong section maybe follow the #IndyPac route in reverse...?

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/18777910

Hildalgo wrote:The ATB route takes the M1 Freeway down to Geelong. On the event there's a lot of piss farting around getting on & off the freeway getting out of town, & maybe easier if you pick a different route out to Werribee from the city.

Riding solo on a freeway with cars flying past you at 100km/h isn't the most pleasant experience. There are some roads which parallel the M1 between Werribee to Geelong that you can use which would be much more pleasant.

I've had friends do this ride solo before and they've all said that they enjoyed the experience.
Good luck!

Is it actually legal to ride on a freeway in Vic? I know it's not in SA

The Freeways around Melbourne are illegal to ride on, but in the country its ok. They usually sign where you can ride on them. Not sure exactly where you can start riding on the freeway, but most likely around Werribee at a guess. To the other side of town you can start riding on the Freeway east from Pakenham onwards.

At Werribee, cyclists are forced to leave the freeway and use Federation 'stink' trail. (I've only ever ridden along here once before, heading towards Melbourne). The one time I did it though, I found the emergency lane on the freeway to be in pretty good condition and fairly wide so you're well away from the traffic. I felt safer here than on the country roads I rode along around Lara and Little River (I took Old Melbourne Rd/Little River Rd). Riding on the freeway was also much quicker. Despite being pretty knackered at the time, I was able to maintain a better pace than on the back roads which seemed 'dead'.

It's legal to ride along freeways outside the metro boundary. On this particular one that's beyond Werribee.

http://labs.strava.com/heatmap can be good for hints.

an alternative to using the freeway is this route courtesy of (and many thanks to) the good people of Audax

link is in 2nd page this pdf

http://www.audax.org.au/public/images/s ... anents.pdf

look under start at Albert Park and is called Buckley's (though this doesn't include the loop out to Portarlington (the 240k version)

think ferry runs hourly and $10ish for foot passengers and bicycles are free, takes 30mins?

if you are talking about the ferry for the organised Around The Bay then how long you wait for the ferry is a lottery but can make it a longer day out than some people expect

rodneycc wrote:fyi https://www.bicyclenetwork.com.au/around-the-bay/

Great! Thanks for that link. That will get me started.

Thanks everyone for your help and advice.

I'm thinking about doing ATB and training up for it.

I have a Hybrid Flat Bar bike... The vibe that I get is that they seem to be inferior to Drop Bar road bikes.. Obviously I can see the advantage of having more grip positions and less weight, but just wondering if anyone has done a long ride with flats?

I'm sure it can be done, I ride both and the flat bar would be fine. For a ride of that length a drop bar would be better.

I recall hearing about some people a few years ago who were going to do ATB on bike share bikes, not sure if they did it.

DS

Hildalgo wrote:The ATB route takes the M1 Freeway down to Geelong. On the event there's a lot of piss farting around getting on & off the freeway getting out of town, & maybe easier if you pick a different route out to Werribee from the city.

Riding solo on a freeway with cars flying past you at 100km/h isn't the most pleasant experience. There are some roads which parallel the M1 between Werribee to Geelong that you can use which would be much more pleasant.

I've had friends do this ride solo before and they've all said that they enjoyed the experience.
Good luck!

I'm not riding it, I'm driving it. Kind of a route survey exercise.

A guy and what looked like his special needs daughter did the 100kms on an old tandem last year if you are worried about your flatbar....

I'm not worried about the fact that my bike is a Hybrid Flatbar, moreso getting people's experiences in riding for such a long distance on flats compared to drops.

Longest I've ridden is 30km so I concede there would be a requirement to train up and prepare for at least the 135km ride.

I personally would prefer to ride on a bike which has thicker tyres than normal road bikes (mine are 700-28).

FWIW, I regularly ride up to 100km on my flattie and I suppose I could ride longer distances if I wanted. It is just as quick as my drop bar bike and, for me, quite a bit more comfortable.
You probably don't need me to tell you it is all in the set-up and choosing the right saddle (SMP for me).

Thankyou for that.

Do you get sore wrists after riding 100km on your flat? Do you have an additional handlebar?

My wrists get a bit sore after a 20km ride.

Yeah everyone is different but I have trouble on a flatbar/mtb with my hands/wrists/elbows, the lot really after 20kms but can ride a dropbar road bike 100kms plus. A lot of it is in the core/stomach muscles and yes a lot of it is bike setup and saddle/saddle position.

28mm tyres are fine. Nothing wrong with those. If the hybrid has suspension that can be a liability as well. Extra weight which isn't really needed.

And grab a set of bar ends if you can which might make it a little better.

edit: I say only a little better because the bar ends are usually wider than your shoulders and the optimum position for your hands on the bar is in line with your shoulders.

I often ride my flatbar with my hands resting side-on to the handlebars, and that's without bar ends, it is possible, not even difficult. I have RSI so that helps me although I generally ride with hands just on the bar. I reckon it is doable on a flatbar. As gorilla monsoon says, I am about the same speed on the flatbar and dropbar bikes.

DS

mp1988 wrote:Thankyou for that.

Do you get sore wrists after riding 100km on your flat? Do you have an additional handlebar?

My wrists get a bit sore after a 20km ride.

No, I just took the time to set the bike up to suit me. Bike shop guy says I have a strange, bum-up riding position but it works for me and that's all that matters. The Sirrus came with angled grips so I spent some time getting those just right and now they are kind of like angled rests rather than grips.

So I did the drive around the bay and it was sensational! I can understand why you blokes like it so much as a place to ride. I'll put it on my to-do list - but maybe not the full distance because that would take me a couple of days, I think!

mp1988 wrote:I'm not worried about the fact that my bike is a Hybrid Flatbar, moreso getting people's experiences in riding for such a long distance on flats compared to drops.

Longest I've ridden is 30km so I concede there would be a requirement to train up and prepare for at least the 135km ride.

I personally would prefer to ride on a bike which has thicker tyres than normal road bikes (mine are 700-28).

I did ATB 50 km challenge in 2015 (Melbourne - Altona - Melbourne) on my hybrid. As far as I remember many people were on hybrids. Worked for them and for me. Slow but doable.