A Dirty Ride but Fun
Often we are visited by single or groups of road bikes but a lone mountain bike rider caught my attention. Further investigation found that it was a Melbourne rider visiting family in Canberra for Christmas who decided to come out for a dirt bike ride to Gunning and back.
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Having enjoyed rides out from Melbourne to small villages around Melbourne, he looked for a similar experience from Canberra online. Searching for “Canberra Gravel Rides” found the following:
http://www.pedalpower.org.au/cycling-events/gunning-by-gravel-audax-ride/
It is entitled ‘Gunning By Gravel’ and is a ride that was hosted in 2015 by AUDAX Australia, a ‘not-for-profit’ cycling organisation that seeks to encourage long distance cycling, improving against your own boundaries.
The ride is a 155 km circuit from Gungahlin in Canberra through Gunning and Gundaroo on mixed surfaces, with a major leg on gravel being from Gunning out along the Collector Road and then returning via Marked-Tree Road through Gundaroo. It has about 80 kms of gravel.
Water on such a ride is probably the biggest challenge. Often good sources of water are not easily identified and with temperatures often rising during the ride well into the 30’s in summer, it can be critical. Audax have previously requested that such sources be identified to suit the longer distance rider.
Reskin for New Year
The south bound village signage on the Hume Highway has received a welcome boost with a reskin just in time for the 2018. The signage presents a welcoming face to visitors and the shire.
It reflects the image of the village as containing a complete set of services, indeed “a whole world in a small place”.