DAY 39 - WAIKERIE SA

WAIKERIE SA

DAY 39

RENMARK – WAIKERIE

92.24 km

Total Time: 10.00 – 16.30 (6h 30m)

Time on Bike: 5h 15m 14s

Max. Speed: 50.8 km/h

Av. Speed: 17.5 km/h


The journey through Riverland South Australia continues and I’m officially sick of the Sturt Highway.

It’s boring and full of trucks and it is nothing but good timing that I’m now taking a series of back roads into Adelaide.

Today’s ride was mostly slow, uphill grinding. Into a whistling headwind, it was a major test of patience.

In fact the past 2 days have been similar scenarios – yesterday was a longer distance but today the headwind was stronger and colder.

I’ll at least excuse the first 30 kilometres of today’s ride. There was some climbing, but the road took a scenic path through some pleasant agri-towns such as Berri and Glossop.

Vineyards, orchards and wine estates lining the road for miles on end and the odd roadside fruit stall, bursting fresh with the local produce.

Beyond this – mallee scrub, wheat fields and B-Doubles ad bloody nauseum.

It was another late start this morning, but with the lesser distance, this was not so much a problem.

I took a spa in Renmark before I left.

For the money I paid to stay there, it had to be done.

In daylight, it was a nice place to stay – just a shame I arrived in the dark because I didn’t actually need to go much further to sleep right on the river and away from the highway volume.

Indeed, I crashed very readily last evening and the noise did not disturb at all.

Onwards tomorrow towards Morgan, which is only 40 km along from here.

An easier day all around is due and will enjoy the shorter distance and catching the river ferry into town.