KAPUNDA SA

DAY 41

MORGAN - KAPUNDA

97.98 km

Total Time: 07.30 – 15.00 (7h 30m)

Time on Bike: 5h 57m 25s

Max. Speed: 53 km/h

Av. Speed: 16.4 km/h


I’m so close now, less than 100 km from Adelaide, depending on which way I choose to go.

It definitely feels like mission accomplished – Part 1 anyway.

I will be continuing beyond Adelaide, so this is now the decision that needs to made as to which direction I head in.

It’s not something to be deliberated about. I can pretty well make my mind up one way or another.

Today’s ride was in 2 very different halves.

Leaving Morgan (on time for once), the first 60 kilometres to Eudunda this morning was like pedalling through quicksand.

Flat uphill grinding against an unforgiving road surface - the only positives were no headwind and minimal traffic.

There were many stages where I simply could not have been going any slower and worse still, most of the scenery was little more than mallee scrub and saltbush.

As the bike’s lower gear set was being worked out of commission, the average speed just got slower and slower and slower…..

Eudunda, of course is situated halfway up a 500 metre climb that stretches over about 5 kilometres.

The plan was always to take a lunchbreak here anyway, so my burning and numbing feet could re-introduce themselves to the rest of my blood supply and my stomach could re-introduce itself to some quality replenishment.

I also broke into the local High School and helped myself to an Internet connection at their Library for a half hour or so during this time.

It has not been possible to get anywhere near a computer since Sunday, so it was nice to touch base with the world again and post some overdue blogs.

After a refuel in Eudunda and with some fresh air in ever softening tyres, I prepared myself for the afternoon haul to Kapunda, which was set to add another 30 kilometres to the day’s odometer.

I was not looking forward in the least to a replay of the morning’s effort, particularly with the first 3 kilometres out of Eudunda straight uphill.

As it turned out, the initial uphill was the end of it and I was gifted close to 20 km’s of sweet, sweet downhill into Kapunda thereafter.

The drudgery of mallee scrub and saltbush miraculously transformed into luscious vistas of blue skies and rolling hills of the green and sort of dry drought burnt brown variety.

Best of all, I was looking down on it, which can only mean one thing.

I rolled into Kapunda just on 3 pm – the final 27 km’s taking only 95 minutes out of my day.

The atmosphere here in Kapunda is most relaxed and I am camped amongst some very cooling pines, knowing I’ll be in Adelaide in less than 24 hours.

Next report: Adelaide City.