DAY 112 - MANNUM SA

MANNUM SA

DAY 112

GAWLER - MANNUM

79.74 km

Total Time: 09.00 – 16.30 (7h 30m)

Time on Bike: 5h 06m 44s

Max. Speed: 68.7 km/h

Av. Speed: 15.6 km/h


Someone mentioned a few days ago there would be some climbing between Gawler and Mannum.

They were right.

6 days off the bike and the Gods of Topography delivered a deluxe serving of Asskick today with a sweet raspberry on top.

The first 40 out of Gawler were as steep in sections as anything I’ve climbed to date.

16 km from Gawler, Williamstown is about halfway up one of South Australia’s biggest passes.

Well at least that’s what I thought until I took the Mannum turnoff after lunch.

This is when things got really serious.

Those hills that hem Adelaide in from the east kind of extend north of the city and then even further north they become the Flinders.

It was those bits just north of Adelaide that dragged me all the way over them today.

And no amount of yelping and screaming and swearing was set to help my cause.

In time, I actually came to realise I got the better cut.

For as much hardcore climbing as I did this morning and even after lunch, the downhill drop beyond the town of Tungkillo is where it really takes off.

It is a 10 km screamer – way long and easily as steep as Victoria Pass in the Blue Mountains just north of Palmer.

The speed limit through Palmer is 50 km/h and for good reason.

I breezed through at 64 km/h around 3 pm – I just couldn’t let the end of that final downhill pinch go to waste.

Nice town, Palmer - only you’d only ever find me flying through in one direction.

Beyond here, it is a 15 km run into Mannum that dreams are made of – flat downhill and fast and just a hint of tailwind with a late afternoon July sun finally sinking through the cold walls of darkness behind me.

Mannum was mine by 4.30 when at one stage any hour seemed reasonable.

I think I will stay here a day and have a look around.

It was well earned.