Together Apart

We love riding together every week. That’s not currently possible because of the social distancing restrictions caused by COVID-19. Here’s how we had fun together while staying apart.

I sent an email out to my friends.

“We can’t ride together, and we really shouldn’t ride in remote or dangerous places, so let’s ride separately, and close to home.”

“Send me a selfie, a picture of where you’re riding, and a short video telling us why you ride. I’ll mash it up together. Let’s see what we can do”.

The idea was that although we couldn’t physically be together, we could still have fun together.

Check out the video we made at the end of this post 🙂

I went for a ride up to Lake Samsonvale, which is really close to where I live.

Most of my rides there are like having a stroll on wheels – not too strenuous or dangerous, and good for the soul.

I love the peace, the views, and the history of the place.

Darb lives near Devonport on the north cost of Tasmania.

He used to ride with us regularly until he and his family relocated.

We miss him.

Darb decided to ride along Moorland Beach from the mouth of the Mersey River to Point Sorell.

It’s a remote section of rocky beach which stretches about ten kilometres.

The challenging part of riding there is the tide: the first time Darb attempted it, he got the tides wrong and found that he had to walk on soft wet sand for an hour or so.

Darb says “The best part about riding a bike is that you can go to the same place, but the return journey is always a different experience”.

In a strange way, it’s great to be able to ride with you again, Darb 🙂

Wayne tore his achilles tendon. He can’t ride his bike at the moment. So he’s set up a trainer in his lounge room.

Wayne says “We’ve got to have physical separation because of the Corona Crap. I’ve got to do some physio rehab, and am watching YouTube to get some inspiration”

Yep – “Corona Crap” is a good way to describe it, Wayne.

Paul decided to take a trip up to Mount Nebo and ride through the bush along South Boundary Road to The Gap.

It’s about nineteen kilometres, and is mostly downhill, but you still have to work hard on a few uphill sections.

Paul is the proud owner of a new 29’er.

He has always wanted to ride the full length of South Boundary Road, but never quite got around to it before.

Today was the perfect opportunity.

The weather was kind to Paul – cloudy with a slight hint of rain. In Queensland, that’s ideal, especially on a hilly ride.

Paul reckons South Boundary Road is “perfect for a mountain biker who is just starting out.”

Kaye and Aaron had a similar idea, and rode up to Mount Nebo via Light Line Road.

Unfortunately, Kaye’s feet got stuck in her pedals, and she crashed.

But she’s a tough cookie, and got back up again and finished the ride.

Luckily, Aaron was with Kaye, and made sure she was ok.

Kaye is wondering whether she should copy Calum, Darb and me, and “upgrade” to flat pedals.

Do it, Kaye!

Peter lives at Caloundra, not far from Ewen Maddock Dam.

He decided to explore some new single tracks near Steve Irwin Way.

I’m not sure how his bike got in that tree.

Peter is fortunate to live so close to some amazing forests.

Calum lives at Warner and decided to do a loop towards the coast, and through some swamp land.

His course took him around the Hayes Inlet Swamp towards Redcliffe.

He had some great views of Moreton Bay as he rode over the Ted Smout Bridge.

Before heading home, Calum spent an hour riding through the swamps at Deepwater Bend. It was low tide, so there was no water to worry about. But the mosquitoes were very aggressive.