Timing it right and getting it wrong... 127 km ride on a wet afternoon.

It took me almost two hours to get out of the house. The weather forecast said showers and showers we got. Every fifteen or twenty minutes, a shower came through... More than a shower, it bucketed down for four or five minutes and in between, it drizzled, it cleared and it drizzled again.

Why was it going to be any different during a four hour ride? It wasn't.

At least I had plenty of time to prepare myself. Food, spares, lights, camera, I.D. and a bit of cash. A coffee and a snack somewhere on the coast was necessary.

There was a fine drizzle when I finally got on the road. I had checked the Radar Image on BOM and it promised a fairly dry ride if I went north and if I timed it right. I did go north but I didn't time it right and within ten minutes of my optimistic launch, it poured down.

I got soaked straight away but apart from the poor visibility and slippery white markings on the road, I enjoyed myself. It felt like I was riding in one of the Classics, but warm.

From the Brisbane northern suburbs, I rode past our old race circuit, Lakeside, and followed Narangba and Oakey Flat roads to Morayfield. These roads have easy rolling hills and great surface for a fast tempo. I turned around at the township and rode back to Lakeside.

There, I got on the Zupps ride course. Doing the Zupps ride without the other seventy plus riders is always a bit of a challenge, specially when I hit the coast where it always seems to be blowing a head wind. It was no different this time, just wetter.

Then, the one-point-something km "Pave" of the Hornibrook Bridge, which might hurt a little but always gives me the feeling of achievement and being on the way home.

I guess, this would only make sense to Brisbane riders but here is the map on Bikely.com in case someone wants to do this ride.

And here, some photographs of the ride and the fine roads we have around Brisbane.

Time to give the bike a good wash, happly!!