It is a good ride with the caveat that there is a lot of climbing – sometimes over 10%. It is on loose gravel, making traction an issue. You would think coming down would be easier, but the loose grave means slow and easy is the way. The last 3.6km is on the New England Highway. I rode on a Sunday, so there was only light traffic. The verges are wide for those of us on three wheels.
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Ignore the time. I had automatic stop and start on. Unfortunately, it does not record the slower speeds. Total time was over 4 hours.
Climbing on loose surfaces works better with a low range, like a car. The slower you turn the drive wheel, the more likely it is to find traction.
Steep uphill slopes are great for exercise but are slower (but less tiring) than walking.
Crows Nest in Queensland bills itself as a “Mountain Bike Mecca“. Most of the rides are on gravel roads up hills and down dales. Almost all rides include hills of 10% to 12%.
The start of my ride was at about 5% slope on bitumen. I was using Ride with GPS. I am noodling at 3kph when the software tells me to turn left in 3 kilometers. So, turn left in one hour? Note the arrow on the sign. Is it hard to ride a horse backwards?
Turn left I did – onto a dirt road. All was quiet, being it was Sunday. The climb was 8% to 10% for around 6km (4 miles) – so 3 hours of consistent but not heavy peddling.
At greater than 10%, it was easy to lose traction. Because I have lots of power at 6GI, I could ride slowly and keep going. This is close to the point that sane mountain bike riders would get off and push.
I passed a farm in 20 minutes with two dogs with pink tails barking continuously. It was a slow ride, but I got to see more. I wonder if these people can sanitise their mail with microwaves.
An image we see less of every year – a Southern Cross windmill. They were manufactured in Toowoomba – about 50km south. Solar pumps are more efficient, cheaper and require less maintenance. Welcome to the 21st century.
Another sign of the 21st century – mobile phone towers. I had 5g for my whole ride. Even the 4g was patchy at the caravan park just outside Crows Nest.
Most of the height gained returns in a 500-metre downhill toboggan ride, still on gravel. It was not as fast as you would think due to traction. Even being very careful, I found myself sliding at times. I did not have free hands to take a photograph. The road becomes even steeper at the end and goes around a hidden dogleg. I nearly came a cropper.
The last few kilometres back to Crows Nest is on the New England Highway. I was riding on a Sunday, so traffic was light. Rideable verges are available for around 50% of the ride. On weekdays, the traffic may make this ride stressful. Denizens of this highway are less than accepting of slower human-powered vehicles and having said that, I have found that drivers give me more space on the trike.