I've been meaning to do this one for a long time. Nelson Bay was going to be the first place that I would sleep over for the night and now that I've done it, I wish that I had slept over instead of cycling there and back in one day.

Woke up just after 4:00am and had a cold potato as I didn't have any bananas or anything that would do for breakfast. Went back to bed and then woke up a bit later than usual, had a bath and I'm not certain exactly when, but I left home some time after 7:00am. This first photo is the Hunter River about 1.5Kms from my house, just to stir some jealoucy in people who happen to live in Johannesburg or anywhere far from water:)



About 5Kms further I crossed the Stockton Bridge and, laugh if you want, but the bridge itself is a serious bit of uphill. Stopped at the top to take a photograph and I was reminded of my fear of heights... I felt dizzy leaning against a solid concrete railing while taking the photo.



Passed by Stockton and for a while I cycled in between some trees. It may seem silly, but it was quite peaceful and I'd love to find a place where I ride in a forest for a whole day or week. In fact, I think I may have to take a cycling holiday in Tasmania one day.





After the trees I passed by a couple of farms and made my first stop at 19Kms. I didn't feel a need to stop at that point but I didn't know when I'd find another petrol station, which turned out to be a good thing. As I entered the little boys room my stomach said "thank you for playing" and made it very clear that something was wrong. I think I have explained about my stomach before and I was tempted to head back home, but by the time I stepped outside everything seemed okay. Bought some nut bars for the road and headed on.
Still passed a bunch of farms. I don't think farm is actually the right word. In Afrikaans we'd call them "kleinhoewe" - a very small farm. I also passed the Monarch Museum:



There are a couple of wineries on the way and I thought of Eric. I'm certain he would have stopped and made the most of such an opportunity, but there were a number of reasons why I could not do that yesterday. One of them being that I knew this was going to be my longest cycle yet and 2 glasses of wine would have dropped my energy levels to zero. I think the first winery was around 40Kms from home so maybe when I'm feeling lazy one weekend I may make a weekend trip of that: Short ride with some wine on Saturday and short ride with some sleep on the Sunday:)
The road was pretty flat most of the way until I reached Nelson Bay itself. There was a considerable uphill just as I entered Nelson Bay, but here I was again reminded that something else was wrong with my body. While it was a bit of a hill, I should have been able to make it up there. However, halfway up the hill I stopped and pushed my bike up, which is something I hadn't done in a long time. Down the other side was a nice downhill, which translates to a nasty uphill when you turn around:( And then down some more to the first glimpse of the bay:



My first objective was to find a public toilet and I think I found it just in time. As I got off my bike my stomach again said "thank you for playing" and I ran like hell hoping there'd be an empty cubicle.
I don't think I did Nelson Bay any justice with my short visit. It looked like a beautiful little spot and I think the ideal would be to cycle there one day, spend a full day around there and cycle back the third day. Or buy a car and a boat. There were some guys donning scuba gear and I wondered when next I'd get under the water.







Then I started heading back, but by that stage I knew that I had a stomach bug or something as my energy levels were far too low for a 60Km ride. I clocked 60Kms as I went down the hill which I walked up as I entered Nelson Bay. There were a few clouds here and there but generally it was pretty hot yesterday. I made my first stop at 65Kms and then it was a mission to keep going for more than 5Kms at a time. I wouldn't stop for long, but every 5-7Kms I'd get off the bike just to stretch my legs. Fortunately I only had the 3 nut bars to eat the whole day so my stomach actually behaved pretty well. I made it back to the first petrol station and again it felt like I made it just in time, but everything was okay. The last bit of struggle was over the Stockton bridge, which I got off and pushed and I eventually got home around 13:30.

The total trip was 108Kms which is the furthest I've cycled in a day yet. I'm quite happy with that distance, but that last 40Kms was a bit more punishment than I want in a day's ride. I want to blame my stomach, but I think I may not be ready for 100Km rides yet. I started on the 23Km ride to the office this morning, but I took quite a bit of strain on that as well and took a shortcut to miss the most difficult 2Kms of the ride. Tomorrow is holiday, but I don't think I'll do too long a ride - probably keep it less than 70Kms.

Hannes, you should really save up to come visit here. When I first arrived in Newcastle I was disappointed and wanted to move to Sydney as soon as possible. It's an industrial city with mostly old buildings and boring suburbs. HOWEVER, my opinion changed as soon as I started cycling! The Newcaslte beaches are stunning and as you must have noticed from these few trips that I've done, there are an endless number of rivers around here. I reckon it'll take me months, if not years, to visit all the locations next to rivers and lakes in a 150Km radius, even if I don't miss a single weekend of cycling. And that's just staying next to water... I haven't even started with all the national parks and forests in the area.

I've chosen my destination for next weekend and while it doesn't include water this time, it should make for some interesting photographs.

Actually the cleats are okay. It's a good thing I didn't give up on them when I wanted, coz it seems to have gotten much better very quickly. Only negative thing now is that they still force my legs into a position that I don't like and I don't think I'll ever enjoy being forced into a fixed position. However, I can feel that they make a difference and, in fact, had my fastest cycle yet this morning.

As for your pain, I can't say that I have too much sympathy:) My legs are still hurting from Saturday's ride and I'm starting with week 3 of the pushup challenge tonight. Feeling a bit scared actually!!
And as for your suggestion of the map, fat chance! Sounds like a lot of work.

Okay, I didn't explain myself very well. I actually think a map for every ride is a good idea, but all on the same map with different colours just ain't gonna work. So yeah, for the next couple of rides I'll add a map like this and see how it goes.

Thank you, tho I had a bit of a booboo last night. Today I'm starting with fruit, so I'm hoping to see a couple of kgs drop quickly.