Day 102 – Cann River to Tathra

Upon leaving this morning, I promptly discovered that the previous evening’s weather forecast had been lying. Starting off the day, whilst it wasn’t raining, it definitely was not sunny and 10 degrees; instead it was miserable and nearing 2 degrees.

The morning remained cold and there was little sympathy from the terrain. There was pretty much no flat riding and when descending, it just got colder. Going uphill wasn’t great either. Carrying only half of my bags last week has done my knee a lot of good, but the climbing today and the full 20 kilograms slowed the improvement. It’s definitely on the mend, but it’s still not comfortable.

Whilst on the subject of climbing; today – according to my Garmin – turned out to be the hilliest day of the whole trip, which was a big surprise to me. It certainly felt like it was, and I’ll admit, it was rather unexpected.

Changing the subject slightly – I’ve been asked what the situation with my hair has been throughout this trip. I have had two haircuts so far – one in Istanbul which was very professional, and one in Thailand which was slightly less so and was performed by what may have been a ‘gender-bender’. It wasn’t the greatest haircut I’ve had but it served a purpose. As for my current situation, I personally think it needs a cut but it’s actually not that long.. it’s probably the length my Mum would like it to stay. Both leg and facial hair are probably due shave as well… although I may save the former until the States when it should be getting a bit warmer. (I hope that answers your question Pete.)

Today on the whole was enjoyable. It was tough going but by the end the temperature was approaching 20 degrees and I was able to ride comfortably without extra layers for the first time in few days.

Distance: 99.2miles / 159.6km
Riding Time: 7:44:16
Av. Speed: 12.8mph / 20.6kph
Elevation Gain: +2000m