Hell ride provides a taste of cycling heaven

I WENT to hell on Saturday.

It was mostly heavenly. Honestly.

Yes, dear reader, I took part in the Geelong Cycling Club’s inaugural Hell of the Surf Coast ride.

Unlike its inspirational namesake, the Hell of the North ride in France, which involves cobblestones and mud, this one featured some gravel sections in between the lovely sealed roads around the wilds of Paraparap.

Apart from the lack of snow, croissants and berets, for me the event lived up to its name. But in a good way, It was fantastic fun, although I did dismount a couple of times when I felt a bit seasick sliding around on the gravel.

Right now I’ll confess that I’d never done a bike race, time trial or bunch ride before so I really had no idea how I’d go.

My mission was to have fun, ride safely and finish.

Fortunately, John the GCC prez offered to be my chaperone and he didn't even mind when we were lapped by pretty much everyone.

I was placed in D-grade section with the extra belt-andsuspenders peace of mind of the SAG wagon behind us.

The other club members were simply great, especially Jane, who loaned me her spare click-ins as I made the novice mistake of bringing everything bar my shoes; Dani, who gave me some socks; and Ralph, who helped me sort out the timer for my wheel fork and number.

The weather was kind — a little drizzle and no hot sun until afterwards. It was a real buzz and I reckon I learned more about cadence and gear changing in 10 minutes than I have in the past year.

Whooshing along, enjoying the fresh air and feeling part of something bigger as I cycled with much better riders, calmly looking out for me was reassuring too. But fun? Check. Safe? Check. Finish? Check. Mission accomplished. Sign me up for next year.