What You Missed This Morning – In Kinglake

February 2, 2010 · Comments

Kinglake at the crack of a sparrows ass to beat the heat.  It looks spectacular this time of the morning.  – Graeme Pereira

This weekend will mark the first anniversary of the Black Saturday bushfires.  The roads that go straight through the devastated area are some of Melbourne’s best riding areas and my favorite training grounds. Glad to see the people are getting back with their lives and the forest is starting to recover.

On another note, a fellow Canuck emailed me yesterday asking my advice.  He and his wife are making the move to Australia for a bit of adventure, riding,  job opportunities (healthcare and hi-tech) and great weather.  They’re deciding between Melbourne, Adelaide, and Brisbane.  Sorry Sydney, you didn’t make the shortlist  ;-)   Of course I recommended Melbourne if they want all of the above and more (I’m awaiting a “great weather” wisecrack.  It’s all relative…).  Anyone have any other tips for them?

The Kinglake Climb – You’ll see Cadel training here quite often  (photo Graeme Pereira)

(photo Graeme Pereira)

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  • Jeff
    Anybody know what Aus is like for biotech?
  • Jack D
    CSL is the biggie in Melbourne (near Melb Uni so there are probably a few others around there too). CSL paid $3.5B for Talecris Biotherapeutics in 2008 (that was a great one, then there was the Zenyth buyout..) - I love them, but only because I'm a buyer/seller.

    CSL would be a great office for a cyclist to get to work (inner city/North) though. Suggest you check out biotechdaily.com.au
  • clintonduncan
    Awesome photos! Rapha quality! Hope the ride was also suitably 'epic'.
  • LanternRouge
    No laughing allowed: I'm relatively new to MLB and have never ridden in KingLake - and would love to. I'm guessing there's more than one route to ride. Would anyone advise a good route there for a first-time outing (i.e. where to start / finish ride to for the start from Mordialloc). Cheers!
  • Team_VCR
    Hi LanternRouge - I like in Mordi too, so if you are ever looking for someone to head up there let me know. michael@videocontrolroom.com
  • bob
    I'd get up at crack of on Saturday - boot it through Huntingdale to the leafy north via Elgar, Williamsons, Fitzsimmons, etc to Hurstbridge. (Optional turn off at Hurstbridge to Nutfield, follow it to Arthurs Creek, then swing right to loop back down to Cottles Bridge.) Then straight up to Kinglake via St Andrews. Do a Uie at the top, back down and then turn left at St Andrews up the hill. Return via Kangaroo Ground to Research and Eltham and you can find your way back from there.
  • LanternRouge
    Cheers for that, much appreciated!
  • Jack D
    Reckon Bob's got it, but route options that I know are - this website (see top), Bikely, Mapmyride, then check your time against those posted on Cycle2max or check out it on You Tube - www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Px5vrg8f5E .

    Alternatively, if you want an intermediate hills ride with a bunch be at Total Rush in Richmond before 6.30am on Saturdays (see website). About a 70km loop from Richmond, they will stop for slower guys on top of hills, navigate you home down Punt Road, etc. Bunch all sit down in the nice new TR cafe afterwards. Only problem I see is you may want to buy a bike, gear, etc. sitting around afterwards.

    Enjoy.
  • james_Mac
    have you any large?
  • Sorry - large knicks are sold out. I can fit into a M or L almost the same though (the bib size is the main difference). All the sizes that are left are listed when you pick the size option in the shopping cart.
  • Snowy
    Got knicks and jersey small enough to fit someone that is skinnier than Michael Rasmussen? Im serious here, im 10cm taller than the guy and 2kg lighter.....
  • I have a few sets of small and medium left. Sounds like you need a mix of small and large. What size do you normally take?
  • Snowy
    Normally fit a Santini or Castelli XS
  • buttsy
    I am typing a CV for a job in Melbourne at the moment.....it would be good for training, but country Victoria, 5 minutes to get to work, and home early, cant beat that.....home for lunch.......Move to the country, the hills, the scenery, great coffee in some places......Love the country....

    OK, again about the knicks.....do you have any M's left and price?..........
  • Tim
    Got any telco eng jobs in regional Vic over 6 figures? Nope? How about upper 5s.
  • buttsy
    Lot of big employers here in the Latrobe Valley and in Sale, power companies and oil companies, but not sure if they have what you would be after. Esso have big presence in Sale as do Loy Yang power in the Valley.....probably more engineering type jobs and specialist tradesmen........
  • Hi Buttsy, yes, I have a couple medium bib knicks left. I have a few pieces of various sizes left and I just reduced the prices to clear them out. I'll even throw in a free calendar ;-)

    Check here:

    http://cyclingtips.myshopify.com/
  • buttsy
    I ordered a pair, to advertise your blog here in country Vic
  • JROD
    If thy are from Vancouver they will find Melbourne fairly similar
  • DDD
    Depends on the type of city / lifestyle they are after - Brisbane has access to beaches and generally warm climate that the southern cities do not have. Down south we have seasons (often more than one per day). If they prefer a smaller city and easy exit to country and beaches then Adelaide is pretty damn good as you opointed out in your TDU review. Melbourne has culture, coffee and scale that enables you to find new places and new experiences every week. The downside is that the access to a good beach or good hills takes a little more work than Adelaide.
  • JC
    If beaches are what you're after then Melbourne beats Brisbane and Adelaide hands down. Brissy's over an hour of freeway from the gold or sunshine coasts and Adelaide beaches are only good if you want to get eaten by a shark. Melbourne has good beaches on the city's doorstep. However, the Mornington Peninsula is the best place for a beach loving cycling type who wants to live within striking distance to the city (great bay and surf beaches plus scenic roads and good hills for riding)
  • DDD
    JC
    If you worry about the sharks then you should never get on your bike becasue sadly you are much more likely to be taken by a "metal shark" i.e. car. We lose 20-30 cyclist every year on the roads but only 1-2 swimmers to sharks, and I would guess that there are as many or more swimmers than there are cyclists. The generaly held fear of sharks is a case of availability heuristic rather than real risk.

    But I have to agree with you that Mornington Peninsula is fantastic riding and lifestyle - pity the commute to the city (where I work) is a bit too far.
  • Will
    Gee the National Champion of Colombia is a lot bigger than i would have imagined.
  • Melburnite
    Best coffee, fantastic restaurants, AFL, cricket and the MCG, The Great Ocean Road, Australia's newest (andbest) ice rink at Docklands etc etc
  • CSL2
    Job opportunities in hi-tech...pls ask them to send me a resume, if they choose Melbourne. Cheers
  • Tim
    I'd be interested in this. Wade's Job Board.com.

    Telco Eng for me...drop me an email if this is relevant.

    cheers
    t
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