As cyclists, we’re creatures of habit: the same meeting time, the same rides, with the same faces. This type of riding scratches the itch, but it’s not completely satisfying. So if your regular morning rides are getting stale, and you’re sick of the same views every day, there’s nothing better than expanding your horizons and riding somewhere new. But what if you only have 24 hours to spare?
As many have discovered over the last few years, gravel is the answer. Chances are, even if you live in the middle of a metropolitan centre, as I do, there are spectacular unsealed roads – blissfully free from traffic – only two or three hours’ drive from your front door.
So, a couple of mates and I put together a plan: drive to Yass (in the NSW Southern Tablelands) after work on Friday, stay the night at the pub, and roll out early the next morning – with the aim of arriving back in Sydney well before dark. We devised a route that skirted the edge of the Brindabella Range – nice and hilly, the distance an enjoyable 93km. Most importantly, the area was one that our group of three (along with Esjay, and Cyclist debutant Tobi) hadn’t ridden before, and we were all eager to get out there and explore new roads.
Twenty-four-hour gravel trip? Yass please.
Roll out
The alarm goes off at 6am and I
