My first Fitz’s Challenge

On Sunday I rode in the Fitz’s Challenge ride that was held in Canberra. I knew some riders from Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club were coming down for the ride. I missed one guy who I knew was coming but I did meet another so I was able to catch up on how things have gone with Dulwich Hill. I did the 105Km Tharwa Challenge ride, it left just after the Fitz’s classic (165Km) ride. The day started out wet but it did become fine as the day progressed and became a brilliant day weather wise. Rode part of the Cotter Uriarra loop to the Cotter Dam and headed up a steep hill. This road took us through some undulating countryside near the Tidbinbilla tracking station, which I saw on the way back. The scenery changed from bush to quite sparse scrub.
I got talking to a rider from Sydney Cycling Club who told me about Alan Jones and his rantings and how this had set her mother against her. Another guy from Lidcombe Auburn Cycling Club told me that Homebush Bay has become problematic with the erection of permanent grandstands for the V8 race. The riders in the 105 km ride were a mixture of recreational riders and riders from some of the local cycling clubs as well as some from interstate.
The ride to Tharwa was quit good although in hindsight it was easy because the wind was mostly behind us and there were some really good down hill runs. We got to the village of Tharwa and made it to our first Check point. Tharwa is pretty much like a country town – it is smaller than Murrambateman and Collector which are country towns just outside the border in NSW. I handed in a tag from the Brevet card and had some food and some water. I then began the ride back to the Cotter for the final half of the ride.
This half was made difficult by a fierce headwind. It struck when I got close to the turn off for the Corin Dam – part of the 165 course. There was a car which may have been part of the event organisers that drove up and the driver asked if I and other riders were OK – I was fine apart from being smashed by the head wind and kept going. I also met another rider who decided to show off a bit by uncleating and making out she was running on some of the downhills. When we made it to the rest stop/water point just outside Tidbinbilla we had issues with a bogan in a four wheel drive ute with a couple of motorcross bikes in the back who (curiously) gave the bird to a group of female riders who made it in to get some water. They returned the compliment and were told by one of the organisers (the president of Pedal Power – the ACT equivalent of Bicycle NSW), not to give people like that a response.
As the ride progressed back to the Cotter area the number of motor vehicles increased but by and large I had no trouble. I got to the turn off for the ride and began the ascent of a large climb. About halfway up the climb there was another check point and I got some more food and water after handing in another tag from the brevet card. I rode up the hill and into the Uriarra area which may have been affected by the bushfires in 2005.
I got on to Uriarra road and went on to Uriarra Crossing at which there was the final climb for the ride. After this the ride went through some more undulating countryside till we got back to Stromlo Forest Park.
I rode in under the banner and caught up with the Sydney Cycling Club rider. It was a good ride and it was good to catch up with someone from DHBC again. In my opinion if anyone is looking at doing Fitz’s challenge there is the warm up ride – the 5 peaks ride which is part of the rotary club of Woden spring cycling tour of Canberra.