Great Victorian Bike Ride 2019

[Frosty]

I rode the GVBR from 1999-2007 and absolutely loved it. On the ride the staff produce the "Good Oil" newsletter, it shows the daily info.
This year it is online and it brought back some great memories of my GVBR rides.

https://www.bicyclenetwork.com.au/rides-and-events/great-victorian-bike-ride/the-good-oil/

[Mike.Ayling]

I rode the GVBR from 1999-2007 and absolutely loved it. On the ride the staff produce the "Good Oil" newsletter, it shows the daily info.
This year it is online and it brought back some great memories of my GVBR rides.

https://www.bicyclenetwork.com.au/rides-and-events/great-victorian-bike-ride/the-good-oil/

good link Frosty.

Mike

[Mike.Ayling]

I rode the GVBR from 1999-2007 and absolutely loved it. On the ride the staff produce the "Good Oil" newsletter, it shows the daily info.
This year it is online and it brought back some great memories of my GVBR rides.

https://www.bicyclenetwork.com.au/rides-and-events/great-victorian-bike-ride/the-good-oil/

Good stuff but it seems to have stopped, Tuesday being the latest issue.

Mike

[Frosty]

I rode the GVBR from 1999-2007 and absolutely loved it. On the ride the staff produce the "Good Oil" newsletter, it shows the daily info.
This year it is online and it brought back some great memories of my GVBR rides.

https://www.bicyclenetwork.com.au/rides-and-events/great-victorian-bike-ride/the-good-oil/

Good stuff but it seems to have stopped, Tuesday being the latest issue.

Mike

Well, it was good while it lasted.

[jvb]

It was cold, wet and windy. But it was a blast.
The coldest I have done in my 14 rides.

[Mike.Ayling]

It was cold, wet and windy. But it was a blast.
The coldest I have done in my 14 rides.

Yes, those are the rides that you remember the most.

Mike

[bc]

Did the whole ride again this year, having missed a couple. I do it for the riding, getting to places I wouldn't otherwise ride on my own.

Some observations:

• Behaviour on the road this year was the best I've seen in the GVBR, having done ~5 now. As a result I found the riding more enjoyable, with less concerns about random behaviour. That came out on the last day when a few of the school boys seemed to realise they couldn't be sent home and were to be found on the wrong side of double white lines at high speed and/or not staying left.
• Weather was pretty cool, and not helped by showers, and on one day hail. However these were generally local and the impact could be reduced by standing under trees for a few minutes.
• Police present and visible in Sth Aus, but rarely seen in Vic. No motorbikes in Vic (or the bike squad), and the cars seem to get into camp fairly early.
• Camp site seemed to have fewer water points and toilets - although still enough - so maybe it was over serviced in the past.
• Food was at the usual standard, but drink prices seemed higher than I remember - $9 for a beer
• Crowds/queues didn't bother me much, and I found times to minimise them. Biggest queue I couldn't avoid was for dropping/collecting devices for charging.

Don't think I'll rush back though as the camping experience wasn't that great for me:

• Stayed in the "quiet" camping zone (lights out 9:30), but this seems to be a marketing label rather than anything else. While the "Q" zone was generally the furthest away from the main tent, and didn't have generators nearby, there were a few nights where this didn't apply. One night it was adjacent to the camp entry, so blasted all afternoon by the music and amplified welcomes. On two other nights it was so close to the main tent that the music was at least as loud as people standing outside the tent talking - impossible for me to sleep until the 10pm curfew. Most nights the main tent entertainment and/or the movie was audible, but not too loud. And enough people in the "Q" zone were up around 5pm to wake me so by the end I was feeling very tired from lack of sleep.
• Entertainment in the main tent was poorly attended, seemed to be a hundred or so most nights, apart from the first and last. This could have been the cold. However the entertainment was amplified and audible across most of the camp site most nights, so you didn'y' have to go to be able to hear. I don't recall it being that loud before, and I'm sure it could be better "contained" to the main tent if they wanted to.
• Movie was also highly amplified - although most nights you needed to be within 25m or the music from the main tent interfered with the sound
• Heroes in the bike repair place were working to 4am they said - sounds like understaffed to me

I'm hearing more and more about people who would do the ride, but want to avoid the camping experience, and some who get a nearby house and are conveyed to/from camp each day instead of camping or using All Trails.

[Mike.Ayling]

$9 for a beer - that would be a pint, right?

Mike

[jvb]

$9 for a beer - that would be a pint, right?

Mike

Schooner, a bit expensive yes.
A schooner at my local is $7 and $5 during happy hour.

[jvb]

I doubt this year's ride will go ahead, even if the current restrictions are relaxed.
Having 4,000 people close together, using the same amenities and sweating all over each other doesn't seem like a good idea.

[Mike.Ayling]

I doubt this year's ride will go ahead, even if the current restrictions are relaxed.
Having 4,000 people close together, using the same amenities and sweating all over each other doesn't seem like a good idea.

And a month later not much has changed.

Now what about the Around the Bay. Some of those feeding stations get pretty crowded, not to forget the ferry but they could just cut out the ferry option and do there and back rides.

Mike

[jvb]

I doubt this year's ride will go ahead, even if the current restrictions are relaxed.
Having 4,000 people close together, using the same amenities and sweating all over each other doesn't seem like a good idea.

And a month later not much has changed.

Now what about the Around the Bay. Some of those feeding stations get pretty crowded, not to forget the ferry but they could just cut out the ferry option and do there and back rides.

Mike

BN are offering the option of signing up for "the Little Vic", in case the GVBR doesn't happen. Which I don't think it will.
The Little Vic is capped at 100 riders and open to loyal GVBR participants first.

[Mike.Ayling]

I doubt this year's ride will go ahead, even if the current restrictions are relaxed.
Having 4,000 people close together, using the same amenities and sweating all over each other doesn't seem like a good idea.

And a month later not much has changed.

Now what about the Around the Bay. Some of those feeding stations get pretty crowded, not to forget the ferry but they could just cut out the ferry option and do there and back rides.

Mike

BN are offering the option of signing up for "the Little Vic", in case the GVBR doesn't happen. Which I don't think it will.
The Little Vic is capped at 100 riders and open to loyal GVBR participants first.

What are they proposing to charge for The Little Vic?

Mike

[jvb]

What are they proposing to charge for The Little Vic?

Mike

The link to the flyer is:

https://cdn-au.mailsnd.com/43483/V9jw9gg-vCd_Uab_aPZY2MdsDYb5bUByB_sd8mq1nfg/3293790.pdf

It is expensive in my opinion. $2200 for 6 days, 5 nights and 4 days of riding.
It includes all transfers and accommodation in hotels/motels, but not all meals.
I am happy to carry my own luggage and do a ride in the high country with a group of people. Or find a volunteer to transport our luggage and be the back-up vehicle.
I'm sure it is well organised and it may be good value for money, but there is no way I can justify spending that amount.

[Mike.Ayling]

This is in the price range that I would expect from Alltrails for example but Alltrails provide all meals.

Mike