Otway Rainforest Ride

There are many things I love about cycling. I go through different phases of the sport but the underlying reason of why I’ll always ride is because of the way it satisfies my sense of adventure. There’s nothing like hopping in the car, driving out of the city, and exploring some backroads you’ve never been down before. That’s exactly what my mate Graeme and I did a few days ago. On a whim we drove down the coast to Apolo Bay to explore a ~140km loop through the Otways which I’ve heard lots about.

This was one of those rides we were just happy riding along and telling each other a few lies about how good we used to be. It was one of those rare times where there was no smashing the climbs and no halfwheeling.  It was hard not to be constantly in awe of the scenery. Ocean views, rolling green hills amongst massive landscapes, rainforest that make you feel like you’re on Pandora, waterfalls, heaps of wildlife, etc. I’ve ridden lots of places in the world but this has to be up there on my “best of” list (that gives me another idea for a blog post…).

The good folks from Rapid Ascents have been promoting the Cyclecover Circuit Rainforest Ride here on CyclingTips. I’ve seen some phenomenal images of the course and have always wondered “where is that?”. Well, now I finally understand why these guys spend their year organising this. You can make a great weekend of it and take part in the mass participation Cyclecover Rainforest Ride next month on December 11. There are a few different options and distances that can be found here. Alternatively, if you’re not into participation rides and want to enjoy this amazing roads all to yourself I’ve posted the route below. I highly recommend you give it a shot this summer.

Enough of me harping on. The photos speak for themselves.

See full ride details on Strava