Leaving Adelaide (Thursday 6th October), we had a late start at 10am to miss the morning traffic on our cycle south.  Unfortunately the roads were still busy and after 45 minutes we stopped for a break outside ‘Subway’ to buy a sandwich for lunch later that day. Now I used to enjoy a ‘Subway’ but the pleasure was taken away when someone told me there was 1500 calories in my favourite sandwich. So Susan chooses now and I really don’t care what meat filling she says is hidden inside because its dwarfed by how much salad is added.

As Susan was buying the soggy rabbit sandwich I got a text from Adelaide Post Office to say a package had arrived.  Yes it was the new seat supports for ‘Old Lardy Ass’ from the Netherlands. I said to Susan that rather than cycle back into the city centre I would arrange for it to be forwarded to Melbourne. She looked me up and down, tried to give a kind smile to soften the blow and said ‘no I think you need all the support you can get, we should go back’.  

So we cycled all the way back into Adelaide, picked up the package and cycled out again. Once, twice, three times we cycled through the city but at least I now had my extra support. 

Now in South Australia nearly every cyclist cycles on the pavement. Calm down, calm down, it’s allowed by law. Yup they are quite enlightened here and maybe they should extend it to going through red lights and across pedestrian crossings? Actually, we don’t need that as we do that already! Haha only kidding. 

Unfortunately, due to the size of our bicycle and trailer we really have to stick to the road and, in South Australia, we should be given at least a metre space when passed by vehicles in town. This doesn’t really happen and, cycling out of Adelaide, we had quite a torrid time. It’s only a minority, but not a small minority, of motorists who won’t or don’t know how to share the road. 

Eventually we found the Southern Veloway and had a peaceful cycle towards McLaren Vale. Well, peaceful apart from Susan having a panting attack when we had to cycle up a long and very steep hill. At the top we rested in a bus stop and I just wish she allowed me to take her picture – it wasn’t pretty. Oh I know, where’s my sympathy? Nobody said going nowhere fast was easy! 

52km to McLaren Vale. 

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