Having slept well, I woke early, ready to ride 57 kilometres from Manoora to Eudunda on the M2C. It was Day 2 of my 5-day eBike adventure on the Murray to Clare Lavender Cycling Trail.
Manoora to Waterloo
The sun was still trying to make it through the clouds as I turned off Waterloo Road onto the dirt.
On my way up towards Waterloo, I passed Carlsruhe Lutheran Church and its manse.
You can stay at the Manse, but you need to book in advance.
Soon I was at Waterloo’s Tom Kruse Park, with twelve kilometres already under my belt.
Quinns Gap
The climb up to Quinns Gap began gradually, becoming steep in the last 300 metres, reaching gradients of over 17 percent. Even with my battery assist, I had to work hard to get to the top. However, the beautiful view to the Tothill Range made it so worth while.
I checked my battery – it was down to 80%.
Webbs Gap
Nevertheless, I did not spare the battery assist on the next climb up Webbs Gap. However, coming from the east side, the gradients were not as steep as Quinns Gap.
Once at the top, I was disappointed to see that the camping table had been vandalised.
There was water in the rainwater tank, although a sign advised not to drink it without treatment.
For me, the descent on the east side of Webbs Gap, was pretty scary. In the first few hundred metres, the gravel road fell away at gradients over 20%.
I made it safely to the bottom with a bit of slipping and scrambling.
Ngapala
The district of Ngapala, between the Tothill and Bluff Ranges, is attractive, even in the dry summer. Ngapala Road winds its way along the upper reaches of Brady Creek.
Inspiration Point
35 kilometres into my ride from Manoora to Eudunda on the M2C, I arrived at the top of the Bluff Range. Inspiration Point, with its 180 degree views, rewarded me for my efforts.
My battery was now down to 60 percent.
Scenic Road
From Inspiration Point, the Murray to Clare Cycling Trail follows Scenic and then Julia Roads along the top of the Bluff Range for 18 kilometres, before finally descending into Eudunda.
Scenic Road truly lives up to its name, with lovely views to the east continuing for most of its length.
However, it is often windy at the top of the range, and today I was greeted by a strong and blustery southerly.
It was tough, exhausting work pushing forward in this headwind.
Almost instinctively, I increased the power assist to cope. As I progressed along Scenic Road, the battery indicator dropped to 40 %.
Julia Road
The mighty southerly continued and I struggled to keep moving forward.
Eventually I turned onto the bitumen of Julia Road. I checked the range indicator on my eBike battery. It said I had 4 more kilometres of power assistance. I had 7 kilometres to go, but I was not unduly worried as I thought the range indicator was probably conservative.
At last, Eudunda came into view.
Then, sure enough, just as predicted by the range indicator, the battery stopped with three kilometres more to go, including one kilometre of climbing.
Initially I took a break and walked (no Walk Assist available now), knowing that the last two kilometres would be downhill.
Then I tried riding. I was pleased to learn that in granny gear I could pedal my heavy bike (27 kg eBike and 12 kg luggage) up a slight incline, even in a headwind. Finally I reached the top of the hill and rolled down to the Eudunda sign with the silhouette of the Colin Thiele character, Gustav and his dog.
Colin Thiele was a famous Australian author born near Eudunda.
After the signboard, there was a one kilometre roll down into Eudunda and my accommodation for the night at the Eudunda Hotel Motel ($100).
Summary of my Day 2 ride from Manoora to Eudunda on the M2C
I had been worried about the climbs at Quinns Gap and Webbs Gap, but had managed them well.
What I wasn’t prepared for was the massive southerly headwind on Scenic Road, and I think it was this struggle that resulted in running my battery down to zero. From here on, I took a lot more notice of the range indicator.
I was hoping the wind would drop off a bit tomorrow for my ride south from Eudunda to Moculta, or it was going to be a very long day.
My Strava record shows that I had cycled 57 kilometres and climbed 962 metres. The same ride recorded with Ride with GPS shows an elevation gain of 828 metres.
If you missed the story of my first day on the trail, read about it here. On my next day on the trail, I had less climbing, a great bakery stop and entered the eastern Barossa wine area.
For further information about the Murray to Clare Lavender Cycling Trail or to download the full map, see the Lavender Cycling Trail website.
Top photo: View looking north from Scenic Road
