DAY 21 - WOODEND - MELBOURNE 44.4M

Today's ride into Melbourne was certainly very different from any other on this trip as it was mostly (30 miles) along a freeway - Australia's Motorways, that do allow cyclists.

Generally Freeway riding is straightforward. You go like a bullet along the stopping lane, taking care at intersections (where you are supposed to stop and cross on the slip road rather than taking your life into your hands by going straight on!)

There's also the nice benefit of getting wind draft from the lorries piling past. That and the downhill gradient helped me to 21.0 mph average at the 30 mile mark (when leaving the freeway). That's the quickest I've ever had over a distance.

So in essence, it's a quick ride but uneventful and not that scenic, and in the heat you melt. Today was 35C in the shade, and a lot hotter in the sun, where I was suffering. There's no shade along the freeway.

The worst problem was my 2x1 Litre bottles of squash were like piping hot Beacham's after 3o mins of riding, certainly hotter than body temperature and quite useless to drink! Maybe they sell Thermos bottles for bikes here?

After the freeway the 15 mile ride into the city was a lot slower due to traffic, lights, trams, pedestrians and so on. There are a lot of dangers if you are not used to it, you have to pay attention to the lanes, watch out for getting your wheels stuck in tram lines and pay very close attention to the traffic lights that pop out seemingly everywhere.

I passed through real Kath and Kim territory in the suburbs: Keilor, Essendon, Moonie Ponds, Travancore, Flemington, North Melbourne and finally into the CBD (central business district) and to the main railway station to get back to Woodend, Southern Cross.

All in all it was 44.4 Miles, Average 17.5 mph.