Bicycle Network’s United Energy Around the Bay is one of the most well-known mass participation rides in Australia. It now also offers a MASSIVE 300km option. That's a long way to drive, let alone ride a bike.... have you got what it takes?

MIKE BOUDRIE

So you've knocked over 100km without breaking into a sweat... you then took on a double century and got through with some solid training.... well great news is here, on 6 October 2019 you have the opportunity of taking on a massive 300km United Energy Around the Bay option that bumps over the iconic Arthurs Seat and Red Hill.

Check out the event here

I was excited to find out that Bicycle Network has added a new route last year that came with some very nice climbs.... Arthurs Seat and Red Hill… not only adding some much-needed elevation to the original route but also upping the K’s to a tidy 300km with over 1,800m of vert. It’s a nice round number and a number that not many riders get to see tick over on their computer too often, if at all.

300km is not a distance that people can just front up to and ride, it’s something that needs solid commitment and hours in the saddle to prepare yourself for. Riding a big 300km time heavy ride like this is tough, and having the support of the guys at Bicycle Network really allows people to push it, knowing that there’s support along the way.

The Around the Bay route route is absolutely iconic. I'd say it's a right of passage in cycling, and the first 100km+ ride that most test themselves on. The 300km beast takes you anticlockwise towards Geelong, through Portarlington before taking the ferry at Queenscliff. From there it’s a short hop to Sorrento before following the bayside road again to Dromana. This is where the real fun begins. You’ll make a turn that shows other's you're serious, leave the 'lesser' route and head east across the Mornington Peninsula and up Arthurs Seat…

Arthurs Seat averages 6% over 4.5km, it's a punchy climb that can test the best, and with almost 200km in the legs at this point, you’ll be feeling the burn.... but don’t worry it’s not all over, once you’ve knocked over Arthurs Seat, you still get another satisfying climb thanks to red hill on the way back to Port Phillip Bay. Red Hill is a beautiful section of road that will make you feel like you're a million miles away from a city. Once you hit the coast you'll get to use those last watts to claw your way over the cheeky rise into Frankston before getting low and finishing the last 50km back to Melbourne in TT mode.

It’s a big ride, made better with the addition of a few solid climbs, multiple rest opportunities, full route mechanical and medical support, limited edition 300km ride jersey, and ferry transport…. and if you’re doing the 300 you’ll get priority ferry boarding at Queenscliff, so no waiting around and getting cold.

Entries are limited for the 300, enter before 26 July 2019 and you'll receive a free jersey and a discounted entry of $285.

This is a big one. There’s not a lot of 300km rides out there, so if you’re looking to push yourself, explore long distance, or starting out on an endurance adventure this is the place to start.

If you're not quite in the market for 300km there are routes starting at 20km to check out too.

For more information, or to sign up head over to the Bicycle Network website HERE

Happy days.

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