We had a few warmer than average days lately and as I mentioned previously the conditions looked like derailing our regular New Year's Day family ride. Who wants to take a bunch of primary school and pre-school kids for a ride when it's 40+°C in the shade?
So a bit of ingenuity and a bit of luck were required. The forecast said to expect a change in the afternoon, so if it came through early enough we'd congregate at SuperGran's house and take ourselves out for a twilight ride. Sure it wouldn't be a huge long ride, but we'd be able to squeeze in about 20km, which would probably be enough for the kids at the end of a hot day.
I think it topped out somewhere about 40°C at our place before a southerly breeze appeared from nowhere and the temperature dropped by about 10 degrees in half an hour. The change was on, and so was the ride.
By the time we'd herded the cats kids with their assorted vehicles together at SuperGran's place, it was getting on for 5pm before we hit the road. Heading to Box Hill via the Gardiners Creek Trail and some back streets, then down Bushy Creek to Elgar Park. Out along the Koonung Trail then across country to Blackburn Lake and back to base. At some point there I managed to add a second passenger to the kiddie trailer that I was pulling (once you get the little blighters in there, you can't get 'em out!)
Objectively the ride was nothing spectacular (and certainly not strenuous), but it was a thoroughly pleasant trundle made more enjoyable because we practically had the trails to ourselves—few people seemed to have realised that the change had arrived and that it was mild and comfortable outside. Perfect riding conditions, in fact.
Topping the afternoon off with a leisurely dinner out in the backyard, we managed to salvage a memorable start to the year from an otherwise sweltering hot day. It was so good that Doc Homebrew is already planning another expedition for next weekend. Hmm, the forecast suggests things will be warming up again by then…