Day 5 – Tuesday June 28, Warnambool to Narrawong – 98 Km – 60 – Miles

It took only a few turns of the peddles before I realized that the last two days of tortuous climbing and a long hard push into the wind had taken its toll on my right knee. I hadn’t anticipated that Joe was in equal pain. We literally struggled our way to the south edge of Warnambool before taking the time to stop, take some Aleve, and stretch our over-taxed legs. We spent the better part of an hour easing our legs into having them do what our minds wanted. We eventually got back on the bikes and eased our way along the A1 highway south from Warnambool toward Port Fairy. Having left the Great Ocean Road behind in Warnambool we were now on regional highways harboring the entire range of vehicles including some of Australia’s smaller “Road Trains.”

David rode ahead to Port Fairy while Joe and I eased our way there. By the time we arrived the Aleve and our stretching had eased most of the pain, so our lunch was spent strategizing our goal for the evening. We had originally thought Portland a reasonable goal, but with the slow start, Narrawong seemed a more realistic goal. We stocked up our food at the local IGA then made our way out of town. Much like yesterday, the ride was a slog into a punishing headwind. As relentless as the wind we faced, we made our way west. Enjoying only a couple short breaks we rolled into Narrawong just before a 6 PM sunset. Our first stop in town was a small General store on the main road. We grabbed a few items and looked over some of the grill items left in the display case. As we checked out, the gentleman behind the counter grabbed all of the grill items and placed them in a bag and gave them to us. I know we were tired, but I hadn’t anticipated how hungry we must have looked. What a kind and gracious act. A nice end to another challenging day.