andy jennings

I've posted about how I plan short trips in my home region. I'm fortunate that Vline   allows bikes on trains, so I can get to the start easily and return the same way. Unfortunately this is not the case in any other states in Australia. Having said that you have to be careful in picking which services to take. You can't book ahead. One very important page you should check is the  "service changes"  page: when they work on the tracks (mostly in winter, but not always) they substitute buses for trains, and the buses won't take your bicycle. Most of these rides are based around  rail trails  - Victoria has lots of them. I have mapped each of these tours, so you can see how it plays out in detail, right down to the lunch stop and the camping location. Some of you may be able to travel up to double the pace, but you get the idea. Great Victorian Rail Trail Track My Tour track  The Google Map display allows you to see the path I took, at least roughly. I

Why plan? Some of the truly epic bicycle rides (e.g. http://cyclingtotheashes.wordpress.com/ ) began with almost no planning at all. Just ride out the front gate and keep going. It's not really necessary.  For a shorter tour, though, I normally plan out the tour, at least in outline. It makes for a more pleasant journey. This is a very individual thing, so it's a process of trying things and finding what works for you.  How to get to the start/finish ? Why not start from home? I live in an outer suburb of Melbourne, about 45km from the centre. I find this is the most dangerous place to ride.  Australia generally is a very car dependent society. Almost all trips are taken by car. It's not comfortable or safe riding in these suburbs. I prefer to start and end bicycle tours at least 300km from a major city. That might seem extreme, but you have to get out of the city type zone. Where people either commute to the city or take day trips.  I mostly take Vline t