except the Aussies are heading into winter.
It might be heading into winter but we've had very unseasonal weather here in Melbourne. Yesterday morning started with thunder and heavy rain but it then cleared up and got to 28 C or 88 F. If Miles was out when the thunderstorm hit, he may have pulled off the road for an hour or so.
The weather, however, can be quite different down the Peninsula.
As you've probably picked up, I know the route Miles is riding very well. If you look at Strava you will see there is a bumpy bit. Part of that is the stretch from Mornington to Safety Beach. That's a narrow, one lane in each direction, road that's as beautiful as any stretch of road in the world that I've ridden. From Safety Beach to Portsea is pancake flat and then Frankston to Melbourne is flat as well.
As well as just the distance, IMHO the challenges for Miles are the wind and the traffic. Firstly much of his route can be very windy with 40-60 mph (yes - mile per hour for you Poms!!) winds. That doesn't happen every day, but enough that he will have plenty of tough days. When you are riding it, it feels like a straight road but as you can see on the map, it's a semicircle so you get a headwind or sidewind for a good portion.
Second; it is mostly suburban roads with commuter traffic. Sure, Mordialloc to Melbourne is the most popular cycling route in Australia but Miles is doing it at all hours of the day and night. The rest of the route has lots of traffic and even though there is a bike lane for most of it, it can be an issue. Finally, there are quite a few pubs along the route. Which means there are plenty of hoons leaving them at night.
I don't mean to paint a bad picture, just to point out that each cyclist in this event faces their own challenges. I've been riding that route or parts of it frequently for 28 years and I'm still not bored with it!
Andrew
