… worthy of a spectacular ride. The Great Ocean Road and Otway hills – all the ingredients needed. The 204km ride got away at 6.30 in the morning …
Most of the first 80km or so is through undulating farmland. There was a decent headwind. Fortunately I was able to pick up a strong group and slipstream all the way to Forrest. Thanks are due to the heroes that took the lead. Average speed to Forrest was 31kph – no concern regarding the cutoff.
The climbing starts in earnest just before Forrest. My group took advantage of the rest stop there, I soloed on. Either the food was good or there was a long queue for the toilets. I didn’t see them again. In fact by that time you couldn’t see much at all. A mist had rolled in bringing a gentle drizzle.
Climbing is not my strong point. I just have to accept that it will be slow, settle into a rhythm and keep an eye on the power meter. The reward is that you then get to descend. This time the road was wet and windy but it’s still fun.
The foot of the descent is Skenes Creek on the iconic Great Ocean Road. The rain ceased and the wind dropped. Groups to parasitise became rare. So head down and tail up …
bobmcgee 
Nice work. Sounds like a nice ride.