After a pleasant dinner and early night had by all in Innisfail we awoke to sunshine and a relatively fresh 20 degrees. On what some may have described as a long and painful transition day we set off ahead of schedule to try and beat some of that stiflingly beautiful Queensland heat. With the honorable jerseys looking sharp out front we were lead off into the picturesque country side.
The first 35km of light rolling hills were scenic and a great time to chat, assess the body and mentally prepare for what lay ahead. Then came the first of many solid climbs for the day. What was an enjoyable and fast decent yesterday became a cruel reminder that what goes up must come down or maybe the other way around in this case.
The best part of the day was behind us, as we’d broken the back of two simply epic days in the saddle and had only 30kms left to camp which for many may have felt like the longest 30kms of their riding lives. It was a slightly less chatty bunch than earlier in the day as we rolled into the stunning Tinaroo Lake resort licking our wounds and looking forward to a rub down and certainly no mention that it was only day three.
