In preparing the route for this year’s fuel economy run, I started with two things in mind. Firstly: nobody enjoys sitting down under the paint-work at 80 km/h on a major highway. Secondly: if the ‘economy’ part of the day was an enjoyable ride designed for lower speeds everyone would be better off. With this in mind I’ve strung together a series of reasonably obscure roads (how long is it since you’ve been through Darraweit Gum?) on which 85-90 km/h feels more comfortable. And I’ve managed to keep the obscurity to one section only of unsealed road about 6 kms in length. It joins the end of one bitumen section road to the start of another, so that’s legitimate.

So --- throw one of your kids on the back; put your mother-in-law on the R1 pillion seat; or ride the ‘bucket’ that’s been in the shed for years!

Smoko will be held in Woodend and 126 kms on the odometer will see us in Daylesford where final fuel consumption figures will be recorded for posterity. See ya at the Mobil Servo in Whittlesea before 10 am so we can fuel up and record details.

Les (smell of an oily rag) Leahy TT350