It's been a week since I got home from the Tour of Murray River, but it has gone by a bit quicker than a usual week... I've fill the week with recovery, trying to ease my tendonitis, and then some medium and easy miles to get some "saddle time" before my next big Epic on the bike - which in this instance is the Grafton to Inverell Cycling Classic; well worth reading on...

Touted as "The Toughest 1 Day Race in Australia" by none other than the SBS Broadcasting Channel, the race has over the years had quite an increase in followers and competitors alike. It seems this year will be no exception, with "a record number of participants for 2009" as per cyclingnews.com - and with that monster climb being included in the profile, I assume everyone's legs will be feeling the burn...

As for the route itself, it goes from Grafton to Inverell (what are the chances of that!) and with 228km between the start and the finish, it's also the 2nd longest One Day Event in the country - the organisers have also included a 17km Pass just for fun! With over $5,000.00 for 1st place, nobody is expecting a slow race either.

If you're considering having a crack at it in 2010, check out: http://www.graftontoinverellcycleclassic.com.au/

Maybe you can join the list of riders who've conquered "The Grafton"..