Around The World is heading into a bunch of stages that are going to take the average elevation per stage to within a single foot of the highest it’s been in the journey so far, and this is a really difficult stage: no flat road and some seriously stiff climbs in the first half.
The rollout is downhill to Arthur river which you cross within half a mile. Of course moving away from water means climbing so the fun starts immediately after the crossing. The first summit after one mile is followed by a descent that leads into the second climb that crests higher than the first at three miles.
A small descent follows immediately after but that drops the road only down to the level of the first summit, then after the next summit at Kokarrup, there’s some respite before the road kicks up again to Tableup at five miles: each summit is higher than the last, which is really bad news for your legs.
There’s a chance to recover as the road heads down to Quabling Gully at seven miles but that just sets off the next climb to the next highest elevation check passing Mareeba at nine miles. The Albany Highway then drops down to cross the east-west railway line at ten miles (the road’s heading south at this point) before an up/down/up takes you to the highest elevation of the stage just after Woagin at eleven miles.
With nine hundred feet of climbing done by two thirds distance, you’ll be delighted to see the back of the most testing climbs, and the four mile descent to Delyanine Creek at sixteen miles offers welcome respite. From seventeen miles, the remainder of the stage is gently up and down but nothing compared to what has gone before.
The route passes through the Beaufort Bridge Nature Reserve at sixteen miles, Toojelup at twenty two miles and Upsan Estate at twenty four miles: the exit of the left hander as you pass by the town sets up the down/up run to the line approaching Valley View.
Distance: 24 miles / 38 kilometres
Ascent: 902 feet / 275 metres
RGT Magic Road: c2YhnBjyYJdz
Max elevation: 1096 ft
Min elevation: 849 ft
Total climbing: 900 ft
Total descent: -854 ft
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