Stage 329 is ‘The Middle of Nowhere’ to ‘The Middle of Nowhere’ in all but name as the Eyre Highway trundles on eastwards along the shore of the Great Australian Bight. Whereas the past few stages have been cycled ten miles or so inland, this one runs right along the shore line, a fact that’s reflected in the elevation profile except for a mad descent at eighteen miles.
The rollout is straight for nine miles, and uphill for the first seven miles of that. There’s a down/up between miles seven and ten as the road hangs a gentle right and there’s a second long straight between miles nine and eighteen, the latter seven of which are almost completely flat.
The uncharacteristic two hundred foot descent at eighteen miles is also the location for a scenic lookout across the Great Australian Bight: the viewpoint is a couple of hundred metres down a dirt road on the south (right hand) side of the highway. Half a mile further on is a lorry park rest area on the northern side of the road.
The straight run to the finish is eight miles long, which includes the sharp descent, the viewpoint and the lorry park. After the descent, the road is lumpy flat for the final four miles to the finish.
Distance: 24 miles / 38 kilometres
Ascent: 269 feet / 82 metres
RGT Magic Road: qZ48Oiw0yBh8
Max elevation: 496 ft
Min elevation: 246 ft
Total climbing: 271 ft
Total descent: -356 ft
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