Start the morning off right with breakfast at the Lake View Hotel as you look over beautiful Lake Wendouree.

You will need a hybrid, Cyclecross, mountain bike as today we are getting off road and hitting the crushed granite sand surface of the Ballarat-Skipton Rail Trail.

If you’re looking for a change of scenery or a fun family ride, this is the perfect ride!

Head straight out of down, under the iconic Arch of Victory and not long after take a left on to the Ballarat-Skipton Rail Trail.

You’ll ride open grasslands and eucalypt forests as you make your way to Smythesdale, an attractive 19th-century town.

Stop for lunch at the Courthouse Hotel or pack a picnic before making your way back along trail.

You will be stopping close to where we started with a coffee to wind down at Pipers By The Lake.

Distance: 44.16km
Elevation gain: 274m
Ride type: Road
Start: Lake View Hotel