Anyone is welcome to use the Hairshirt route -- either the present version or the original one that goes down the middle of the peninsula and returns below the Escarpment -- but coming back by train misses the whole point of the Hairshirt.  It's you and your bike and 340 km (200 miles) of open road.  If it doesn't hurt you're not doing it hard enough.  There's a reason it's called a tough tour
.