Where can one do 2x20 in Sydney?

Since 2001, over 90,000 cyclist's have joined Cycling Forums to discuss topics from general cycling to equipment, training, racing and travel or vacation destinations (especially in europe during the tour de france). We also feature an great deals in our online store, 100's of articles, classifieds and product reviews.

I just did the classic hillclimb.... Bobbin Head on the weekend, exhausted the hell out of me

Plenty of interval work around Hornsby area... Bobbin Head, Brooklyn Bridge Old Pac Hwy, Galston Gorge, Berowra Ferry

I suppose that only works if you live in the North West

I see plenty of people doing the M4 Penrith to Glenbrook climb

Honestly, if you want to go that fast, then just hit the road... why ride around a park?

I just did the classic hillclimb.... Bobbin Head on the weekend, exhausted the hell out of me

Plenty of interval work around Hornsby area... Bobbin Head, Brooklyn Bridge Old Pac Hwy, Galston Gorge, Berowra Ferry

Honestly, if you want to go that fast, then just hit the road... why ride around a park?
But you are talking about hill repeats/intervals. Not quite the same as flat land interval AFAIK. On early weekend mornings, there are a lot of cyclists training in Centennial Park. They/we are there for a good reason I think. :)

But you are talking about hill repeats/intervals. Not quite the same as flat land interval AFAIK. On early weekend mornings, there are a lot of cyclists training in Centennial Park. They/we are there for a good reason I think. :)

yes and no. at a high level intervals are intervals. you stress your body for a defined period of time and then let it recover for a set period of time, rinse and repeat.

whether that is on a hill, or on the flat is a bit irrelevant from a pure fitness point of view. however, it's generally easier (for me anyway) to be able to do that on a hill, as opposed to putting my head down and time trialling at say 40+km/h for 30 minutes at a stretch. by the same token, there are no hills around sydney that i can think of that you can do 20 minutes on, let alone 30 minutes. bit different if you are talking about 3-5 minute intervals.

the suggestion for captain cook drive out to kurnell is good. it's a decent, quite and relatively clean stretch of road. if you were really keen you could roll with the LACC bunches on Tue/Thu mornings at 6am around Homebush. Not really intervals, but a good simulation of racing conditions that will give you approximately the same outcome. Personally 6am in the cold and dark ... I'm still asleep in bed and nice and warm.

--brett

great comedic contentah, come on!! That was gold!!! :) Some of my best work

Is Camperdown Velodrome still operating?

M7 is just too far from where I am.
How about Parramatta Park?

I know the speed limit there is 30km/h, but I know a number of cyclists who regularly ride there early AM or late PM with no consequence.

I haven't ridden there for over a year, but up until the last time I did, rangers seem to take context into whether they crack down on you for your speed.

AFAIK, the course itself is used by several clubs for racing early on weekends before families get there. Not sure if that is still happening.

n

Dont ride your bike at excessive speeds on surfaces designed for family and community use. As if you cant find a bit of road to do some 20 min intervals. What a complete toss.
In general I agree with this sorta thinking, especially some of the threads around here with dipshits using air horns on shared paths. Centennial isn't a bike path as such though, it's a good wide bit of road with lots of visibility and it's one way. All the joggers are on their own bit of path too.

You just have to pick your times.

On weekends it is full of kids, roller bladers and slower recreational riders, and I don't think it's a particularly safe or polite to hammer then. On weekday mornings and late afternoons the only people there are roadies and the occasional commuter and it's fine. And the rangers don't give you a second glance.

Some other options down to La Perouse and back (Once you get past Maroubra you can get a pretty decent uninterrupted run), or the hills around Bondi / Tamarama / Dover Heights / Watsons Bay.

We just don't have anything like Beach rd anywhere close to the inner city up here though.

Now I realise Centennial Park represents a wonderful surface for riding, so a way forward might be to negotiate with the trustees to allow a higher limit for cyclists at certain set times - this would have to be at a time when use of the park by others is minimal. Maybe get one of the cycling advocacy groups in on the act?

A few years ago there was a big push towards excluding all bunch / road cyclist activities from the park. The three main racing clubs in the area came together and formed a cyclist lobby group to negotiate with the park trust.
The end result was an agreement that cyclists don't act like tools, and they won't be banned from using the park, or have more speed humps put in to make it unsafe to ride in.

As for the cycling advocacy groups, they don't really speak for training cyclists. Their mission is much more about getting more people on bikes and commuting to work and push for more offroad facilities and bike lines.

yes and no. at a high level intervals are intervals. you stress your body for a defined period of time and then let it recover for a set period of time, rinse and repeat.

the suggestion for captain cook drive out to kurnell is good. it's a decent, quite and relatively clean stretch of road. if you were really keen you could roll with the LACC bunches on Tue/Thu mornings at 6am around Homebush.
The problem with hills is as you said, hard to find one with an even grade and long enough for 20mins. The other problem is, if one should blow up half way up the hill, then it's a death wish struggling back up. :eek:

I'll definitely give Kurnell a try although a tad far from where I am for a somewhat time restricted Sat am. LACC training at Homebush would be more suitable during the summer months.

Is Camperdown Velodrome still operating?
No. Long gone. Activities have gone across to Tempe Velodrome.

A few years ago there was a big push towards excluding all bunch / road cyclist activities from the park. The three main racing clubs in the area came together and formed a cyclist lobby group to negotiate with the park trust.
The end result was an agreement that cyclists don't act like tools, and they won't be banned from using the park, or have more speed humps put in to make it unsafe to ride in.

As for the cycling advocacy groups, they don't really speak for training cyclists. Their mission is much more about getting more people on bikes and commuting to work and push for more offroad facilities and bike lines.
Forgot about that bit of history. I guess it's a case of being happy with what we have. Thanks for the reminder.

I took my son riding there around noon today and it was pretty quiet despite the school holiday. There were a few roadies circling at a decent pace, but the only risk in the bike lane during our slow 5 laps were 3 teenage riders from a single family on rental bikes. They stopped in the middle of the lane, waved erratically, overtook on the left in very limited space and other at risk riding behaviours. My son almost ran into one of them as one of them swerved to the right without warning. The funny one was when the dad almost crashed because of one such episode from one of his daughters.

M4 shoulder from Parramatta to Penrith. Gotta watch out for the exit/entry ramps, but you rarely have to slow down.

Is Camperdown Velodrome still operating?
It's now a children's park - the track is completely gone. Happened ~2002.

Centennial park is effectively empty after just 9am and after dark - I can do umpteen threshold laps without touching the brakes. The rangers don't seem interested when there's noone to bowl over.

Centennial park is effectively empty after just 9am and after dark - I can do umpteen threshold laps without touching the brakes. The rangers don't seem interested when there's noone to bowl over.
Interesting. Maybe there's a reason why I saw them out in force on Sat. I stayed in the park for a bit longer than usual this past Sat and maybe they were just getting the park ready for general family use. IIRC, saw them b/n 8:30-9am. So maybe there in fact is a de-facto time frame allowed for cyclists in training.

Is Camperdown Velodrome still operating?Long gone.

Olympic is entirely suitable.

I'll go out with you one morning. Let me know when you want to go.

Olympic is entirely suitable.

I'll go out with you one morning. Let me know when you want to go.
Sat AM? Next week?

Sat AM? Next week?OK. Remind me closer to the day

Interesting. Maybe there's a reason why I saw them out in force on Sat. I stayed in the park for a bit longer than usual this past Sat and maybe they were just getting the park ready for general family use. IIRC, saw them b/n 8:30-9am. So maybe there in fact is a de-facto time frame allowed for cyclists in training.
Should have made it clear that I meant weekdays.