S
Wotcher!
I splashed out a while ago on my riding system, moving from flat pedals
and dunlop volleys to the incredible $20 plastic toe clips, flat pedals
and dunlop volleys riding system.
Obviously, having increased my power by an amazingly large percentage,
I felt the urge to try it out. I also felt the urge to try out one of
the rides from "Bike rides around Sydney." I've a long term plan to
ride Newcastle (where I used to live) to Sydney (where I now live)
direct in one day. Riding the Hornsby-Gosford ride described in the
book would be a perfect start.
Now, as a commuter, I don't know what my water consumption needs are.
And I also didn't want to be stuck isolated on the Old Pacific highway.
So into the basket on the backrack went 4L of water (3L frozen), some
nibbles, and a tool kit to fix any of the problems I foresaw. I also
had an "energy drink" and a full bidon. I learnt that I packed 3L too
much water, a fact I only mildly regretted on hills surrounded by
National Parks which I felt honour bound not to litter.
The ride itself was reasonably well mapped. I suggest losing the end
section where the guide book suggests a detour, as the new decent into
Hornsby on the Old Pacific highway is nice and fast, and trucks are
limited to left-lane 40kph low gear. The guide book says it all, when
it describes the Old Pacific highway as "the next 57km" and a nice
clear road it is too, almost like a super-dooper bicycle lane.
Hornsby to the country road section is nice and urban. I stopped to
photograph Berowa's park, have a croissant, and to take a photo of a
gorge. The climbs are all on bicycle-verges, there are no truely
dangerous slip lanes, and the traffic is lighter than inner-city when
heading North in the morning.
When you hit the country road section you're in for a great descent to
the Hawkesbury on reasonably good roads (though watch out for roadscars
that could suck your wheel in to the rim). The bridge over the
Hawkesbury has a reasonably okay "bikes ride on the ped section" going
North, and a full bikelane going South. It would turn into a bit of a
nightmare if there were peds on the bridge though.
Climbing after the Hawkesbury is pretty painful, in that it never seems
to end. Climbing with the toe-clips was much easier than I expected,
and I got into a low gear rhythm. I suggest stopping at the Road
Warrior cafe, a motorcycle enthusiast cafe, because there's nothing
after that before Gosford.
Speaking of Motorbikes, they were out on the road on Wednesday morning,
but were pretty polite and no trouble. Fellow bicyclists out were
predominantly older sorts riding racers, and a very friendly set who
always waved and said hello. One picked me up in the couple of kms
before the cafe, and helped me up the hill while talking about lots of
things.
After the Road Warriors cafe I expected a descent to the Mooney Mooney
creek. Instead it climbs gently and remains fairly flat for quite a
while, before a fast descent and an ever bigger climb. I got off a
couple of times, had a breather, and went on. The King of the Mountain
marker really is at the end of legs and endurance, at least for me, but
I still felt really great to ride past it and be able to keep going (as
long as I didn't have to do another climb like that on the same day).
Gosford was nice to ride into, with the major road areas having decent
space for bicycles and often marked verges. I did the ride in 4 hours
or so, which gave me an average speed around 15km/h, which I'm rather
proud of. Having done the ride this way, I think I'm capable of doing
Newcastle to Sydney in one day, but I might explore other rides around
Sydney in the book first.
After this ride I'm very pro-toe clips, especially on hills. I also
gave up on my t-shirt and cotton shorts and bought shy pants and some
nice breathable riding gear. I'm also starting to see the advantages
of curly handlebars and the multiple arm and back positions available
when riding for hours at a time.
yours,
Sam R.
I splashed out a while ago on my riding system, moving from flat pedals
and dunlop volleys to the incredible $20 plastic toe clips, flat pedals
and dunlop volleys riding system.
Obviously, having increased my power by an amazingly large percentage,
I felt the urge to try it out. I also felt the urge to try out one of
the rides from "Bike rides around Sydney." I've a long term plan to
ride Newcastle (where I used to live) to Sydney (where I now live)
direct in one day. Riding the Hornsby-Gosford ride described in the
book would be a perfect start.
Now, as a commuter, I don't know what my water consumption needs are.
And I also didn't want to be stuck isolated on the Old Pacific highway.
So into the basket on the backrack went 4L of water (3L frozen), some
nibbles, and a tool kit to fix any of the problems I foresaw. I also
had an "energy drink" and a full bidon. I learnt that I packed 3L too
much water, a fact I only mildly regretted on hills surrounded by
National Parks which I felt honour bound not to litter.
The ride itself was reasonably well mapped. I suggest losing the end
section where the guide book suggests a detour, as the new decent into
Hornsby on the Old Pacific highway is nice and fast, and trucks are
limited to left-lane 40kph low gear. The guide book says it all, when
it describes the Old Pacific highway as "the next 57km" and a nice
clear road it is too, almost like a super-dooper bicycle lane.
Hornsby to the country road section is nice and urban. I stopped to
photograph Berowa's park, have a croissant, and to take a photo of a
gorge. The climbs are all on bicycle-verges, there are no truely
dangerous slip lanes, and the traffic is lighter than inner-city when
heading North in the morning.
When you hit the country road section you're in for a great descent to
the Hawkesbury on reasonably good roads (though watch out for roadscars
that could suck your wheel in to the rim). The bridge over the
Hawkesbury has a reasonably okay "bikes ride on the ped section" going
North, and a full bikelane going South. It would turn into a bit of a
nightmare if there were peds on the bridge though.
Climbing after the Hawkesbury is pretty painful, in that it never seems
to end. Climbing with the toe-clips was much easier than I expected,
and I got into a low gear rhythm. I suggest stopping at the Road
Warrior cafe, a motorcycle enthusiast cafe, because there's nothing
after that before Gosford.
Speaking of Motorbikes, they were out on the road on Wednesday morning,
but were pretty polite and no trouble. Fellow bicyclists out were
predominantly older sorts riding racers, and a very friendly set who
always waved and said hello. One picked me up in the couple of kms
before the cafe, and helped me up the hill while talking about lots of
things.
After the Road Warriors cafe I expected a descent to the Mooney Mooney
creek. Instead it climbs gently and remains fairly flat for quite a
while, before a fast descent and an ever bigger climb. I got off a
couple of times, had a breather, and went on. The King of the Mountain
marker really is at the end of legs and endurance, at least for me, but
I still felt really great to ride past it and be able to keep going (as
long as I didn't have to do another climb like that on the same day).
Gosford was nice to ride into, with the major road areas having decent
space for bicycles and often marked verges. I did the ride in 4 hours
or so, which gave me an average speed around 15km/h, which I'm rather
proud of. Having done the ride this way, I think I'm capable of doing
Newcastle to Sydney in one day, but I might explore other rides around
Sydney in the book first.
After this ride I'm very pro-toe clips, especially on hills. I also
gave up on my t-shirt and cotton shorts and bought shy pants and some
nice breathable riding gear. I'm also starting to see the advantages
of curly handlebars and the multiple arm and back positions available
when riding for hours at a time.
yours,
Sam R.
