Spring Cycle/ Gong Ride

Is anyone else doing the double?

For me the Spring Cyle is pretty easy but the Gong Ride will be a challenge.

I'm in training now doing one 75-85km ride each week with about 1-2, 20km night rides.

What is everyone else doing for training?

 

Yep, will go into both.

I did both last year, 2-3 months after my return to cycling. I survived the Gong without getting off the bike. With a year of club riding behind me, this year should be a heck of a lot easier.

If you are already doing 70-80km rides, then I'd say just supplement it with some solid hill climb training b/n now and then. The climb out of RNP and some of the small hills after will tax you if you aren't prepared.

 

I did them both last year but will probably skip them this year as I'm training for my first triathlon and the focus has been less on the bike and more on swimming and running.

After last year I swore I'd never do the gong ride again whilst a southerly was blowing - it was howling last year and really took the enjoyment out of it for me - hills are one thing but that wind was a killer.

//k

 

Learn to draft. Hide behind some hapless soul and jump up to the next one when the first is spent...

 

Yep I'm in, but just the Gong ride (have something on for the Spring Cycle). Our team is http://register.gongride.org.au/?c+three+marketing - if anyone wishes to join our team and help the fundraising efforts, please let me know. You'll have to wear one of our t-shirts though!

It's my first one, so not expecting great things. I've only just got back into cycling after 10 years, bought a bike about 4 weeks ago, and riding about 100kms/week. I'll be happy just to not finish last

 

Wayno
I did it for the first time last year. It was a shocker of a day with very strong wind. But we still had fun and it was an achievement.
I think some long rides with good sized hills 2/3rds of the way in will help. There's a ride I do Saturdays out the Eastern suburbs up heartbreak Hill or down and up past the Gap, they would get you in condition. You can always drive down to HeathCote or the National Park and climb out of the flats to the Stanwell Park Heights Car Park, just to see what the biggest hill on the ride is like. Its quite do-able and these's a great pie-shop past the steepest bit.
I found the bike track on the M7 very good training and pleasant to ride on.
The Gong ride is a community ride. Last year we saw everything! Tandems. BMXers. Some of the crappiest rustiest monsters out, and you should have seen their bikes!
Its a great feeling to ride up Bald Hill past the thousands who are walking that part.
Now I'm training for the ATB in Melbourne on 21 October and hoping to back up the weekend after for the GongRide, maybe even ride down and back.

 

That Bald Hill was indeed the killer. It came after you've spent all your energy climbing out of RNP and no longer expecting a killer. The key is to have a low enough gear to spin up, or walk.

 

Hi guys,

This year will be my first time and I'm going to be drafting all the way up to the Gong. I'm not that quick but hope to get there in 3 1/2 hours inculding water stops. I currently average 25km/h on a 75km ride and am hoping to get it up to 27 (fat chance I reckon).

I am concerned about those hills though. I might do thew Waterfall ride in a couple of weeks to check out Bald Hill. Are the hills really that bad? How long do they go for? The maps don't really help.

cheers

 

Wayno
Hills mess with your head they are not that bad.
I had to learn a couple of things with hills, which my brother showed me.
1. How to go really slowly on a tiny cog so you get to realise that you can climb anything its just a question of the pace you go up it. Then try going up it in a bigger cog but always at a pace that does not spiflocate you.
2. Hills are great. There's nothing like the sense of achievement when you've gone up a really impressive one.
Bald Hill's not that bad its just one you grind away at
My advice is to find something bigger and uglier and go up that a few times. Its all about confidence. With what you are doing you'll be fine.

 

I've done the gong ride once a couple of years ago - only the 56km ride before the new road opened down the coast Lawerence Hargrave? road. I managed ok in 3hrs.
We have a group that catch a coach into Sydney from Bathurst and this year they are all doing the 90km because the shorter ride departs at Heathcote. I am now in a bit of a panic. I felt confident with 56km, 90km has thrown me off the rails. I usually manage 35km ok.
Time is the problem for me being a mum of 3 school age kids and a hubby who can be called in anytime and work many crazy hours.
I wonder now if it worth it trying to train to get to 90km. We have a 16km loop which is magpie free (touch wood) and I was thinking of just riding the loop lots of times. It is undulating terrain.
Any good ideas you might have ???

 

The first part going up to the short course start point isn't that hard. So if you can do the short course, then the 90km wouldn't be an issue for you.

Just log the k's and make sure you have a low enough gear for the RNP climb. The worst one can do is to walk up. Remembering last year, the climb out of RNP was in a very pleasant part of the park, great for a walk.

 

Don't let the published profile of the Gong ride concern you. The hills are actually reasonably comfortable and the climb out of RNP is sustained but the gradient is only 5-6% average.

 

http://www.cyclingforums.com/t-364439-15-10.html

 

No wonder I was able to handle it last year, 2-3 months from my return to cycling.

 

+1
The shape on the profile is deceiving because its basically squshed if it was more in proportion the hills don't look as bad.
Those things just really tell you when you are over the high parts.

 

That doesn't sound so bad. I've got an altimeter on my cycle computer which measures gradient. Bathurst is rather hilly with some nastly looking hills at about 10 - 12% gradient. In fact you can't go anywhere around here without having to tackle hills - not my favourite pastime,but I get up the top eventually and it is fun going downhill.
Thanks Sam