Thanks to James, this morning Pete, Ric, Will and James all completed a terrifically scenic spin through four gorges on the upper north shore. You can see where we rode here.
Setting off at 7.00 am from North Turramurra shops we raced away to the bottom of Bobbin Head Road and the Marina. The first climb out from there was gorge number 1. Knowing that we would be climbing back up Bobbin Head Road later in the morning for the Fourth Gorge wasn't such a pleasant thought.
We then enjoyed a few kms spinning along before descending into the really scenic Galston Gorge. Some of the hairpins on the descent were marked at 5km/h.
A real highlight was the run along the ridgetop before racing to the ferry crossing at the bottom of Bewowra Waters. We stocked up on some more water there, and scarfed an energy bar or three before climbing back out.
Will cruised along comfortably, chatting amiably before dropping all of us easily on each of the climbs. James proved a terrific tour guide and muscled his way to the top of each of the four climbs in a comfortable fashion before sprinting away in the final km to give us a 23km/h average. Pete rode along chatting in spurts and content to get the kms into his leg before our mammoth effort in just six weeks or so. Ric again performed the duties of "lantern rouge" and is looking forward to some others joining him on a mountain bike in the near future.
Coffees were enjoyed by all the lads at a very convivial and convenient cafe at our start/finish point. Terrific ride. Really pretty and scenic and in comfortably cool conditions.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
5 February Training Ride.
As another day in Sydney's Summer heatwave dawned, the lads leaped from their beds in the pre-dawn darkness in an effort to beat some of the 40 plus temperatures forecast for the day.
Andrew and Ric met up at the Great Northern Hotel (cnr of Mowbray Road and the Pacific Highway) a little apprehensive that the pub would still be open, and a cold beer more tempting than an 80km training ride.
A few kms down the Pacific Highway, Pete was collected from Lindfield Coles, and we also met up with Guy (a mate of Andrew's) who was about to embark on his longest ride ever.
James (a mate of Pete's) was collected from St Ives, and we spent the next few kms having a chat and commiserating about Dom's calf injury that would keep him from enjoying this warm and bright morning.
While the motor traffic wasn't too bad at this time of morning (shortly before 7am) along the Pacific Highway and Mona Vale Road, it was nice to turn off and head into the National Park. Our company from then on was a rapidly intensifying sun, the whir of bike wheels, the clicking of gears and the puffs of exertion on some decent category 5 climbs.
The pace was a steady 20 - 30km/h. Andrew was in fine form surging away and then circling back. Pete grew in strength and speed as the morning wore on. Guy rode magnificently for a chap doubling his previous longest distance. James spun along strongly despite some reservations about enjoying his Friday evening too much. Ric spent most of the ride as the 'lantern rouge', clipping along steadily on his brand new mountain bike steed, and trying to keep the road bikes at least in sight.
We enjoyed a 10 minute break at West Head and gazed out to sea and toward some fish swarming in the waters below. We then headed back as the temperature rapidly climbed, not quite enjoying that or the increase in road traffic on Mona Vale Road and the Highway.
James peeled off at St Ives, and the rest of the lads enjoyed a coffee and cold water or two at a local Lindfield cafe.
The boys then spun off in their separate directions to rest up for the 4pm BBQ at Pete's.
You can see the route we rode here.
Stay tune for our next exciting episode - Pete & Karen's Kitchen Rules! We might even have some more photos for you all.
Andrew and Ric met up at the Great Northern Hotel (cnr of Mowbray Road and the Pacific Highway) a little apprehensive that the pub would still be open, and a cold beer more tempting than an 80km training ride.
A few kms down the Pacific Highway, Pete was collected from Lindfield Coles, and we also met up with Guy (a mate of Andrew's) who was about to embark on his longest ride ever.
James (a mate of Pete's) was collected from St Ives, and we spent the next few kms having a chat and commiserating about Dom's calf injury that would keep him from enjoying this warm and bright morning.
While the motor traffic wasn't too bad at this time of morning (shortly before 7am) along the Pacific Highway and Mona Vale Road, it was nice to turn off and head into the National Park. Our company from then on was a rapidly intensifying sun, the whir of bike wheels, the clicking of gears and the puffs of exertion on some decent category 5 climbs.
The pace was a steady 20 - 30km/h. Andrew was in fine form surging away and then circling back. Pete grew in strength and speed as the morning wore on. Guy rode magnificently for a chap doubling his previous longest distance. James spun along strongly despite some reservations about enjoying his Friday evening too much. Ric spent most of the ride as the 'lantern rouge', clipping along steadily on his brand new mountain bike steed, and trying to keep the road bikes at least in sight.
We enjoyed a 10 minute break at West Head and gazed out to sea and toward some fish swarming in the waters below. We then headed back as the temperature rapidly climbed, not quite enjoying that or the increase in road traffic on Mona Vale Road and the Highway.
James peeled off at St Ives, and the rest of the lads enjoyed a coffee and cold water or two at a local Lindfield cafe.
The boys then spun off in their separate directions to rest up for the 4pm BBQ at Pete's.
You can see the route we rode here.
Stay tune for our next exciting episode - Pete & Karen's Kitchen Rules! We might even have some more photos for you all.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
The planning phase ...
No doubt some dedicated training is going to be important for us in conquering the Gulf 2 Gulf challenge ... but so too is planning.On Monday night this week we held our third pretty dedicated planning session. Pictured above, from left to right are the riders for Gulf 2 Gulf: Andrew, Pete, Dom and Ric.
Our planning is coming together pretty well with three new bikes purchased (Ric's "stealth bomber" a Giant XTC 29er in the shot), some cool (literally) designs for clothing just about determined, and a series of training rides between now and April all locked in.
Our discussions are normally pretty free-flowing, although the wine/beer consumption on Monday night was down on previous planning sessions - perhaps the upcoming training rides are making us more cautious?
At previous sessions we have gone through many of the logistics tasks with Alan and Pete doing a terrific job in planning out a really detailed itinerary, with overnight camping stops, daily distances, etc already determined. Dom's the natural expert on all things bike and bike maintenance. Andrew has not only kept us on track with our planning, but has also taken the lead in organising the finances (including potential sponsorship), logo designs and encouraging the liberal use of leg wax. Ric has put together a plan for when all sorts of things can go wrong - from weather events, to accidents and illness.
We're all looking forward to our first 3-4 hour long(ish) training ride together this Saturday morning. Pete's hoping that his front wheel for his road bike will be replaced by then after being hit by a car late on Monday afternoon. While the front wheel is buggered, Pete was fine if a little shaken up.
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