Muggaccinos Pedlars Sunday Cyclists - The Bullsheet

1.    Sunday, 29 July - Tour de Windsor -

i)             from Turramurra @ 8:30am via M2, Riverstone, Vineyard to Windsor

ii)           or from Dural @ 9am via Kenthurst, Maraylya to Windsor

then following the 37km Wilberforce, Ebenezer, Sackville loop, both groups return via Maraylya, Glenorie, Dural (104km) or onto Galston, Hornsby, Turramurra (133km)

Ø     Ride contacts:

  • Phil Johnston  9498.3684 hm

  • Brian Willis      9807.6439 hm

Ø     Hardcopy these instructions and also the Ride Schedule (accessible by double clicking on the "104 or 137km" in "Rides Calendar & Bullsheets") and bring on Sunday

a)       Cycling to Windsor

i)        from Turramurra station car-park – 47.5km to Windsor:
Rollout at 8:30am and descend Kissing Point Rd. to M2 to Riverstone, Mulgrave, Windsor where after 47.5km we meet cyclists that started from Dural for our initial Nosh Stop (30min) from 10:45am at Kate's Place Café in historic Thompson Square off George St. Windsor.   

In this box are detailed instructions of Turra' to Windsor:

Cycle 60m up Rohini St to the H'way and turn R at lights.  50m later L at lights into Kissing Point Rd and commence step descent shortly crossing Comenarra Parkway at lights and proceed to end of Kissing Point Rd.  Take R fork onto cycleway path to Browns Water Hole (caution steep decent with sharp turns, causeway may flood), followed by a short steep climb to M2.  We pass through a narrow 20m tunnel and join M2 on south side.

Passing two on and two off roads, we cycle 15kms to where Old Windsor Rd meets Abbott Rd and continue straight along Abbott Road.  R into Johnson Avenue at lights.  1.1km later L into Vardys Rd. and follow under the overpass and through the roundabout, crossing Sunnyholt Rd at the lights and cycle on to Marayong Station, passing thru industrial areas. 

Cycle under the railway bridge and L at roundabout shortly followed by a second L to climb onto Railway Road bridge, effectively heading north beside the railway line until Quakers Hill station where, when we reach the Give Way sign, turn L, then a R and R again, to take you onto the bridge over the railway line onto Quakers Hill Parkway.
A few hundred metres on, L onto Hambledon Rd.  Soon L onto Walker Street (through housing estate) at T junction L onto Burdekin Rd and follow this around - it becomes Railway Terrace.  Follow the railway line to Schofields and continue to Riverstone along Railway Tce. 

At Riverstone station do a quick R and L and follow railway line on your LHS.  Riverstone Parade will take us to Vineyard Station.  (Clear land on the L once was Riverstone abattoirs.) 

At Vineyard station the road veers to the R.  Take Wallace Rd - first street immediately to your L. 

Follow railway along and Wallace Rd will end at a T inter section.  Cycle over railway crossing on your L, and take Railway Rd which is first on your R and remain on it until Mulgrave Station where we turn R onto Mulgrave Rd and follow until you reach Windsor Rd.  Turn L onto Windsor Rd, and follow it until you reach Windsor.

ii)    from “Hills Tourist Info Centre” car-park (656B Old Northern Rd Dural – UBD 131 - on LHS just after Porter Scenic Lookout and before Dural Country Club) – 35km to Windsor:
Rollout at 9:05am and cycle north up Old Northern Rd for 1.2km and take a left into Wyoming Rd.  After a few more short back streets which loop SW, we head NW predominantly along Kenthurst Rd, Pitt Town Rd, Scheyville Rd and Windsor Rd to Windsor, where we meet the Turra’ contingent after 35km at 10:45am for our 1st Nosh Stop (30min) at Kate's Place Café in historic Thompson Square off George St. Windsor.

b)       Wilberforce, Ebenezer, Sackville anti-clock loop 37km:
 At 11:15am both groups descend to cross the adjacent Old Windsor Bridge heading N along Wilberforce Rd for 7km to Wilberforce - taking the bike lane with views of river flat vegetable farming.  We then R off Wilberforce Rd at top of hill into King Rd and after passing thru Ebenezer, road becomes Sackville Rd for about 4.5 km.  We then R into Tizzana Rd that leads to Sackville via a quiet 'n quaint, rural area - blast from the past stuff.

Over the ensuing 5-6 km (as we wind from cycling NW twds Sackville, then fleetingly W then SW, then S) we pass the Tizzana Winery and a lily farm opposite.  Then, out of the blue, as we commence heading S is about 200m of unsealed road.

We then arrive at the “T” intersection where Tizzana Rd meets Sackville Rd and re-group 2nd Sag Stop (3 min).  The Sackville Ferry is visible about 300m on the R.  We tthen L back along Sackville Rd which returns us to Ebenezer, Wilberforce and Windsor. 

At 1pm we take a 2nd Nosh Stop (35 min) in another café at Windsor.

c)         Returning to start points
 Both groups commence the return at 1:35pm by re-tracing the route twds Dural.

The Dural contingent’s ETR is 3:10pm [104km].  

The Turra’ contingent then heads further south along Old Northern Rd, Wylds Rd, Arcadia Rd to GreenShades Café for a 3rd Nosh Stop [108km] at 2:15pm (25 min) with an ETR at Turra’ of 4:15pm after taking the short cut along the east side of the rail line [133km].

Bank Teller's abridged rap-up of Sunday, 22 July, Quatre Montagnes - 85km sloshfest

Smack on schedule at 10:20am five rain-drenched, drowned rats (Tony The Publican, ToothFairy, Racounter, Nick The Pom, and Annie Oakley) were chomping into either Eggs Benedict or Vegan omelettes, washed down with delightful Mokador coffee.  ToothFairy had solicited, "How does the moisture find its way into every, simply every nook 'n cranny?"  PJ had responded, "I feel like I'm in a wetsuit".  

Luighi had a beaut gas heater set-up under the sheltered patio at GreenShades, and it did the trick by returning some life into our shivering bones, also partially drying our drenched gloves 'n arm-warmers which we threw around it, hopeful of miracles.

Hitherto, the Highland Mist had regularly misted, as though it had some old scores to settle with Sydney's recent run of mild Winter weather - as though "cumulus whatever they're called" were attempting to assert their authority over the brill sunshine of the morn' before.  

With visibility less than spectacular thereabouts, 'twasn't surprising that we hadn't encountered the usual congregations of Sunday cyclists.  But they must've been out there somewhere, 'cause cyclists wouldn't let a little dampness in the depths of Winter deter 'em attending their regular Sunday service.

Having re-fueled on two rounds of coffees/scrumptious  googie eggs, and after voting to skip the extra four clicks Wylds Rd adjunct, our fivesome soldiered north for the Berowra Punt.  The initial few clicks twds Arcadia was at a pace not inconsistent with the first 100m upon diving into North Sydney Pool "when they got boiler problems", as we strived to "unrustify" those clunky joints.  Annie had spied a small patch of blue sky further north, and we were determined to find it.

Earlier in the ride, PJ had learned that Nick's wife had played her first game of comp soccer the day before and was not only "over the moon" as her team collected "the two competition points", but also "cock a hoop" for picking up the "best 'n fairest".  Hence, with a munificent and sports loving wife and two billy lids waiting upon his return to Mt Colah, The Pom took the first ferry as he didn't want to go into debit points.  

Somehow just out of Galston The Publican had temporarily "got lost", but he found us and we trudged up from The Punt, lugging a few extra pounds of damp lycras to the abandoned Health Food Store for a brief respite, 'cause that blessed rain hadn't abated and it wasn't the climate to stand around shooting the breeze.  But before we re-mounted, point of order Mr Chairman, "one of the members has a motion to put".  By unanimous vote we decided to skip the final climb from Bobbin Head, reasoning rather to return along the east side from Hornsby to Turra' 'cause we'd had enough fun in this sloshfest.  

But 20 min later, as we approached the L into familiar Bobbin Hd, and with the "mist still misting", we either forgot our resolution or our consciences got the better of us, whereupon we all hooked a left for one more hill.

With Annie having peeled-off at Hornsby, on cue at 1:50pm a lean team of three remaining Sodden Soldiers returned to Turra', resembling crippled ducks ‘n mud rats. PBs and who won le maillot jaune were the furthest thing from our focus, but we’s was well-satisfied with weathering the worst of a less than perfect mid-Winter's day.

With every dark cloud there's a silver lining, 'cause this Brown Bunny did what he'd managed to put off for too long, and washed his bike post ride - just couldn't put it away looking like something the dog dragged in.

Following Nautilus Café Warriewood  -  100km - 8:30am from St Ives - ETR 2:15pm

The Scribe  - 24 July 2001