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Pay homage to the Big Red Fire Ball  by witnessing its arrival from a Holy Place  

 

 

5am Fri morn' 17 Dec '10, Annual Summer Solstice Ride, from West Head Gates -  5 definite starters thus far, 2 more probables

Bank Teller has regularly relied on a website which lists Sunrise Times over Sydney to determine Sunday ride Start Times. 

The above URL shows the shortest night's kip is Thurs nite 18 Dec, 'cause it's the Summer Solstice, when the Big Red Fire Ball peeps-up from out of the ocean with lots of steam at 5:40am on Friday morn' and stays up 'til 8:06pm Friday nite
(The
World is Flat and don't be fooled by Galileo and all those astronomers.)

A few years ago, following a bout of insomnia, Dieter 'n Helga aka Blonde Bombshell pedalled out to West Head when it was dark 'n quiet, to evidence the sunrise over the ocean.  12 months ago, Dieter aka ElectroMan, Gene aka KoalaBear, and Bank Teller similarly paid homage at The Headland.  It was magic!

Hugh aka Wellington, with state-of-the-art wet-cell battery with two halogen bulbs is cycling from Hornsby by 4am to arrive at West Head Rd gates at 5am.
So long as it isn't raining
, shortly prior to the finito of the Shortest Night  Dieter, Helga, KoalaBear and The Teller will again park at the entrance gates to West Head, Cnr Liberator General San Martin Drive and West Head Rd, and together with Hugh, by five bells pedal prudently under LED white lights the familiar, lumpy twelve clicks to West Head to worship the
Big Red Fire Ball.   Eric aka PapaBear and Ian aka The Flash and are other likely starters.

Thru the ages the 'witch doctors' from many cultures, creeds and tribes' worshiped Heap Plenty Powerful Gods, but none more potent than the Big Red Fire Ball.



The ball above is what we come to worship.  The ball below will be
three quarter bright on 21 Dec, so long as we don't get cloud cover
.

Click on Tide and Moon predictions for Sydney (Fort Denison)  and enter 18 Dec which shows a which is Half Moon symbol.  Click on 24 Dec which shows which is Full Moon symbol. So we will have a ¾ moon, which is a lot better than we got last year, where with an o'cast sky, it was Powerful Dark when we set out from the West Head Gates at 5am. 

After returning to The Gates thereby completing 24km, we drive back to Pattisons Patisserie St Ives arriving 6:45am (15 mins after it opens) for brekkie.  If you aren't due at your Slave Slab thereafter, you might opt to get in some more clicks after chow.
Merit may exist in you joining us at The Gates to West Head by 5:00am on Fri morn' 21 Dec to also pay deference to the most powerful energy force man can eye-ball, 'cause you never know what Force may call the shots in the next life.
 

As noted in the Risk Warning at the bottom of this invitation, U will need a white LED light on your bike or helmet to see your way to West Head particularly for the initial 20 mins from The Gates.  We will ride slowly for safety, and ideally behind a cyclist with the $300 whiz-bang powerful lights.  Listed in Consumable Bits Inventory are 2 @ Brand Spankers Trek LED lights @ $29 each if U don't have a white LED and want to add this unique ride to your CV.

That thin horizontal line of dark cloud on the horizon was the reason why it was still as black as pitch at the West Head Gates at scheduled sunrise, coupled with there being a thin layer of high cloud and no moon.

Resplendent in mug-shot pose, Dieter, too knackered to smile after high-tailing it out for the 5:40am sunrise, only to find we had to wait another 5 mins before the Big Red Fire Ball peeped above that black cloud.

Phil arrived at a more leisurely pace.

 

Three pics of the Sunrise over Bronte Beach

Risk Warning:  Moon Light provides insufficient light to cycle to West Head.  Each cyclist needs a strong white light affixed to his handle bar or to his helmet to see ahead, and cycle the first half of the 12km slowly whilst it is at its darkest.  Otherwise, you could 'come a cropper'

 

Risk Warning
Blackspot Warning.  The road section approx 300m prior to the West Head Lookout veers awkwardly to the right.  It is narrow with very little camber to facilitate cyclists holding the narrowing roadway.
Bank Teller has documentary evidence of 5 bad accidents when inexperienced cyclists descended that road section too fast and spun off to the LHS.  One cyclist remained in a comma for 3 months.
Descend to the West Head Lookout slowly and warn others to do likewise. 
RTA, which is responsible for West Head Rd, has been flagrantly negligent in ignoring my Three Letters
dated 11 Jan 08, 8 Feb 08 and 29 March ’08 and Annexure to -
a)      straighten approx 200m of that road section by widening on the RHS,
b)      build up the camber on the LHS, and
c)      provide dedicated "Cyclists SLOW DOWN" signage.


Some forms of cycling are dangerous.  An ave of 36 Australian cyclists have been killed annually since 2000.  95% of these fatalities occur on the road Other cyclists in Australia break bones and incur nerve impairment from falling off their bikes in accidents. 
A cyclist could fall from his/her bike, inter alia, due to -
(i)      being hit by a car or another cyclist; or
(ii)     encountering a pothole;
(iii)    cycling too fast on a wet downhill where the coefficient of friction is much less, particularly at corners; or
(iv)    getting their bicycle wheel caught in a gap in a timber bridge.

A negligent cyclist could -

(a)    be litigated by a seriously injured cyclist, or 3rd party (ie. a woman pushing a pram on a footpath or a car driver) under common law where the damages could exceed $500,000; and

(b)    lose his/her home if he/she did not have public liability insurance which covers their negligence whilst on a push bike.

A negligent cyclist who did not have personal injury insurance (ie self-employed without income protection cover) could struggle to meet regular outgo commitments.

A seriously injured cyclist could be awarded damages which a negligent cyclist could not afford to pay if the negligent cyclist -
(I)     did not have public liability insurance cover; and/or
(II)    did not possess valuable assets.

Ø     Cycling without Public Liability cover is as silly as driving without 3rd Party -
 join Bicycle NSW for PL insurance, so that all Muggs are better protected

Ø     Click on: Risk Management which warns of 'inter alia', the dangers of cycling on public roads with motor cars, potholes and over bridges with vertical timber planks with gaps

Ø     Cycling with Muggs is predicated upon notifying Bank Teller if you materially disagree with any clause(s) in Muggaccinos' "Ride Participants Liability Acknowledgment"

 

Pics from 21 Dec 2007 Solstice Ride

 

 

Scribe      6 Oct '10 - last updated