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MUGGACCINO Pedlars Sunday Cyclists - The Bullsheet 1. This Sunday, 16 July Cinque Montagnes [100.2kms] or Two Hills Ride [46kms] meeting Cyclops contingent at Green Shades Nursery Café at 9:30am THE RAINMAN is Phil [‘phone 0416 266.519]. Both below ride groups to arrive at Green Shades Nursery, Galston by 9:30am for a parle with Cyclops’ riders who commence from St Ives at seven bells and arrive at Turra’ station at 8am. ¨
Longer Ride - Cinque
Montagnes [100.2kms] ¨
Shorter Rides - Two
Hills [46kms]
or Three Hills with Brooklyn leg
[76kms] A few clicks later you descend to Galston Gorge and climb 3kms back out. Our initial caffeine fix/grub load, with two of the five climbs completed and 32kms done [from Turra’] is at Green Shades Nursery Café at Galston [9653.1500ph] from 9:30am – the restaurant management is comfortable with us leaving our bikes outside the rest rooms and inside the green metal doors on the LHS. Around 10am, we bade farewell to Cyclops and pedal north to Arcadia, then onto pastoral Berrilee, descending to picturesque Berowra Waters for the ride on the punt. After another enjoyable climb, we throw a left from Berowra Waters Rd. on the Pacific H'way cycling through Cowan, then descending Breathtaking Brooklyn. [If you’ve had enough, you can stop at “Two Hills” by turning right and return to either Hornsby [46kms] or Turra’ [72kms] car parks]. We chuck a u-turn at Brooklyn Rd turn-off [about 150 metres shy of the old Brooklyn Bridge] where we commence our 4th climb back up to Pie in the Sky [9985.7018ph] arriving around 11:20am after 64 kms for meat pies with chunks of real meat. If it’s sunny, the ambience from the garden seating at The Pie in the Sky, looking back out over Brooklyn can be hard to leave. Alas, a tad after midday we commence the 35kms ride to Turra’ car park via our 5th and final climb when we escalate Bobbin Head from the easy side. Our ETR is 2:10pm, with 100.2kms on the computer and five hills on the ledger. The ride is 74kms from Hornsby with only three hills - expected back by 1:40pm. 2. Brenda’s rap-up of Sunday, 9 July, “Scenic Ferry Boat & Iron Horse Ride” Fourteen footloose and fancy free riders gathered for our ferry/train cycle ride, which turned out a corker: ¨ 9 – Brenda B, Bruce H, David S, David, John M, Mark, PJ, Stuart and Sig from Turra’ station. ¨ 5 – Anne W, Maria T, Marea E, Nicky M. and Peter T from the wusses rollout at Hornsby station. Just as we were about to rollout, Phil experienced technical difficulties with his mobile phone. Sig showed him the On/Off switch. With a definite derisory tone in his voice Helmet Hun declared Phil a Dinosaur. Q. What do you call a Dinosaur with a penchant for using Shift + F7 to find long, convoluted words that no one has heard of? A. PhilThesaurus. Our first climb from Bobbin Head registered a KnackerFactor of 9 due to PJ sneaking off early with Simmo in pursuit. Hence, we enjoyed our respite at Kalkari. Much social discourse especially between the newcomers, young, good sorts on mountain bikes. We learnt that Stuart, Mark and David were in training for crossing the Simpson Desert. Muggs’ Rides aren’t ideal training with for a desert crossing: ¨ Simpson Desert is as flat as a tack with nigh a café in site. ¨ Muggs’ Rides are hilly as hell where too many coffees aren’t enough. Before we carried on, eagle-eyed Sig spotted that John’s saddle had a pronounced vertical tilt. Was John’s voice a few octaves higher or does he get a jolly from it? John informed us that no matter how much he tightened it, it still slipped - his saddle, not his voice. John! It could be a false economy riding a $200 Woolworths’ clunker if the family jewels are at stake. Off, off and away along the O.P.H. (Old Pacific Highway not Old Peoples Home as some thought last week) towards Brooklyn and the ferry. Seated at the Pier, with the nose bags on, we met the Hornsby brigade. Peter T don’t worry about Phil’s jibes about commencing with the wusses. I wouldn’t want to kiss any more dirt either at Amen Corner. Anne W. made the short trip up from Nowra. Cyclists have come from far and wide just for the dubious honour of riding with the Muggs. After filling our faces aplenty at the marina, we embarked the ferry at 10:10am for a delightful trip on the Hawkesbury. Bestowed with warm winter sunshine, we scampered upstairs to sit on the top deck to get our nine bucks worth. Grudgingly alighting at Patonga, Phil stole a march in the unlikely endeavour of a KOM. Everyone else followed, bar John and Mark who were left as sole custodians of a surplus bicycle helmet, without a head. After pondering it couldn’t belong to any of our crew they were about to return it, but the ferry had sailed. About five minutes into the precipitous Patonga climb (Knacker Factor 9.5) Bruce cruised alongside Brenda and furtively enquired of the Welsh Widget had she noticed that Phil, in front, wasn’t wearing his lid. Of course she had. But in keeping the 7th Commandment [“Encourage the idiosyncratic and extreme”], Brenda thought Phil be allowed to jettison excess weight in pursuit of a KOM. Or was it that in the sneaky pursuit of opening up an early break, the silly buffoon had left his helmet on the ferry. Bruce entreated her to reconsider and alert him. Bruce is such a gentleman – but he’ll learn [subsequently Chrome Dome chastised Brenda for not waiting ‘till PJ had reached Woy Woy]. So she relented, upon which Phil quickly retreated to retrieve his headdress from a bewildered Mark. How could anyone be such a dork? Ask Sig, as he’s lost his fanny pack often enough. The climb was worth the effort as the summit [approaching Pearl Beach] provided a picturesque view of the Blue Pacific which surrounds the lower central coast. The girls, Maria in particular, enjoyed the adrenaline rush and the other rush to get to the next pig-out station - the Grouse House in Blackwall St. Woy Woy – arriving at 12:40pm - 55kms from Turra’ or 40.4kms from Hornsby. Burgers and cokes were the order of the day, with Stuart doing a loaves ‘n fishes with the chips. Right on que we caught the 1:26pm intent upon disembarking at Hawkesbury River station to ride home, via Pie in the Sky. However, as we piled out at Brooklyn some had other ideas - Maria, Nicky and David S. remained transfixed, fully ensconced in their seats where no amount of cajoling and beseeching would make them move until Hornsby. The 8kms race to our favourite PIS Stop (Pie in the Sky – ain’t strong on acronyms). Almost at the top, with Brenda in cruise control, when Bruce alerted her that Phil was rapidly encroaching. Cool as a cucumber, I dropped a cog and buried The Arrogant Bastard over the final 300 metres. Who was going to score the last Blueberry Pie? A recent busted hip didn’t thwart Peter T in snavelling the last Blueberry Pie, much to the disappointment of Marea. After a relaxing repast at the pie shop where the courtyard was chockers, we commenced our return journey. However, as I subsequently learnt, only Phil, John and Brenda made the final climb of Bobbin Head. Seemingly a sprinkle of rain rendered Sig proffering that it too dangerous to descend Bobbin Head and short-cuted via the highway. Circa 2000 Bald Kraut is a shadow of the man, who not so long ago would lead his comrades into gale force winds ‘n rain, rather than take a soft option. For the record, a woman won the Yellow Jersey again, clocking 22.7Ks p/h over 98.2kms. (Subject to testing laboratory verification – Mugg) 3. Bicycle New South Wales Membership provides $20 million Public Liability Coverage for its members If cycling and you cause a 3rd party to suffer personal or property damage, you will be liable to pay that 3rd party’s damages and costs. Hence, Public Liability Coverage is mandatory if you cycle regularly. PJ will distribute a Bicycle New South Wales membership form [$45 pa] to anyone who is not an existing Bicycle NSW member. Other stuff like a bi-monthly national magazine and discounts for organised rides and purchases at some cycle shops are other benefits. 4. A former occasional rider with Muggs, member of Macarthur Collegians C.C. excels in annual Goulburn to Camden 160 kms classic A few years ago, Mark Walters, who races with Macarthur Collegians C.C. cycled a few times with Muggs on a Sunday. The last occasion was when we first escalated Bumble Hill in ‘97. Mark also rode a Big Ride with a few of the crew and our long termers remember him as fit as a malliebull and awesome on the hills. Sig recently coerced PJ into joining Macarthur Collegians, which merely proves they’re non-discriminatory, but that’s another story. Below is a write-up by Mark’s girlfriend, Sally Watts, of last Sat week’s annual Goulburn to Camden 160 kms classic, which not so long ago was the 2nd most prestigious annual race on the domestic calendar. [Due to police requests it now finishes outside of Sydney in Camden, but still attracts a few hundred competitors.] As you’ll read, Mark done good! – 11th in “C” Grade and 1st Vet home. If you ever want to give competition racing ago, Macarthur conducts a Sat. race every w’end, unless an inter-club event is held, in which case you can race against other clubs. Annual membership of $100 covers rider’s insurance. A $30 visitor membership is available to enable prospective members to experience racing by competing in three w’ends races. As mentioned above, Macarthur is non-discriminatory, and club camaraderie is high, whereby retreating to the Menangle Village Store, come bottleshop, to chew the fat, shoot the breeze and toast the victors, is a regular post-race occurrence. “We decided to stay at Goulburn the night before the race as it would be less tiring for the rider and the driver. After a good night’s sleep it was time to crawl out of bed and get orgainsed. Luckily I only had to organise myself as I was coming back to the room after the race had started. After warming up the car and melting the ice off the windows I decided I was glad it was not me who was racing. We arrived at the registration only to find that Mark’s entry had not been processed, but we didn’t mind standing around in naught degrees filling out forms for the second time. Finally we got Mark organised and on his bike doing the quickest and coldest warm up of his life. After the race had started I had the privilege of packing up the motel room and loading the car and, oh yeah! a quick hot chocolate for the road. After about an half an hour of driving I finally came across the first rider to be dropped from the pack, don’t worry only another 90 odd km to go. Then I passed the main bunch. Where is Mark? Don’t tell me I missed him, but there was 40-50 riders to look through. Another couple of k’s up the road and I spotted 3 break away riders. Mark what are you doing? I was too late for hotcakes at McDonalds so I continued my journey to the cheesecake shop at Bowral. Hot soup and mud cake was on the menu. I had approx 45 mins to have lunch and be at the feed station to see the first of A grade. I was very concerned about getting the bottle to Mark through the pack of riders, especially after watching A & B grade and the close calls. Within 15 mins of the last of A & B came the C grade lead police car with flashing lights, here goes nothing stand your ground for your rider I was thinking. Here comes the first rider, oh my god he is wearing a Macarthur jersey, it’s Mark and no ones else in sight. This makes the feed station a little easier. After the last rider went by it was time to complete the journey. First stop was Bradbury to pick up more support crew (Mum), then to the finish line at Elderslie. Unfortunately the little break away group got caught after the feed station and the finish was a bunch sprint. But the support crew was very pleased with their riders result of 11th place (1st Vet). An hour after the race finished the team finally packed up and drove home, making plans for next year! Sal“ Phil Johnston 10 July 2000 9312.3319 wk – 9498.3684 hm (0416 266.519 only when on the road)
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