Muggaccinos Pedlars Sunday Cyclists - The Bullsheet

This Sunday, 7:15am 15 Oct (2 weeks before Fitz's)
Cinque Montagnes clockwise plus Glenorie and Brooklyn adjuncts - 115kms from Turra'

Both below ride start points to arrive at Green Shades Nursery, Galston by 8:45am:

  • Longer Ride - Cinque Montagnes [115kms]
    Arrive Turramurra car park [North/East side of station] by 7am for a 7:15am departure cycling in/out of Bobbin Head, arriving at Kalkari Reserve breather-stop after 14kms around 8am for a brief breather. Heading for Galston Gorge, via Hornsby Heights, we take a left [at the stop sign corner] around Asquith Golf Course into Belmont Pde joining Pac. Highway after crossing over railway line at Asquith train station where we continue south and shortly take a right into Galston Rd and pedal twds Hornsby Heights.
  • Shorter Rides - Two Hills [50kms] or Three Hills with Brooklyn leg [76kms]
    Arrive at Hornsby car-park [100 metres Nth/West of the Railway Hotel in Jersey St] by 7:40am for a 7:50am roll out cycling north up Jersey St, with a left after 500 metres, followed by a right 60 metres later [at traffic lights] on to Old Pacific Highway for about 1km where you turn left at lights at Galston Rd twds Hornsby Heights.

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 [from Turra’] and 32kms done is at Green Shades Nursery Café at Galston [9653.1500ph] from 8:45am – the restaurant management allows us to leave our bikes inside the green metal doors.

Around 9:15am, after crossing thru the familiar roundabout just outside the nursery, we pedal north for about a click and throw a left at Sallaway Rd [where there is a sign to Glenorie] and about 1.4 kilometres later we turn right onto Mid Dural Rd and 500 metres later, we take a right onto Old Northern Rd where we continue due north for about 3 clicks before turning right into Wylds Rd which returns us to Arcadia Rd where we proceed as normal to 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 [50kms] or Turra’ [76kms] car parks]. We then turn right into Brooklyn Rd [about 150 metres shy of the old Brooklyn Bridge] where we cycle about 5kms into Brooklyn for brunch at the Red Herring Fish Shop on the Pier from around 11am.

Around 11:30am we commence our 4th climb back up to Pie in the Sky [9985.7018ph] arriving around midday after 79 kms for meat pies with real meat. If its 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 12:30 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 2:30pm, with 115kms on the computer and five hills on the ledger. The ride is about 86kms from Hornsby with only three hills - expected back by 2pm.

Widget's rap-up of The Bumble Hill "Iron Horse Ride"

The first battalion of Muggs (Ann, Brenda, BackPacker and Phil) departed almost spot-on schedule from Hornsby station car park opposite familiar "Browsery Pottery" on an unseasonably warm, still Sunday morning. Siggy, Pete and Simmo bringing up the rear in the next heat.

Down the road and further along the clock more Muggs (Elfi, Bruce, Ian and recent convert, Jean-Claude) made it onto the road in their own choreographed version of the proposed ride.

Backpacker Bruce stormed up Mount White with so much momentum in that tank on his back that he overshot the Bikie Hangout and didn’t turn around ‘til he managed to slow down at the crossroads at Calga.

Widget’s bike started making alarming screeching noises on the hill climb. It was all quite worrisome. If it happened in the car her feminine survival instincts would 've come to the fore and she’d 've turned up the radio. As it was she had to rely on her mechanical skills, which included a few kicks, thumps and a good talking to….. - Voila, problem solved!

A brief regrouping of the troops at Mount White and then the Scouting Section (bereft of Bruce as he had important business back at home base) headed off on that never ending undiluted hill drag to Peats Ridge.

Pacific Pete paid a visit to the thunderbox prior to his departure from that grassy knoll. We later learned that the poor chappie had managed to drop his cycle mitt down the John whilst he was attending to matters. Everyone was too polite to enquire how it happened, but given our bunch there would have been private speculation - "Has Pete got a kinky side?".

A two star (that’s a minus 2*) stop for a few quick cuppas at the Peats Ridge Nursery Café, Bellbrook, where Ann, Brenda and Phil concluded that it wouldn’t rate a strong mention in the Muggs latest edition of "Best Slop Shops for Pit Stops" where star ratings are given:

  • Ambient setting with plastic outdoor chairs.
  • Quick service from pleasant waitresses (additional stars if they display a good set of jugs (remember Narelle at Green Shades and the brunette at the Red Herring). No don't, rather make that tableware.
  • Large white stone crockery - again GreenShades ranks highly.
  • An acceptable (edible) raisin toast. Not burnt to a crust or over-buttered
  • Bread rolls that arrive with the soup, not with the bill.
  • Clean toilets, preferably wall-papered in a nice circa '70s floral design, fancy soaps and perfumed toilet paper. If that’s too much to hope for an unsmelly lavatory with a "no frills" loo paper will suffice.
  • A prompt and uncomplicated presentation of l áddition is appreciated by the fuddle heads that have to divvy it up and return to the saddle before the sun goes down.

The Smiling Assassin, Pacific Pete and The Enforcer pulled in at the
Mid-Coast Petroleum, our usual designated breather stop - only one star rating, but popular in Winter, 'cause it has a quaint, sunny courtyard. However, for high summer riding, the cover afforded by the adjoining Bellbrook Nursery Café might be the better option.

Another half hour or so in the saddle and then the event we were all looking forward to - the dreaded descent of corrugated Bumble Bloody Bumpy Hill! With a downhill more suited to skiers than cyclists and more moguls than Mount Perisher. Some of us masochists enjoyed it so much, we climbed back up to the start:

  • 100% of the female contingent tackled the beast with Ann, the Sturgeon Surgeon, claiming QOM easy peasy. PJ just couldn’t catch her, despite a ball breaking effort on his part. Widget suffered more mechanical problems of the medical type on her hill climb. This time a knee cramp forced her off the bike but she couldn’t let the side down (or was it the thought of a DNF), so she soldiered on up.
  • 50% of the male brigade with Pete and Simmo piking out.

With a max of 72kms p/h down Bumble, Siggy escalated his ave. for the day to 23.6 kms p/h.

Lunch in the sunny, garden setting at Yarramalong Valley Manor was another pleasant affair with high marks for ambience, setting and staff, with soup of the day again popular and a delightfully, large antipasto for two to pig into. (Phil Pig and Simmo Oink) But best not to mention the blackened raisin toast. The toilets were beaut though!

As it "wasn't a race", we all managed to set out together for the last leg to Wyong. Pete, Simmo and Sig determined to be first in for a change after having trailed the Head Scouts until then, made an awesome sprint, Peloton style, for the scheduled Iron Horse. 'Twas a pretty stretch of road for all our senses to feast on:

  1. Fields of lawn farms, interspersed between normal farms with horses, cattle and donkeys for our eyes to behold.
  2. Delightful bleating of bellbirds for our ears to relax by.
  3. Distinctive smell of bushfire smoke for our nostrils to enjoy with the anticipation of Summer.

Qualifying as ‘mental retards', PJ and BB took the disabled train station lift instead of clunking-up the steps with the bikes. They caused much merriment from amongst the in-breds as they couldn’t manage to operate the lift for one floor. They had crammed into the lift, evidenced the door close, heard a lot of loud crunching noises and the sliding door re-open after about a minute. But it did so where they had started from. Well, there were two buttons to choose from!

The decision to take the express train was a good one as the locals weren't many. We arrived back at Hornsby at 3:30pm with the weather starting to deteriorate and a century of clicks on the clock and another fun day’s riding under the belt.

Following Sunday 7:15am 22 Oct (1 week before Fitz's) - Joining Bike North's "Cowan to Calga" ride by departing Turra' at 6:40am or Hornsby at 7:05am - 115kms from Turra'

Depart Turra' train station Rohini St car park at 6:30am or Hornsby train station side-of-the-road car park at 7:05am (75 metres north of Railway Hotel - west side of rail line) to meet Bike North's caravan at 7:30am on Old Pacific H'way at Cowan train station. The Bikie Hangout at Mt White [50 kms from Turra' or 37kms from H] will likely be our first put down around 8:50am for 30 mins. However, the Scribe has spoken to Bike North's Ride Organiser, Brian Willis [9807 6439 (H)] to ascertain other stops/timing.

Fitz's mid-week 140kms "tune-up" with 4 hills

Simmo, PJ, Ann and Brenda have indicated a willingness to take Tues, 17 Oct, off work for a mid-week Fitz's "tune-up", probably from Turra' to Peats Ridge and back - 140kms. More details next issue.

The Widget 'n The Scribe - 9 Rocktober 2000 - johnstph@cba.com.au