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Muggaccinos Pedlars Sunday Cyclists - The Bullsheet 1. This Sunday, 11 Feb, "Peat’s Ridge and Somersby Bellbirds": ¨ 130kms from Hornsby Stn west-side, Jersey St at 6:45am or ¨ 99kms from Cowan station at 7:30am As listed in Australian Cyclist "Push On" Magazine, we rollout of Hornsby train station car park [100 metres north of the Railway Hotel in Jersey St N/W of train station] on our trusty treadleys at 6:45am sharp. Or park at Cowan train station and join the caravan at 7:25am (on Old Pacific H’way) reducing the ride to 99kms. Route: Hornsby, Cowan, Hawkesbury Bridge, Mt White, Peats Ridge, Somersby to the pleasant dulcet tones of chirping/pinging Bellbirds, where we return to Mt White via the Scenic Route, whereupon we retrace to Cowan (ETR 1:10pm) and Hornsby (ETR 1:50pm.) Nosh Stops: (i)
Mt
White Village Store
for 25 mins from 8:27am after 35kms
– “Move Ice
Coffee” safer bet (ii)
Somersby
General Store
for 20 mins from 10:15am after
67kms - unknown substance quality? (iii)
Mt
White Village Store
for 15 mins from 11:37am after
92kms - ditto (i) above (iv)
Pie
in the Sky
for 25 mins from 12:30am after 108kms - Segafredo
Café 8½
of 10 2.
Scribe/Widget’s
rap-up of Gourmet's Binge Sun, 4 Feb
– 78kms - 3 hills 15 or so cyclists joined the ride at various
times on a quintessentially Feb day - sultry,
steamy n’ sunny. Whilst most
of us completed the advertised Trois Montagnes
78kms, it wouldn’t have earned points for precision timing, but then
again, it was humid. Whippet,
Kin-Yat, Ginger Meggs, Peter A. and
David put on the early pace out of Hornsby from 7:05am until Brian got a flat
around Mt Ku’ring’gai. Graciously,
Anorexic Greyhound declined
various offers of assistance to help change it.
Perhaps he should have accepted one of ‘em, ‘cause that blessed
puncture made a mess of his tyre - ending Whippet’s
ride. PJ scored more demerit points when a crew of a
dozen gathered from 8am at the familiar Brooklyn Pier on a “getting
steamier” morn. Alas, for the
second time since Xmas, the Red Herring
was as dead as a ghost town in an old
Wyatt Earp movie, although we were saved the tumbleweeds blowing up a dusty
dirt drag. You
could have shot an elephant gun along the normally thriving Pier, and not hit
anyone. Things didn’t improve when most of us
adjourned to the cafe 30 yds back, as the madame boss-lady made us “as
welcome as pork pie at a bar mitzvah in Jerusalem”. Fair crack, one of us must ‘ve had the bubonic plague, such
was our greeting. Sure we was hot
‘n sweaty, but we had sat on the plastic seats, and the joint wasn't
o'flowing with locals seeking peace and tranquility.
Me suspects that the lady in charge manages the joint, but doubt she owns
it, ‘cause we was paying customers, albeit reduced to 10 with Widget,
ToothFairy, Kin-Yat, Peter A and
David, having bolted back up the incline to Pie
in the Sky. However, Simmo
and Siggy’s arrival [Chrome Dome cycled from Turra’]
had bolstered our numbers. Around 8:40am after 34.7kms about 15 sizzling,
sweaty sods garbed in clammy, colourful
clothes, all sweating like Pat Rafter
on a hot day at the Melb Tennis Centre, were spread-eagled around a
patchwork of tables at PitS, pondering
“was it all worth it?” In their defence, they had all hammered up the 4kms well-tread
trajectory in oppressive conditions. Papa Bear
got a leave pass from “she who must be
obeyed” and joined us at PitS -
wasn’t any easy accomplishment, ‘cause since the FatMan’s
delayed start to 2001 Audax training, enduring wife, Brigetta, has suffered many
hours of whingeing/whining,
bellyaching/bewailing after each of Eric’s daily training routines.
Following which, the Burgeoning Behemoth had promised loyal lady that with the Audax now all done, she would “come
first”. We learned that recently “hitched”, Simmo,
aka The Enforcer, didn’t have to sneak out to get a ride in, rather an augmenting
appendage above the waist-line [wash
your sordid minds out]
had evidenced wife, Nicky (erstwhile Mugg),
giving subtle hints that joining the old brigade, for a hard
hit-out, was in order. Bazza,
Peter C and BackPacker said their tar-tars
at PitS, and around 9:10am a reduced contingent retreated to Berowra
Waters Rd in anticipation of a brief Sag Stop
respite, whilst waiting for the “free
ride” on the Berowra Waters Punt. After 59.4kms around 9:40am WhipperSnapper
and The Scribe had pulled up along Arcadia Rd at the Wylds Rd juncture,
whereupon Peter T pedaled twds ‘em. [A
year ago Pete rightfully earned the moniker “Tougher” after returning to the saddle only six weeks after having
a prosthesis [plate
and two pins]
in his right hip, after a bingle at a
greasy Amen Corner whilst descending Bobbin Hd.]
As Pete approached, PJ yelled out to Tougher,
“Do you want to climb two more new hills?” - which awaited those taking
the Wylds Rd adjunct, that Kin-Yat, Peter A and David had already headed for.
Tougher must be hard
of hearing, ‘cause he just rolled on twds Galston wearing a pleasant
smile. Widget,
accepting the invitation, enjoyed two new, solid hills. Omelettes, Frosty Frappes, ice-coffees and ice water proved popular at GreenShades
as we again found ourselves seated around a table with bright nylon sticking to
us, yearning for more effective cover. On many a Sunday ride the bus shelter at the
apex of the Galston climb has been a welcome sight. But doubt if we’ve ever needed it more, with firstly a Beleaguered Brenda stretched out along the wooden seats gasping for air, then
upon Helga’s arrival, Blond Bombshell
must ‘ev pushed Widget off, to
cark-out prostrate on the same slats, with only her rib cage moving.
FreshMen, Tony McD and Peter A,
could be excused for assuming that Mugg women behave that way all the time - but it was verily hot. Around midday, Hubby Dieter, who had hammered as hard as anyone up that 3.9kms
climb but cycled on, arrived in his air-conditioned 4 wheeler to provide some
respite for Helga who again displayed tons
of toughness by enduring obvious lumbar discomfort to join the crew. Fortunately it was a short, flat roll to our
jalopies at Hornsby. At the
completion of a ride where the humidity level hovered up to 100%, our hearts
went out to Sig scaling B.H. again, as Sig wasn’t going to have any of those
wimpy rides, rather opting to include B.H. at either end. 12:45pm evidenced the crew dissipate from H.,
although not before Brenda had peeked in on a local 1st Sunday in the mth fair in the adjoining carpark.
Hubby, Russell, got off light, as Widget
only bought a tree - the crane, req'd for install, might be more. SOS
Mayday.
Mayday! Send out an APB
for the likes of Suicide Blonde,
ActionMan, Milko Joe!
Muggs need you, ‘cause Whippet
keeps bring along young, fast-guns from Bike Nth.
Andrew A and Ginger Meggs
are matching 'em. However, 3. Following Sunday, 18 Feb - Tour de Windsor, Wilberforce, Ebenezer, Sackville with Iron Horse from East Richmond to Marayong - starting at 6:45am from Turra' via M2 - 114kms - Kissing Point Rd home is the only hill - 1:10pm ETR 4.
Bike Nth’s pending General Meeting at Macq Uni on Tues, 20 Feb Still
don’t know everything about Bike Nth BUG (“BN”) which I joined a few
months ago. Far from it, however,
everything which I learned indicates that BN possesses a dedicated and capable
administration which shares two thing in common: (a)
a passion
for cycling; and (b)
willingness
to give-up a lot of their leisure time to assist other cyclists similarly enjoy
the benefits of pedal power. Widget
is also joining BN and has undertaken to accompany me to attend BN’s bi-annual
general meeting at Macq Uni on Tues, 20 Feb, where the guest speaker is Fiona
Campbell, spokeswoman for Critical Mass.
As I don’t know the merits of delaying peak-hour traffic to publicise
cycling, I’m looking fwd to listening to Ms. Campbell.
BN
has a macro, multi-dimensional WebSite, capable hosted by Greenspeed trike rider
and computer guru, Keith Griffin. http://galifrey.triode.net.au/bikenorth
offers a diversity of products for its members, including Chat Line and Chain
Mail. Annual membership is a
nominal twenty bucks - Family
Membership $30. If
a part of you leans twds propagating cycling, I can recommend joining BN by
accessing http://galifrey.triode.net.au/bikenorth to complete the application.
If you feel that way inclined, Widget
and Scribe would welcome you joining us on 20 Feb where general business
should cover a plethora of interesting cycling initiatives. 5.
Other
group's rides which Muggs will support
in March/April ¨ 3 March - Tour de Hills hosted by Dural Rotary - 105kms ¨ 9/10 March - Loop the Lake w'end in Lake Macq - driving up on Sat to ride that arvo and dine with locals on Sat evening [Newcastle BUG] and Loop the Lake - 85kms on Sunday morn. ¨ 1 April "Cattai Ridge Loop - Maraylya-Berowra Waters" - 100kms from Pennant Hills - Kin-Yat of BN is leading. 6.
Following
Sunday 25 Feb, "Quatre Montagnes” +
Glenorie - clockwise route ¨
82kms
from Turra' Stn N/E side off Rohini St
rolling out at 6:45am or ¨
52kms
from Hornsby Stn n/west side, 100m nth of Railway Hotel in Jersey St leaving
7:30am. First/only Nosh Stop GreenShades Nursery Café Galston at 8:30am, then Glenorie
loop returning along Wylds Rd. then on to Berowra Waters. The Scribe
- 6 Feb 2001 |
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