Muggaccinos Pedlars Sunday Cyclists – The Bullsheet

This Sunday, 27 May, Hornsby to Wyong and "Iron Horse” home - 93km

q      Ride Leaders:
*           Phil J - 9498.3684 hm or 9312.3319 wk
*           Brian Willis 9807.6439 hm

q      Hardcopy these instructions and bring on Sunday.
 

Snapshot:
With no track work on the Wyong line, park at Hornsby station car-park [80 metres north of Railway Hotel in Jersey St - N/W side of Hornsby train station] BY 7:45am to rollout BEFORE 8am in order to cycle a delightful, fun-filled 93km, with only 1 hill, and Nosh Stops at Mt White, Peats Ridge and Yarramalong Manor, to catch a train home from Wyong at 1:55pm which returns to Hornsby at 3:06pm.  We head due north up the old Pacific H’way, so if you think you might be slow, start say 7:50am.

 Detailed:

Our 1st Nosh Stop (25 mins) is after 36kms at Mt White Village Store from 9:30am.

Cycling north from the Bikie Hangout before 10am, we take a 2nd Nosh Stop (15 mins) at Midcoast Petroleum, Peats Ridge from 11am after a steady, continuous, gradual climb. 

After re-mounting at 11:15am, around 11:55pm we descend Bumble Hill for our 3rd Nosh Stop (55 mins - lunch) from midday at delightful, serene, stately Yarramalong Manor. 

Before 1pm we commence a 20km flat/fast hit-out into Wyong, arriving by 1:50pm to catch the 1:55pm all-stops ($6.40 fare) back to Hornsby arriving at 3:06pm. 

Alternatively, if the weather is balmy, and consensus favours a relaxed day, we may spin things out, and catch the 2:45pm with an ETR of 3:56pm.

 PJ's rap-up of Sunday, 20 May, Cinque Montagnes – 103km

Apart from the chilly descent to Bobbin Head and an all-male contingent of 9 (if we include Papa Bear who joined us at Pie in the Sky), ‘twas a delightful 104km hilly, hilly, hilly ride.  Andrew A, Dicky Knee, Peter A, Temperate Tony and Freshman Gareth set an early pace.  PJ marvelled at the manner in which Peter A careered down to Bobbin Hd.  Not the fact that he was scantily dressed in merely a T shirt on a freezing descent, but rather the way Pete accelerated thru the corners, easily winning the descent.  Later at GreenShades, PJ asked Pete if he’d ever ridden a motor bike, to which Pete responded, “I used to race 750 Yamaha”.  Ipso facto, voila, a new nick name – Yamaha, ‘cause Yamaha really knows how to take a corner at speed.

Pacific Pete joined us around Hornsby.  The coffees ‘n cakes hit the spot in the weak, but welcomed, sunshine at GreenShades, where Bazza joined us.  Thence, around 10:10am it was onto the Berowra Punt, via an extra 4km adjunct that lead us twds Glenorie, with two extra small hills, returning to familiar Arcadia Rd from Wylds Rd.

The rest of the ride went according to plan and a tad after 2pm, we returned to Turra’ with Garth and Dicky Knee sharing the Yellow Jersey with a creditable 25.9km ave over Cinque Montagnes.  Harley and Temperate weren’t far behind.

Following Sunday, 3 June, “Ferry Boat to Patonga  & Iron Horse to Woy Woy Ride” - 98 km

Due to the 11am ferry departure, we don't need to depart -

¨                  Turramurra car park [N/E side of station in Rohini St] 'till 8:15am; or

¨                  Hornsby station car-park [100 metres nth of Railway Hotel in Jersey St] at 8:55am,

to arrive at Red Herring, Brooklyn Pier by 10:30am for 1st Nosh Stop (30 mins) to catch 11am ferry to Patonga - ride + bike $10.

After 35 min crossing the delightful/majestic/blue Brooklyn Waters at 11:40am, we commence scaling Patonga.  After 18km predominantly climbing to/thru Pearl Beach, Umina/Ettalong, we arrive at Woy Woy to take 2nd Nosh Stop (30 min lunch) from 12:40pm.

Trains from Woy Woy [$3 fare] at 1.27pm [or 2.27pm] arrive Hawkesbury River station at 1:41pm [or 2.41pm] where we cycle 3km out of Brooklyn and climb another four clicks for 3rd brief Nosh Stop (20 mins) at Pie in the Sky from 2:15pm.

Around 2:35pm we commence the final 34km to Turra’, via Bobbin Head, with ETR 4:10pm [an hour later if you miss the 1:27pm from Woy Woy].

If you take the train from Woy Woy directly to Hornsby, the ride total distance from Hornsby is 56km.

Further update on Muggs visit to Lower Hunter - Queen’s B’day Long w’end – Friday 8 – Monday 11 June

The number who’ve booked still sits at a dozen – the most recent being Bazza and is wife, Helen.  PJ is going to e-mail a few other Bicycle User Groups, thereby hopefully approaching last year’s record of 22 at Bundanoon.  If you read last week’s update, as some of this year’s Lower Hunter brigade aren’t ardent cyclists, we are catering to golf and a winery walk-athon.

Accommodation:

¨     Bellbird Hotel, 388 Wollombi Rd Bellbird 2325 (4990.1094 refer Tony / Judy) - 3km SW of Cessnock – minimum two nights booking of twin and double rooms $160 for 2 nights with hot breakfast (works out at $40 per head per night). OR

¨     Hunter Haven B & B (Leanne - 4990.8858) 351A Wollombi Rd. Bellbird @ $260 per double room for 2 nights with full English breakfast (works out @ $65 per head per night).  Leanne will refer you to another nearby B & B if Hunter Haven gets chockers.

 The Scribe  - 21 May 2001