Muggaccinos Pedlars Sunday Cyclists – The Bullsheet

Sunday, 2 Dec - Tour de Windsor & Sackville:

i)             from Turramurra @ 7am via M2, Riverstone, Vineyard

ii)           or from Dural @ 7:30am via Kenthurst, Maraylya

Our 1st Nosh Stop in Macquarie St is from 9:10am.  We then ride the flattish 37km Wilberforce, Ebenezer, Sackville loop.

After a 2nd Nosh Stop at Windsor, both groups return via and Glenorie, -
*    to Dural (103km) ETR 1:20pm; or 
*    L to Galston, Hornsby, Turra' (136km) ETR 2:45pm.

Ø     Ride contacts:

  • Phil Johnston  9498.3684 hm or 9312.3319 wk or w'end.

  • Brian Willis  9807.6439 hm

Ø     Definitely hardcopy these instructions and bring on Sunday

Ø     Please spend 10 mins studying your UBD/Gregory's to familiarize the below instructions

a)       Cycling to Windsor

i)        from Turramurra station car-park – 47.5km to Windsor:

Rollout at 7am and descend Kissing Point Rd. to M2 to Riverstone, Mulgrave, Windsor where after 47.5km we meet cyclists that started from Dural for our initial Nosh  Stop (30min) from 9:10am at Kate's Place Café in historic Thompson Square off George St. Windsor.

Detailed instructions of Turra' to Windsor:

Cycle 60m up Rohini St to the H'way and turn R at lights.  50m later L at lights into Kissing Point Rd and commence step descent shortly crossing Comenarra Parkway at lights and proceed to end of Kissing Point Rd.  Take R fork onto cycleway path to Browns Water Hole (caution steep decent with sharp turns, causeway may flood), followed by a short steep climb to M2.  We pass through a narrow 20m tunnel and join M2 on south side.

Passing two on and two off roads, we cycle 15kms to where Old Windsor Rd meets Abbott Rd and continue straight along Abbott Road.
Turn R into Johnson Avenue at lights.  1.1km later L into Vardys Rd. and follow under the overpass and through the roundabout, crossing Sunnyholt Rd at the lights and cycle on to Marayong Station, passing thru industrial areas. 

Cycle under the railway bridge and L at roundabout shortly followed by a second L to climb onto Railway Road bridge, effectively heading north beside the railway line until Quakers Hill station where, when we reach the Give Way sign, turn L, then a R and R again, to take you onto the bridge over the railway line onto Quakers Hill Parkway.
A few hundred metres on, L onto Hambledon Rd.  Soon L onto Walker Street (through housing estate) at "T" junction L onto Burdekin Rd and follow this around - it becomes Railway Terrace.  Follow the railway line to Schofields and continue to Riverstone along Railway Tce. 

At Riverstone station do a quick R and L and follow railway line on your LHS.  Riverstone Parade will take us to Vineyard Station.  (Clear land on the L once was Riverstone abattoirs.) 

At Vineyard station the road veers to the R.  Take Wallace Rd - first street immediately to your L. 

Follow railway along and Wallace Rd will end at a "T" inter section.  Cycle over railway crossing on your L, and take Railway Rd which is first on your R and remain on it until Mulgrave Station where we turn R onto Mulgrave Rd and follow until you reach Windsor Rd.  Turn L onto Windsor Rd, and follow it 3km until you reach Windsor.

ii)    from “Hills Tourist Info Centre” car-park (656B Old Northern Rd Dural – UBD 131 - on LHS just after Porter Scenic Lookout and before Dural Country Club) – 35km to Windsor:

Rollout at 7:30am and cycle N up Old Northern Rd for 1.2km and L into Wyoming Rd.  We then take a few short back streets which loop SW [L into Langford Rd/Davey Rd, L into Derriwong Rd, R into Wirrabara Rd. R/L into Pellit Rd].  We then head NW with a R into Kenthurst Rd, L into Pitt Town Rd, Ahead into Reich Rd, L into Scheyville Rd, R into Stock Route Rd, R into Wolseley Rd, L into Pitt Town Rd  and R into Windsor Rd to Windsor, where we meet the Turra’ contingent after 35km at 9:10am for our 1st Nosh Stop (30min) at Kate's Place Café in historic Thompson Square off George St. Windsor.

b)       Wilberforce, Ebenezer, Sackville anti-clock loop

At 9:45am both groups (now one larger group) descend to cross the adjacent Old  Windsor Bridge heading N along Wilberforce Rd for 7km to Wilberforce - taking the bike lane with views of river flat vegetable farming.  We then R off Wilberforce Rd at top of hill into King Rd and after passing thru Ebenezer, road becomes Sackville Rd for about 4.5 km.  We then R into Tizzana Rd that leads to Sackville via a quiet 'n quaint, rural area - blast from the past stuff.

Over the ensuing 5-6 km (as we wind from cycling NW twds Sackville, then fleetingly W then SW, then S) we pass the Tizzana Winery and a lily farm opposite.  Then, out of the blue, as we commence heading S is about 200m of unsealed road.

We then arrive at the “T” intersection where Tizzana Rd meets Sackville Rd where we re-group at the 2nd Sag Stop (3 min).  Sackville Ferry is visible about 300m on the R.  We turn L back along Sackville Rd which returns us to Ebenezer, Wilberforce and Windsor.

At 11:30am 2nd Nosh Stop (35 min) in another café at Windsor.

c)         Returning to start points via Pitt Town, Scheyville, Maraylya, Glenorie to Dural or Galston

Shortly after midday, both groups commence the return heading S along Windsor Rd, L at McGraths Hill into Pitt Town Rd, R into Wolseley Rd, L into Old Stock Route Rd, R into Scheyville Rd, R into Dural Rd/Cattai Ridge Rd, R into Old Northern Rd, thence heading due S.

The Turra’ contingent shortly turns L into Wylds Rd and R into Arcadia Rd to GreenShades Café for a 3rd Nosh Stop [108km] at 1:20pm (20 min).  Thence, its thru the Gorge to Hornsby, and a short cut along the east side of the rail line. ETR Turra’ 2:45pm [136km].

The Dural contingent continues S along Old Northern Rd for a further 4.5km with an ETR of 1:20pm at Tourist Info Centre [103km].

Scribe’s rap-up of Flies, Sweat, Heat ‘n Hills – Somersby “Bellbirds” – 123km

Notwithstanding Bike North providing two rides to Mt White, both groups attracted healthy support with 10 Muggs gathering at our initial Nosh Stop of Mt White on cue at 8:45am - ToothFairy, Whippet, Peter J aka High Cadence, Catherine S, Bazza, Maria T, The Navigator, Pacific Pete, Widget and Scribe.  Albeit, the latter three availed the Woossie Start from Cowan, thereby peeling 30km off the route.

Bazza had to return home from Mt White for Nigger Chores, and Maria opted to join BN’s other ride, lead by Mark Grimmond, which was returning S, so around 9:15am a reduced contingent of eight pedaled N twds Calga for the anti-clockwise Somersby route.

At around 10am, we bade farewell to Catherine at the roundabout, who opted to cycle the three clicks up to the Shell Garage at Kariong, whereupon down to Woy Woy for a ride back to Hornsby on the Iron Horse.

With half the route done, around 10:30, burgers ‘n diet cokes were the popular pick at the Somersby General Store where the menu might be plain, but the service is always pleasant.  Alas, with the temperature seemingly in the low 30s, the blessed flies were starting to pester.

Widget ‘n ToothFairy have ridden Somersby “Bellbirds” more than a few times.  Enough to know that you immediately hook a L after leaving the General Store.  They got points for remembering that one, but why on the next leg back to Mt White, at the Calga Interchange with only 7 clicks to The Bikie Hangout did they want to take an off road L to join the freeway?  Perhaps they were hallucinating, ‘cause it was hot.  Fortunately, either another Mugg beckoned ‘em, or their new trail looked unfamiliar, ‘cause they shortly re-joined the caravan.  The 19.5km leg back to Mt White should be mostly down hill, ‘cause it seems the opposite when we ride from the Bikie Hangout to the MidCoast Petroleum.  But today being the first hot day in yonks, it was a slog.  With the prospect of real coffee at Pie in the Sky we didn’t dally long at The Village Store.

It only takes one killjoy in every bunch, and ToothFairy held that mantle today.  High Cadence had easily won KOM to the pie shop, although we all put in hard, particularly Widget whose remedy for battling impending cramps was to Hammer like Hell up the familiar 3.9km incline from Brooklyn Rd.  In any event, we’d all settled around a table under a shady tree for a Restful Revitalizer, whilst Sipping on Segafredos.  The Navigator was prostrate on the grass, seemingly dead to the world.  No one would have won any fashion awards, with perspiration flooding out of most of us.  But wouldn’t you know it, with us all looken’ like Stunned Mullets in need of some respite, ToothFairy had to crack the whip.  Dead set, the rest of us would have readily joined Navigator in The Land of Nod, but Ann had other ideas.   So it was tar tahs to the lovely breeze, shady trees, verdant grassy knoll and familiar view of the Hawkesbury, to resume our love affair with a bicycle seat, the searing sun and nuisance flies.

With no let up from the Blowies, and the temp still in the low 30s, this Little Brown Bunny wasn’t upset to abandon the ride 4km further S around 2pm at his jalopy at Cowan station.  Whilst driving down the Old Pac H’way he passed the remaining contingent of ToothFairy, Whippet, High Cadence and Navigator, who’d started from Hornsby.  None of ‘em looked at their best as they slogged into a warm headwind, but around 2:45pm they each clocked-up a formidable 124km on an arduous, testing day – not made any easier by those Blessed Blowies, Searing Sun 'n Hot Headwinds.  Full credit to the four of ‘em for completing the entire route, especially Brian who'd parted with a pint of blood mid-week and battled cramps twds the end.

Sunday 9 Dec "Breakfast at Brooklyn on the Pier"
 Turra' 85km - 7:15am,  Hornsby 55km - 8am or  
Cowan 23km - 8:35am - option to extend route back from Brooklyn.

Scribe 'n Whippet   26 November