Muggaccinos Pedlars Sunday Cyclists – The Bullsheet

 Sunday, 5 May, Bike North's "Century Challenge"

q      Bike North Bicycle User Group has expended bulk planning to host this inaugural annual challenging team ride

q      Teams are between 2 and 4 cyclists of comparable speed, as you are req'd to ride in sight of your team

q      Two alternate routes [63.2km Southern Circle and/or Northern Circle 103.4km]

q     Open to all Bike North members.  If you are not a Bike North member, annual membership is a mere bagatelle - $20 on the day, and thereby experience cycle camaraderie/networking amongst its +200 dedicated members

q      Ride Contacts:

    *    Phil Johnston - 9312.3319 wk or w'end
*    Brian Willis - 9807.6439 hm

q      Whippet, BigGears, Yamaha and Navigator represent Muggs 1st string team.  Publican, Volkswagen, NewChum and Scribe lead the formidable "Gentlemen from Verona" 2nd team.  

q      Hardcopy these instructions and bring on Sunday

q      Times in the following suggested schedule are based on an ave 103km ride speed of 22.6km/h

Snapshot of Northern Circle [103.37km]:

1st Leg: Wahroonga to Berowra Waters - 25.4km - 72 min
Arrive Wahroonga Park near station [N/E side of station] (7:45am) for 8:30am rollout:

• Nth along Coonabarra Rd for 0.9km

• L into Edgeworth David Rd for 2km, 

• R at lights onto Old Pacific H'way thru Hornsby for 1.1km

• L into Galston Rd and descend to/climb from Galston Gorge to Galston for 10.5km

• R at roundabout outside Green Shades Café and pedal N for 5.8km on Arcadia Rd

• After passing Calabash Rd on LHS, road changes to Bay Rd for 2.4km thru pastoral Berrilee  

• After passing Koppers Log KOM descend 2.8km down Bay Rd to 1^st Nosh Stop (30 min from 9:45am) at picturesque Berowra Waters café on LHS immediately before Berowra Waters punt.

2nd Leg: Berowra Waters to Pie in the Sky - 27.4km - 88 min
(10:15am) cross punt -

• Climb 3.9km to the former Health Food store, (now a Pool Shop) Sag Stop (5 min - get right off the road)

• Continue along Berowra Waters Rd for 1.9km

• L (10:55am) onto Old Pacific H'way (31.2km)

• Nth twds the Hawkesbury, passing Mt. Ku'ring'gai, Cowan, and descending from Pie in the Sky

• R into Brooklyn Rd [about 400m short of old Brooklyn Bridge] (11:20am) for the 2.8km saunter into sleepy Brooklyn, where we "U" turn back to Old Pacific H'way, 

• L for 3.9km climb to Pie in the Sky arriving at the scenic grassy knoll (11:20am) for a 2nd Nosh Stop (30 min from 11:50am) on Segafredo [8½ out of 10] and Maggot Sacks with real meat.

3rd Leg: Pie in the Sky to Nth Turra' shops (via Bobbin Hd)  - 28.4km - 70 min

By 12:20am pedal:

• S down Old Pacific H'way for 14.1km

• L at lights into Bobbin Head along Ku'ring'gai Chase Rd, thence Bobbin Head Rd for 14.3km to Nth Turra' shops for 3rd Nosh Stop (15 min from 1:30pm).

4th Leg: Nth Turra' shops to Wahroonga (via St Ives) - 21.4km - 54 min

By 1:45am pedal:

• 2.4km Sth down Bobbin Head Rd 

• L into Burns Rd with remaining route thru St Ives onto Wahroonga according to Bike Nth's directions - ETR 2:40pm for more for treats 'n sweets at Coonabarra Café.

Bank Teller's rap-up of Sunday, 28 Apr, Cinque Montagnes - 101km

With a nip in the air, 11 crew took-off on a clear morn' from Turra' at 7:30am - Publican, Princess of Monaco, Neon Lights, BigGears,  Rolf aka Malvern Star, Suicide Blonde, Smurf, Rock Solid, Scribe, Volkswagen 'n Navigator.  3 more, Oakley, Maria 'n Ross, met us at Pie in the Sky.  Whippet was AWOL, last heard of scouting out at Cottage Point for bits of his right shoulder.  Widget was heeding the advice of her "Back-Cruncherer" to take a week off.  ToothFairy and Julia are on Day 1 of ToothFairy's annual 8½ day tortuous "Sydney to Surfers Paradise" pilgrimage.  Pacific is only just back from his highly successful Victorian Alps sojourn, which Dieter/Helga, Brenda and Sig muchly enjoyed.

With Malvern Star 'n BigGears as lead scouts it was always going to be a helter skelter pace over the 41.2km 1st Leg to PitS.

The above pic is of a "prior-warned" Neon Lights who gave a 7' Yellow Belly Black Snake a wide-berth.  However, Oakley, and then Scribe, weren't so lucky with receiving a "friendly warning".  After a pleasant chin-wag at a sunny PitS, Annie had commenced cycling back twds the Berowra R-turn a few mins early to beat the rush.  After Teller's friendly mention in last week's "e-mail ride reminder" to "hug the curb", Annie was doing just that when she came upon a Sunbaking Snakie, only Annie Get Your Gun couldn't get her gun, but could see the colour of Snakie's eyes.  Teller, who had also ducked-off before the returning Peloton, also got a close-up of the reptile.  Publican yelled some profanities at it as he went past it, but Snakie was more intent on soaking-up some sun.

The nasty looken' piece above on the far left is Neon Lights.  Looks can deceive, 'cause the real villain was the dude next to him, head down with the Nose Bag on.  Earlier in the day, Teller had "piped him on the post" on the demanding 3.9km climb to PitS - as if that wasn't enough to get his dander up.  But it got worse, 'cause Publican was the only one to order Baby Food when we sat down at GreenShades at 11:45am.  The rest of us opted for omelettes or cheese spreads.  Upon noticing how scrumptious our "adult orders" looked, Tony was heard to mutter, "Hum!  They look good, perhaps I shouldn't 've ordered Pancakes 'n Ice Cream".  When his Sugary Slop took an eternity to arrive, Publican began taking it out on the waiters, suggesting a free coffee was in order.  One young lass had the good humour to retort, "I can offer you a big smile."

This "Democracy Rule" is good stuff.  When we arrived at the familiar Hornsby Heights bus shelter after powering up the 3.2km, 4th climb from Galston Gorge [1pm - 77.1km], it was time to vote on -

• "longer, 5th hill route, via Bobbin Hd", or 

• "short-cut back along the east side of the rail line". 

Only Stephen, aka Volkswagen, with a motor that never stops, opted for the longer route.  OK, the rest of us are all wimps, but it was democratic!

Approaching 1:30pm we completed the abridged 17.5km final leg from GreenShades to Turra' in admiration of Volkswagen who was the only crew to complete Cinque Montagnes.  But what the heck, with heaps of cut 'n thrust, attacks 'n charges on each of the four hills, we all had fun over the abridged 86.6km "Quatre Montagnes" route!

BigGears won the le maillot jaune, but Malvern Star and Navigator kept him honest.  Publican, Monaco Princess, Volkswagen, 'n Rock Solid weren't far a field, with Neon Lights 'n Teller moping up the tail.

The Scribe  - 27 Apr 2002