www.Muggaccinos.com    The Bullsheet 

Sunday, 26 Jan, “Hornsby or Cowan to Mt White/Calga" – 90km
Nosh Stops at:

*    Mt White Village Store; and 

*    Brooklyn Pier

 

  • Muggs' Ride Leader:  Brian Willis   9807.6439 hm

  • Hardcopy these directions and bring on Sunday

 

Assemble 6:50am [70m N of the Railway Hotel in Jersey St – N/W side of train station] to rollout from 7am -

  • N for 600m up Jersey St;

  • L for 20m to traffic lights;

  • R onto Pacific H'way heading Nth for 41km to Calga where we "U" turn and revert 6.4km further to Mt White Village Store.

Bike North stalwart, Graeme Edwards aka BlueBeard, who is one of the fastest cyclists to ever ride with Muggs, is leading a Bike Nth ride from Cowan station at 7:40am [after the 7:33am train from Hornsby pulls-in, 'cause there ain't no Trackwork].  Graeme's Bike North ride is to Calga, via Mt White, returning via Brooklyn Pier.  

Brian aka Whippet, will be pulling-in the Muggs' Peloton at Cowan station by 7:35am to say howdy to Graeme's contingent.  Whereupon Muggs will join our Bike Nth cycling compatriots, under the Ride Leadership of Graeme, ably supported by Whippet.  The initial leg is to Mt White after taking in the additional 13.4km adjunct to Calga Interchange.

Hence, around 8:35am the zealous ones will pass the Bikie Hangout at Mt White [35.5km] and cycle a further 6.7m more and “U” turn at the Calga Interchange and return for 1st Nosh Stop (30 min) around 9:10am [49km].  If you are slow, skip the 6.7km adjunct to Calga Interchange (and 6.7km back), and park your arse on one of the bench chairs in the verdant backyard at the Village Store and suck on their Segafredo Zanetti café.

9:40am pedal 19km back to Brooklyn Pier [68km] arriving around 10:30am for 2nd Nosh Stop (30 min). 

10:50am commence final 26km leg back to Hornsby – ETR 12:15pm [90km].

Bank Teller's rap-up of Sunday, 19 Jan, "Somersby Bellbirds" - 125km

 

Eleven cyclists headed-out of Hornsby or picked-up the Peloton at Berowra or Cowan.  However, a bunch of 'em, incl The Princess, Publican and Louise did a "U" turn at Mt White, after partaking the improved counter-service and "real coffee" which are appreciated.

Above pic - Several of today's team looken' jolly at Mt White.  Don't know why everyone was so jovial, 'cause a hell of a pace had been set by Yamaha, Princess Caroline, Whippet 'et al' over the familiar 35km initial leg from Hornsby.

Bank Teller definitely ain't no photographer, and obviously ain't to 'au fait' with his new fangled digital gizmos, 'cause five dudes posed for the above picture.  But Teller only managed to snag "2 and 3 bits of 'em" 'cause unbeknownst, he must 've had "zoom on".  Sorry chaps, 'cause amidst the solitary rose, you thorns had shaped-up OK!  But, alas, the "full five" ain't recorded in the archives of posterity on Muggs' website.  NB: the chap in the "Rosmary" jersey [think it was Pete], does seem mellow.  Or was he still recuperating from the 35km haul from Hornsby?

Hence, a leaner team of Yamaha, Whippet, Marcel, Katrina, Geno and Andy rolled on twds Somersby, where the pace on the 4.1km downhill to Mooney Mooney was a scorcher.  At Somersby General Store we caught up with a late startin' ToothFairy, who'd skipped the Mt. White Nosh Stop. 

Above pic - another ebullient scene at Pie in the Shy shortly approaching 1pm, with 99km 'all done'.  But you have to wonder why they all seem so content, 'cause a fearful pace had prevailed since Peats Ridge, and there wasn't a lot left in the "collective can".   We'd jettisoned our planned Nosh Stop at Mt White, throttled it down to the Hawkesbury, going Scary Fast over the 300m precipitous descent to sea level and then pushed the pedal to the metal up the accustomed 3.9km climb from Brooklyn to the Pie Shop.  So we all had every right to be fagged-out.  But no, when the "Box Brownie" comes out, so too do the "Smiley Faces".

Perhaps it was the prospect that the lucky ones only had only 4km further to Berowra station.  But Yamaha, Marcel, Whippet, and Andy still had to make it back to Hornsby.  Andy was pondering as to what had happened to Geno?  Well, after a "touch-base" on the cell 'phone, Andy ascertained that Gene had taken in the sights of sleepy Brooklyn via the 2.8km adjunct along Brooklyn Rd, rather than scale 3.9km to the verdant grassy knoll.  Whereupon Gene snagged a Choo Choo back to his car at Cowan.  Only on his 2nd Muggs' ride, and it being one of the tougher ones, you can't knock Gene's natural instinct to survive for many more days of hills in the heat!

Post-ride at Berowra car-park, ToothFairy and Teller were packing their treadleys back into their cars, chuffed at having survived another "Somersby Bellbirds", and with commendable averages of 22.9km/h over the 103km abbreviated circuit.  Whereupon a recent recruit, Katrina, rolled-in from PitS with an ave 3km faster.  It was OK, 'cause she had a faster bike!

Scribe ponders that it was another successful Muggs' ride, notwithstanding Teller and Whippet experiencing cable problems.  But "Somersby Bellbirds - 125km" is one of Muggs' tougher ones.  So post-ride, with crew splitting-off for home in all directions, we are never quite sure what to think!  But they keep coming back for more!

The Scribe    19 Jan '03