www.Muggaccinos.com   The Bullsheet

Sunday, 3 Oct, 7:45am - Tour de Royal National Park -  94km – ETR 1:55pm
*    Ride Leader/Organiser:  Phil Johnston  9498.3684 hm
*    Hardcopy these directions and bring on Sunday

At sparrow fart on a Sunday morn' it is only 45 minutes drive from Chatswood [38km] to the Sutherland Leisure Centre at Waratah Park off Rawson Ave (approx 1km south of Sutherland shopping centre). 
Assemble at the bottom RHS in largish carpark immediately outside the swimming complex at 7:35am to conquer the largest national park in Sydney, The Royal National Park  – rollout 7:45am. 

1st Leg: Sutherland to Bundeena Beach 25.2km

At 7:48am, after 600m of pedaling S along Rawson Ave we enter Princess Highway at lights and 1km later pass Loftus Oval on LHS (familiar to ‘Gong riders as the initial morning tea spot).  100m onwards L into Farnell Ave (some maps call it Sir Bertram Stevens Drive).  After passing the toll booths, the road changes to Audley Weir Rd and we shortly descend on a dog leg R and hook L to cross Audley Weir [5km].  Whereupon we veer R (it becomes Sir Bertram Stevens Drive) and encounter our first, of several delightful treats the Start of 1st KOM Climb, a wonderfully steep climb up Artillery Hill to Gibraltar Rock KOM [7km] and along Flat Rock, passing Warumbul Rd on LHS [11km].

Around 8:25am we pause for our 1st Sag Stop (5 min) [15km] 50m after hooking L into Bundeena Drive - making sure we get off the road -'cause those bastards in metal canopies about 15 times heaver in a hurry going nowhere, can kill ya' if they hit ya'.  Pedal 10.2km due E to our 1st Nosh Stop (30 min) at God’s Own Country, picturesque Bundeena Beach 8:50am approx [25.5km] with spectacular views NW twds Sydney Harbour and two good cafés overlooking the water. 

2nd Leg: Bundeena Beach to Otford Pie Shop - 31.3km (agg 56.5km)

Approaching 9:20am 2nd arduous climb, retracing up Bundeena Drive.  Around 9:55am 2nd Sag Stop (5 min) [36.2km] 50m short of the intersection with Sir Bertram Stevens Drive.

After re-grouping we hook a L into Sir Bertram Stevens Drive and high tail it along the ridge then after passing Garie Beach turn-off [41km] down.  Around 10:30am we pass a bridge on R to McKell Ave [47km].  Road becomes Lady Wakehurst Drive which takes us to our 2nd Nosh Stop (30 min) “Otford Apple Pie Shop” (another landmark for Gong riders) with fabulous views of the Blue Pacific - arriving around 11am approx [57.3km].

3rd Leg: Otford Pie Shop to Audley Weir  - 30.8km (agg 88.3km)

11:30am cycle N back up Lady Wakehurst Drive, initial 300m along the coast with spectacular views of the Blue Pacific, and then into the wooded forest where it is up-hill initially (2nd KOM Climb), then predominantly undulating.  Around 12:15pm [67.4km] we pass McKell Ave bridge (Waterfall exit) on the LHS.  Cycle a further 9.5km N along Sir Bertram Stevens Drive for a further fleeting 3rd Sag Stop (3 min) [78.4km] approaching 12:42pm at intersection of Bundeena Drive.

Continue NW another 9.8km for a 3rd Nosh Stop (20 min) [88km] at Audley Kiosk 50m before Audley Weir around 1.10pm - excellent coffee 'n maggot sacks.

4th Leg: Audley Weir to Sutherland - 6.7km (agg 94km)

1:30pm cycle over the weir and up precipitous Farnell Ave (3rd KOM Climb) to Princess H'way and R onto the H'way, shortly passing Loftus Oval on RHS.  2km after traffic lights at Rawson Ave turn R into Sutherland Leisure Centre - 94km - ETR 1:50pm.

CARE: Keep well to LHS along the final legs from Bundeena to Audley Weir and up to Princess H'way.  If a cue of cars is behind you, pull over to side of road and allow 'em to pass. 

Bank Teller's rap-up of "Brunch at Bayview, lunch at Akuna Bay" - 93km - 13 participants

Notwithstanding a dozen or so incl Kaza, Tornado, Flaxen, Printer, Annie, Ned 'n Ant, Lesley away on a mountain biken w'end at Blackheath, 13 crew attended, albeit Princess Caroline, who'd ridden from Dural, turned around at West Head, as did Grant aka BeanCounter, who had chores a beckoning.

Above 'n below pics snapped at a pristine, panoramic West Head, where a Wallaby 'boinged around' immediately beneath us. 

Front of screen above - Tara (yet to latch on to a moniker), Samurai, Koala Bear, with the two palookas on the RHS, Tony aka Teacher and Pacific, the non-smiling "Enforcers".  
Navigator, whose ancestry hales from Ireland, and Heineken, straight out of Holland, are the two dudes hereunder looking cool.

Samurai who snapped the above shot successfully adduced an array of Bucky Beaver smiles in the above pic.

Only Heineken, Samurai and Bank Teller took in the 2nd Nosh Stop of Akuna Bay and the 5.6km KOM Climb from the Illawong Bay TollBooth to the top TollBooth, where Heineken won the accolades over a hot longish climb. 
All three successfully logged their KOM Climb Times in www.KOMpm.com using their Climber ID (surname) and Password (nickname, unless you have changed it) - neither are case sensitive.

Scribe   26 Sept 04