www.Muggaccinos.com     The Bullsheet

Monday, 4 Oct  -  Tour de Richmond, Bowen Mountain, Bellbird Hill Kurrajong -
with 2 of the tougher climbs in Greater Sydney:

i)          Turramurra by 7:15am via M2 to Seven Hills station, Iron Horse to Richmond,
Bowen Mountain-Kurrajong loop, Iron Horse to Marayong, M2 to Turra' - 88km - ETR 1:40pm; or

ii)         Dural by 7:20am via Annangrove Rd to Riverstone station, Iron Horse to Richmond, then Bowen Mountain, Bellbird Hill,  Kurrajong, Iron Horse from Richmond to Riverstone, cycle back to Dural along Annangrove Rd -  88.7km - ETR 1:10pm

 

Ø    Ride Organiser/Leader: Phil Johnston  9498.3684 hm

Ø    Hardcopy these directions and bring on Sunday

Ø    Expend 10 min studying the broken black clockwork pencil line
(starting at 5 o'clock on the compass) in the PDF of 33km "Bowen Mountain/Kurrajong loop"
to familiarize with the below 2nd 'n 3rd Legs

Ø    Ride two abreast on single lane roads at own peril and get off the road at Sag Stops

Ø    Cycling without Public Liability cover is as silly as driving without 3rd Party -
join Bicycle NSW for PL insurance, so that all Muggs are better protected

Ø    When passing a fellow Mugg, always provide a metre clearance.  If you can't, or are
passing on the inside, you MUST call out loudly eg. "passing inside tight" etc

Snapshot:


 We commence by 7:15am from the snotty North Shore suburb of Turramurra and after 22km  - 3.7km on Kissing Point Rd, 1.45km thru Browns Water Hole, 17km on M2/Abbott Rd/Prospect Highway to Seven Hills station - we climb aboard 8:29am train to Richmond arriving 9:06am. 
Whereupon we commence a challenging 41.4km clockwise loop, starting with an easy 12km, then scaling 2.95km Bowen Mountain @ 7.63o.
After a 10km dart Northish, we slog 6.25km up Bellbird Hill @ 7.22o to an elevation of 570m.
Man, we are out in the veritable boondocks. 
We then descend to bucolic Kurrajong/Richmond, catch the train from Richmond back to Seven Hills station, followed by 24km cycle back to Turra' station.  -  ETR 1:35pm.
Or commence from Dural by 7:20am and pedal 23.7km via Annangrove Rd to Riverstone station, catch 8:48am train for the 18min ride to Richmond station - meeting the Turra' brigade on same train. 
Thence complete 41.4km Mt Bowen/Bellbird Hill loop. 
11:44am Richmond 19 min ride to Riverstone arriving 12:03pm.
Pedal 23.7km to Dural via Annangrove Rd - ETR 1:10pm.

a)       Two alternate 1st Legs to Richmond
 i)        From Turramurra station car park via M2 to Seven Hills station, thence train to Richmond station – 24km:
 7:15am up Rohini St to Pac H'way, turn R and 20m later L to descend Kissing Point Rd. to Browns Waterhole,
M2 to Seven Hills station to catch the 8:29 train in a frontish carriage [joined by cyclists which commence from Dural at Riverstone station at 8:48am] arriving Richmond at 9:06am.

Detailed instructions for Turra' to Seven Hills station:
Cycle 60m up Rohini St to the H'way and 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 Sag Stop (3 min) before joining M2 on south side.
Passing 2 on and 2 off roads, we cycle 14.2km to where Old Windsor Rd meets Abbott Rd and continue 1,4km along Abbott Road.  Continue 900m along Prospect Highway to Seven Hills station on LHS, entering via Terminus Rd. 

 

 

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) to Riverstone station 22km:
 7:20am -

  • L Nth up Old Northern Rd for 1.2km,

  • L into Wyoming Rd for 700m,

  • L into Langford Rd/Davey Rd for 1.6km, 

  • L into Derriwong Rd for 500m, 

  • R into Wirrabara Rd for 600m, 

  • R into Pellit Lane which soon veers L for 180m,

  • R into Kenthurst Rd for 1km,

  • L into Annangrove Rd for 10.5km, 

  • R into Windsor Rd for 2km, 

  • L into Garfield Rd East for 2.9km to Riverstone station,

where, after purchasing a snack at the Riverstone Milk Bar we meet the Turra' brigade in a frontish carriage on the
8:48am train Sag Stop (18 min on train) which arrives Richmond at 9:06am.

2nd Leg: Richmond, Bowen Mountain, Kurrajong Heights, Bellbird Hill, Kurrajong, Richmond -  41.4km

 

9:10am depart Richmond station pedal 2.5km NWW along March St/Kurrajong Rd twds Nth Richmond, passing St Peter's Church and cemetery and Pugh's Lagoon where water birds might be seen.  

Ahead over the North Richmond Bridge crossing the Upper Hawkesbury River.  
Ahead 700m through North Richmond shops on Bells Line of Road.

Left at the first set of traffic lights onto Grose Vale Rd.  

It's 8km NWW along Gross Vale Rd to the Bowen Mountain Rd turnoff comprising:

*        2.5km to Grose River Rd on LHS whilst climbing North Richmond Hill and into the country side with views over the Sydney Plains and rural scenery with dairy cows and orchards, passing historic St John of God Hospital

*        2km to Bells Rd on RHS

*        3.5km to Bowen Mtn Rd on LHS.

The Start of the 2.95km KOM Climb is the Left into Bowen Mountain Rd crossing Carters/Westerby Rd, thence Gunbower Rd/Serpentine Lane, then passing Grandview Lane on LHS.

Right up Wattle St for 250m.  Ahead into Bellbird Cres for 250m Left onto Lieutenant Bowen Rd for 250m to Bowen Reserve where there is a huge Bunya Pine and amenities (toilets, seats, BBQ).
Sag Stop (10 min) amidst magnificent views all the way to the Big Smoke.  Although the three pics under the above 3 URLs from our last visit to Bowen Mtn were bereft of views, 'cause it was powerful murky on our reconnaissance of this beaut climb.

 

Retreat 50m along Lieutenant Bowen Rd.

Right into Bunya Cres for 250m. 

Right into Pamula Cres for 350m.  

Left into Bowen Mountain Rd for 1.9km.

Left into Westerby Rd for 1km;

Ahead into for 3km along Gross Vale Rd/Old Bells Line of Road taking you to the bottom of famous Bellbird Hill. 

Left into Bells Line of Road for 500m to "Little Wheeny Creek" sign - 5 metres before concrete bridge which is Start of 6.15km KOM Climb - elevation 452m - ave gradient of 7.2o with sections >10o:

5km up Bells Line of Road;

Left into Warks Rd for 1.15km to Bellbird Hill/Kurrajong Heights KOM and Sag Stop (5 min).

Retreat 1.15km down Warks Rd;

Left into Bells Line of Road for 11km to Richmond Bridge;

Ahead for 2.5km ESE along Kurrajong Rd/March St to Richmond station arriving around by 11:24am to aboard the 11:44am (or 12:44pm) train from Richmond Sag Stop to -

(i)         19 min ride to Riverstone station alighting 12:03pm (or 1:03pm); or

(ii)        40 min ride to Seven Hills station alighting at 12:24pm (or 1:24pm). 

a)       Two alternate 4th Legs home after alighting train
 

Alight at Riverstone station at 12:03pm.

 

(i)        Pedal 22km from Riverstone to Dural via Annangrove Rd

12:05pm  -
bullet NE along Garfield Rd East for 2.9km,

bullet

R into Windsor Rd for 2km, 

bullet

L into Annangrove Rd for 10.5km,

bullet

R into Kenthurst Rd for 1km,

bullet

L into Pellit Lane which soon veers R for 180m,

bullet

L into Wirrabara Rd for 600m,

bullet

L into Derriwong Rd for 500m,

bullet

R into Langford Rd/Davey Rd for 1.6km,

bullet

R into Wyoming Rd for 700m,cycling Nth up Old Northern Rd for 1.2km

bullet

R into Old Northern Rd for 1km to Dural Tourist Info Centre - ETR 1:10pm [88.7km]

(ii)        Pedal 23.7km from Seven Hills station to Turra' station.

 

    Alight at Seven Hills station at 12:25pm.

  • Right  along Prospect Highway for 900m,

  • A into Abbott Rd/M2 for 15.6km,

  • L at Optus Tower down/up Brown's Waterhole for 1.8km,

  • Ahead up Kissing Point Rd for 3.7km

  • R into Pacific H'way for 250m

  • Left into Rohini St for 200m

  • Left into Turramurra station carpark.

   ETR Turramurra station 1:40pm.

 

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