Annual Boxing Day Ride, Monday, 26 Dec '11 - +15 riders expected - all cyclists welcome

1st Nosh Stop Berowra Waters Marina Fish Cafe from 9am (when it opens for business)

¨ "Quatre Montagnes" - clockwise from Nth Turra’ by 7:10am – 69km ETR 11:05am

¨ “Duo Montagnes” – clockwise from Hornsby by 7:50am – 36km ETR 10:35am

Cyclists from the primary/longer departure point of Nth Turramurra do not pass the shorter Hornsby departure spot. They usually meet approaching Berowra Waters Marina.

Main Route:	Nth Turra’, Bobbin Hd, Galston Gorge, Berowra Waters punt, Bobbin Hd, Nth Turra’
Starts:	500m past Burns Rd in Bobbin Head Rd Nth Turramurra; or 300m Nth of Hornsby Stn West side, Jersey St.
Nosh Stop:	Berowra Waters Marina Fish Cafe from 9am - 40min
ETR:	Nth Turra' 11:05am. Hornsby 10:35am.

WHO, WHEN, WHERE:

Ride Organiser: Phil aka BankTeller 0434 715.861, Angus L and Jane aka Neo-Luddite are starting from Nth Turra' at 7:20am.

David aka CricketTragic, David aka TreeHugger and NewChum, Peter R are starting from Hornsby at 8:00am. Haven't heard from any others.

If you think you are >80% of joining us, can you e-mail Scribe and he will add ya in the above.

1st Leg: Nth Turra' 39km or Hornsby 24km to Berowra Waters Marina Fish Cafe

¨ Longer Ride
Park in Valley Park Cres carpark on LHS (700m past Burns Rd) in Bobbin Head Rd Nth Turramurra to rollout by 7:10am from outside the Corner Cafe, for down/up Bobbin Head, arriving 1st Sag Stop (5 min) Kalkari Reserve after 9.9km. Thence 4km along Bobbin Head Rd.
Left into Belmont Pde. [becomes Royston Rd] hugging Asquith Golf Course on LHS.
Join Pac. Highway after R into Baldwin St and cross over railway line at Asquith train station, then veer R at traffic lights continue SW and shortly R into Galston Rd and pedal twds Hornsby Heights.

¨        Shorter Ride
Rollout 7:50am Hornsby car-park [100m Nth/West of Railway Hotel in Jersey St] -
*    Nth up Jersey St for 500m,
*    L into Bridge Rd 40m to lights at Old Pacific H’way,
*    R and pedal 700m Nth; and
*    L at lights at Galston Rd and cycle twds Hornsby Heights.

Route now becomes common for both start points. NNW thru Hornsby Heights and descend to Galston Gorge and climb 3km to Crosslands Rd. Then left for 1.1km and Right at roundabout into Arcadia Rd for 4km to Wylds Rd and 100m further passing Andy's Cafe, continue another 8km along Arcadia Rd/Bay Rd for 1st Nosh Stop (40 min) at Berowra Waters Marina Fish Cafe arriving from 9am.

Risk Warning
Ø Do not cycle over the metal girders on the ramp at the Berowra Waters ferry, if you opt to cycle off the ferry, 'cause you will come down hard, like many before you.
Ø Hardcopy these directions and bring on Sunday

Ø Expend 5 min studying your street directory for this route, if you haven't ridden it before

Ø Don't ride two abreast on single lane roads with an unbroken centre line and descend corners on wet roads as though you are skating on ice

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" etc

Some forms of cycling are dangerous. An ave of 36 Australian cyclists have been killed annually since 2000. 95% of these fatalities occur on the road.

Other cyclists in Australia break bones and incur nerve impairment from falling off their bikes in accidents.

A cyclist could fall from his/her bike, inter alia, due to -
(i) being hit by a car or another cyclist; or
(ii) encountering a pothole;

(iii) cycling too fast on a wet downhill where the coefficient of friction is much less, particularly at corners; or
(iv) getting their bicycle wheel caught in a gap in a timber bridge.

A negligent cyclist could -

(a) be litigated by a seriously injured cyclist, or 3rd party (ie. a woman pushing a pram on a footpath or a car driver) under common law where the damages could exceed $500,000; and

(b) lose his/her home if he/she did not have public liability insurance which covers their negligence whilst on a push bike.

A negligent cyclist who did not have personal injury insurance (ie self-employed without income protection cover) could struggle to meet regular outgo commitments.

A seriously injured cyclist could be awarded damages which a negligent cyclist could not afford to pay if the negligent cyclist -
(I) did not have public liability insurance cover; and/or
(II) did not possess valuable assets.

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 Click on: Risk Management which warns of 'inter alia', the dangers of cycling on public roads with motor cars, potholes and over bridges with vertical timber planks with gaps

Ø Cycling with Muggs is predicated upon notifying Bank Teller if you materially disagree with any clause(s) in Muggaccinos' "Ride Participants Liability Acknowledgment"

Scribe's wrap-up of scaling Old Bathurst Rd to Springwood, thence Richmond, Seven Hills 'n home - 92km - 7 starters
We got dumped on nastily from 6:30am to 6:45am, but after that it cleared up nicely.

Well pleased after scaling the seriously steep, but fortunately shortish Old Bathurst Rd

The guy who took the 1st above pic

Above 'n below, Happy Campers outside Springwood Subway where the lens focused on The Head in Red
The chap on the far left, Mick, climbed Old Bathurst Rd in a 39/26 (8 speed) whereby for every rev of his front cranks his rear wheel turned 1.5 revs. Meanwhile Bank Teller was pedaling Military Medium in his 28T front cog and 28t rear cassette (ie 1 rev).
Which prob explains why Mick beat Phil to the KOM by the length of the home straight. That bastard has bloody big quads.

We bade farewell to Mick, TugBoat and EnglishMan around 6km from Richmond who were heading Sth to Penrith.

Scribe's wrap-up of Palm Beach, Wagstaff, Woy Woy, Hornsby - 86km - 9 cyclists

Two above and one below pics on ferry to Wagstaffe

Pigging-out at the Woy Woy Seafood Markets après a fast-pace shortish 84km route