Happy New Year!

With best wishes over the Festive Season and into the New Year, I thought I’d open the vault on how Team Iron Horse is planning to achieve a distinct cycling edge in 2011.

Crazy Horse in secret training.


Thunder Horse in secret training. Logistically, not a great start…

Saw Horse is on a Red Bull Rampage:

Dark Horse, having found his first steed in a stairwell, was drawn to Mexico for the ‘Down The Hill’ race:

Haematite Horse opted for a mix of scenery:

And Lightning Horse, well, he’s out there somewhere:

Hope everyone’s having a great break over the Festive Season and is keen to ramp up the training in 2011 with Team Iron Horse!

Pedal on!

Thunder Horse.

MS Gong Ride 2010

It was a humid and fog bound morn ...

Ahead of us waited The Gong Ride!

Starting the ride later than last year would take its toll. We rolled off from Sydney Park at around 7.45am. Last year we rolled off at least an hour earlier. The later start made for a much longer ride, encountering more riders and heat as the day wore on. 
For some, the toll would be heavy ...

 
The start was, as usual, a jam of rubber, metal, lycra and suncream.

We made good time along Botany Bay and then up to Loftus Oval for a cuppa, muffin and attack from an as yet indeterminate flying insect with quite a sting. Whether it was the sting or not on his shoulder, this was the last time we'd see Crazy Horse that day. 

 

[Editor's Note: Greater endeavours should probably be undertaken to ascertain the exact nature of whatever stimulant was injected through the proboscis of the offending mite in the interests of heightened athletic performance. Or, we could simply be thankful that he didn't have an anaphylactic reaction and end the ride there and then with the screech of tires, wail of sirens and a huge question about what to do with his bike.]

There'd already been a fair bit of siren activity with a couple of nasty falls on the giant, sweeping downhill between Sutherland and Loftus, so this was a definite relief.

Out along the Princes Highway through Helensburgh and on to Waterfall, there were ample opportunities to stretch the legs and build up some decent speed. Not quite the roller coaster you get along Coalcliff and other hamlets further south, but a definite sense of anticipation was building.

So much so that Haematite Horse had to have an unscheduled pit-stop. Readers of this fine journal may recall his pit-stop last year occurred much sooner. Training does pay!

As we waited, Lightning Horse whizzed past on his new EMC2 racing blue:

Haematite Horse leapt into a frog squat, some form of tantric cycling zen state, then shot off after him:

Lightning Horse was waiting in photographic ambush a short way down the highway and captured this shot of Thunder Horse in flight...on the right of your picture viewers.

The descent from Waterfall down to Lawrence Hargrave Drive was exciting as always. Whizzing past fallen cyclists (medics in attendance) always gives one pause. A less than gentle reminder to keep the hands very much on the brakes. Both brakes get a solid workout on the descent. While contemplating the aches and pains of the fallen riders I forgot about the series of short, sharp, let's call them 'bastard hills', between the end of the descent and our next pit-stop at Red Cedar Flats.

Haematite Horse was demonstrating solid form by this stage and Lightning Horse was out in front (discounting Crazy Horse who was by now out in front of out in front).

The respite at Red Cedar Flats was more than welcome. Crazy Horse phoned in his position-already over the climb and heading for Stanwell Park. He offered to wait, but when advised we were a good half hour behind, he took off, blazing a record finishing time for Team Iron Horse, probably ... er, we don't actually know how far ahead of us he finished. It was hours ahead of Thunder Horse.

Gravel, whip-birds, cool eucalypt forests, filtered sunlight and the steady thrum of lungs fit to burst as they pumped oxygen around our systems.

Magic. 

And then the summit.

Dark Horse's smile says it all. 

(It even hints at that little climb on the right that lies in wait.)

 One last climb and then we'd be on the downhill leg.

 

The downhill starts here.

While you wait, stilt-walkers entertain with encouraging cries of 'break a leg' and 'don't crash'. Some riders don't listen and accidents inevitably happen.

From hereon in, it was every man for himself. 

Recollections

Clifton Hill bears a special memory for Thunder Horse as this is where leg cramps commenced. By the time he was splayed on the footpath opposite the Belambil Bowlo, screaming through gritted teeth for beer and salted chips, the cramps had gone from troubling to downright debilitating. For some strange reason Thunder developed a fascination with what looked like dental mirrors attached to cyclists' helmets as the day wore on. "Not my best effort or fondest memory, this year's Gong Ride. Think I'll approach next year's ride with more training in warmer conditions."

"No cramps for me," advised Crazy Horse. "In fact, I think the traffic laden start, restricting excessive early speed enabled some fine hill climbing and tail-wind assisted flat riding for me at the end. That, an an unplanned 2 week long tapering regime left me with super fresh legs." Crazy Horse loved riding through the Royal National Park-such gentle hills compared to the upper Blue Mountains. "For some strange reason my cycle computer said only 82km at the end. If mine is out by that much then those training rides in the mountains have all been 10% longer!"

On his new steed, Lightning Horse had a better ride than last year. On the downside, a car door opened on him, which almost ended in disaster: it clipped his handlebars but he managed to stay on. "A highlight was seeing the bearded, long-haired, shirtless guy riding home along the Princes Highway later that afternoon. I assume he rode both ways."

Haematite Horse experienced euphoria while inhaling deeply as he coasted down through the Royal; and again on seeing the Sea Cliff bridge winding around the crumbling Coalcliff. "I spoke to a young Croation dude, circa 18, at Stanwell Park. He had no idea about why there was a ride, despite the fact that he was not in it. He'd been peering out of his 2nd storey apartment window near Sutherland and saw the hordes riding past. He simply grabbed his bike and joined in. His Dad was following behind with their car to collect him. He had no idea how far the ride was going, to where, or for what purpose."

Dark Horse enjoyed seeing the expanse of endless blue ocean at Stanwell Tops and feeling the cool breeze as he looked down the coastline for a glimpse of the Gong, our final destination. "The muddy finish line was a downer," added Dark Horse: a sentiment shared by all. Let's hope they have duckboards next year if the need arises.

Screaming down the freeway on the first piece of open road and then hitting the brakes a bit too hard after the idiots in front suddenly decided to slow down created a bit of a wobble for Saw Horse. For a split second he thought he'd be finishing the ride in an ambo'. "The catering was excellent!," he advised, clearly untroubled by earlier near misses. "Really enjoyed the muffins, sausage sandwich, bananas and oranges...the VB at the end of the day capped off a good day of grazing."

The Final Tally

Last year we all finished around midday: the benefit of an earlier start and, perhaps, more training. This year, finish times varied markedly. While Thunder Horse was entering 30km of leg cramp hell, Crazy Horse was crossing the finish line, at least an hour ahead of the next to cross from Team Iron Horse: Horses Haematite and Lightning.

Thunder cramped across the line, a spasming ogre of quad, hammy and calf cramps, barely ahead of Saw Horse and Dark Horse.

Hot, sweaty and tired, we were happy to have made it.

Sydney to the Gong 2010. 

Ouch! We finished!

(Editor's Note: You might notice Crazy Horse is not present in the above pic. That's because he finished hours earlier and was by this stage enjoying a cold beer somewhere cool and dry.)

Team Iron Horse raised over $2,000 in sponsorship this year, rating us better than average in fundraising performance. Once again, a hearty THANK YOU to all of our sponsors.

Special Thanks to our valiant supporters who carried Iron Horses in various states of euphoria and disarray back home after a long day!

If you have a bike, a tenuous grasp on reality and the urge to train on a regular basis, why not sign on to Team Iron Horse 2011? Go on, you know you want to.

Until next time, pedal on!

Thunder Horse.

Park ... and ride

In preparation for the MS Gong Ride on 7^th November the team met up in Centennial Park on an overcast morning last Sunday for what turned out to be one of our longest training sessions ever.

Established in 1888, Centennial Park was originally a catchment area of swamps, sand dunes and springs. Home to over 15,000 trees, the cycling takes place for the most part on the Grand Drive, Sydney’s first public suburban drive, with a circumference of around 3.5km.

It was a solid ride–we’re calling it 45km in total.

Kudos to Dark Horse for cycling to, from and during the ride while trying to kill off the 'flu! (His total distance for the day must have been around the 60km mark.)

Centennial Park is a popular cycling destination, because it has a dedicated cycling lane and cars, all vehicles in fact, are limited to 30km/h. (Were it not so I’m sure we’d be climbing the hills at far greater speeds.)

This is the recommended pace for the climb up to the reservoir.

I lost count of the number of times we threw this climb into the mix.

Why so many climbs? 
Well, I'm so glad you asked. Here’s the topographical profile for the Gong Ride:

Hills are a key feature.
The key benefit of which is that after pushing yourself to the top, you can glide down the other side ... which we also practised on the day:

So, loins girded, this Sunday we take on one of the most challenging and gruelling, lycra-clad epics of human endeavour ever devised ... 

OK, a tad too much hyperbole there: but remember, it’s all for a good cause.

Until next time,

Pedal on!

Thunder Horse

2010 Spring Cycle...no harm done

[Editor’s Note: Due to various wallpaper removing, wall painting and furniture moving about, this year’s Spring Cycle write-up is shorter than intended. Hope you enjoy it; and remember, you’re not removing wallpaper while reading this.]

The 2010 Sydney Spring Cycle turned on elemental charms on Sunday, 17^th October for the 10,000+ cyclists who turned out, along with hundreds of volunteers and support personnel from police, fire and ambulance services. We'd gone from snow flurries in the mountains to North Sydney sunshine in less than 24 hours.

Thunder Horse under Police Escort

To top it all - we had a police escort! [They must have heard about how many times I fell off my bike during last year's Gong Ride...]

We rolled off at a measured pace, allowing us to take in some of North Sydney’s architectural highlights while Saw Horse lightened his load.

There were a couple of minor mechanical issues: thrown chains; falling over; too much ricotta canoli ... the usual cycling hazards.

Fortunately, Team Iron Horse needed no assistance from any of the emergency services—despite a couple of decent attempts at injury through crash tackle cycling tactics.

Saw Horse on median strip

Perched on the median strip, Saw Horse began the ride with a closer inspection of his chain ring. An inauspicious start to what turned out to be a solid performance in his first Team event.

Dark Horse

A $150 spanner in his backpack allowed Dark Horse to make fast adjustments to Saw Horse's bike. Proving once again that he is the Dark Horse and, following the adjustments, Saw Horse was less sore at the end of the ride.

Lightning Horse

Throwing chains seems to be something of a team pastime, hence Lightning Horse's darkened hands. The sign was trying to keep these sorts of antics at bay.


Perhaps Tumbling Horse would be the more accurate moniker after taking the fine art of falling off his bike to new heights by colliding with another cyclist who failed to keep left; due to another cyclist not keeping left. Yes, the age old, indefatigable, Domino Theory.

The ensuing pile-up left a rather surprised cyclist with a torn pair of lycra resulting from his own handlebar riding up his shorts!

Thunder Horse left the scene, eventually, after helping the anonymous cyclist extricate his aforementioned handlebars from his aforementioned nether regions. Amusing in hindsight. Not at the time.

This year’s finish line allowed for a spectacular burst of sprint energy, should the mood take you, followed by a quick dismount for medal collection.

All in all, a great day out and positive training towards the Gong Ride, just a couple of weeks away!


Until next time, Pedal On!


Thunder Horse

Stop laughing, this is serious ...

Yesterday was the tenth day of the tenth month, 2010 - a busy day for weddings and wallpaper removalists; and what a cracking day it would have been for a blog post: the tenth at that!

Alas, I was removing wallpaper. 

Nonetheless, it occurred to me as the steam mixed with whatever adhesives had been used to apply the wallpaper I was removing that I wasn't cycling. More importantly, and perhaps of greater relevance, was that all of the training so far is intended to prepare the team for the 2010 MS Gong Ride. And it's fast approaching. And I'm not sure that I've called this goal out in this blog before. What was I thinking about? Wallpaper?

The Gong Ride takes place on Sunday, 7 November, 2010. The aim of the ride, apart from inflicting serious fatigue and pain on ourselves, is to raise funds for people affected by Multiple Sclerosis (MS). MS is the most common disease of the central nervous system and affects more than 20,000 Australians.

This year, Team Iron Horse's fundraising goal is $1,500.00. Overall, MS Australia hopes to raise $4 million from the 2010 Gong Ride. That's huge!

You can DONATE by clicking on this link: Team Iron Horse  and help MS Australia support Australians affected by multiple sclerosis.

MS Australia aims to minimise the impact of multiple sclerosis on all individuals affected by the disease, as well as their families, carers and the community, by offering a wide range of services, equipment and support. MS Australia's goal is to assist everyone affected by MS to live life to their fullest potential and secure the care and support they need, until we ultimately find a cure. 

This weekend we're tackling the (50km) Sydney Spring Cycle as further training for the Gong Ride. Expect another blog soon, with less wallpaper.

Until then,

Pedal on!

Thunder Horse

Tryouts

As Yet Unnamed Horse (AYUH) wanted to try out for Team Iron Horse. I explained that tryouts were not necessary, that Team Iron Horse was a social, loose-knit, gaggle of cyclists; more intent on finishing rides than overtly challenging their individual physical limits. In some cases, just turning up was a pretty impressive feat. In essence, we're more about guts than glory. Taking leave from our families just for a training ride is often a perilous exercise in itself.

Nonetheless, AYUH suggested a ride one Sunday morning from his stable in Wentworth Falls, up through Leura, out along Cliff Drive to Katoomba and then back down to Wenty. Why not? A Sunday morning ride. Lovely.

Within one kilometre, no, within 200 metres, my brain echoed with thoughts of proper hydration, syncopated with recognition that proper nutrition was equally important. For a while there I was simply trying not to lose my guts. (Too much information? I think not dear reader. It paints the appropriate picture, however unfortunately.)

Here's what not to do the evening before a ride:

1. Eat a packet, largish, of salt and vinegar chips

2. Wash it down with a beer

3. Follow with a simple meal with plenty of protein and carbohydrates (Actually, this part's fine.)

4. Eat a dessert consisting of custard and a slice of the cake you seem to have had 3 or 4 slices of already that day. Ensure it's that cake with delicious icing. The cake might be a bit stale, but the icing is delicious.

5. Have a second helping.

Back to the ride.

Within 200 metres of starting, we were climbing a moderate grade and my system was telling me that:

a/ I was in pain

b/ My legs were about to cramp, and

c/ Breathing seems quite difficult today.

I'm sure the AIS witness cases like this, amongst elite athletes, all the time ... What to do?

Firstly, do yourself a favour and re-read 'what not to do' and never repeat. A lesson hard learnt that you can avoid.

Anyway, I loosened my helmet strap (my gorge really was rising), caught my breath and pedalled on. AYUH had plotted a course that was scenic and not so much undulating as uphill. A percentile breakdown would look something like this:

60% uuphill

15% very uphill

5% use ropes for this bit

20% screaming downhill

 

There’s a steep pinch along Blaxland Rd, near the corner of Cook Rd, so steep that the local water reservoir sits atop it. It had to be crested, so we did it. After regaining my composure we crossed the highway onto Scott Avenue. Deceptively, Scott Ave starts with a long downhill that, as is the way of downhills, ends, then turns uphill, to climb up to the train line into Leura and Station St. There’s a particular bend after Gladstone Rd that I know only too well. Somewhat miraculously I stayed seated on my bike and managed to, slowly, creep uphill. AYUH was waiting patiently further ahead. One of many patient waits I suspect he encountered on this ride.

Hard for me to tell. Most of the time I was considering whether it would be bad form to call OOO for urgent resuscitation.  (Granted, that would have been overkill in the circumstances.)

Once inbound to Leura, it’s easy to avoid the top part of the Mall where the shopping strip buzzes with the activities of day-trippers, retailers and café goers. Grose St to Megalong, then onto the lower roundabout and don the Mall to Cliff Drive is where we went. At quite a pace. This part I could contend with easily. My stomach had settled down, breathing was registering as more measured, less wheezy and the bike was fairly coasting along. All good.

As the name Cliff Drive suggests, this is a winding road that dips down to the valleys that ultimately form waterfalls that cascade and leap over various cliff’s edges. The dipping down can be quite extended, meaning the uphills, similarly are often less than gradual.

The ride down the Mall and Cliff Drive down to the Leura Cascades had reinstated my faith in both of my legs, at least half of my lung capacity and a majority of other vital organs. So onward and upward we cycled. As I recall AYUH attempted a conversation with me for most of this climb. Unsure whether any of my grunted straining was misinterpreted or heard at all. All I know is that when we rounded the bend below Solitary Kiosk, there was more uphill but it was at least more of the gradual variety than steep.

We pressed on. Great view from opposite The Rooster as we pedalled off towards Echo Point. A few bends, dips and gradual winding climbs and we’d made it.

I made a quick pit stop to check that everything was intact. Still all good.

Echo Point was abuzz with busloads of tourists. I was aware of the climbs to come out past the Scenic Railway and up to Cyclorama Point before heading up Narrowneck Rd to the highway, but for a moment, it seemed like I was going to make it fully in saddle, despite a very shaky start.

Awesome downhill just past Lilianfels to Katoomba Falls. After passing the Scenic Railway, the uphill began in earnest. It was on a stretch up to Cyclorama Point that I decided I’d need ropes or my feet to make the hill, so walking won out. It was only for a short stretch until my breathing became inaudible and my heart’s hammering resumed a gentle tapping. It made all the difference and AYUH was waiting patiently again at the crest.

Crest is probably a misnomer. Top of this stretch, to be followed by some undulations and then more uphill. We followed Cliff Drive even when we could have continued along Narrowneck Rd, because, as I was discovering, AYUH had a set mileage in mind and today was no day for shortcuts.

By this stage I was game for extra distance. Essentially, the more miles between me and my shaky start to the ride, the better. The embarrassment factor would, I hoped, somehow diminish over distance.

Important note: When road signs suggest 25km/h due to hairpin bend – use your brakes. If you’re unsure just how tight a corner it is—use your brakes a lot! Both of us were nearly toppled by the bend just down from a lookout, but somehow held the road. The spin downhill was short-lived, as we still had to climb back up onto Narrowneck and then up Narrowneck to the highway. Hurrah!

I started saying all sorts of things to myself as we rejoined Narrowneck. AYUH took off and was faintly distant climbing through turn after turn. It wasn’t the steepest stretch of road for the most part; it just goes for quite a while. And guess what? Yes, there’s a steep pinch just before another water reservoir and the SES Emergency HQ.

(Comforting to know all of that rescue equipment was near at hand.)

Finally, we’d made it. The Great Western Highway lay below us and the ride home was surely downhill from here…

AYUH seemed to shy away from using anything other than the top cog on downhills. I could only surmise as much from the yawning gap between us on the Great Western Highway descent. I couldn’t say for sure because after the Leura Mall turnoff heading east, you need to keep your wits about you to find a rideable surface on the shoulder. In fact, you need a magnifying glass. (Next time we’ll take the Leura Mall turnoff and head back along Scott Ave.)

As we approached the Blaxland Rd turnoff on the outskirts of Wentworth Falls, AYUH signalled straight ahead. We hadn’t reached our target mileage and wouldn’t if we turned off now. It was agreed, seemingly in disbelief by AYUH that we should ride out to Wentworth Falls Lookout to ensure we topped 30km on this morning’s ride.

So we took the Valley Rd turnoff just past the Caltex and headed out to the lookout. AYUH was happy—we would cover ample road to meet the target distance. So much so that actually going to the lookout seemed unnecessary. I was adamant if we’d come this far, we had to take in the view as well. So we did.

This, naturally, meant there was a steep pinch waiting for us up to Falls Rd and then Falls Rd itself undulates in an upward fashion to the village. Well worth it for the view.

Quite a long wait at the light gave us time to contemplate un tasse de café from Il Postino. It was a scramble on green to keep us from the caffeine.

The caffeine helped me up the next hill, gradually, on to the Blaxland Rd circuit around the Wentworth Falls tableland and back to AYUH’s stable. The caffeine sent AYUH into a frenzy on the uphill and it was a very long wait for me at the top I’m sure. Fortunately, AYUH admitted to perhaps overdoing it a little on that last uphill.

I was just happy to still be alive.

I had the feeling that it was I that had been on trial and not AYUH.  In that case, Team Iron Horse had not fared that well. Although, 32.5km added to the cumulative training distance before the Gong ride—not to be sneezed at…in my condition. Just remember to skip the cake, beer and snack food before the next ride.

Despite my performance, it seems that AYUH will be joining the team for our ride to the Gong. We’ve found our lead out man for sure!

Pedal On!
Thunder Horse.

[Editor's Note: As Yet Unnamed Horse now has a name ... Crazy Horse! ]

Recon 2: Another reconnaissance mission ...

The skies had cleared, so I took the chance to spin the wheels a week or so ago and reconnoitre Ridgewell Road and the track out to Baltzer Lookout.

While the skies had cleared, there were occasional potholes to clear.

Muddy slaloms anyone?
They just kept getting bigger ...

But, as it turned out, they weren't the puddles.
THESE are the puddles!

Notice the mud splashed 6ft or more up the trunks of surrounding trees.

Despite the drowning hazards, it was an excellent run. Amazing views at almost every turn and I'm still coughing up my lungs after one or two steep pinches. (Ok, I pushed my bike a couple of times. It was that, or brain myself on a rock, tree root or the abrupt end after a fall from a precipice. Walking made sense.)

One of the reasons it was such an excellent run out to the lookout is that it's largely downhill...seriously downhill at times.

Apart from lake-sized potholes near the start of the ride, the track is in good condition for mountain bikes. This one is definitely NOT a road bike ready ride.

HAZARD WARNING: Definitely leave your bike at the track head, where the trail becomes a single walking track, about 3.5km from a locked gate on the way out. (The locked gate is low enough to easily lift your bike over. It's also remotely monitored by NPWS.) Once on foot, I'd recommend giving a wide berth to the cliff edge too.

Spectacular views, but it's a long way down. Hope to return soon. Still hard to comprehend how close this lookout is to bustling Blackheath. Because of the excellent terrain and views, expect to share the track with hikers. Plenty of room for everyone out in this wilderness...and someone around here clearly has a chainsaw and knows how to use it!

If you haven't scrabbled up a rocky 4WD track in a while, here's your chance. While it's a mostly downhill ride out to the lookout, the flip-side is that it's mostly uphill on the return.

All up, it's only 7 or 8 km from Blackheath's cafes, pubs and shops. A neat 15km or so round trip. Hoping to make it a regular training run.

For Team Iron Horse, perhaps it's the first leg of a three lookout training run: Baltzer, Govett's Leap and Evan's Lookout? Time will tell.

Until next time, Pedal on!
Thunder Horse.

The Bobbin Head Classic

Classic:
noun something noteworthy of its kind and worth remembering.
adjective of enduring interest, quality, or style.

It was all smiles as we screamed downhill towards Bobbin Head on this, the inaugural Team Iron Horse Bobbin Head Classic. We were surprised to see how many cyclists, of all ages, were already pedalling their way back up to the Park gates at the start of the downhill.

I've never seen so many cyclists emblazoned with one shop's paraphernalia-the North Turramurra Cyclery has established extensive branding up and down the climb. Good on 'em: have hill, will ride.

It's around 5km from the park gates to Bobbin Head and then another 1.5km or so around to Apple Tree Cove-our turnaround destination for today.

Beautiful weather, blue skies and still waters bordered the ride.

The cafe at the marina primed us for the climb up to the park gates. Two short blacks for yours truly-it was a long way down.

The caffeine put a kick in our steps and, we hoped, iron in our legs, as we girded our loins for the uphill leg-the real test of our metal, mettle and ... general health.

Good news.
We survived.

Thanks to the cunningly timed purchase of a road bike (the Friday prior) I thundered across the line first. Not without some effort and pain, I hasten to add. 

Saw Horse

Lightning Horse

Dark Horse

Lightning Horse powered into second, Saw Horse landed in third and Dark Horse parachuted into the final spot.

After this ride, road bikes are making a lot more sense to me, particularly when the trail is macadmised.

That extra inch or two in wheel diameter for starters, the lighter weight and the lower rolling resistance of thinner tyres all add up to make cycling more comfortable and significantly faster on roads. (Still need the MTB for other terrains. See the forthcoming post on Baltzer Lookout to find out why.)

I'm willing to bet that not many who climb up from Bobbin Head take the time to visit Australia's very own sandstone Sphinx. It's only a couple of hundred metres from Bobbin Head Road down to this war memorial site. It's a steep trek back up to the road, but a great way to remind your legs what they've just endured. I'm sure it gets easier with practice.

Until next time, Pedal on!
Thunder Horse.

In honour of Dark Horse's (t)rusty steed.

Classic adjective of or pertaining to automobiles distinguished by elegant styling, outstanding engineering, and fine workmanship that were built between about 1925 and 1948 ... often found in stairwells ... Ok, I couldn't help myself. Dark Horse. Seriously. Isn't it time to upgrade?

Hidden Hills

hill: noun a conspicuous natural elevation of the earth's surface, smaller than a mountain.

Contrast this with 'over the hill', meaning past prime efficiency; past the peak of physical or other condition, etc. I, for one, managed to rediscover my etc.

Coincidentally, the Macquarie Dictionary offers the definition for 'Himalayas' on the same page opening. (But I digress.)

Our ride began at the Armory Wharf in Blaxland Riverside Park (top of map), part of the Sydney Olympic Park uber precinct. None of us had explored the cycleways hereabouts before, so it was an all around day of discovery. What lay in wait were hills, thrills and spills.

After an exhaustive mechanical check of his rusty, sorry, trusty steed, Saw Horse was all set to go. We meandered along the Parramatta River for a stretch before turning inland and hillward to the top of Woo-la-ra (the green lassoo in the top right of the map). A sister hill, higher, without an unpaved cycleway but distinct single track to its crest beckoned. We surprised ourselves by having a crack at it. 

A few lessons were learned:

1. Single tracks are better handled by mountain bikes.

2. Do whatever you can to maintain momentum in the early stages of the climb.

3. Let the momentum carry you to a point where one of your lowest gears can take up the slack.

4. Avoid crashing into your mates.

5. Consider more regular cycling to increase strength, fitness and ability.

Today's lesson over, we headed through a maze of cycleways, crossing armory railway tracks, passing sandstone cuttings and venturing through woodland screening extensive waterways until we'd ventured off the map.

Correcting our course, we stumbled upon this elevation. This is the view from atop the spiral hill (bottom left of map), showing, faintly, Horse With No Name, Saw Horse and Lightning Horse engaged in deep philosophical debate over a matter too abstract to reflect upon in this abbreviated blog. Suffice to say: philosophical musings - 1 vs. listening skills - 0.

Not that far from here was ANZ Stadium. We contemplated time trials around its perimeter-potentially over its roof-but decided it could wait for another day. A day when 'over the hill' didn't resonate so painfully for some. (The roof in particular.) 

In defence of others, let me say that, Lightning Horse was managing a calf injury; Horse With No Name was cycling several leagues ahead of us in terms of bike fitness; and Saw Horse was travelling much better than he'd anticipated. It was yours truly who was feeling the heat and lack of recent riding causing a growing fatigue of a minor 'over the hill' variety.

This snapped us out of any fatigue. I'm still impressed by the extreme variety of terrains that we managed to experience in just over 20km of bike-back meanderings.

On what planet were we now? Planet Brickpit, as it happened.

The Brickpit Ring Walk is an out of this world experience. Bicycles are strictly a no-no, and for good reason. We'd been standing, almost mesmerised by the lake below for only moments, before we struck upon the idea, simultaneously as I recall, that not only could we ride the ring, but we could ride the walls of the ring. You know, a la the Crusty Demons.

OK. Bicycles are not allowed. It's a silly and dangerous idea ... but wouldn't it make a great chase scene in the next Bond film? (Right, no more digressions. They'd probably use motorcycles anyway.)

We passed another spiral hill on our way back up towards Woo-la-ra from this other-worldly denizen and an archery centre, which I discovered after the ride has a track leading to a mountain bike park ...

Thirsty horses all, we headed for home, discovering a wide and cobble-free Champs-Elysee style return to the Armoury Wharf through the Newington Armory precinct.

A great day out by all accounts.

Until next time, pedal on!

Thunder Horse.

PS: See Lightning Horse, I didn't mention your catastrophic kerb jumping crash at all. Quite a spill. Unfortunately, dear readers, there's no photographic or video record. It really was a sterling effort.