Dusting off the pedals

OK, it’s a late start to Team Iron Horse cycling blogs for 2011, but it’s a start.

While aiming for a bit more consistency, detail and timeliness in blog posts; I’ll be happy just to get one posted per quarter … OK, looks like I missed the last quarter entirely. Perhaps a bit more blogger ambition required. I'll try to dial it up.

You might think that the lapse in blogging over the past couple of months is due to a lack of cycling. Not so.

In fact, Highland Horse, a newcomer to Team Iron Horse, has shown cycling dedication through mist, rain and occasional howling wind, with Thunder Horse in tow, at least twice a week on average since late January. I suspect it’s his Scottish heritage that has caused a post-cycle caffeine fix to be increasingly replaced by a post-cycle cleansing ale: in moderation, naturally.

Perhaps ensorcelled by the strength and fitness that this arithmetic progression of pedal-powered proclivity had thrust upon us, we deemed the 40km return trip out to McMahon's Lookout a worthy outing on Friday, 25^th March.

It was a spectacular afternoon and Crazy Horse had joined the quest for this particular vision splendid with box trailer in tow. (This vehicular miracle made managing the logistics of cycle and rider retrieval later in the evening, by our better halves and young'uns, all the more possible—particularly after saluting our fine achievement with a couple of cleansing ales. There’s definitely something to be said for cycling in the afternoon.)

Crazy Horse hadn’t been on his bicycle since the Trial Bay Triathlon over a month earlier, so he was probably not going to fare as well as Highland Horse and I after our grueling training regimen … hmmm, ok, a triathlon may trump a morning ride and coffee, even if you do it three times a week. Point taken.

So, it was a beautiful afternoon. A light breeze nudged autumn leaves from their perches, the temperature rested pleasantly in the low 20s a well maintained dirt road lay before us.

One error of judgement was the lack of sunblock, but hey, we had finally managed to get 3 cyclists to the start of a ‘distance’ ride, we had to pedal on.

I’m delighted to report that according to this entry, what we had achieved is considered a long day’s ride!

McMahon's Point ride - Wentworth Falls

Mountain biking (medium difficulty)

General information

This is a long day's ride across the heath and forests of Kings Tableland. The route travels along an unpaved road, running south from Wentworth Falls along the clifftops above Kedumba Walls. The road ends at McMahons Lookout, where you can stand some 500 m above Lake Burragorang and survey the huge reservoir which supplies most of Sydney with water. Access past the lookouts is restricted, as it is within the 3-km stored-water zone of the the Sydney Catchment Authority. Do not venture past the fenced lookouts.

Turn off the Great Western Highway at Kings Tableland Road, just east of Wentworth Falls Township. The road is sealed to the old Queen Victoria Hospital then unsealed to the end.

In the interests of fairness, we did start at the Queen Vic Hospital, about 5km from Anderson’s Firetrail so total return distance was a little over 40 km, instead of a possible 60+].

But, not to lessen the achievement, here’s a satellite image of a bloody terrific ride.

There were quite a few highlights. Number one, it was a beautiful afternoon. Here are a few random shots of magic cycling conditions.

The lookout itself was pretty impressive.

 

As per Highland Horse: ‘twas a top day out, Grommit. While Highland Horse pulled up the next morning better than he’d feared it was a real eye-opener how much water and food you need for these rides.

While the ride out was generally dowhill, with a few kicks up, the return was generally uphill, with occasional descents. This was not a descent on the return leg ...

([In fact, shortly thereafter it would be fair to say that cramps took Thunder Horse with a vengeance.)

So, this year’s lesson number 2: Remember food and water.

Did you miss lesson number 1? Remember sunblock.

Special thanks to Crazy Horse's better half for hosting a post-cycle dinner for the families of us rusty Iron Horses.

(Since writing this update another epic Blue Mountains adventure has occurred. Word has it that experimentation with handheld video while cycling has taken place, with some arresting results. So stay tuned for more heroic adventures of Team Iron Horse.)

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

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.

Recon 1: A reconnaissance mission ...

The surface of that muddy water is frozen!

In the interests of actually putting rubber to the road, I went out on a recce a week or so ago to see what the trail alongside the railway line was like between Blackheath and Medlow Bath train stations. In a fit of imagination it was called Station St. It's a good trail. Very good.

One small catch--the rocky hill just off the streets of Blackheath. You get it once going out and again coming back. No surprises there. However, it's more like alpine scree than anything else I've encountered.

That sunlight in the middle of the picture, that dot, is the bottom of the scree slope on the return leg. It seems to drop about 100 metres in 25. According to the maps, it only seems to do that. Walking it worked for me on the way out. I considered walking it on the return leg, but managed to stay aboard as I bounced and jounced to the bottom.

It's not a long journey - around 6 km one way. Enough of a warm up to consider pedalling further afield--perhaps out past the Katoomba Airfield. On this day I was too tired, cold and basically out of shape to do more than consider the possibilities. However, one day soon it would make a great ride from Blackheath to Point Pilcher (beyond the airfield) and back. Any takers?

One last thing--the Whisk and Pin cafe stop at Medlow Bath. Excellent coffee and they make great breakfasts too... for the longer rides.

Heading for home, after filling my lungs with clean air and my stomach with high potency caffeine, I cycled up the final hill and onto the macadamised roads of Blackheath, no trouble at all.

Pedal On!

Thunder Horse.