This is the second part of a two part ride report…

After the mountain challenge it was already lunch time, and we drove to a nearby restaurant and refuelled. During this time Oren told us his story which was extremely interesting. He was hearing impaired and had an operation for an Australian invented hearing device that changed his life. He also told a sadder story, that a few years ago his sister was killed bike riding in Israel. The family  instituted a bike ride much like the Amy Gillet Grand Fondo, and this ride had occurred only the week before our ride… so many stories told about this. Very inspirational.

Oren lived at nearby Kibbutz Neot Mordechai, which lucky for me is noted for being a manufacturer of premium sandals. My 10 year old sandals I was wearing packed it in during the trip and were dead. I ducked into the store and quickly bought a pair of sandals after a 20% discount was offered by Oren.

My nephew and I got back into the car and drove back to where we had parked the other car… transferred some stuff, and at this point I’m now on my lonesome. I booked a B&B in the north from which I could explore the surrounding area. This B&B catered specifically for cyclists, and here it is…

This place was great. It could house some 50 people, and I was the only person there for the entire stay. The pool and Jacuzzi were to die for, and especially needed after a long hot day in the saddle. My hope was I would meet other like minded people, however it was late in the season and was not meant to be. Somewhat lonely, I set out by myself over the next few days to explore. Dror, the owner of the establishment had spent several weeks cycling in New Zealand, and was happy to map out some interesting rides….

As a recovery ride, I set out to do a 60k circuit of the area surrounding Kfar Tavor where Hooha are located… The Kineret (Sea of Galilee) is some -200m below sea level, and like an oven down in the valley… I elected to stay a little higher up and skirted the kineret. Some serious tourist areas in Tiberias, as it gets intense interest from the christian community. Very interesting place. In addition I spent some time in Nazareth which is a VERY interesting place close to where I was staying….

http://app.strava.com/rides/10068534

This next climb the following day was the highlight of the trip for me… It was a more manageable climb similar to say 3-4 Gorges, and spectacular scenery trough a forest during the course of the climb. Har (Mount) Gilboa is a national park, and littered with Mountain Bike trails. I followed the road around and was treated to some great scenery.

http://app.strava.com/rides/10201078

and for some scenery that is breathtaking in beauty…

After the climb, time for a dip in the pool, pack my bags and a quick dash to Tel Aviv (2 x Hours). I booked a hotel to stay on the Mediterranean, close to all the cafes and culture of the big smoke. Well as it turns out TA is in middle of transforming itself into a European model of a cycling/pedestrian town. Incredible.  Bike paths though not complete are well established and people are taking to them. Not too many road bikes to be found though as Mountain bikes seem far more popular. In TA I go out exploring daily and you can see some rides I had done here… the key is to meander up and down the coastal beaches and participate in soaking up the atmosphere which mercurial.

While there are many bike paths in TA, I note that pedestrians do not fully appreciate this, and tend to wander into the bike path without further thought for cyclists. This is endemic, and I suspect some accidents are bound to happen and some re-education needs to be done.

http://app.strava.com/rides/10279334

http://app.strava.com/rides/10348488

During this time in TA I met many interesting people all who had a significant story to tell. What you need to realise is that Israelis are a very difficult people… they are argumentative, aggressive, rough. But underneath the nasty exterior is a heart of gold. The Sabra fruit is the universally used term to describe this phenomenon.

I seem to have a rare knack of engaging these people and bringing out the best in them. Not exactly sure how I do it, but I seem to be able to quickly cut through the rough exterior to show the more humanistic and engaging side of the people. I made a few more friends who are now connected to me by facebook.

I should add that Israel is not generally safe for cyclists and this should be well understood. I was aware that Saxo Bank had done some of their spring training in Israel, as Oren had got the chance of riding with Contador and friends. The country offers large shoulders where cyclists could ride for many hours, but the drivers are aggressive and largely do not see the law as something they are required to follow. Red lights are only loosely adhered to, and shoulders are often used for other purposes other than breakdowns. Most people I spoke to warned me about the dangers of cycling in Israel… so a defensive cycling posture is definitely the way to go.

In summary… the trip was a great success.

• Had many cycling adventures with Mt Hermon and Gilboa as the highlight
• Met many interesting people with great stories to tell (TA)
• Reconnected with a sense of history one does not get in Oz (Jerusalem, Nazareth, Tiberias)
• Juxtaposition between Old (ancient) and New (Centre of High Tech) is amazing

So for something substantially different from what you are used to, I strongly recommend it. If there is enough interest in the ER domain to do such a tour in the spring, I know that Oren would be interested in helping to do some guiding. Let me know and I will set it up~

Best regards,

/Bucky

Hi folks,

A few of you had asked for a ride report… as was difficult to get the full story on snatches of conversation while trying to climb scaramanga. So here it is.

Trip was scheduled a month previously. I was on my way for a two week trip… 1st week was family related stuff needed attending to, and second week was all personal time, so I decided to take Little Fish on the Journey.

I’ve done a couple of tours in country NSW, but never something so ambitious as this. Logistically an overseas tour is a LOT more complicated. Satnav very kindly offered use of this Bike Specific Travel Bag that he recently got as a birthday present. Worked a treat. When riding overseas here are some things you will need to think about:

• Weight Limit – I had a 20 kg weight limit. About 15 for the bike and 5kg for everything else. I packed lightly, and squeezed through without paying any excess. Bear in mind Israel was summer temps so only had to pack for 1 x season.
• Rent a Car – I rented a Mazda 5, which provided plenty of room. Don’t forget to drive on the RIGHT side of the road. Car is needed when you lug around bulky bike bags.
• Oversize bags are sent to a special carousel in airports. Always look in a different place from where you drop your bag off.
• Let the air down on your tires (at least halfway) before checking in.
• Wash the bike before you come back to Australia… Australian authorities were worried I picked up some dirt/organisms somewhere on the way.
• Takes about 1 hour to disassemble bike ready for packing. Equally another hour of assembly on the other end. Remember to pack adequate tools.
• I flew via Korea, with a LONG stopover (overnight) in Seoul. I sent my bags ahead and spent the night with just the carry on bag… which was fine.

I spent some time trying to find some groups to ride with before I left. I surfed the internet, and sent off some emails, but not much luck came my way…. Admittedly I was arriving early June, which is at the tail end of the cycling season, simply too hot as you travel into June. My nephew lives locally and is an active runner and triathlete. We had planned to do some riding together though he lives in a very difficult area which is hotly contested, so personal security was an issue. I committed to spend the weekend with his family at the end of week1, and so after the weekend we took off for the biggest ride of the tour. But more about that later.

I packed the Garmin, and somehow got a hold of the latest Israel map. I downloaded this into both my car Garmin, and my bike Garmin. This turned out to be both a blessing and a curse, as we shall see later. The Garmin maps were extremely helpful while cycling since it gave me some reassurance that my preselected route was being properly adhered to…  I found when you ride a route for the first time, it is not very relaxing since you have not seen the landmarks, and are unsure of where and when to turn. You certainly don’t want to miss any turns, as options may NOT be available. Water and food are an issue, as weather was very hot and dehydration was certainly a danger.

As I intimated earlier, my nephew has a young family, but lives in a difficult area that requires passing checkpoints and personal security. Most people he lives with are heavily armed. Interesting to note that I gave my nephew an older set of my EasyRider kit, and he simply LOVED it. He thought this was the best thing since sliced bread. I also pre-agreed with him I would leave my wheels with him at the end of the trip, as a present. These wheels had been built by me a couple of months before, and were fully tested and ready to roll.

So on the Friday… we did a practice roll in the area where he lives. Our big ride was planned for the following Sunday. We took the bikes out and gave it a run… here is a pic in front of his house.

I mentioned earlier that personal security is an issue, so being armed is the new normal. No kidding, when he remarked how relieved he was when the ER Jersey was deep enough to fit his 9mm.

My plans for the tour called for me to spend 3-4 days in the North of the country (very hilly and cooler), and 3-4 days in Tel Aviv which is flat, hot, and an inner city experience. Tel Aviv is a beach city situated squarely on the Mediterranean Sea.

My nephew planned to take the day off on Sunday and planned an all day excursion for a challenge ride up to the top of Mt Hermon, tallest mountain in Israel, which during winter months is a ski resort. On Sunday morning… we woke up very early, and got away at 4:00am. Since I was staying that evening at a B&B up north, made sense for us to take 2 x cars. We drove separately for 1.5 hours, parked one of the cars at a convenient location in the North, and then joined back together again to drive an hour together for the latter part of the trip. The path we took was via the Jordan Valley, which was one of the most spectacular and picturesque roads I’ve ever had the privilege of driving. It resembled a moonscape to my eyes and was VERY different from what you are used to.

Here is some background on the Jordan Valley but pics do not do it justice. For a moment while driving through the area I felt transported to the moon… cool.

We arrived at Kibbutz Dafna which was at the base of the mountain at around 7:30am. We met a third person there who my nephew had corresponded with when searching for routes up the top of the Hermon. His name was Oren, and belonged to a local cycling club, that kindly agreed to ride with us for the day. He was an invaluable resource as he had all the local knowledge, which was sorely needed on the day.  Interesting to note, Oren had made a few calls the week before to see if he could get an army training road open which would allow us to get to the very top of the mountain… that is another 4 km at about 15%. Unfortunately the road was firmly closed as several army training runs were on for that day. Secretly I was happy he was not able to open the road, since I had my doubts about this whole challenge anyway, much less these last 4 km’s.

Here is a pic of the Oren and I, while still reasonably fresh…

The Mt Hermon challenge was positioned as a 30 km climb ergo Mountain Top finish, but should be easy at an avg 5%. I had my doubts, about this and with some trepidation agreed to this climb, or perhaps adventure is better articulating what it really was. I think the 5% avg, was after taking the descents into account, because it was really 10-12% average. I have never seen anything like it! My cardio was blown out of the water, and I was going so slow I could barely turn the pedals worrying about stalling. We started the climb late, say about 8:00am, and so the temps started to climb, and it was Very Hot for the duration of the ride. Two water bottles were the way to go…. Oren knew where fill up points were along the way, which was a relief.

I got 20km into the climb, and capitulated. I felt overheated and spent, and was worried about health, heart, lungs, and survival. I had a whole week of cycling ahead of me, and did not want to blow the trip by overextending. The two guys with me looked ok… though I was not so sure about myself. Oren suggested we deviate and start to descend after a break at Neve Ativ, which I was very happy about. We did a major descent that seemed to go on for ever… and bike handled great throughout. Oren told us a story how he destroyed a bike on this descent a few weeks ago.

Here is the strava story….

and some pics of the participants…

And here is the wiki about Neve Ativ…

Ben, suffering on the climb….

An old Druze woman gave us a bowl of cherries at a pit stop… how quaint

In summary, a great day had by all. This was truly an adventure as it took a lot of guts to brave the unknown and enter truly unfamiliar territory, and to conquer your fears in this way is truly exhilarating.

In part two, we talk about the climb up Mt Gilboa, and then on the Tel Aviv….

/Bucky

Claiming true local hard man status after yesterday’s outing.

A balmy 3 degrees at designated departure time.  Kit:

• Two pairs of socks (one merino wool under C Hippo’s advice) and over-boots
• Long leg warmers under 3/4 qtr length winter knicks
• Long undershirt + Wind vest + long jersey + newspaper + winter jacket
• Neck warmer
• Beanie
• Long woolen gloves under second pair of long gloves

You get the drift – I looked like a blimp.

Trouble is I was under dressed. The thermometer dropped to read zero at Col De Lofty (700 mtrs and growing) and wind chill on the descent meant I had to pry my fingers off the handlebars at co-riders meet point.

But then things cooled down…Bridgewater hit minus 2 before we at last started to climb – a joy as it stopped the worst of wind chill and at least gave the body a chance to work & heat up (well at least try)

Never been as cold in my life. All the paddocks were covered in ice and even the cows and sheep looked frozen on their spots. Great photo opportunities everywhere, but too hard to get the phone out and glove(s) off.

Yes Sydney gets wetter, but this was something else.

Cold Beaver/Beebs

Last weekend, 8 of us covered approx 530 kms in three days from Mudgee to Dubbo (and surrounds) and back to Mudgee. The peloton consisted of three Specialized – Pete Coleman (Northside Cycles), Dave Berry and Ben McCully (on his brand spanking new Tarmac), two Cervelo’s – Hugh O’Neill (with a crack) and Tim Irwin (who would join us later in Dubbo), one Scott (Nick Gaeta – who had done Port Macquarie IM the week before in 11hrs something ) and two Treks – Bill Mann and YHC. We could not have contemplated such a tour without our support crew – James Nettleton and John Berry.

The convoy of four cars and seven bikes reached Mudgee around 10.30am on Thursday morning. However YHC was as dark as a shark by the time we reached Mudgee after being vilified for ordering a hot chocolate with a marshmallow at a “coffee stop” at Lithgow. Apparently this wasn’t a tough enough drink for the hard men of our peloton (I would later be fined for this perceived softness). All YHC can say is that it tasted good and I’m comfortable in my own skin.

Anyway, YHC digress’s. At Mudgee, we were joined by Bill (who resides in Rylstone) who also donated his trusty ute as one of our support vehicles for the trip. We set out from Mudgee at around 11am for the first 128 kms of our three day tour. The weather smiled on us kindly with bright skies, no wind and very few large trucks to cause us much bother. Pete, riding his Specialized (which we suspected was worth twice as much as his humble Hyundai), kept our pace up. There was only one incident to report on the first day – after 50ks, one member of our team (who will remain nameless but for the sake of the story lets call him Ben) thought he may have left his car unlocked in Mudgee and sent poor John back to check. Yes, the car was locked, but unlucky for John, on the way back he hit a roo which did not insignificant damage to the ute and left skippy the worse for wear.

We arrived in Dubbo and after hydrating with a Coopers Pale Ale, most of us proceeded to an ice bath (or for a more apt description – the outdoor pool at the Aberdeen Hotel in Dubbo). Post the ice bath, and a debrief over a few more Pale Ales we were then joined by the eighth member of our peloton, Tim, who had flown to Dubbo from Melbourne. Upon his arrival, we moved to the local pub for a few more beers, a fine session (which YHC was on the wrong end of) and dinner. Whilst the local sirloin was a tad disappointing, the 2008 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Shiraz more than made up for it and oiled us well for what lay ahead the next morning.

The second day began at approx 4.47am at a very brisk -2 degrees. Trying to make up for the hot chocolate call the previous day and to be an aspiring HMOTN, I went with the shorts. However that was nothing as Tim had forgotten long gloves so it was going to be a very pleasant first couple of hours for him. It was dark and cold but we set out in good humour, with James ahead and John behind to protect us from the frequent road trains as well as providing much needed provisions.

First target was Gilgandra, some 70ks in the cold and dark. We sat on around 31kph and reached the roadhouse truck stop around 7.30am for the full breakfast of bacon eggs sausages steak and toast. A nice old(er) bloke at a table next to us donated $20 to our charity (cancer research) which was much appreciated.

From Gil we moved some 30ks down the long flat road to a town called Collie. Must say, not much in Collie but a welcome stop to stretch. Dead flat cotton country out there, punctured by the sight of the odd emu in the paddocks and a dead kangaroo or two on the road – hey the national emblem almost live!!!

Plenty of banter flowed – most of it jibber as the peloton rolled through the ks nicely two abreast. As Dave said, “it’s like speed dating” but after almost 9hrs you have to be inventive (or repetitive) with your conversation. Bill and YHC adapted well and by the end of the day were well versed in what our respective familes were up to. Must stress the importance of having a big unit such as Big Ben (a former 1st grade second row rugby forward) in your peloton who can provide an excellent draft when it’s his turn up front. The big fella provided significantly more cover than the two whippets in the group (no offence Pete and Dave).

A mechanical (broken spoke) at Warren was very welcome. This could have spelt disaster for Tim but a spare wheel in the support vehicle meant a ready fix. We moved on to Nevertire where we stopped at the pub for a hamburger and chips. 170 kms down and 105ks to go. Like Collie, not much in Nevertire, however a nice pub (we stuck to coke given we are athletes). The publican donated $50 to our cause which left us in good spirits. Next stop Trangie, where Hughie needed to stop to apply some deoderant – he would be later, quite rightly, be fined for such a request. We had completed 200ks at around 31 kph.

After a quick stop in Narromine where YHC caught up with three cousins it was the home stretch to Dubbo (YHC was subsequently very unfairly fined for holding the boys up). 37ks to go and the adrenalin was pumping as we could smell the Pale Ale and Art Series waiting for us. This last leg was punctuated with a few hills (just what you need for the final leg!) and more road trains than we had seen all day. With 20ks to go, Nick, complained of sore achilles. After providing some compassion and a good dosage of HTFU (I mean, really, how hard is it to back up after an IM!!!) he proceeded to get on his bike and up the pace to around 40 kph and leave us for dead – nice guy. He did eventually ease back and a state of euphoria hit us as we reached the Aberdeen Hotel after 8hrs 46min on the bike. Plenty of back slapping at the end of day two (276ks all up) and and a dip in the pool was complemented with a Pale Ale. Dave, as is his want, disturbed the ambiance of the pool by deciding to dive bomb in – not sure of the remedial benefits of this tactic.

Whilst bangers and mash were the main order at the pub, the inkeeper had run out of the Art Series. Devasted but able to adapt, we found a nice little Leeuwin Estate Siblings Shiraz (still in the Margaret River) which did the trick.

Despite the very best intentions, Tim and myself were late to the start – the arrangement was to meet at that great Scottish restaurant across the road from the hotel (the Golden Arches) at 6.30. However we didn’t get there until close to 7. After a nutritious bacon and egg McMuffin (is that the right term BT?), we set off for our final 127ks back to Mudgee. Relatively, it was a balmy 3 degrees when we set off. The quads were feeling it after the day before (perhaps YHC didn’t spend enough time in the ice pool) and we felt like we were always climbing – which we were! We struggled to get the pace up. As there was some undulations, Hugh was keen for a “roll test” to see how good his new Durace C24 wheels where. We parked at the top of one hill and commenced our decent without pedalling. Alas Hugh’s new wheels where no match for Pete’s whizbang something or others (nor Bill’s standard issue Bontrager’s found on the Madone 5.2). Not a happy captain, our Hughie with that result, and after some discussion, a rematch was conducted. Hugh did perform marginally better where he beat Bill. After a morning tea of Subway ham rolls (they weren’t too bad) we had about 30ks to go. Still a grind and a cross wind to boot we rolled into Mudgee for a well earned Pale Ale.

The ride complete we packed and hit Bill’s farm at Rylstone for a well earned BBQ where the wagyu beef, freshly slaughtered lamb chops and snags hit the spot with a few beers and reds. A boat race ensued whereby the catholics smashed the protestants which means we’re going to heaven.

A very enjoyable tour. We raised over $14,000 for Cancer Research. Stats are on Strava but a quick summary below:

17th May: Mudgee to Dubbo – 127.8ks, climbed 854m, ave speed 30.8 kph
18th May: Dubbo loop – 276.4ks: climbed 465m (told you it was flat!), ave speed 31.5 kph
19th May: Dubbo to Mudgee – 127.7 ks: climbed 1,027m, ave speed 28.1 kph

Cheers
Herb

Morning All,

Wrap up from yesterday’s roll through the gorges for anyone interested…. 

Woke up to hear the wind whipping around the apartment, and thought i’d better don the arm warmers…  The legs still had some lactic acid from the previous gorges roll on Sunday- but figured that’d work itself out on the spin to Bobbo.

Met up with harry and drastic at 6.35.  Drastic’s first comment “i thought you had a proper bike!!”.  not yet- i’d have to make the ride on the “fake” bike again this morning.  A bit itchy to get going we jumped the gun, without Pete K- but after a reminder from Harry (on his flatbar, with mudguards and sand shoes), doubled back to the highway to collect Pete (on the Avanti with shiny new drivetrain), who was really only 15 seconds late.  Down to the vets to meet Doc (Alex H) and Schleck.  6.45 came and went- no Fahsl but we had to move on. 

Conditions were good for the descent, nice and clear, crisp, but a bit windy.  Much better than the fog and mist which blanketed us on Sunday morning.  First PR collected for me on the descent, although I was ripped apart by everyone else on the descent.  Time for the first “climb”.  More like a 10 minute bout of wrestling.  I wrangled the bike to the top (taking 19 seconds off my previous best) to then wait for the others.  Cadence was hovering around the 50 mark all the way up

Enroute to kalkari- we saw the remains of a bad crash.  Someone decided to shave their face on the aspahlt.  Ambos and coppers passed by to assist.  We’re not sure exactly what happened- crossed wheels- front tyre blowout maybe???  the guy was moving- didnt seem to have any neck/back problems- but had spilled a lot of blood on the road.  Not a good way to start the day.

After 5-7 minutes of waiting for Schleck- Drastique and Doc decided to go check everything was okay- as this was quite UnSchleck like.  Anyways- no sign of him.  A message came up from a passing group to “tell drastique and bambam that Schleck had a mechanical and was limping home”.  I phoned in to drastique who still couldn’t locate Schleck, so they came back up bobbo to meet us.  It ended up being a 35 minute wait- 8.4 degrees my garmin told me, and with a 30KPH south westerly we were freezing.  I didnt really get warm again until the Galston climb.  Schleck i think it’s time to get some shimano or Sram gear…

Doc had to turn back at the bobbo west gates for family duties.  The galston east descent was good also- another PR.  Corners were dry, and dropping in behind Harry and Pete meant i could get some good drafting and not have to pedal too much to keep the speed up.

After getting to top of Galston- drastique floated the idea of a future ride- the 4 gorges of galston (East./West/Crosslands and other side of crosslands).  Sounded tempting until Pete K gave notice that Crosslands hits between 20-24% at the bottom.  Not much chance of building cadence and momentum- so i may have to wait til i have gears before attempting that one.  Drastique then turned back to round out 4 gorges (2 BH West and galston E/W) as he also had to get back to attend to a wife provided list of duties.  From what could have been a peloton of 7, we’d been stripped down to 3.

We worked together pretty well over to the ferry, steady climb out of berowra waters, and up onto the highway.  The wind never really seemed to push us along.  More like swirling gusts which were either across us, or coming straight at us.  Pete then took the highway to turra as Harry and I took on the last gorge. 

Bumped into Phantom and Collette luckily who had a table and some spare seats at the bakery.  The bakery didn’t know what to do with themselves as everything else was closed, there was a line out the door and they just couldn’t take the money or make the coffees quick enough.  Acouple of coffee hits and it was time to get home ready for the ANZAC day traditions.  Pete K rounded out his trip by taking on BH west again.

Cheers for the ride all who came and went and assisted me to some more PR’s etc.

taking ideas for Sunday- but considering an Akuna West head or maybe gorges again….  who knows

cheers

bambam

Finding balance between work and play is difficult in our modern world but in cycling I think I have found something that can tick nearly all the boxes ! Perhaps after the first best thing to do in the morning ?

Spinning alongside the northern beaches this morning with Michael, Dragon and the Captain I contemplated what is it that makes a good ride ?

For me it starts with the anticipation, the weather forecast looked promising, the bike has been singing along without a clunk and the distance to be covered and the speed of the group you plan to ride along with is not playing on your mind. The company is of course important as you soak up the fine views and indulge in a great coffee at a cafe, talking anything but work. New acquaintances are made and established one’s strengthened.

On this ride, new vistas and places were introduced with a wave of the arm above the roar of the near constant headwind but it wasn’t all sedate – a couple of Hail Mary’s and then we were off down the thrilling Mona Vale Road descent (no speed camera’s luckily !). We could indulge in the moment knowing everything at home could wait for at least a couple of hours ! Bring on those endorphins and smiles.

I’d like to tell you how far our ride was – and I could probably cheat using the Interweb – but I bailed out in Bilgola to do the boardwalk with Suzanne and the kids and returned by car. Suffice to say, this is a great outing for ER’s quick and slow – there is a reason why the Insular Peninsula is regarded so highly by those lucky enough to call it home.

Special thanks go to Michael for fixing my brakes, Dragon for the tools, tips and shelter and Captain for my new (old) ER’s shirt – look out for it tomorrow (clearly my Bogan look has gone on too long !). And I think we’ll leave the boardies at home next time …….. or maybe it was just too early for wolf-whistles?
Safe cycling,

Phil

Hi All

As a relative newbie to ER, I hope it it not presumptuous of me to present a ride report, there being no suitable ER seniors (experience, not age) on the ride….. I have modeled the report on those written by the masters and can only hope I have applied the appropriate level of BS.

As suggested by SatNav, the inaugural ‘Dragon Fly’ wearing ER egg and tomato was run today from Stives to West Head and back again. Conditions were hot and steamy.. hot, humid, whatever, we sweated heaps…It was the hottest (or humid-ess) cycling YHC has had all summer..but its already autumn you say…yes that’s right, but who rides a bike at 2pm in summer!! YHC was joined on the ride by Chris and Sam (naming committee please note lack of suitable pseudonyms), henceforth with referred to as ‘Dragon Riders’ (am I opening myself up for some wise-crack comments here??), and as such abbreviated to “ER-DR”s. All started well in good conditions, traffic was moderate (nothing compared to Miller St on a workday), but still safe, MVR shoulder lanes being what they are… there were expected road-kills, but nothing fresh, and the usual flotsam and jetsam from the surrounding bush interspersed with the occasional car part or tyre.

The run to Terrey Hills was cruisy with YHC leading the charge up the rise to the Thai Restaurant for the last water fill before hurtling down McCarrs Creek Rd. YHC led the way… “follow me I’m right behind you” being a bit of an old woman down the hills, and graciously waved for the ER-DRs to pass and foregoing the embarrassment of being overtaken at top speed. The tarmac to West Head was superb as always – still don’t know which RMS (aka RTA) bureaucrat to thank for that, but sure he/she must have been a cyclist – its undulations taking its toll on young ER-DR Sam (‘young’ because he lowered the average age of the pack to be below 50), with cramps in both legs. Maybe this is the result of his ‘casual’ riding pattern “TNF…..Thursday aNd Fridays” I recall he wrote in one previous post. Hmmm is this a naming opportunity?…may I be so bold (apologies if the answer is “no”).”Mr Casual”. HTFU Sam.

The standard ‘Dragon Fly’ has no rest stop at West Head – we’ve seen that view so many times already – It loops back up the hill (while the legs are still warm) and has the obligatory rest stop at the “LAST TOILET STOP 150m ON RIGHT”. Here we sat among the bush turkeys – boy, are they ugly – and large goanna. All that was lacking was a x-large xx-cold iced coffee on skim with extra ice-cream (full-fat OK)… a coffee flavoured Endura gel had to suffice. The ride back was uneventful, no sign of the tyre-eating pothole that caused my 3 punctures a few weeks ago just before that “nasty little hill” leading into Stives.

The regular ‘Dragon Fly’ runs on Sunday 7:30am to West Head, Akuna Bay, either or both, clockwise, and anti-clockwise. Not all on the same ride! Happy to have a ‘Dragon Fly Larvae’ ride, traveling at Comet speed…I know John (NB. also lacking pseudonym) will also be interested.

Dragon