Long rides around Sydney

[toolex 78]

Hi.

 

Haven't entered an iron-distance race yet, but building up the long bike and therefore confidence with the aim of entering one.

 

What are some long rides people to around Sydney? Looking for some new ideas.

 

So far I've done

 

- West Head / Akuna Bay loops

- Loops of Olympic Park and Parramatta Park

- Loftus to past Woolongong and train back, or not quite to Woolongong and return the same way

- M7 bike path

- Windsor Rd bike path then Old Windsor Road out to Richmond

 

40ish loops of Centennial Park doesn't sound appealing, is Anzac Parade out to La Parouse OK traffic wise, and do you get a good run without stopping at lights every couple of minutes?

 

I typically ride alone, and not TOO early on the weekend, so I try to avoid non-cyclist friendly roads like Parramatta Road and Lane Cove Road.

 

Any suggestions for other course?

 

Thanks!

[george-bob 83]

Where are you based? LaPe isn't bad, earlier you go the better, outbound is better than inbound in the morning traffic starts to pick up from ~7:30.

 

Here are some of my staples:

-Waterfall return (80km from centennial)

 

-Waterfall extensions: otford, sublime point, RNP there are loads, (120-180km)

 

-Kurnell loops: no stopping, 20-25km loop great for TT practice

 

-3 gorges loop (galston, berowra waters and bobbin head) can easily be extended to include brooklyn, or even further up to calga, mt white etc (60-200km)

 

 

My suggestion would be jump into a group ride to waterfall, it is an easy ride not very pretty, but riding with a group makes it tolerable, plus very few lights after sutherland.

[Charlesn 210]

Where are you based? LaPe isn't bad, earlier you go the better, outbound is better than inbound in the morning traffic starts to pick up from ~7:30.

 

Here are some of my staples:

 

-Waterfall return (80km from centennial)

 

-Waterfall extensions: otford, sublime point, RNP there are loads, (120-180km)

 

-Kurnell loops: no stopping, 20-25km loop great for TT practice

 

-3 gorges loop (galston, berowra waters and bobbin head) can easily be extended to include brooklyn, or even further up to calga, mt white etc (60-200km)

 

 

My suggestion would be jump into a group ride to waterfall, it is an easy ride not very pretty, but riding with a group makes it tolerable, plus very few lights after sutherland.

 

I used to ride to Coledale, Coalcliff, Thirroul area, even Port Kembla, from Newtown.

I wouldn't recommend that necessarily, but I always made the most of the RNP and especially the hill down, and back up from Stanwell Pk.

Almost like a practice, on tired legs, for Matthew Flinders Dr climb in Port.

 

My recommendation for the long ride would be, lets say from town, ride down to the Shire, out to Kurnell, back to Cronulla, up the Kingsway, Sutherland, Audley, down to Garie and back up, out to Stanwell Tops, down to Stanwell Park, then return via Waterfall, Sutherland, Como, Oatley, Hurstville ... then I opted for a train back to town so as not to get in the way of all the weekend 4WDs and Commodores.

 

Train trip from Hurstville to home was always a highlight becuase I'd have a banquet setup around me and ate pretty much the whole way

[Kamahl 28]

I typically ride alone, and not TOO early on the weekend, so I try to avoid non-cyclist friendly roads like Parramatta Road and Lane Cove Road.

 

Thanks!

Unless you are done and dusted by 9:00am on the weekend, any road in Sydney is Cyclist unfriendly! Even the M7 bikepath becomes an obstacle course later in the morning.

[Charlesn 210]

Boo.... too negative.

 

Toolex, can we call you Tool for short?

 

You don't need friendly, you just need safe.

There is great riding to be done all over Sydney, and in all my years riding there I never had an accident, let alone a run in with a car

[Hoffy86 109]

Royal National Park.

 

The end.

Edited March 6, 2014 by Hoffy86

[Kamahl 28]

Royal National Park.

 

The end.

RNP is always nice, as long as you go early. Mid morning (Sunday) the place is full of Casey Stoner wannabe's.

 

You could go through RNP out to stanwell tops, helensburgh, sublime point, back to the road that takes you out to woronora dam, (do a few laps), then back though sutho.

[TrevS 349]

There's a number of topics that have suggestions, so it really comes down to were you live and/or were you are prepared to start your days ride.

 

This topic "Riding on the M7, would you, should I?"

This one contains area and suggestions for flat area's with preparing for IMWA in mind, so mainly flat areas with little interuptins.

 

 

This Topic "Where do you 'long ride' in Sydney and Melb?"

should better answer the question and covers all terrain over a broad area.

 

Sydney
Start/Finish at St Ives

Mangrove Mountain / Wisemans Ferry - 196km

The Gorges plus Maraylya - 115km
add Brooklyn in for extra 25km

Ettalong Ferry Loop via Sommersby - 152km

The Gorges x 2 laps - 150km
Lap turns top of Bobbin Head Turramurra side then reverse direction.

St Ives to Katoomba - 138km
train back to Sydney

 

In addition, there is Akuna Bay/West Head/Bobbin Head area which only contains a small area of urban riding (ie:between Turramurra & Terrey Hills approx 15km) the rest is all national park. Akuna/West Head is very peaceful all day long. Bobbin Head has a Boat ramp as does Akuna but Bobbin Head gets a greater volume of people. The late in afternoons you tend to get the boaties heading back out.

 

If you combine Bobbo/Akuna/West Head and start from Hornsby for example you'll get 90km with an out and back ride, alter your loop through akuna to gain extra and/or head out to Cottage Point (road that turns off on the descent to Akuna) and/or continue down to Bayview or add in Duffy's Forest and you can easily get over 150km's with approx 40km's of safe urban road (ie:Turramurra>St Ives>Terrey Hills).

 

There are loads of variations of all these rides listed in the quote such as adding the road out to Brooklyn on the Gorges rides.

or for those that aren't afraid of lots of climbing do 2 laps of The Gorges, after the first lap turn back and do the second in reverse direction. It's the same route but it's a completely different ride. That would be 150km with 8 x 4km climbs, Be adventurous and add in Brooklyn both laps that 2 extra climbs and another 35km to your total.

 

There is also the ride North up the Old Pacific Highway through Brooklyn up to Mt White and Calga, continue on to Sommersby back around to Mooney Mooney and back down the Old Pacific Highway. Around 140=150km depending on where you choose to start.

[tortoise 859]

I did 165 km solo from Hornsby to The Entrance via everywhere: Calga, Peats Ridge, Sommersby, West Gosford, Woy Woy, Ettalong, Wamberal, Bateau Bay, Wyong, Gorokan, Norah Head. Almost all on main roads on a Sunday morning through to early afternoon. I felt safe as the whole way. No car incidents at all.

 

Had fish and chips on the waterfront for lunch with the family and then they drove home while I slept.

[Quack 210]

I like the rides up north - generally less traffic than south.

3 gorges is one of the best I think

can change start/end point, add extra Bobbin head repeats, include some Pacific Highway etc to mix it up.

 

RNP is good too - just depends on the whole ride - I don't like coming back through Sutherland etc on the way back when there is traffic.

I may be a sucker for boredom but I do lots of Kurnell loops - good on Sundays when not so many trucks.

[tortoise 859]

If your after a flat to undulating ride, that is no long hills, there is a lot of scope in the NW. Bella Vista is a good starting place, out along Windsor Road which has an excellent wide shoulder except for about 2 km between Old Windsor Rd and Rouse Hill when it's a third lane. Then you can map out any number of options up through Pitt Town and Cattai, down to the Sackville Ferry, Wilberforce, Freemans Reach, North Richmond, turf farms, etc. Hardly any traffic on most of these roads. I used to include Glossodia but its a bit nasty at the wrong point in the ride for me so it's gone off my agenda.

 

Nice little park overlooking the river at Terrace Road Kurmond with a tap to top up the bottles, a park bench for a short break and clean public loos.

 

You can easily get 120km of very pleasurable riding.