Slowies Saturday 13th Feb 2010

[Peter T]

Hi folks,

Just had a look at the Centennial Park website and seems we have a clash of cultures!

The Good Vibrations Festival is on and from the Map it seems there is not much riding possible on the day.See their website below.

http://www.centennialparklands.com.au/a ... vibrations

Perhaps a rethink of the Saturday Slowies Ride is needed for tomorrow.

Any ideas?

[weiyun]

Ride down to La Perouse.

[Stuart]

Please note the following traffic and access changes in Centennial Park on 13 February 2010:

CYCLE LANE: closed ALL DAY between Dickens Drive and Robinson Road (near York Road Gates). Centennial Park Cycles will be re-located to Govett St Gates. Looks BAD for cycling on the day.

We've had slowies to CP before on this day but it seems they're closing more and more gates and restricting the traffic more. Check out the map

http://www.centennialparklands.com.au/_ ... ignage.pdf

PADDINGTON GATES: closed all day.
JERVOIS AVE GATES: closed all day.
GRAND DRIVE: closed ALL DAY between Dickens Drive and Robinson Drive (near York Road Gates).
PARKES DRIVE: closed ALL DAY from Paddington Gates to Dickens Drive.
HAMILTON DRIVE: closed ALL DAY
BROOME AVENUE: closed ALL DAY
LOCH AVENUE: closed ALL DAY between Dickens Drive and Robinson Drive
DICKENS DR: open ALL DAY no parking between grand and loch
BANKSIA WAY: closed ALL DAY

[timyone]

gates are closed to cars, im confused as to if we can just do what we normally do, doing the half the park thing.
We seem to pick up a few people along the way, so im guessing it would be good to still go past the park if we do any thing different? would slowies be a good bunch for open road riding?

[weiyun]

Gates are only closed to motor traffic. Bikes can sneak through the side gates. 1/2 park is doable.

[Toff]

This happens every year. It's a pain in the proverbial, but we ride half the park, and get turned right before the roundhouse cafe.

[Eleri]

I was there on Wednesday morning and it was pretty bad then, debris all over the bike lane and trucks everywhere. Plus some many cyclists who had been locked up for over a week!

[Danny]

After doing the Saturday rides for a couple of months I've been thinking about stepping up to the Waterfall rides. I wouldn't mind heading out to La Perouse to get a little more road experience in before giving Waterfall a go.

Just my 2 cents worth - either way I'm happy

[weiyun]

The only issue with a La Perouse loop is that it'll take more time than 1 hour. So it's necessary to leave a bit earlier to catch the regroup time of 8am.

[Manny]

Instead of riding Centennial Park tomorrow, I'll probably ride to Olympic Park from my house which is in Ashfield. So if anyone is interested in joining me just post me.

[Manny]

I forgot to mention that if its raining I probably won't go.

[simon.sharwood]

What if we head out from M'ville at the usual time, go to the Park together, branch off to LaPa for those inclined, regather at cafe?
We could make the LaPa leg a no-drop and use it to introduce some slowies to the delights of the road.

[weiyun]

What if we head out from M'ville at the usual time, go to the Park together, branch off to LaPa for those inclined, regather at cafe?
We could make the LaPa leg a no-drop and use it to introduce some slowies to the delights of the road.

This thread referred to last Sat.

[simon.sharwood]

This thread referred to last Sat.

So it did.
I am underslept.
Just ignore me.


(Still not a bad idea for slowies, IMHO, but of course this is just an idea and in no way an edict)

[Stuart]

What if we head out from M'ville at the usual time, go to the Park together, branch off to LaPa for those inclined, regather at cafe?
We could make the LaPa leg a no-drop and use it to introduce some slowies to the delights of the road.

I do think it's a good idea but I want to introduce a bunch riding training session thing first. Now that I'm officially a certified cycleskills coach I want to do some basic training for new riders at least once a month at CP. This will include things like calls, riding with one hand (in order to make hand signals), bunch etiquette and maybe pace line. Hope to start in March - better to train then at CP than on the road IMO.

[simon.sharwood]

better to train then at CP than on the road IMO.

But you'll be training a generation of wusses! Get 'em on the road ASAP, preferably the airport tunnel!

[weiyun]

Riding down to La Perouse via CP has been one of my routes used on an irregular basis. The route is quiet at that time of the morning and can be very pleasant. But for DH Sat Slowies, 7am arrival at CP would be a tad too late to complete the loop for 8am return, a practical restriction. I usually pass through CP at 6:30am or earlier when I wanted to go that way and can be back in the park before 8am.

[timyone]

But you'll be training a generation of wusses! Get 'em on the road ASAP, preferably the airport tunnel!

The prob with taking slowies onto the airport tunnel, is that we have some riders that are closer to the 10kmph mark than any thing, i reckon if we want to do any thing that requires the road, or other things like that, we will have to make it slightly seperate to the actual slowies group, as people use the ride for a veriety of reasons, and we have a lot of riders that dont need the actual basic cycle skills etc, they are there for training, the fun of riding or what ever else. If i ever dont have racing that arvo, and its not my day off, im there for training and hills etc.

If yo want to organise any thing different for slowies, id say you have to work it out with the riders etc, not on the net, not enough people come onto the forum from slowies to take part, do it at the cafe, or the meeting point towards 8 when every one leaves.

[timyone]

Oops didn't realise you were joking about the tunnel :s I go through there every so often and was just imagening the group we had on sat there!

[Toff]

Agree with Stuart, (and strangely, Tim too). Slowies rides to the park, and back to Marrickville from the park. Both these sections are already on roads, and if you ask me, there is a long way to go before the Slowies bunch is fit to ride on busy roads.

The point of Slowies is not to get people riding in tight bunches on roads. It is to get people riding. That is all. Who cares if we spend more time at the coffee shop after the ride than we do on the bike?

The Slowies format works. Riders who are keen to do more road riding tend to graduate to longer road rides when they are ready. Don't stuff up Slowies. If anyone wants to do a beginners' road ride - great, but organise a seperate ride.

[Stuart]

The idea of CP skills training will be announced on the forum but also on the day at slowies. It will be an opt-in type of thing where people who may wish to go with the Sunday bunch or on other road bunch based rides are better prepared. That's it.

[timyone]

oy stewart!!! the yelling seemed a bit much from where we were!!
I dont know what the people in erskineville thouht of it, there were lot of people watching!

[timyone]

oh ok fair enough
i didnt realise it was his girl he was yelling for all we saw was some guy going off for ten mins at a car.
(which is what the group watching would have seen)

[Stuart]

oy stewart!!! the yelling seemed a bit much from where we were!! I dont know what the people in erskineville thouht of it, there were lot of people watching!

Oy Tim - You weren't the one that nearly got killed by a driver very keen on passing me as close as possible without actually hitting me. One deviation from me and that would have been curtains. He then decided that breaking hard in front of me would be a great idea. I take exception to that kind of behaviour & I don't believe in turning the other cheek on all occasions. And I won't in the future. Plus you spell my name with a U, not an EW and I'd appreciate it in future, if you've got a problem with me to either PM me or have a chat face to face.

[timyone]

oh ok, no probs, nah no probs with ya, just wondering about the vibe that our massive bunch of cyclists gives off.

[timyone]

lol!!! your deleting posts and adding new ones, its confusing me.

[timyone]

i was going to ask you in person, but i didnt see you at coffee

[timyone]

actually maybe your right, stuff em, next time ill come and get em with ya, just give me the nod ive got a beutiful pump for this sorta thing i normally just frak out and move on but its probably time to be more pro active

I might start a face book group ive heard that a flying battery can do some damage, aim for the big bits where you need to replace the whole peice on the car ive seen this on you tube too, we just all stop in front of them, freak em out, then if they drive over us take them to court too ill send you the link.

This could all be easier on motor bikes though.. then we can chase them down... hmmnnn all the planning to do hey...

[Stuart]

lol!!! your deleting posts and adding new ones, its confusing me.

Didn't realise the PC was logged in as Joanne already so I deleted it and re-posted as me.

[timyone]

lol no probs

[hugo]

sneaky stuart......

Tim wants me to say something innocent, so lets all forget our troubles with a big bowl of strawberry ice cream

[weiyun]

I might start a face book group ive heard that a flying battery can do some damage, aim for the big bits where you need to replace the whole peice on the car ive seen this on you tube too, we just all stop in front of them, freak em out, then if they drive over us take them to court too ill send you the link.

I do not believe suggesting these types of behaviours is appropriate for DHBC riders.

[timyone]

hmmnnn ok, well ill stick to yelling at people then, ive been practicing, and itreally is enjoyable, a guy looked like he was gonna swerve towards me today, so i yelled at him until he weas out of distance, and it really was a lot of fun

[weiyun]

That's right Tim. Yelling and screaming is good training for your respiratory muscles and it'll do you good in sprints.

[Peter T]

Saturday Slowies Feb 20 2010.

Caption needed.....

[shrubb face]

"no tim, shes certainly too young for you"

I thought id start with the most inappropriate caption.