DHBC Adventure Training Ride - Depart 5.45am Second Sunday of the month from Mick Mazza's.

This replaces the "Slowies RNP" ride of past years and will again be tailored for riders who are at least comfortable with Waterfall return at a solid Cruiser pace. Bring your bidons, bring your banana/power gel, bring your camera and bring your pocket change as we explore the various routes and have some fun along the way. Return to Marrickville for end of ride coffee.

Your Hosts
- Mike "Rambo" Clement
- Weiyun "2*20" Yu

2010 Rides - Provisional Calandar (so far)
Jan 10 - Northern Adventure
Feb 14 - Bundeena Coffee then ferry to Cronulla
Mar 28 - Southern Highlands Non Fixie Imperial Century day trip - Fixies/SS banned (ride info in p4)
Apr 11 - Royal National Park (RNP) - Waterfall in, Audley out
May 9 - Early Easties Beach Ride - back in time for Mothers day
Jun 13 - Stanwell Tops Icecream - Fastie's & Middies can challenge themselves on fixies, geared bikes for everyone else.
Jul 11 - Headlands
Aug 8 - Kurnell whale watch
Sep 12 - Bundeena Challenge Return

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Hills hurt, couches kill

Sounds great! I'll definitely join you on a few of those, starting perhaps with the Northern adventure.

If you don't mind I'm going to go by the 2010 calendar though, riding on Sundays rather than Mondays.

Thanks for checking the dates and they have all been corrected now.

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Why is the wind always against me?

Those rides sound great. I will definately be in on some of them

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"downhills are my friend"

i really like the sounds of this
though i really wanted to ride my fixie on the imperial century ride

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done the grafton

Great idea guys. It's good to explore some alternate routes. You've both done an awesome job of leading the slowies RNP group in 2009 and it sounds like this year will be even better!

The question is - is the nothern adventure do-able after racing Goulburn the night before?

Think about the great cafés along the northern beaches.

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Why is the wind always against me?

I am gathering some die hards of Christian and Simon's level could back up for both rides, but for the rest of us mere mortals that are below C grade...getting back late from Goulburn and up early for Sunday long ride might be a stretch.

.....Pefect excuse for me to give Goulburn a miss.

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"downhills are my friend"

Thats tops

Where is Northern Adventure? Somewhere pass Hornsby or Manly area? Palm Beach will be nice. Some details please.

thanks

Narrabeen Lakes loop using Wakehurst Pkwy and Pittwater Rd. We did counter-clockwise last time and may do clockwise this time. Not totally decided. Manly may or may not get thrown in depending on time availability and our direction of travel.

We may schedule a West Head ride at some point in the year but it'll be significantly longer than Nth Adventure, possibly as part of the Headlands route.

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Why is the wind always against me?

How many km approx is the Northern Adventure?

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"downhills are my friend"

Without any major detours, the Narrabeen Lake loop return is in the 80km range by my recollection. We may or may not supplement with a loop down to Manly.

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Why is the wind always against me?

Very good initiative Rambo and 2x20!
Looking forward to see new routes.

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Team Ironman. I is the black one :-)

A reminder this is on tomorrow morning. Mike will be at the usual Marrickville meet point at 5:45am and I'll wait for the bunch at the SHB ramp from 6am.

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Why is the wind always against me?

Fun inaugural ride for this new monthly DHBC ride to the Northern beaches today with a highish starting temp of 24.5 deg C. We started with 7 riders at Marrickville and 1 dropped out due to mechanical while I joined the bunch at Oberservatory Hill, next to the Harbour Br cycleway on-ramp. Our first surprise challenge was Ben Boyd Rd through Neutral Bay that tested everyone's climbing legs. Unfortunately Michelle pulled an injury during the climb and had to turn back at the top of it. The remaining 6 proceeded onto Military Rd and across the Spit Br and connected onto Frenchs Forest Rd and then Wakehurst Pkwy. The repeated rolling hills with subsequent downhill sections that gave 65+km/h speeds without leg work gave some satisfying return to everyone's hard work. The drone of the millions of cicadas along the lake section was deafening and was quite a trance that masked the pains in our spinning legs.

A little detour from Pittwater Rd saw us enjoying a well deserved beach side cafe break on the southern end of Curl Curl Beach. A big thanks to Rodney for his local knowledge in showing us this secret hideout. Maybe we will all take our budgie smuggler next time.


Curl Curl Beach.


Great view with DHBC riders leaning over the barrier.


Geoff. But I was more interested in photographing the northern headland of Curl Curl Beach.

Video at the cafe: Mike's commentary was in reference to the bumpy corrugation on south bound Pittwater Rd while Geoff was only interested in his coffee.

We then rode the coastal back roads onto Manly and a spurt of blood to Mike's head had him taking us onto Darley Rd. Yep, the dreaded North Head climb. Surprisingly, the coffee rest earlier refreshed everyone's legs and doped up the rest of the system, and we all made it up with surprising speed. There we saw a big gathering of triathletes with 50-60 TT bikes on the racks and everyone agreed that Gi's absence from such an important event (and this ride) was most unbecoming of a DHBCer.


North Head and its brilliant view across Sydney Harbour.

Video at North Head lookout: Overlooking Sydney Harbour and Geoff took advantage of the situation for his 20s of fame. And was that why he is the club President?

With the highlights done, we returned via the Spit and up Parriwi Rd. Despite the pains of coming up Ben Boyd Rd on the way out, the descent was fun fun fun. Then it was SHB, Darling Harbour, Anzac Br and home.


A little rest after the Parriwi Rd climb to recover from the sharply rising heat.

Well, for me it was 78km all up from Birchgrove, a tad more for those who started from Marrickville Rd. Plenty of climbing and great fun. Till next time...

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Why is the wind always against me?

Thankyou Weiyun and Michael for organising and leading this ride

This ride was fantastic. One of the best I've done with the club in 5 years. It was fun, plently of challenging hills, 7 kms of bushland (Otford), great coffee on at Curl Curl Beach, through Manly Corso and up to North Head, more hills, The Spit, more hills, and nice houses to window shop as one was sucking in air.

I look forward to the next adventure next month. Hopefully we can get this one on the calendar soon again.

Thanks Weiyun for posting the photos and video. (I'm the odd one out in the blue jersey).

It was one of the best rides I've done. The hard work was definitely worth it!

Unfortunately I can't do the next one in Feb, I've got a gig in Tassie that weekend.

Wow! Fantastic report Weiyun!

I had actually posted an apology that can't make it due to North Bondi ocean swims and the peer pressure to do both 1km& 2km swims.... but dont know where my post disappeared!

As I said, an excellent initiative by Rambo and 2x20. I just don't know why all the things I want to do happen on the same day, same morning? I suspect a conspiracy!

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Team Ironman. I is the black one :-)

gig in tassy? doing what?

nice pics
loved the posed on hanging over the railing even if it is

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done the grafton

I play in a band called Mariachi Australia. We've got a gig in Tassie that weekend at Festivale. Look at: http://www.festivale.com.au/