85km Loop the Lake - 2012

Oh what a fabulous challenge this was! Loop the Lake takes you all the way around Lake Macquarie and throws in hills, magnificent undulating road, fantastic scenery... and lots of friendly marshals & volunteers along the way! We have wanted to do this ride for a few years, but this is the first time any of the biker bunny contingency actually made it to the start (and the finish!).

The beautiful view of the lake seen from near Belmont

Token bunny Amanda...
Sadly poor bunny Amanda could not partake - her habit of leaving parties in 'style' has landed her with a bump on her head - meaning that 5 hours with a helmet would have been pure torture... So, we decided to bring token bunny Amanda along for the ride - and boy did she have a blast of a ride!

Getting there
Tor and I met up at Gosford train station (after my ride in the dark down Kariong hill)  in time to catch the 6:15 am train to Teralba. With the ticket office closed and ticket machine not accepting notes, it was lucky Tor had brought her card or we would have had to travel sans tickets :) The train ride gave us an hour to repack and check our things -  Tor's camel pack started the day with an annoying drip-drop that persisted throughout the day and eventually had her fling the tube over her back. All else was good though, and we arrived in Teralba deciding to follow the other cyclists hoping they knew where the start was - luckily they did. Once at Spears Point Park, we got our rider numbers and were off in a matter of minutes (after taking the compulsory pre-ride photos)...

Tor with token Amanda on the train

Annette trying to look as fresh as Amanda...

Whoo-hoo we're about to set off!

Helmet: check -  Sunnies: check - Amanda: check

The Hilly Start...
We coasted out of Spears Point Park and down past Teralba along the cycleway on Five Islands Rd. Soon the hills began and the road persisted with lots of up and downs for the next 20km. What a great way to wake up! There were lots of riders on the road and most were very friendly and happy to wave or say hello.

At this early part of the ride however, we did see a number of the so called 'serious riders' who ride 3 or 4 abreast and are unable to respond to calls of good-morning or even a simple hello... Later on in the ride we merely saw evidence of these riders by way of their discarded drink bottles and energy food wrappings - shame on them! Apart from these guys everyone else along the way were truly fabulous!

Setting out on our 85km ride

Annette, Tor (and Amanda) at Myuna Bay

Muffins and the undulating road...
Our first rest stop; in a little park just behind Morisset, marked a fabulous end to the the (more) hilly section of our ride. The muffin and tea ladies were all smiles and provided such a welcome energy boost: Tor raved about her cup of tea and decided that the chocolate muffin (delicious) turned her day around - and I couldn't agree more! We signed a petition for a cycleway, socialised with the volunteers and other riders (our biker bunny t-shirts were noticed :)) and Tor did some good yoga stretches on the ground before we mounted up for the next leg of the ride...

We left Morisset all refreshed and made our way along Wyee road, which eventually brought us onto the slightly more hazardous Rutleys road, where we were advised to ride single file (definitely a good point as the shoulder is practically non existent along here). The marshals were very helpful and we even saw a motorcycle police book a driver for playing silly-buggers with cyclists (passengers yelling out the window and driver doing some very risky overtaking on double unbroken lines)! Finally we reached Doyalson (the Doylo') and cruised out on to the undulating Pacific Hwy, which I have to say would be my favourite stretch of the ride: Long slopes and rises along a wide shouldered road - absolutely perfect! :)

Ahh! What a lovely cup of tea!

This one looks fresh as a daisy...

Tor with the lovely muffin lady...

After chocolate muffin boost!

Tor all smiles along Wyee road

Annette with her passenger...

The long road ahead...

Some beautiful trees along the way

Ahh that undulating road! - near Catherine Hill Bay

Nearing the end...
Our next rest stop was outside the Big Prawn on the Pacific Hwy, where we re-filled our water bottles and chatted with the water man and some friendly riders. Amanda true to form, chatted up one of the guys and even had her photo taken with him... :) We shared jellybeans and snakes with our new found friends (the water man was something of an expert, he admitted to being a jellybean freak and had no problem identifying these as 'natural' jellybeans), and took some more photos before embarking on the next leg towards Belmont.

My left and right confusion threw in a hairy moment when I was passing a guy, and called out Passing on Left (when I should have said Right!!!) - luckily he didn't veer and there was no collision! Not wanting to startle people or appear rude, I have resorted to all sorts of phrases when passing other cyclists: Good Morning, Hello-Hello-Hello, and Sorry-Coming through-Coming through! - I think it's good advice to be brief and just call Passing... ;)

The rest stop at Belmont had me out of my shoes with a toe cramp - painful but thankfully a hop around without shoes made it go away. The lovely volunteers provided a selection of fruits for energy waning cyclists - they had delicious oranges cut in quarters and we must have had at least 6 each! Tor also brought out her yummy yoghurt covered fruity snacks to get us pumped for the last 16km!

Near Little Pelican and further up past Swansea, we got some amazing water views, which we captured as proof of circumnavigating the lake.

Water re-filling and all smiles...

(3) riders at the Big Prawn rest stop

Here comes the freshest rider of the day...

Bunny Amanda chatting up the guys...

Rearing to continue the ride...

Foot cramp at Belmont... ouch!

Little Pelican - just after the bridge

Tor showing us the view...

Now that is one silly smile...

The Finish...
The last section of the ride threw in a few hills, not too bad but enough to feel it - we were told there was a hill taking us past the hospital, only there appeared to be 2 hospitals (both with hills)! The last hill gave us a lovely decent down into Warners Bay, from where we could feel the finish line getting closer and we soldiered on bravely to cross the finish line with HUGE smiles!

The signs throughout the ride were great (despite the spelling)!

Not far to go now...

Happy Tor at the Finish line after 85km cycling!

Yes! We did it!

And here she comes - fresh as a daisy after 85km!

We had 10 minutes to make the 1:50 pm train from Teralba station and (madly) decided to make a run for it. So once our finish photos were taken, we hopped back on our bikes and ignored screaming leg muscles as we cycled towards the station as fast as we could... Problem: train station is on the 'other' side of Five Islands Rd, and we ended up having to lift our bikes over the barricade and then cross the busy road with 1 minute to go! Drama, muscle pain and suspense increased with every second as we pedalled down towards the station... The train was pulling into the station as we were carrying our (now super heavy) bikes up the (million) steps above the platform - Tor gritted her teeth and decided that either you miss the train by heaps or you DON'T miss it! She hoppetty hopped down to the platform and made sure that we got on that train, with yours truly lumbering down the stairs in a not so elegant fashion (I did have an extra passenger mind you)! Finally on the train, we could relax and enjoy our return journey with apples and snake lollies - feeling the achievement of the day seeping through all the sweat and grime - Well Done Bunnies! :)

Ride stats:
Loop the Lake Distance: 85 km
Total Distance Cycled: 93.7km (Tor) 105.9km (Annette)
Speed: 18.8km/h (average) 59.6 (max)
Calories Burnt: 3062
Time Cycled: 4 hours 56 minutes
Total Time (Loop the lake + station rides): 6 hours 36 minutes

The Map:

Happy riding all bunnies, and hope you can make the next one - this is truly a fabulous ride!

Annette :)

Newcastle to Dungog 90km

A 90km charity ride from Nobbys beach in Newcastle to the main street in Dungog...


Ride Stats:
Bunnies on board: Amanda & Annette
Distance cycled: 90km
Depart Newcastle: 6:45 am
Arrive Dungog: 12:30 pm
Time cycling: 5 hours 5 min
Total time: 5 hours 45 min
Calories burnt: 3000
Heart Rate: 164 max   132 average
Speed: 46.8km/h max 19km/h average

Before we dive into the tale of the adventure itself; here's a quick look at the map (and the elevation) of the ride to Dungog:

The Map:

Here's Amanda to take you through the first 50 kms of our ride:

The first hurdle for me was to work out how to get up at 3.15 am to go on a bike ride. I know I enjoy riding but to me that was a tad ridiculous … so rather than catch the 4.20am train I decided to drive which gave me until 4am to sleep (normally my bed time on the weekend), a much better alternative. Having been proofing and editing for most of Thursday and Friday afternoon I knew I would be tired so luckily for me I fell asleep by 9.30 – had a fairly good night's sleep and awoke ready for a challenge. Drove to Tuggerah in the dark to pick up Annette and went to the wrong side of the train station so poor bunny was cold and tired and had to come over to meet me. We attach Netti’s bike to the bike rack and set off on our merry way. We soon discovered that we both had chronic tooth pain and were acting tough to keep the pain at bay. Laughing all along the freeway we missed our turn-off to Newcastle and managed to find our way to Nobbys Beach by 6.05 am (God knows how, because neither of us knew where we going – especially Annette who happily told me she had worked in Newcastle for ten years and was sure she could direct us – NEVER listen to her directions!) – it was actually quite beautiful at this time of the morning & Netti and I prepared ourselves for mounds and mounds of riders, as they were expecting 500 but only 150 registered... We soon discovered how out of place we were when:

1. Annette was riding, wait for it – a mountain bike and 
2. I was riding, God forbid, a kind of hybrid road bike and 
3. We were not appropriately attired.

In the car park a couple pulled up two bays beside us and refused to look at us or even smile and lots more road bikers did the same. I cannot believe how snobby and unfriendly they were. We had prepared ourselves for this but didn’t actually expect so much snobbery!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then a rather delicious man in a BMW pulled up opposite, got his bike gear ready and came over and asked if we were ok (either we looked so out of place or he fancied a bit of hanky panky) – I replied that we were fine so far and he said just to take it one step at a time – maybe he thought we couldn’t do it – WELL WE PROVED THEM ALL WRONG!

So off we trundle with our new shoes and pedals to the starting line and we discover that instead of five groups as promised there were only three and to be honest there only needed to be two groups – US and THEM. There were only about 7 people there who were not serious road racers and this made US rather nervous. These two ladies who were lining up next to us standing there all rather jolly and thinking the same thing, and... (as we found out when we met up with them for coffee in Dungog) disappointed at the lack of 'ribbons' on bikes! I spoke with one inspirational man who had just finished a night shift at Hunter Hospital and was doing the ride on his own. So we discovered there were at least three nice chatty people who we did see a little along the way and a man with the number 70 kept passing us and nodding and he even smiled at me at the café in Dungog.

I also found out that when a cyclist is trying to pass Annette and shouts ‘passing’ she stays in her spot (or goes into the middle of the lane) and makes them nearly get hit by a car on the freeway as they try and get around her.

So now to the ride – the first 50km were absolutely awesome – lots of speed and small hills along the freeway and Annette and I managed to ride together all the way. We passed a lot of racers sat on the side of the road fixing punctures or tightening their seats and I even smiled and asked one guy if he needed any help – me who can’t even put my chain on! He looked at me as if to say – you are not even on a road bike (I just pulled a face full of disdain then).

At the rest stop

We stopped at around 48km for a drink, a banana and a wee and Annette left me in the toilet talking to myself while she stood outside laughing. There was a young girl waiting and I thought we were all alone so I was rambling on about crap and telling Annette she didn’t even have the decency to answer me … blah blah blah. I was feeling really good at this stage and was even considering going to a party that night but then our ride on the freeway came to an end and we turned off on to BUCKETS WAY – the beginning of my HELL! Before we did that, we cycled past my inspirational night shift man and Annette said that she said to him that ‘if the coffee hadn’t set in she would meet him for a quickie’ – we both nearly fell off our bikes laughing.

Amanda :)

BUCKETS WAY and over to Annette


What a beautiful undulating road it was - Buckets way... Truly the first 20 or so kilometres were very similar to the terrain we cycle around the coast (undulating....), and even though Amanda may have forgotten; she did exclaim with glee "Oh we know this!" as we embarked on the first few gentle hills - though this was before the road turned to craters, potholes, bigger hills and and an edge shot to bits...

The scenic road...

As we left Buckets way and turned on to Limeburners Creek Road, pedalling further and further into a deserted countryside; the road followed suit and literally fell apart before our eyes. Worst was careering downhill full speed with no way of avoiding the many dips and bumps along the way - We screamed our way down the biggest hills (small part exhilaration - big part sheer terror!), somehow Lady Luck got us through with no stacks.

The mysterious clanking sound was back in my pedals, but thankfully it was random and didn't have the feel of 'this bike will self-destruct in 3 - 2 - 1... BANG!' about it, so I kept pedalling and managed to block out the sound most of the time... and then Amanda brought out her bag of jelly-beans!! We cycled up and down hills comparing favourite colours (white are the best, followed closely by, orange, yellow, blue, red, black, purple and even green...).

Biker Bunny endorsing jellybeans

 

more free product placement...

Cycling along we marvelled at how easy it was to clip in and out of our new pedals. Considering how little time we'd had to get used to the pedals and shoes, we were doing FINE! Numb toes was the only little glitch on the clipless horizon, which we remedied by stopping, taking off our shoes and lying flat on our backs on the deserted country road (although Amanda wasn't quite flat on her back thanks to the 2 water bottles in her back pocket...) - Just as we were getting ready to do some serious cloud watching.... deserted country road decides to dish up a CAR out of nowhere... So to avoid ending up completely flat; we clambered up, got back in our shoes and braved the road again, with toes feeling slightly happier.

Made it to the top of yet another hill!

The bumpy road...

...the beautiful countryside we rode through

We waved and said hello to the many lovely volunteers, who were spaced out along the way offering encouragement and showing us where to go. As we chatted with two very nice volunteers at the 18km to go mark; Amanda raised her concern about the number of 'serious'  riders dumping their rubbish along the way: energy food & gel wrappers, water bottles, bananas and even a pair long pants (!) Desperate weight minimisation (if that's what it was) seems a tad over the top; especially on a charity bike ride and particularly as cycling is supposed to be environmentally friendly... NOT COOL! We all agreed and went on to brave the next hill...

If you eat enough jelly-beans you hallucinate and see things up trees - like big Goannas! No that wasn't a hallucination - I actually spotted one and slammed on my breaks to take a photo, realized I was still clipped into my pedals and nearly hit the road in stand-still mode... somehow I got out of my pedals & even managed to capture the goanna as he looked down and waved from the tree.

A waving goanna...

We were stared at by cows, horses and goats (Amanda even tried to race a few in her delirious state towards the end...) as we clanked, pedalled and laughed our way along the deserted country road getting closer to Dungog with every pedal stroke. At one point we cycled past a big ute with a shady guy in a big hat standing beside the road (and a couple of 'touristy' looking people next to him), Amanda and I both looked at each other and said "Wolf Creek!!" pedalling off at speeds we didn't know we were capable of! A good imagination is sometimes useful if it helps you trick your body :D.

Amanda's chain fell off at one point; damsel in distress signals travel fast through the bush as she'd barely stepped off her bike before Mr Fixit arrived in his ute (not wolf creek man!) popped the chain on, and had her back on her bike in no time at all! The biggest hill of all was saved for last - it wound it's way up, up and further up into the clouds. Someone reported seeing a black snake on this hill, others went into complete delirium, while others again just pedalled on telling themselves that the top of the hill is just around that bend, or no just around the next bend.... oh bugger, maybe the NEXT bend then!! Although it was steep, the scenery was quite beautiful... and from the top we had the rewarding ride into Dungog: another mad downhill run followed by the flat cruise into town.

Only 4 km to go!

We made it into Dungog just before 12:30 (well before the 1:30 cut-off time...) and cycled down the main street on our very last legs looking for the balloons, fanfares and big sign "YOU MADE IT", only to find out (by one of the friendly volunteers, who did come up to us and give us the 'well done!' we so wanted to hear), that the 'serious' racers had had their BBQ and packed up and left... Feeling slightly forgotten, however soon turned into a treat when the friendly volunteer guy had a chat with the 'sag-wagon' driver Bill, who offered us a lift back to Newcastle (saved us waiting for the train)! We had coffee in Dungog with Bill and the two lovely ladies we'd met at the start, and then a very happy chatty lift back to Nobbys beach in Newcastle.

We made it!!!

...coffee in Dungog with Bill & the girls

By this time Amanda must have forgotten about not taking directions from me (or she was trying to give me a second chance..) somehow I had us weaving down the long way instead of the F3 and am now formally banned from giving directions - poor Amanda!

It was a fabulous ride and although tired at the end it was definitely worth every minute!
Stay safe and happy cycling

Annette :)

A solo bunny ride

The Ride
5th August 2009

Bunny on board - Annette
Mindset - determined and obviously impatient
Research - not enough (see below)
Punctures - NIL :)

I'd mapped out this ride some weeks ago, thinking it would be a perfect pre-'spring cycle' ride, as it covers almost the same distance. Flu hit the fan, and before that there were paintings that had to be finished and rain that was determined to come down (in buckets). So on Wednesday I thought, oh I'll just try it and then we can do a multi-bunny ride asap (this is the determined and obviously impatient bit... :)).

The ride starts in Kariong and goes down the old Pacific hwy, across the Mooney Mooney creek and up to the Calga interchange. This part of the ride is truly gorgeous, bellbirds singing their heads off and practically no traffic. I met one other biker who was loaded up with what looked like camping gear, we hollered hello as we passed and then I spent the next 20 minutes wondering if he'd cycled all the way from Melbourne...

Crossing the Mooney Mooney bridge I thought "Ahh this is a great photo opportunity", so I stopped, clambered off the bike and took some scenic shots of the surroundings, then I decided that maybe I should take one of myself as well, but not wanting it to be too obvious I looked away from the camera as I pushed the 'take photo button', which made me look as though I was saying "oh get AWAY from me, don't take any more photos!" now that's a seriously deranged form of paparazzi - and for everyones sake I'll spare you the end-result :)

The Calga interchange takes this ride on to Peats Ridge road... this was the slightly unresearched bit. I'd looked at the map in satellite view (hinting back to the obstacle mudslide ride Lou bunny and I did a few months ago, I'm keen to see that the road is in fact a ROAD :) ), it looked very much like a road, so I was happy... Indeed it is a road, it's a 100km speedzone road with 2 lanes in either direction road! Loads of big trucks (similar "IHHHH" as the four-legged canines get from me)... After the initial "what am I doing???" I calmed down and kept pedalling happily, the shoulder is quite good most of the way and it is ok to slow down and even stop when you hear a rumbling engine coming up behind (even when this rumbling engine turns out to be 5 motorbikes :D ).

It was a little tricky to find the Wisemans Ferry turn-off, which involved a slight doubling-back, but once on the lesser trafficked road and on the home run (as this road leads almost to the end of the ride), it was quiet and back to singing birds and sunshine again. Took some photos of a big red flower (not sure if it's a Waratah?), almost landed in the ditch trying to stop for the "photo opportunity" (this paparazzi needs some practice!) but managed a not so elegant skid and came to a halt ready to capture the next moment.

A lovely ride which would be great to repeat with more bunnies!!



The Stats

Distance - 49 km
Riding time - 2 hours 56 min
Heart rate - 152 average 174 max
Calories burnt - 1730
Post ride state - asleep on the couch!

The Map