Spring Cycle 2010

The Spring Cycle event was yet again attended by the Biker Bunnies. Sunday 17th October dished up a beautifully sunny morning, where we jostled with more than 10,000 other enthusiastic early-birds on two wheels, and made our way from North Sydney to Homebush along the back streets of Sydney. 

There was talk (prior to the ride) of there being a collision of sorts with the coronation taking place on the same day (North Sydney in particular, expected to be visited by many), I thought we may be able to get through crowds swiftly by dressing as bunny-eared nuns - luckily we didn't, (a long black flowing outfit would most definitely have resulted in a tangled mess well before the harbour bridge) because, as it turned out the coronation supporters were not quite as early out of the sack as the spring cycle attendees... 


EDIT: Oh dear... after being picked up (ever so correctly) by both Amanda and Lost in Space, I'm adding this correction to the coronation that never was.... *cough* it was a canonization - NOT a coronation! So to all of you who are busy waving your new Aussie monarchy gadgets about -you need to put them back in the draw this minute! :D

Our bicycle morning passed through some wonderful scenery where we managed all sorts of interesting observations, which you'll find in Amanda's ride update below:

Statistics

Bunnies on board - Amanda, Noey, Tor, Matt & Annette

Meeting place - Wahroonga station 5:55am (train to North Sydney)

Start - 6:50am

Finish - 10:20am onwards

Distance - 53km

Speed - 18km/h average 44km/h max

Calories - 1761

Heart rate - 128 average 170 max

Weather - Lovely!

I seriously think there is something wrong with me lately – fancy getting up at 4.15 am to go on a bike ride! But oh what a beautiful day it turned out to be. Matt and I greeted Noelle at 5am in the dark and set off on our merry way to Wahroonga to meet up with Tori labori and Netty poletti. Along the way, cold and dark we spotted a sleeping drunk and lots of youngsters spilling out of the Woodport – those were the days when we had not a care in the world!

Matt drove which was rather refreshing for me on these morning hikes and we met the girls and managed to get to the train station with a few minutes to spare. Noelle discovered that we hadn't put her wheel on properly (trust me – must stop using the bunny in distress and learn how things work) and I am not sure if it was mechanic Annette or Tor who fixed it. In actual fact neither did because when we got to North Sydney Noelle went straight to the biker mechanic. Poor Collette couldn't join us today, after planning for months how to come and get James babysit. It all fell through at the last minute so this ride was for you Collette.

We got to the starting line and the weather was getting warmer, we cycled over the harbour bridge half together half not – but as usual it is an exhilarating experience and I think this is one of my favourite rides. Nobody seemed to be dressed up except us with our bunny ears and we experienced all sorts of comments:

• Easter bunny – but it’s not Easter.
• Go the Rabbidohs (as if).
• Playboy bunnies – unfortunately for us it was said by an older creepy guy who invited Annette and I back to his Playboy mansion at Woy Woy – yuk and he actually told me to take off my clothes at the end of the ride (whilst he was drinking a beer) – he also cycled behind us a bit of the way staring at our pert bottoms – well Annette’s is pert mine, is a bit flabby.
• Bunnies on heat (or something similar).
• Lots of comments on how people loved our ears.
• One guy cycled behind me saying, "got up this morning and did my check – bike, helmut, drink bottle etc but I knew there was something I forgot – damn – it was my bunny ears" – he kept saying this which made me laugh for a little while.

Matt cycled most of the way with a bunch of weird girls giggling and Noelle who hadn't cycled in over a year put her head down and achieved a fantastic ride in fantastic time. Well done to all of the girls and the BOY and I look forward to next year – YES including YOU NOELLE! (big hand pointing at you).

Photos:

Sunscreen & Bunny-ear adjustments on the train

All lined up at the start in North Sydney

Sun shining on 'team leader'

Bunny Tor crossing the harbour bridge

... & here come Noey & Amanda

First snack stop at Pyrmont

Looking for goodies in the bag...

Bunny ears galore...

Cruising into Bray's reserve for a pick-me-up Voltaren

Doing fabulously!

Bunny Banana & Matt on a Mission

We did it!

Matt at the finish!

2 silly sprinters cross the finish line (again...)

Matt & Amanda across the finish line

Wave to the crowd!

We did it!! Fabulous Tor & Noey cross the line

A kiss for the champion

Wearing that medal & a silly grin...

All smiles on the train back to Wahroonga

Need that coffee NOW!

Favourite part of the ride – riding over the harbour bridge

Least favourite – getting up in the dark

Most disgusting – a young boy with snot hanging from his nose spread across his cheek

Funniest – riding past the punters being kicked out of the pubs with their bleary eyes as they realise it is morning (7.30am) and the seeing a bunch of mad women in bunny ears cycle past

The train trip home was rather hilarious as Matt led us all the way to the end of the train just so he could get the carriage to himself and then we all giggled until we reached Wahroonga for our lunch at our fave little café...


All up it was a fabulous experience and a great ride - leaving that bit earlier certainly made for a 'smoother' ride compared to last year's jostling for space on the road :) - Getting the GOLD medal at the end was definitely an exciting finale - especially after racing Amanda to the finish line in true Tour de France style (I think we got a tad carried away screaming down the final stretch, but it was so much fun it was impossible to resist)! Well done to all of you and look forward to our next ride.

Amanda & Annette :)

Gear Up Girl

The Gear Up Girl ride from Cronulla to Homebush, runs on the weekend closest to the International Womens' Day (8th March) and supports the Children's Oncology Foundation. The ride itself is 55km long and was held for the third time this year, with lots of happy bike riders weaving their way up through the back streets and park lands of Sydney. 3 of our biker-bunnies made it down to the ride, sadly a number of our friends were injured and had to sit at home with drooping bunny ears, although we definitely had you all in our thoughts along the way! Hopefully we'll all make it down next year - it truly is a magnificent ride!

The Ride stats
Bunnies on board - Tor, Vickie and Annette
Rise and shine - Hideously early - 4:45am from Vickie's house!
Ride start time - ~ 7:45-8:00 am Cronulla
Distance cycled - 55km + 7km back into Homebush after the ride
Speed - 17 km/h (average) 42 km/h (max)
Time cycling - 3 hours 20 minutes
Total time (start to finish) - 3 hours 40 minutes
Add-on ride time - 35 minutes
Total Calories burnt - 1829
Heart rate - 129 (average) 176 (max)
Stops along the way - 3
Weather - Brilliant! no rain, just lovely weather!
Attire - Bunny ears (Tor & Annette)

The trip down to Cronulla turned into a luxury ride thanks to Vickie and her husband Gerard, who drove us all the way down (THANK YOU :)). Our bikes travelled on the the back of the car (sitting on the most snazzy looking bike rack!) and we arrived in Cronulla with time for a coffee before the start, what more could you wish for?

Once we had unloaded the bikes and put Vickie's wheel back on her bike, we lined up: first in the toilet queue, then in the start queue... The sun was rising and the clouds looked as though they weren't planning to dump bucket-loads on our heads, so with a dose of caffeine running though our veins we were ready to go! Bunny-ears firmly strapped to 2 helmets (Tor's and mine... Vickie decided she would steer clear of the bunny ears for today, so she'd be able to talk us out of any trouble we may find ourselves in...), the ride had begun...!

 Vickie and the very cool bike rack

 Bright and cheery Tor

 

 The Cronulla start

We cycled through the back streets and along some absolutely beautiful bike paths, which took us through parklands and along the waterfront at Botany Bay. I saw parts of Sydney I've never seen before, and discovering these hidden pockets from the saddle, was a lovely experience!

We did have a laugh at the (small) number of guys who forced their way into this all GIRL ride... only so that they could go "PLING PLING" and overtake as many girls as possible, elbowing their way past with an air of  importance and arrogance. There weren't many of these creatures, and in fairness I came across one or two guys who'd sort of been 'pulled' into the group on their morning ride, so pretty much had no choice but to ride with us for a while, ...but the ones who obviously sought out the ride just to do an elbow display; left us with raised eyebrows and a small laugh :D Imagine if us girls had gate-crashed an all boys ride..!

As we rode along the waterfront at Botany Bay we watched several jumbo jets take-off and land, the landing strip was just across the water, in full view - it's amazing we managed to stay on our bikes with all the Ohhhs and Ahhhs!

 3 bunnies cruising down near Botany

 

And this champion was worried about finishing...!?

 

Happy bunny :)

There were bicycles in all shapes and sizes along the way: retro bikes, road bikes, mountain bikes, hybrid bikes and custom bikes. It was fun to ride along in a group, especially once we got out of the initial bottle-neck and the pace picked up a bit - everyone was very friendly!

At rest stop number 2; the two bunny-ears took friendly to a new level by delving into the lion's den and posing with two police bikers. These guys rode the whole way on their very cool police mountain-bikes. We didn't see them make any arrests (nor did we see them attending to any unfortunate stacks, which some of us witnessed in the Spring Cycle, when 2 Policemen rushed to Collette's assistance when she flew over the handlebars), but we did see them riding along smiling and waving, so we grovelled for a fan photo and here it is:

 Cops and Bunnies...

We met up at each rest stop and Vickie made sure that the facilities were tested and rated accordingly. They all pretty much lived up to her expectations, apart from the last one, which was wanting slightly due to having run out of paper...

Nearing the end of the ride we rode through the wetlands surrounding Homebush bay, this is where the lucky frog resides (the one who saved the wetlands when they were building the Olympic stadium), I didn't see him, but I'm sure he's very happy as it is a lovely area!

 On the home run 

 

Here comes Bunny Tor!

 Vickie nearing the finish line!

We got to the Homebush Bay finish, and received a bag of goodies - and an oh so refreshing cup of Cranberry Juice! Then we hung around for a short while listening to the over-enthusiastic Jazzband from Sydney Uni..., before we hopped back on our bikes and rode into Homebush where Vickie's car was waiting for us.

 

We did it! :)

Thanks for an amazing ride girls, it was a hoot and I hope we can all do it again next year!
Happy riding!

Annette :)

Sydney Sping Cycle 2009

A 50km ride and an early start for 6 happy bunnies on a fabulous adventure!

The Ride Stats

Bunnies on board - Collette, Amanda, Lou, Tor, Janine and Annette

Distance covered - 50km

Cycling time - ~4 hours 30 min

Heart rate - 112 (average) 163 (max)

Calories burnt - ~1432

Stacks - 1

Bravery award - Collette :)

Wind factor - Gale force!!!

Scenery - Amazing :)

Non-bunny riders - ~ 12,000

The annual Sydney Spring Cycle had 6 biker bunnies rocking up to the start at North Sydney. What an adventure and so much fun to ride through the streets of Sydney with roads closed and lanes devoted to bicycles only :)

Polly Dolly Amanda bunny wraps up our ride:

Well the day (or should I say ridiculously early start to the day – a 4:45 rise) started with two alarms blaring in my ears. I didn't want to be late to pick up Tor and seeing as I am a sergeant major about time it would not have looked good.

Jumped out of bed raring to go – wolfed down some toast and coffee and headed out the door – helmet, food and warm clothes in hand! Picked up Tor and then raced up to Kariong to pick up Annette – drama with bike on bike rack and so ended up taking off her wheel and putting it in Paul's ute - easy drive to Wahroonga except my tummy was rumbling already!

Unloaded bikes and then Lou's key snapped in the lock of her boot – not a good omen.

Oh dear - key's broken, what to do, what to do....?

Get on the train and I realize I have bought Georgie's helmet which is way to small and gives me major headaches – oh poo!

Morning smiles on Wahroonga platform :)

And we’re off – get to the start line and meet Collette – millions of cyclists around – make our way to the start line and it’s freezing cold! Cycle cycle cycle – watch out for uncoordinated people and those with no spatial concept – concentrate concentrate.

Biker Bunnies at the start!

Over the Harbour Bridge – fantastic experience except it was blowing a gale and it was ice cold – back of Star City – wind everywhere to the point that my bike skidded from underneath me and blew me right and then left – shit I think I am going to fall but my amazing skills save me and I carry on pedaling. Fear had now entered my heart – as I am such a light delicate creature I fear for my safety along the trip! Ha ha!

Cycling over the Sydney harbour bridge :)

Everybody was in high spirits and as usual Annette and I have a laughter attack and cannot stop at one point – we were travelling along a section of the road where cars were allowed and Annette as usual forgot they existed. We were in the middle of an animated conversation when I say to Annette CAR to which she replies "oh really they don't" I say CAR she replies "Are you serious" I say CARRRRRRRRRRR and she again replies "that doesn't seem right" ANNETTE THERE IS A CAR BEHIND YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "Oh a car" she replies innocently and moves off the road.

Collette commented on how in the whole ten or so years I have known her we have never done anything sober together – how terrible! We couldn't think of things to say each other so I gave her a hash cookie and everything was fine.

Our second rest stop, which was all about sustenance and posing with food.... until Amanda said:

THERE'S A DOG RUNNING UP BEHIND YOU ANNETTE!!!!

At one stage Collette and I had somehow cycled ahead of the group and so pulled over to wait for them – Annette comes cycling along in the distance and gasps – sorry about that my heart stopped and the others stopped to help me – oh my god! – what do you mean – how are you?? – why are you ahead if your heart stops??? – "it was only my monitor!" – Only Annette could be so casual about her hear stopping!!!!!!!!!!!

Here comes Lou-bunny with Tor just behind

Comparing and smearing on sunscreen

Bunny t-shirts!! :)

Collette and Lou finding some shade

There were lots of wee stops along the way and lots of prangs and stacks (and I think Janine had a few mishaps) but poor Collette topped the day with a huge fall and lots of blood – only to be saved by two policemen – which is why I think she fell in the first place.

Annette Lou and I hit the finish line and Annette says ok we have more lap to go – no we don't we are finished and she would only believe us when another cycle read her pedometer counter to her!!!!!!!!!!

Are you SURE we've done 50k??

50km piece of cake except I wish there were not so many bloody bike riders to contend with – they ruined the day – only joking! Then Janine, Tor and Collette come over the line and we realize Collette is hurt and what we think is blood and dust but it was Florence Nightingale’s (aka Tor) benadine and fancy first aid (which I thought was Lou's job but she obviously delegated it to the nurse) – poor Collette – Annette and I made her reenact her fall so we could take photos and then we hobbled off to first aid!

BUNNY DOWN!!

Collette performing a reconstruction!

Crash Evidence on helmet!

Collette being patched up

Final laugh of the day came on the train on the way back to Wahroonga when Lou went into the wardrobe like Mr Bean and turned into a deep sea diver!!!!!!

Bunny on day-release with snorkelling friend

Tired and weary I got home and collapsed but with good energy and ready for our next adventure – hopefully the 90km Woolongong ride...

Amanda :)

All up it was a fantabulous ride! Plenty of laughs and a great experience :)

A few things picked up from Netti-bunny's saddle:

• The Wind!!! Oh that wind was strong; in parts it really did feel like I was going to get blown off my bike. Little did it help when I glanced sideways to see bunny Amanda letting go (one hand) of her handlebar to WAVE at the cameraman poised on the harbour bridge, while wobbling terribly in the sudden gust "photo opportunity - HERE I COME!!" Luckily she stayed firm on her bike and the wind chooffed off to blow at someone else.
  
  
• Janine managed to turn several 'near-stacks' into elegant sideswipes, leaving awed onlookers (including myself) in her wake. Let's face it; stopping and starting at traffic lights on a HILL, when you've got lots of other bikers to look at and get distracted by... does pose a unique set of obstacles, yet bunny-Janine wheeled her magic and got to the end on a breeze :)
  
  
• Tory Tor rode with an interesting clanking sound coming from one of her pedals... we decided that it was simply a case of "Crank up the stereo" (i.e. not a sound warranting further investigation just now....) luckily her trusty bike hung in there to the end. Tor rode happily the whole way with her contagious and delightful enthusiasm :)
  
  
• Amanda who initially had been concerned about the 50km distance, simply blitzed the Sydney ride, even to the point of complaining to volunteers and policemen at traffic lights... "Oh these bloody red lights!! They're stopping my groove... I'd be at Homebush already if it wasn't for all these stops and starts" She did complain with a smile on her face though :)
  
  
• Collette got pulled up near the start by a police man (this girl likes men in uniform ;) ) for running a red light. He let her off though, as she smiled her "But I was scared of getting left behind" smile. She sought the men in uniform again as she dived off her bike (no it wasn't deliberate), and two policemen attended to her straight away (and fixed her bike up), while nurse Tor applied iodine to the nasty wounds. What a brave bunny this girl is!
  
  
• Lou-bunny rode like a pro with her 'snorkel kit' and plaits flapping in the wind. A champion not only at riding, but at quickly assessing and reporting wee-stop facilities reporting back before others have even dismounted their bikes: "THIS ONE'S A NO-GO IT'S FLOOODED!!!" Onwards and upwards with side-glances at trees, even little bushes that may be of use where other facilities fail :) As our registered 'First-Aid Officer' Lou provided ample support and suggestions when my 'heart stopped' and would no doubt have performed surgery on Collette, if she had been close enough when 'bunny down' incident happened (at the start of our ride, Lou EXCITEDLY told us that she has a scalpel!!....).
   

We did it!!! :)

Thanks for all the laughs and for a great adventure!!!