The New Year tour

30th December 2009 Stage 1 Lithgow to Katoomba On Wednesday, I rolled out of bed with a determination to test the route for a ride from my parents place to Sydney. I decided to make it a minimalist tour, so I was going to carry very little. I also have wanted to do this ride as a means of showing that tours can be done on an average or even a below average bike. I chose to do this tour on the Holstar Peleton Road bike that I picked up on ebay way back in 2007. It is read (hence I call it the Red Hybrid) and is what some would describe as an entry level commuter bike (basically it was an attempt by Holstar to cash in on the flatbar road bike craze). It is an 24 speed, has 2 bottle cages and 25 x 700c tyres. It is not particularly good in fact the places where a rack would be bolted on the rear stays are out of alignment, hence no rack. On this tour I used a musette in which I carried the following items: 1 Rain jacket

1 U lock

1 Cable lock

1 Spare pair of shy shorts

2 Pairs of socks

1 Camera Usual toiletries eg toothbrush, razor, shaving cream and mouth wash

On the bike I also had a spare tube, patch kit, tyre levers and took kit for changing tubes etc in the wedge pack under the seat. I kept the pump strapped to the frame.

 I left mum and dad’s place after 6:30. I headed up Mort Street and along the Browns Gap Road. On the early stages of the ride I found I had some trouble and check the bike and found that the front wheel was out of alignment and rubbing against the left brake pad. I made the necessary adjustments and the bike was right as rain. I rolled down the steep descent into Hartley and enjoyed the quiet countryside. I rode across the John Morris bridge and into Little Hartley where I had a look at the Comet’s and the Collett’s Inns. I then rode back to the John Morris bridge and made my way to the highway where I used what little shoulder there was to get to Berghoffer’s Pass which is located close to the Mt Victoria Pass. When I got to Berghoffer’s Pass I had to carry the bike part of the way because of the road tyres and the rough terrain. I was passed by a mountain biker on his way down the pass. I found some sections were good enough to be ridden and was able to get up to Mt York Road with little difficulty.

I rode through Mt Victoria and got to the highway where I encountered one of the most difficult points in the journey. The bridge over the railway line is narrow. I was able to make it but had to sprint to avoid the trucks. The shoulder is narrow on both sides and trucks did pass extremely close. I made it to the wider shoulder which is marked out as a bike lane on the way to Blackheath.

 When I got to Blackheath I made a couple of side trips. The first was to Govett’s Leap where I enjoyed the lookout and the second was to Evans lookout both points look out over the Grose Valley. At Govett’s leap I found I was not the only cycle tourist when I came across a Mundo cargo bike and a Marin hybrid locked in one of the shelters near the lookout. Unfortunately I didn’t get a photo of the bikes.

 Once I finished I then rode on to Medlow Bath. It was here that I found that the shoulder was narrow. Other than a yobbo yelled from a passing car, I had little trouble. I was going to catch a train to Katoomba and continue on from there, however I was passed by a mountain biker. I asked him if it was possible to get to Katoomba from there. He told me that it was possible and I followed him along the highway.

 The shoulder was narrow and littered with gravel. The trucks came close. As I got closer to the Katoomba some bushes were grown over onto the road. I wound up ducking under the branches and made it to the wide shoulder. I turned into Bathurst road and was able to ride into Katoomba street and found Blaxland Cycles at Katoomba, in a street behind the main drag. I got the air in the tyres topped up and got some information about the rest of the ride from the owner. He told me about rides he had made out to the Central Coast, Oberon and Bathurst from the Blue Mountains.

 Eventually I found my way to Lurline street and rode down to Echo Point. When I arrived at Echo Point I copped the first of a series of punctures when the front tube blew out. I wheeled the bike to a park and changed the tube. Before I left the park a guy walking with his family asked if he had seen me in Blackheath. I said he probably had. He replied that I had made good time. I then rode back up the hill to Blaxland Cycles and got the tube topped up and a new spare tube. While I was in the shop the front tyre blew out again and a short investigation found that the rim tape had a hole in it. The guy who owned the shop changed the tube and the rim tape and only charged me for the new tube. I decided because of the heat, I decided to resume the tour the next day. I hung out for a while enjoying the weird and wonderful that it Katoomba.

31st December 2009 Stage 2 Katoomba to Warrimoo

After 9:30 I headed down Lurline street and got down to Echo Point and found the lookout covered in fog. I took a few photos and then headed off. I rode down Cliff drive with out much in the way of the usual scenery. The few cars that were around had slowed down and I was given enough space. I got to Leura and rode up the main drag. I then turned into a street close parallel to the railway line. I was able to make good time as I got to the highway and as the traffic was light I was able to turn into Sinclair Crescent and ride on to Wentworth Falls. I rode to through to Railway Parade and got a taste of the fast flowing undulating road. The road surface between Wentworth Falls and Bullaburra could be best described as tar over the top of a corrugated road. The handlebars on this stretch vibrated like crazy.

 Drivers on this stretch were reasonable. At one stage I was passing through a point where the road was divided by concrete dividers. The drivers behind me were willing to wait until we had passed them before overtaking. When I got to Lawson I found that part of the route in Bikely was closed. I continued on and eventually found my way to the train station. I walked the bike through the pedestrian underpass and took some photos of the graffiti art. I got to Honour Avenue and resumed riding.

 I went through the bush and on to the township of Hazelbrook When I got to Hazelbrook, I rejoined Railway Parade. I also got photos of graffiti art on a paling fence that took my fancy. I rode on through to Woodford and got onto the highway. It started raining so I put the rain jacket on. The shoulder was wide and the surface was good. The gradient made for quite a fast descent.

 I got to Faulconbridge. I took a look around for an alternative to the highway or the footpath. I found that Faulconbridge appears to be a well to do suburb. I wound up having to use the narrow shoulder to get to the road that crossed the railway line. Fortunately the drain grates are covered by modern grills not the old bar grates. I did a hook turn onto Macquarie Road and crossed the railway line. I rode to the grave of Sir Henry Parkes. It is marked out and has enough plaques from various anniversaries of his birth and the Centenary of Federation. I then went down Macquarie road and had a look at the Corridor of Oaks. The Corridor of Oaks is a double row of oak trees that are planted in honour of each Prime Minister since Federation. There is a plot marked out for Howard but he has yet to plant the tree.

I eventually got to Springwood and decided to have lunch. I locked the bike outside a pastry shop and got a pie and a Coke zero. I took a look around town and had a good look at the local bike shop. As is not unusual for an LBS in an semi bush area it caters to the mountain bikers. It does have a number of road bikes on display. There were some American tourists there who were buying mountain bikes for their own tour.

Eventually I decided to finish up and rode on to Ruth’s place. I decided to spend New Years Eve with her. I rode down Macquarie road and then took a couple of roads through Valley Heights. I eventually crossed the highway and took it to a service road which lead to an underpass where I rode to Ruth’s place on the other side of the road and railway line. When I found she was not there I rang her and found she was still at work and not expecting to be back until 7:30. I left my stuff in her living room and rode on to Blaxland where I picked up some cream and some other stuff that she had asked for.

 I also had a look in Blaxland Cycles, owned and run by the father of the guy who runs Blaxland Cycles at Katoomba. They have some impressive cycling memorabilia including some signed cycling jerseys on the wall and also have a number of road and time trial bikes I also got some more information on the route down to Sydney. Apparently the owner thinks that the highway would be a reasonable option. Knowing that the highway does have a point where there is no shoulder and cars can travel up to 90 km an hour (legally), I made a point of asking for a route with less cars. I was assured that the Mitchells Pass will be the quietest and safest.

I headed back up the Highway and back to Ruth’s place. On my way back I saw a group of 3 guys on MTBs riding down the other side of the highway. I saw in the New Year with a meal and some wine with Ruth and then retired for the night. 1rst January 2010 Stage 3 Warrimoo to the Sydney Harbour Bridge I woke up a bit late and worse for wear, however I got myself together and was able to head off at about 10:30. I rode down the service road and rejoined the highway. I headed down past the railway station and made it to the Mitchells Pass. The pace was quite quick and it lead through a new subdivision with new houses in the process of being built. These gave way to the what I suspect were the last remaining rural properties in East Blaxland. I eventually reached the Lenox Bridge at Lapstone and I took time to have a good look at it. I took some photos. I was passed by a couple of guys on time trial bikes and followed them down to Emu Plains. When I got to Emu Planes I found myself riding through relatively quite streets although there were signs that Sydney was beginning to wake up.

Eventually I had to cross the bridge over the Nepean and I wound up sprinting across the bridge to a point where the shoulder was wide enough to take a break. After I got my breath back I rode on to Castlereagh road where I got to the Museum of Fire. It was closed but I got a couple of photos of the fire engine outside. I proceeded along Castlereagh Street to a roundabout where was able to turn into Coreen Avenue. I followed this road and then went found my way to Dunheved Road, which was still quiet. I eventually got to the Debrincat Street where I rode through some of the back streets to Mount Druitt.

When I got to Mount Druitt, I took Luxford Road and some back streets to Belmore Avenue and North Parade where I was able to find my way to Rooty Hill. When I reached Rooty Hill, I took the M7 Cycleway. I noticed the diversity of cyclists that passed me here. There were any number of roadies in full kit to recreational riders in everyday street gear. I met a couple in street gear on MTBs who were looking for the way to the Western Sydney Parklands. We eventually found it and I followed them down the SUP along Horsley Drive.

I reached a set of traffic lights which lead to another SUP across the road. I crossed here and got onto one of the few Shared User Paths that linked the Prospect Valley Cycleway to the M7 Cycleway. Along the way I found an old outback toilet right next to the start of cycleway. I took some photos before riding on. When I reached the Prospect Dam I found the rear tyre had a slow leak. I stopped and refilled the water bottles. I put some more air in the tyre before heading off Eventually however the slow leak made things problematic and I had to change the tube. The cause of the leak was glass from a beer bottle. I wasn’t the only cyclist in the area and I received plenty of offers of assistance. I eventually got myself underway and was passed by a guy riding a MTB with time trial bars. He passed me a few times, each time he was on the aero bars with a serious determined look on his face.

I continued on to the Parramatta Liverpool Rail Trail and joined it just near Guildford. I rode on to Parramatta and got onto the M4 cycleway. I eventually rode on to Adderly street which I found when the pipe bridge was closed for repairs. I rode on to Sydney Olympic Park where I found some of the road surface had been buggered up for the V8 race. I stopped for lunch at the local Subway outlet. I then found the bike hire place and topped up the air in the rear tyre. It is run by the guy who owns Centennial Park Cycles (they hire bikes in Centennial Park) and I gave him a shock when I put 120 PSI in rear tyre. One of his assistants was surprised when I told him I had rode down from the Blue Mountains. His boss told him it was down hill most of the way. I got myself under way and found myself following familiar roads to the Cooks River Cycleway.

I followed the Cooks River Cycleway to Marrickville where I took to the road and rode into town. I noticed that Mick Mazza Cycles is still operating as I rode up Illawarra Road. I also notice not much in Marrickville has changed since I left for Canberra.

I followed the bike bus route to Newtown and took the back road route to Sydney University. I rode through the university to Glebe and went down the commuter route through Glebe Street and on through Broadway behind the University of Technology. Followed the route along the road behind the Entertainment centre and eventually crossed the road and onto the Pyrmont Bridge. I rode up the King Street Bike lane to Kent Street. I followed Kent Street to the Rocks and found my way to the Harbour Bridge cycleway. I was proud as I crossed the Harbour bridge. Once I got to Milsons Point I went looking for some water and found that the old water fountain has been removed.

I crossed the bridge again and found a water fountain near the observatory. I found my way to George Street where I got some mince, bread and a iced chocolate at the Coles up the road from Martin Place. I then rode to Central Station using the bus lane and took the train back to Ruth’s Place.