Sunday Ride to Maroota 17/2

Call it what you will, I call it divine providence, but after a thorough drenching the day before, there were many a rider checking the forecast just hoping that the "isolated showers" might isolate somewhere away from Maroota. www.WillIGetWet.com were suspecting a spam attack centering on Turramurra but as we rolled through Galston, the fog lifted to reveal a perfect day for riding.

Following a fine rider briefing from El presidente, the riders rolled out en masse, only someone forgot to tell the B's to leave a gap and many found themselves at the back of a very big bunch indeed which can be quite pleasant until one is called upon to hold a wheel.

The A bunch outing would best be described as a solid ride, with a group of 6 or so riders forcing the pace along Wisemans Ferry Rd. It took a little while for Simon to warm up and Nathan drove the pace with Collings, Todd, Kane and Geoff to name a few.

Green P was also conspicuous in his absence on the front, still recovering from Friday night racing, he did well enough to hold on, which is more than can be said for JDS who played the torn hammy card and eased off heading up Halcrows; middle age bites hard as another Gen Xer falls victim to the kids soccer match! Happy birthday mate!

Chris attacked near the top of Halcrows and almost paid for it dearly but managed to hang on as Simon found the ignition switch and lifted the pace through Glenorie . Danish import Michael also made his presence felt following on from his stunning debut at HART on Friday.

Chaz still had something left in the tank to post a great time up Galston, number one father could barely contain his smile as he summitted near the front of the group and many riders posted PR's for the whole ride.

Kudos to the B1's who, decimated by the continuous roll out, took on the enormity of Maroota with just 7 riders. Only 6 returned, number 7 was put down as collateral damage, apparently making a stop at Woollies to refuel. Well done to Tom in his first B1 ride and his first 100km ride, making it back with a big smile. Rumour has it he is still replenishing all those calories.

The B2 bunch, otherwise known as Fester's Harem decided it was a far more sensible idea to ride to Mt White. Maree is a welcome addition and looking part of the team in her new club kit, even if pink isnt her favourite colour. On the way home, the ladies were treated to Fester grinding the 53x11 as only Fester can.

Well done everyone on a great day's riding!
Keep Riding
Mike

Somersby

I have to admit, after Saturday's downpour resembling something from biblical originals, the Sunday ride was looking mighty doubtful, but the radar never lies and when the worst of it cleared Sydney and continued south overnight, I hopped out of bed ready to rumble. Long rides are the order of the day with some long MTB races on the horizon, so I was a little surprised to see a small flock of riders, mostly gearing up for a consolation spin at the gym, courtesy of Karl.

Having none of that I declared I was heading to Somersby solo if need be and if anyone cared to tag along they'd be more than welcome, but it would be a solid ride, ensuring there would be nothing left in the tank on return. Karl and Tom quickly raided Coles for some food and it nearly ended there, but the only casualty was a crooked set of bars, so while Chaz made the adjustment, out rolled the B's for Calga. And set a good pace they did!

Finally a group of 11 A's rolled out at a good pace and aside from the wet and debris strewn roads, it was a beautiful humid morning with a thick cloud cover to keep the temperature down around 20 deg.
We kept catching glimpses of the B's but it wasn't until the bottom of Brooklyn that we finally caught them and then stepped up the pace to Mt White. Rolling over Mt White the bunch was feeling good and the call came to roll through, no stopping today. Unfortunately JDS was slightly off the back and then punctured and Mike C was good enough to lend assistance which reduced the bunch to 9. It might have been a poor call but that's just the way it goes sometimes, no malice intended, sorry boys.

Chaz turned at Calga due to school commitments and we were down to an even 8 with Spartacus, Rory, Geoff, Karl, Tim, Tom, Michael J and myself. The rest of the ride was a solid pace, the segment past Peats Ridge to Gosford interchange is some of the prettiest, quietest and fastest roads you can ride on and the team were loving the fast pace and quick turns. Somersby descent was pretty good and the winding Mooney Mooney climb with the chirping birds and gushing waterfalls was perfect. By now the legs were starting to feel it and most were keen to get home after waiting at the top for a puncture repair. Michael even picked up his first leech! He had his foot out of his shoe and asked what's this? Sure enough the tell tale red blotch revealed the leech was on the outside of the sock. Cool as cucumber he just picked it off and powered on!

Karl again set a good pace up Brooklyn, where others found tempo quite enough with a slight tail wind we surged our way back to Pierre's for a well deserved coffee.
Thanks guys for an awesome ride!

Keep riding
Mike