Sunday, 12 Feb '12 -  Tour de Windsor, Richmond, Hawkesbury Heights, Springwood, Mitchells Pass, Penrith train to Seven Hills, cycle M2 alternate 128km; or

Return via Pitt Town Rd to Hornsby 50.1km or Turramurra 55.9km -  ETR Turra 2:10pm

• 7:15am Turramurra station carpark for 124km route via Browns Water Hole, (7:35am from Vimiera Rd, Marsfield), Epping Rd, Pembroke St, M2 alternate route, Old Windsor Rd and Windsor Rd for 1st Nosh Stop (35 min) from 9:30am

•  7:45am Turramurra station carpark for 91km route with 22.4km via Browns Water Hole, (7:35am from Vimiera Rd, Marsfield), Epping Rd, Pembroke St, M2 alternate route/Abbott Rd/Prospect Highway to Seven Hills train station to aboard 8:49am train arriving Windsor 30 mins later at 9:19am (reducing 1st Leg to Windsor by 27km) (Let Scribe know if you want to ride this abridged route, otherwise you might be the only cyclist in Turra' carpark approaching 7:15am)

•  7:30am Hornsby station carpark via Galston Gorge and Cattai Ridge Rd to Windsor - see bottom Ø below

Then at 10:05am onto Richmond, up Yarramundi to Springwood to 2nd Nosh Stop at Springwood, thence descend Mitchells Pass  to -
*        Emu Plains train to Blacktown station; or
*        Penrith train to Seven Hills

Thence M2 alternate route, Browns Water Hole, Kissing Point Rd  - ETR Turramurra 2:10pm

Ø     If driving from Inner West, park at most Northerly Point in Vimiera Rd Marsfield 200m South of M2 to join ride

Ø     Hardcopy these directions, expend 10 min studying the street map to familiarize with the below and bring on Sunday

WHO, WHEN, WHERE

Ø     Ride Organiser: Phil Johnston aka BankTeller 0434 715.861, Tony aka Yorkshire and Martin aka Architect are starting at 7:35am from Vimiera Rd, Marsfield carpark and riding the below 'M2 alternative route'

Ø     John aka Auckland is now starting from Vimiera Rd as no one informed (by 7pm Fri) that they were starting from Hornsby.

Ø     Jean aka ChiliDog will be waiting in the bus shelter at Cnr Epping Rd and Vimiera Rd at 7:40am. 

Ø     David aka CricketTragic is meeting us 100m into Pembroke St after we enter it from Epping Rd.

If ya want to join us, e-mail BankTeller and he will add you above and let John aka Auckland know if it is from Hornsby, as he'd prefer not to ride on his Pat Malone

Snapshot:

Long Route:  Start 7:15am from Turramurra station carpark via 3.7km on Kissing Point Rd, 1.45km thru Browns Water Hole (7:35am from Vimiera Rd, carpark Marsfield), Epping Rd, Pembroke St, M2 alternate 'backroads' route by turning off Midson Rd into Plympton Rd and straight on up to North Rocks Road, thence onto Old Windsor Rd and Windsor Rd.
Shorter Route to Windsor using train from Seven Hills:  Start Turramurra station 7:45am for 24km to Seven Hills station (3.7km on Kissing Point Rd, 1.45km thru Browns Water Hole, Vimiera Rd, Epping Rd, Pembroke St, 17km on M2 alternate 'backroads' route/Abbott Rd/Prospect Highway) to catch Seven Hills train at 8:49am arriving Windsor at 9:29am.  Then pedal 1km to Macq Place.
2nd Leg is challenging 31km to Richmond, SW up Hawkesbury Heights to Yarramundi for 2nd Nosh Stop at Springwood.
3rd Leg descends mountain incorporating scenic Mitchells Pass to Emu Plains station to catch train back to Blacktown station (or Penrith station to Seven Hills) followed by 24km cycle back to Turra' station - ETR 3:15pm.
Nosh Stops:
(i)      Macquarie Square, Windsor (35 min) from 9:30am
(ii)     Aroma Cafe Springwood (30 min) from 11:30am
(iii)    Train from -
          *       Emu Plains to Blacktown station for 19 min; or
          *       Penrith station to Seven Hills station for 25 min.

KOM Climbs:
Shaws Creek Bridge to veer R sign approaching Hawkesbury Heights Lookout                 4.1km
Shaws Creek Bridge to 'Old Stone Cottage' at crest of Hawkesbury Heights                      7.1km

Shorter Route catching train from Seven Hills station:
Turramurra station Rohini St car park via above explained new access onto M2 to Seven Hills station, thence train to Windsor station – 22.4km - 65 min:

Rollout 7:45am and follow above directions in blue background but rather than veer r onto M7, hook L and straighten for another 3km to where the M2 becomes Abbott Rd which is at traffic lights with Johnson Ave. 

Continue ahead 700m along Prospect Highway to Seven Hills station on LHS, enter via Terminus Rd.  Quickly buy a snack and catch Seven Hills train at 8:49am arriving 30 mins later at Windsor station at 9:19am and pedal 1km to Macq Place to meet cyclists who cycled all the way to Windsor.

2nd Leg:  Windsor to Richmond, Yarramundi, Springwood -  31km - 85 min (agg 80km)

10:05am:

• R

Windsor

5.0

~

NWW

Richmond

• R

Market St

0.1

~

NWW

March St

• L

March St

0.6

~

SSW

Bosworth St

• R

Bosworth St

0.3

~

SWW

Castlereagh Rd 

• R

Castlereagh Rd 

4.0

~

SWW

Springwood Rd 

• L

Springwood Rd 

11.4

/

SWW

  Hawkesbury Heights Lookout 10 min Sag Stop

• R

Hawkesbury Rd 

9.1

~

SWW

Macquarie Rd 

• R

Macquarie Rd 

0.2

~

W

Raymond Rd

• L

Raymond Rd

0.1

~

S

Aroma Café, Springwood

Arrive at Springwood at 11:30am for 2nd Nosh Stop (30 min) at Springwood Subway.

3rd Leg: Springwood, Mitchell Pass, Emu Plains station - 16.2km (30 min) or Seven Hills station - 18km (35 min) (agg 98km)

Remount 12:00pm and descend the mountain avoiding Great Western H'way except for 800m section when we cross it, including a beaut one-way descent of Mitchells Pass to -
*        Emu Plains station for half hourly train at 0 min and 30 min past hour - arriving Blacktown station 14 min; or
*        Penrith station for regular trains to Seven Hills station:

• L

Raymond Rd

0.1

~

N

Macquarie Rd 

• R

Macquarie Rd 

0.2

~

SEE

Hawkesbury Road 

• R

Green Pde/Macq. Rd 

4.0

~

SEE

Green Pde/Macquarie Rd 

• R

Great Western Highway 

0.8

~

SEE

Great Western Highway 

• L

Wilson/Railway Pde 

4.4

~

SEE

Wilson/Railway Pde

• L

Mitchells Pass

4.3

\

E

Great Western Highway 

• L

Great Western Highway 

2.3

~

NE

Station St

• A

Station St

0.1

~

N

Emu Plains station

4th Leg: Alight train at Blacktown station around 12:50pm and cycle to Turramurra station carpark - 27km - 80 min  -  ETR Turramurra station 2:10pm

• Ahead into Boys Ave 200m,

• R into Second Ave for 400m,

• L into Sunnyholt Rd for 800m,

• R into Sackville Rd for 1.2km

• Ahead in Lucas Rd for 1.4km

• L into Prospect H'way for 400m

• Ahead at Johnson Ave traffic lights into Abbott Rd/M2 (take extreme car as lots of traffic proceed leftish along the Prospect H'way, and one of those Red Necks could wallop ya!) for 15.6km,

• L at Optus Tower at crest (1.6km after passing thru 400m tunnel) down/up Brown's Waterhole for 1.8km,

• Ahead up Kissing Point Rd for 3.7km

• R into Pacific H'way for 250m

• Left into Rohini St for 200m

• Left into Turramurra station carpark.

ETR Turramurra station 2:10pm.

(If your train stops at Seven Hills station, exit at Seven Hills station because you are immediately on Prospect H'way/Abbott Rd/M2 - 25km - 70 min) -  ETR Turramurra station 2:10pm

Risk Warning
Take the early steep descent of Kissing Point Rd slowly, as one lass who rode with Peloton Racing Club had a very nasty bingle 5 years ago, and David Hatley aka Radar broke two collar bones, and wrote-off his carbon bike, when a lady backed-out, and Radar's radar couldn't react in time to avoid a nasty rear-end whack
Some forms of cycling are dangerous.  An ave of 36 Australian cyclists have been killed annually since 2000.  95% of these fatalities occur on the road.  Other cyclists in Australia break bones and incur nerve impairment from falling off their bikes in accidents. 
A cyclist could fall from his/her bike, inter alia, due to -
(i)      being hit by a car or another cyclist; or
(ii)     encountering a pothole;
(iii)    cycling too fast on a wet downhill where the coefficient of friction is much less, particularly at corners; or
(iv)    getting their bicycle wheel caught in a gap in a timber bridge.

A negligent cyclist could -

(a)    be litigated by a seriously injured cyclist, or 3rd party (ie. a woman pushing a pram on a footpath or a car driver) under common law where the damages could exceed $500,000; and

(b)    lose his/her home if he/she did not have public liability insurance which covers their negligence whilst on a push bike.

A negligent cyclist who did not have personal injury insurance (ie self-employed without income protection cover) could struggle to meet regular outgo commitments.

A seriously injured cyclist could be awarded damages which a negligent cyclist could not afford to pay if the negligent cyclist -
(I)     did not have public liability insurance cover; and/or
(II)    did not possess valuable assets.

Ø     Cycling without Public Liability cover is as silly as driving without 3rd Party -
 join Bicycle NSW for PL insurance, so that all Muggs are better protected

Ø     Click on: Risk Management which warns of 'inter alia', the dangers of cycling on public roads with motor cars, potholes and over bridges with vertical timber planks with gaps

Ø     Cycling with Muggs is predicated upon notifying Bank Teller if you materially disagree with any clause(s) in Muggaccinos' "Ride Participants Liability Acknowledgment"

Scribe's rap-up Tour de Wiseman's Ferry, dreaded Clifton Hill, Stone House Cafe, Maroota, Halcrows/Cattai Ridge and Galston - 116km - 10 crew

This old brown duck CRAWLED back into Hornsby a long last and well après the scheduled ETR.  Many thanks to John aka Auckland and CricketTragic for waiting for him at Galston shops, whereupon he muttered that he would be fine to complete the ride "after a descent rest".  That 'rest' turned out to entail a reclusive 'power nap' under the verdant, densely leaved oak trees opposite the shops.  Why did BankTeller 'bonk' on the leg back to Galston from the Stone House Café when he'd successfully completed it half a doz. times previously? Was it cause it was hot yesterday?  Or was there a deeper reason about PMA? 

On at least two occasions at that Stone House Café Maroota, CricketTragic had surmised that the return leg would be tough due to the increasing heat.  Did he 'put the hex' on BankTeller?  Did David 'point the bone' at poor old 60 year old Phil?  Would it had been any different had David been upbeat, chirpy and positive that we would all be fine?  Instead of 'positive' that it was going to be tough, alluding to a high attrition rate? 

The writer hopes that he wasn't the only one 'fagged' upon returning to his jalope at Hornsby where the start only 6 or 7 hours earlier from there, had seemed a century ago.

Not good pics from an old phone.

Scribe   22 Jan '12