Sunday, 15 Apr '12 rollout Hornsby carpark 6:40am or St Ives carpark at 7:10am to aboard 9am Ferry from Palm Beach to Wagstaffe Wharf, McMasters Beach, Avoca Beach, Matcham, Holgate, Lisarow train to Hawkesbury River station at Brooklyn and cycle back to -

*      Hornsby - 107.7km  - ETR 2:15pm; or

*      Nth. Turramurra, St Ives - 108.6km MAP - ETR 2:35pm. 

Or skip 2 legs (25km of cycling from Brooklyn to Hornsby) by staying on train for 57 min from Lisarow station to Hornsby, reducing ride to 83.2km MAP from Hornsby - ETR 1.05pm

Or return from Palm Beach with a Nosh Stop at Bayview Marina - 77km from St Ives - ETR 11:40am
NB:   Starting from Hornsby carpark avoids cycling the circuitous quieter backroads route (listed below) from Hornsby to St Ives early-arvo

WHO, WHERE, WHEN
Ride Organiser, Phil aka Bank Teller  0434 715.861, David aka CricketTragic, Pete aka CampyAficionado, David aka MountainGoat, Kevin aka TexDubbo, are starting from Hornsby station carpark to avoid cycling back to St Ives post train home.  PacificPete is meeting us 'en route' to Palm Beach.  Richard aka Sloth and Jean aka ChiliDog are starting from St. Ives.  Sloth is keen to incl the hilly Whale Beach Rd route, so he won't be dallying at Church Pt.   John aka BakerBoy is meeting us at the Wagstaffe Wharf.

If you think you are >80% of joining us, can you e-mail Scribe and he will add ya in the above.

Rollout Hornsby carpark by 6:40am or St Ives carpark at 7:10am.  Left at Terrey Hills Fruit Barn for 1st SagStop (3 min) then down McCarrs Creek Rd, with 2nd SagStop (10 min) at Church Point.  Left into Mona Rd and Left into Barrenjoey Rd past Bungan Beach, thru Newport, Bilgola, Avalon to Palm Beach Wharf to catch 9am ferry 1st Nosh Stop (30 min) to Wagstaffe Wharf.  

After short sections on 5 minor roads from Wagstaffe Wharf to McMasters Lookout, along Empire Bay Drive, Avoca Drive, McMasters Beach, Avoca Beach, Matcham, Holgate, Lisarow, Lisarow station for 2nd Nosh Stop, then 25 min Iron Horse ride to Hawkesbury River station.
7.5km along Brooklyn Rd and up Old Pacific H'way to Pie in the Sky for 3rd Nosh Stop.   
18km South down Old Pacific H'way to Hornsby and possibly 8.7km NE to St Ives hugging the east side of the rail line, as noted below.  ETR Hornsby 2:15pm or St Ives 2:35pm.

SagStops:
1st     Church Point                                                         7:55am     10 min
2nd    Marie Byles Lookout, McMasters Beach               9:46am     10 min                                 
Nosh Stops:
1st     Ferry ride to Wagstaffe Wharf                              9:00am      30 min 
2nd    Subway near Lisarow station                             11:26am     36 min 
3rd     Pie in the Sky                                                       1:05pm     15 min

1st Leg:  Hornsby Jersey St carpark to St Ives carpark - 9km - 25 min

6:40am cycle -

Early on Sunday morn' the following route has low road traffic which follows the street signs to St Ives: 

• E along Mona Vale Rd for 6.6km;

• L [opposite Forest Way - at Terrey Hills Fruit Barn] into Myoora Rd and take a 1st Sag Stop (5 min) - don't cluster at Sag Stop, rather spread thin to get well to LHS of Myoora Rd;

• Ahead along Myoora Rd for 200m, and fork right, still Myoora Rd for 2.9km

• R into Booralie Rd for 300m passing Terrey Hills shops and roundabout;

• L to McCarrs Creek Rd and descend 2.2km into the park - to the V (dual entrances to the park);

• R fork and pedal 2.8km descending McCarrs Creek Rd to McCarrs Creek bridge;

• Ahead 5.5km along McCarrs Creek Rd to Church Point at 7:55am 2nd Sag Stop (10 min) - Be ready to roll out promptly;

3rd Leg:  Church Point to Palm Beach - 15km (agg 44.4km) -  45 min

By 8:05am cycle -

• East twds Mona Vale for 3½km - road becomes Pittwater Rd past Cabbage Tree Rd (on RHS) to Mona Rd;

• L into Mona Rd for 200m up real steep short hill to crest;

• Right for 700m;

• L into busy Barrenjoey Rd for 11km of views of the Blue Pacific past Bungan Beach thru Newport, Bilgola, Avalon, Whale Beach to Palm Beach Wharf on the bay side arriving to purchase some grits and embark 9am ferry to Wagstaffe Wharf for 1st Nosh Stop (30 min) on the ferry boat.

4th Leg:  Wagstaffe Wharf to Lisarow station - 37km (agg 81.4km) - 115 min

9:30am -

Arrive Subway Food Chain 200m Sth of Lisarow station at 11:25am for 2nd Nosh Stop (35 min) then catch the hourly service train at 12:01pm, 1:01pm, 2:01pm or 3:06pm to arrive -
(i)        Hornsby station 62 min later at 1:03pm, 2:03pm, 3:03pm Coronation St, Hornsby station in below ride description to return St Ives at 1:30pm; or
(ii)       Hawkesbury River station 36 min later at 12:37pm, 1:37pm or 2:37pm. 

5th Leg:  Hawkesbury River station at Brooklyn to Pie in the Sky - 7.3km (agg 88.7km) - 25 min
12:40pm -

ArrivePie in the Sky at 1:05pm for Nosh Stop (20 min)

6th Leg:  Depart Pie in the Sky at 1:25pm to -
*        Hornsby - 19km - 50 min (agg 107.7km)  -  ETR 2:15pm
*        St Ives   - 26km - 70 min (agg 108.6km)  -  ETR 2:35pm

1:25pm -

Cowan, Spencer, Wyong - 127km - 10 crew, albeit only 6 completed the scheduled route with the others U Turning at Mt White The tough get going when the going gets tough.  Veteran Tony aka Publican peeled off 172km by starting from his Dural digs and cycling back home post-ride. Relative Spring Chicken, David aka CricketTragic, rode 142 by starting from Hornsby with Andrew aka Scallop who pissed-off early.  We lost Peter aka CampyAficinado and Ann aka ToothFairy at Mt White where you could have shot off an Elephant Gun and not hit anyone.  The Whippet went missing at the Optus Tower KOM. As evident in the below Elevation Profile, there were a couple of 'nasty lumps' in yesterday's ride for only the hardened, which may explain why our numbers were down. After 11km we scaled the customary 6.7km to Mt White from a km north of the Hawkesbury River Bridge, whereupon t'was an uphill grind to the 40km mark (4km north of the Corrugated Cafe, Peats Ridge) where we hooked a hard left into Wisemans Ferry Rd for the 29km downhill to The Hub of the Universe, Spencer.  The below 'snaps' show it was a cultural experience revisiting Dueling Banjoes in Deliverance Country amidst the mangroves in the murky bulbous swamp. On our return route retracing up from Spencer, alas, The Friendly Grocer store at Upper Mangrove was closed for Easter, so we didn't stick the Nose Bag back on 'til Yarramalong after 109km, and a lot longer for Publican, but then again he is older and ipso facto, more experienced. Nothing beats experience. The third last pic below is subtitled "David, tell somebody who cares", showing David remonstrating on Wyong station at an understandable lack of regard for his apparent good fortune.  We were waiting for the train at Wyong whereupon the next train was the Express which stopped Tuggerah, Woy Woy, Hornsby, Epping only.  As all bar David wanted to disembark at Cowan or Berowra, the later 'All-Stops' slow train was the go for the rest of us.  David must have told BankTeller about 5 times about how pleased he was that he could get back to Epping "in fewer stops than it takes me to catch an Express from the city".  BankTeller "couldn't have given a tinker's cuss" how long it was going to take David to get home.  Nor could any of the rest of us. We were just shagged and patiently waiting for the subsequent All Stops.  But David struggled to 'take-in' that the rest of us were resolved to catching the slow service and we didn't really care that David was getting back to Epping faster.  Final two pics evidence that BankTeller was happy to walk across the street at Wyong to buy caffeine hits for PrincessCaroline and himself at the Jolly Pelican for "two bucks", rather than getting nailed for 'four bucks' for a 600 ml (made of polluting plastic) at the drink machine on the station, especially as those Behemoth Burglars had "stolled" BankTeller's coins more than once. Hats Off to the Publican, but then again he is more experienced. BTW, that second vicious lump below from 81km was the long haul back up to Upper Mangrove that may have deterred a few other crew from yesterday's ride which will be back on again next Easter Sunday, as will the Good Friday "Two Dams".  But we will have to lobby The Friendly Grocer at Upper Mangrove to open up to satisfy the throng.

"David, tell somebody who cares"

Scribe   8 Apr '12