Centennial Park

Date: Sat 30 May
Distance:        12km
Time: n/a
Max Speed: n/a
Av Speed: n/a
Centennial Park car free days

MobileMe Photos from our day
The rain held off all day so we took advantage of the car free day at Centennial Park and all took our bikes to ride. I got Kaelie a pedal bike during the week and a tow bar called a Tail Gator. It’s like a tag along but you attach the kids bike to the bar and off you go. It took a while to set it up and unfortunately it’s not going to fit on my bike as I’ve got the Topeak bag attached and both won’t fit on my bike stem. So Graeme had the pleasure.

I did fall off the bike again and it really shook me. I was riding behind the others and these two dogs ran across the road and one went one side of me and the other stopped in front of me and I hit him and all I could think of was no my arm, my arm, my arm! The owner of the dog unsympathetically said “you alright” I said yes and he said ‘it is a leash free area’ and walked off. I was dumfounded. How was it that I was made to feel that this was my fault? A women walking past with her dog (leashed I might add) asked if I were ok and said “outrageous”. When I finally caught up with the others and told them G. said that the dogs ran in front of Tam too and he had to skid to miss them.

Windsor

Date: Fri 21 May
Distance:        103.27
Time: 5hrs 12m
Max Speed: 51.2km
Av Speed: 19.90km

Parramatta - Windsor Map

More images on MobileMe
I started out just before 7.00am in very ominous looking weather. I took my fluoro showerproof and my raincoat so my bag was pretty tight. I really struggled in the beginning for some reason. It felt like my brakes were jammed on...which they weren’t. My legs were just tired. So I decided to stop at the little corner shop that’s been there forever on the cnr of Pembroke and Norfolk Rds Epping. I got a caffeinated coffee and a Freddo frog which I stowed away for later and felt much better!

So back onto the M2, which apart from being able to go faster and not having to stop at lights is a terrifying experience. The semi trailers roar up behind you and as they pass they suck you towards them and then spit you back again when they pass. I thought as I was traveling on the M2 that there was no way I was returning on it. I would continue on the Parramatta - Windsor cycleway to Parramatta and back through Ryde to home. I did however manage to cycle at 51km/h along here though which was fun.

Bay to Bay

Longueville to Botany Bay

Date: Sat 16 May

Distance:        104.15

Time: 6hrs

Max Speed: 47.63

Av Speed: 17.35

Maps

Cooks River Cycleway maps link

Photos taken with iphone

This route was pretty important to me, for one, it’s the first 100k ride i’ve done and secondly and probably more importantly this time I made it! This was the route that I broke my wrist on 7 weeks ago. I was very careful about getting my feet out of the toe clips that’s for sure.

I’m getting more confident getting to Olympic Park now and it doesn’t really present a problem to me - although that hill after the space station still is far too long. This trip also I managed to get my way out of Olympic Park, which is a huge challenge on its own, and onto the Bay to Bay Route without getting lost continuously and getting my self caught in the middle of a bike race! Once I realised that The signage for some reason changed from Ryde to Botany Bay to Bay to Bay it’s easy.

The river starts out as a smelly canal and fills out until its a full size river. It is heavily polluted in spots. I really thought that we had cleaned up out act, but it’s awful. The amount of rubbish and particularly plastic water bottles is unbelievable. In one section without exaggeration there was a mat of bottles dispersed no greater than 2metres apart. So sad to see what should be pristine ruined. I’ve noticed this in general on the rides I’ve been doing, just in off the road is a sea of litter, McDonalds wrappers, bottles, boxes, and general waste. I need to get off my soapbox and make sure I don’t miss the next Clean Up Australia Day.