Ulladulla morning ride

Great weekend with Kathren. Stayed in cabins at Kings Point Retreat. Visited Narrawalee and mollymook beaches. Dinner at mollymook golf club and early morning coffee at "Native" Café. Garmin link here

Audax "In Search of Hills" 200km 2015

Annual Audax Hills and Gorges derby around northern Sydney with Tony Gasparre. 40 riders took this 200km+ challenge starting and finishing in Hornsby. 4x took the extreme 250km course which included three more solid climbs including Cottage Point and Crosslands, both notorious for the steep gradient over short distances. Garmin Connect here

Christmas Akuna Bay with Robert Claire and Roger

A lovely summer evening at Illawong Bay to celebrate Chrisrmas and Claire's birthday  Garmin Connect here

Kathren Robert Claire and Roger enjoying a post ride picnic at Illawong Bay

SICBUG Four Gorges (Christmas Ride)

A superb day for biking the four gorges. At Hookhams Corner 7am I arrived looking like a Christmas SUV with reindeer antlers and tinsel on the bars. I was greeted by Sam, ET and Kevin. It was a splendid morning and I was surprised we didn’t have more riders. After enquiring if there were any takers for the Crosslands climb I was met by a unanimous “It’s too early to call!” so I judged that enthusiasm for the 20% plus final climb was marginal to say the least.
After picking up one stray emu (Craig) at Mt Colah, we headed off to Berowra with the sun shining brightly.
Plenty of cyclists out today, and descending to Berowra Waters Ferry we passed a big group of NSCC riders coming up to Berowra.
At the ferry we said goodbye to ET and Kevin, who turned around and headed back to Berowra and home. They had decided they were happy to skip not only Crosslands but Galston Gorge as well!
After a steady pace across to Galston, the three musketeers; myself, Sam and Craig, descended Galston Gorge with a clear run and only a few cars on the road. However, on the climb we were passed VERY closely by a blue Subaru WRX sedan. A deliberate attempt to intimidate each rider. Several other riders made the same observation at the bustop at the top of the climb. Unfortunately nobody recorded the rego’ details.
After a brief discussion it was decided that we would forego the “pleasures” of the Crosslands climb and make our way back to North Turramurra via Bobbin Head to make up for it! A pleasant coffee stop at Normurra Café finished off a scenic Sunday morning outing. Garmin Connect here.

Looking like a Christmas Tree at the top of Galston Gorge

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SICBUG Cottage Point plus Church Point

A little wet in places but an enjoyable ride nonetheless. 10x SICOs joined the ride with 4x braving the climb out of Cottage Point (25% gradient in parts). Garmin link here

SICOs at West Head Rd turn-off

Illawong Bay - cloudy with a few spots of rain

Highland Fling 100km MTB 2015

Wet and cold weekend in NSW Southern Highlands for the annual Highland Fling 100km MTB race. I placed 3rd in 60yrs + category after puncture on stage 1 and lost 10min + changing a tube. A tough day but pleased to finish and meet up with many friends who were competing. Garmin link here

Third prize (60yrs + category)

Me with Easyrider Alistair

Start of 100km race

Start of 100km race

Akuna Bay

A longer spin to finish the month and wrap up the Great Cycle Challenge Charity Fundraiser. I rode 1325km and climbed over 20,000m in October. This comprised 30 rides, the longest of which was Fitzs Extreme 255km in Canberra. Overall the challenge raised over $2.5mill and the participants cycled over 1.9mill kms. Pleased with the results - visit my fundraising page here to check out my progress and make a donation if you wish. Great Cycle Challenge link Akuna Bay by peterjkemp at Garmin Connect - Details