UniCyclist
The Newsletter of BikeSoc
April/May 1999 Edition
 
President’s Rant
    Welcome to the first full length edition of UniCyclist for the year. By now I’m sure that you’ve all settled back into university life. It’s important to remember that there’s more to uni than the drudgery of attending classes. Clubs and societies, like us, help to make uni a fun experience, but if you don’t get involved you won’t get anything out of it.
 
    For our club the main activities we do are, strangely enough, rides, but if noone steps forward and organises them, they simply won’t happen. There are only so many places which I know well enough to lead rides. It isn’t difficult to run a ride. All you need to do is decide on a time and a place, and then tell me about it. It’s as easy as having a few people come along on one of your regular rides. I would particularly like a few people to organise some road rides.
 
    Don’t just think that, “someone else will do it”. Get involved! Write an article for the newsletter (your article could earn you money too - the story on my Blue Mountains epic was written for “Australian Mountain Bike” and will be published in a couple of months), organise a ride, whatever. The more you put into a club, the more you get out of it.
 
What do we do with all of this money?
    You probably remember handing over your five bucks when you joined the club and wondered what we do with it. Now you have a chance to have your say. We have thought long and hard about this (well, we did some brainstorming while huddled in our O-week stall trying to stay dry) and came up with a few ideas. Some of our ideas were to use it to subsidise club members’ entry to cycling events (such as Cycle Sydney, or Sydney to the ‘Gong), or to buy some tools or books for the use of members. The option of spending it all on beer and chips was, despite its merits, rejected. What we want to know is what YOU want us to spend the money on. Get in touch with one of us - our contact details are at the end of the newsletter.
 

 
A 3-day mountain bike tour
    We mentioned this idea to many people at the O-week stall, and now the details are starting to firm up. The plan is to start at Blackheath in the Blue Mountains and ride to Mittagong, a distance of 189km over three days. Having studied the topographical maps of the area (all twelve of them!) and the weather conditions, we have decided to run the trip during the mid-session break at the end of September.
 
    This will be a fairly strenuous ride, and Dave and I will start training a couple of months before the ride. If you want to come it would probably be a good idea for you to do some training rides with us. For the most part the ride goes through the Blue Mountais National Park and Sydney Water land, so we will have to be self sufficient for the whole trip. We will have to carry all of our gear with us, including large amounts of water, so this will slow us down a fair bit, though we’ll have all day to complete each leg. If this hasn’t turned you off, could you let me (Tim) know if you are interested.
 

 
ReCycle BiCycle
    ReCycle BiCycle is starting up again this year with a new team and a new site (17 Lord St  St Peters, just off King St Newtown). For those that have not heard of ReCycle BiCycle it is a community based group that collects unloved and unwanted bikes and fix them up, some bikes are given away and some sold for a small price so they can by new parts. As a bonus, if you spend enough time working on bikes, you get to keep one of them. The first meeting happened on Tuesday 23rd March, and it shouldn’t be too long before things get going again. For information, email Andrew Dodds at blinddog@alpha.net.au
 

 
 World Cup Mountain Biking
     In just over a week the second round of the cross country mountain biking rolls into Sydney, to the Olympic course at Fairfield City Farm to be exact. Not only is it a rare opportunity to see the world’s best riders up close, but it is also a chance to cheer on Aussie and reigning World Cup champion Cadel Evans, and rising Aussie women’s rider Mary Grigson, on their home turf.
 
    The course is pretty tough, and should provide heaps of action for the spectators as well, with the first half designed to provide a view of the most interesting parts of the course to onlookers. I raced on the course last year in fun class at a national series race, and I can tell you that there isn’t much of a chance to rest as the terrain varies between steep up and steep down. The tight uphill switchbacks were particularly difficult. Most of the technical downhill was just way too hairy for me to ride.
 
    To get to the venue you can either catch the Westbus no. 826 from Fairfield or Cabramatta stations to the entrance of the venue, or you can drive - turn south off the M4 onto Wallgrove Rd, drive past Australia’s Wonderland and follow the signs to Fairfield City Farm. Parking is free. Entry to the farm is $8.50 for adults or $5.50 for concession. The women’s race is on Saturday April 10, starting at 1pm, and the men’s is on April 11, also starting at 1pm.
 

 
Polaris Challenge
    The Polaris Challenge is a two day mountain bike rogaine. Similar to orienteering, in a rogaine you are given a set amount of time in which to visit as many checkpoints as possible. The checkpoints are spread across a wide area, and are worth a certain number of points depending on how difficult they are to get to. The team which accumulates the most points wins. At the Polaris teams have 7 hours on the first day and 5 hours on the second. They have to carry all the gear for an overnight camp with them.
 
    Having heard the buzz from last year's Polaris Challenge, I decided to have a go this time around, so I persuaded Dave to join me (though it didn't take too much arm twisting). After months of anticipation, the weekend of the event finally arrived.
 
    The first day was packed with excitement for us. After picking up our first points after half an hour, it took us an hour and a half to reach the next control. In between we got lost on poorly maintained forestry roads, waded through blackberries up to our waists, suffering a flat tyre and numerous slow leaks, and I broke one of my panniers. We fixed the flat and bodged the pannier so we could continue. Despite Dave's stack soon after, things improved and we started to accumulate points.
 
    About three hours in my left shoe started feeling odd, and I began suffering from knee pain. I didn't want to check it as it still seemed to work, but my fears were confirmed at the overnight camp when I found out that I had snapped the sole in half. At the time I decided not to tell Dave, not wanting to concern him.
 
    Through the rest of the day we picked up more points, and my panniers gave me more problems. Eventually I strapped one to my pack, but the second one decided to break as well, though not as badly, and I just put up with it bouncing free occasionally.
 
    Finally we cruised down the hill to the overnight camp, having amassed a respectable 150 points. When the provisional results were posted we were tying with two other teams (including one with another Bikesoc member, Daniel Moi) for first place in the under 21 category, so we decided to try to be competitive on day two.
 
    The next day started pretty badly for me. At the first hill I had to walk due to excruciating knee pain, and on the other side of the hill my pannier came off again. I threw my bike to the ground, almost crying tears of frustration. At the bottom I took a painkiller and walked the next uphill before it kicked in. After that the pain became tolerable, which was just as well, as the next control was at a trig point.
 
    The rest of the day went pretty well for us, and we made our way back to the event centre having made no more navigational errors and with another 120 points under our belts, for a total of 270. When the overall results were put up we saw that we had won our category, but only just. The second placed team was on 267, having arrived at the finish 3 minutes late.
 
    We won an Activent jacket each, though this was a bonus for us. Despite the dramas we had a great weekend, and the experience was reward enough for me. We'll definitely be back next year.

    For a more detailed report on the weekend, including some photos eventually, go to http://www.ar.com.au/~wardrop/polaris.htm


 
It’s a Concrete Jungle Out There: surviving the city
    After two years of commuting through the Sydney CBD I’ve picked up a few survival tips which I thought I would pass on. Most of these are also useful for riding out in the suburbs as well.

Be seen & heard
    Try to be as obvious as possible so that drivers can’t say that they “didn’t see you”. Wear something bright. I wear a fluoro yellow jacket most of the time so that I stand out, especially if the light isn’t perfect. Often if it’s overcast I’ll switch my rear light on, and if I’m riding in the rain I always switch it on.
 
    When riding at night, being seen is even more important. The absolute minimum as required by law is a white front and red rear light. For the front it is better to get something fairly powerful - I use a home-made 20 watt light, though this is probably overkill. At the rear I use a flashing LED light. The batteries last for a long time and they can be seen at a fair distance. Don’t wear black or dark coloured clothes.
 
    By law a bell or other warning device must also be fitted to your bike. I use an air horn with a plastic bottle as a reservoir which can be refilled using a bike pump. The usefulness of this is debatable, but it lets drivers know that you’re unhappy with them after they cut you off or pass too close. It’s REALLY loud too.
 
    At intersections try to make eye contact with drivers. Even if you have the clear right of way, if you can’t see their eyes then you can’t be certain that they have seen you, and it pays to be careful. At all times keep your head up and your eyes open - you never know what your fellow road user might do next!

Know the law
    It’s important to know your rights and responsibilities as a cyclist. We have to obey the same laws as other traffic, but there are also rules which apply specifically to us. It shouldn’t have to be said, but obey the law. Don’t ride through red lights, no matter how safe you think it is. If we want to be treated as equals on the road, we have to be prepared to play by the same rules as everyone else.
 
    On single lane and unlined roads cyclists have to travel as close as practical to the left. This does not mean riding in the gutter. Rather it means that we should ride far enough from the edge that it is safe. The RTA recommends riding at least 1 metre from the curb. You should also ride at least 1 metre from parked cars to avoid being hit by opening doors.
 
    On multi laned road cyclists are allowed to take a whole lane. Especially in the city, where it is easy to keep up with traffic, you should do this. It discourages drivers from trying to squeeze past to overtake, forcing them to change lanes instead. They’re supposed to leave at least 1 metre when passing, but this doesn’t always happen. Cyclists can also ride two abreast when taking a lane, but three abreast is illegal. When stopped at traffic lights you should also wait in the centre of the lane. These measures often seem to annoy impatient drivers, but at least if they are annoyed then you know that they have seen you.
 
    It is perfectly legal to pass stationary traffic on the left. That said, I believe this should only be done if you have a good chance of keeping up with traffic when you get to the front of the queue. The ability to squeeze past traffic in this way is particularly useful in peak hour traffic in the city.

Riding in the rain
     I try to avoid riding in the rain, but there are some times when I get caught out. You have to accept that you are going to get wet, and more than likely your legs will end up covered in black crud, but there are ways of avoiding getting wetter than necessary. A good quality jacket will help keep your top half relatively dry, and a pair of mudguards will stop most of the water which gets flung upwards. A pair of clear or yellow lensed glasses will prevent drops of rain from getting in your eyes.
 
    If it’s cold, riding harder will help you warm up. I also find riding in the rain more bearable if there’s a warm shower waiting at the end! I always carry a plastic bag or two so that if I’m caught out, my uni books and other stuff will stay dry. I also always carry a rear light and a light rain jacket with me.
 


 
Maintenance: Fixing a flat tyre
    Unless you are extremely lucky, sooner or later you’ll have the misfortune of suffering from a flat tyre, especially if you ride off road a lot. It’s not a major disaster, however, as long as you have the right tools with you: a pump, some tyre levers and a spare tube or patch kit. I prefer to carry at least one spare tube with me whenever I ride as it makes fixing a flat so much easier.
 
    The first step is to remove the wheel. Unhook your brakes and undo the quick release or nut holding your wheels axle, and then pull it out. Next get the tyre off the rim. Hook your tyre lever under the bead of the tyre and lever it off, then run the lever around the rim. You only need to take the tyre off one side. Now you can pull the tube out. Run your fingers around the inside of the tyre to check for the cause of the flat, like a piece of glass, wire or a thorn. If you don’t do this you’ll end up puncturing the new tube in no time.
 
    Assuming that you’re using a new tube, pump a bit of air into it to give it some shape. Insert the valve in its hole in the rim, then feed the tube into the tyre. Starting at the valve, push the bead of the tyre back into the rim. When you get to the last bit you may need to use the levers to get the bead into place, but make sure you don’t pinch the tube between the edge of the rim and the lever. Check that the beads are properly seated on the rim all the way around. Now put some air in the tyre, then check the bead again. If all is well, inflate the tyre, then put the wheel back on the bike. Don’t forget to do up your brakes!
 

 
 A Blue Mountains Epic
    The Anderson's and Oaks fire trails are both classic Blue Mountains rides, and the Oaks is a particularly popular ride for beginners and experienced riders alike. Both rides involve catching a train up into the mountains and then taking advantage of the 400m difference in altitude between the start and finish of each ride. Anderson's runs from Wentworth Falls to Woodford, and the Oaks from Woodford to Glenbrook. For this reason, the two rides are sometimes strung together to form a reasonably long day ride of about 61km, Anderson's being 33km and the Oaks 28km. Anderson's includes a very steep descent to Bedford Creek of around 200m, and an equally steep climb up the other side.
 
    It was on a ride when we rode from Glenbrook to Woodford up the Oaks and then back down again that the idea of going all the way to Wentworth Falls and back was first jokingly suggested. At the time it seemed like a crazy idea, but after a bit of reflection I decided that I was up to the challenge. I advertised the ride in the MTB-OZ emailing list, and a group of five fit, well prepared, experienced riders was formed. I also received a few emails saying that we were lunatics.

The Ride
    The day started early. I dragged myself out of bed at 5am after a minimal amount of sleep, got ready and left to pick up Dave, then we headed off into the mountains. At 7 we arrived at Glenbrook station car park, where Kevin was waiting. The weather was perfect. Cool and overcast, though it looked like it wouldn't actually rain.
 
    After waiting a while for a couple of no-shows, Kevin, Dave and I left at about 7:30. We kept up a cruisy pace along the Oaks, deciding to skip the singletrack that runs alongside the firetrail. We passed an incredible number of people riding the other way. Many thought we were crazy for riding up the Oaks. If only they knew where we were going. Despite riding well within our limits, we made good progress and arrived at Woodford after a couple of hours.
 
    We stopped here to refill our water at the station before setting off again. The steep downhill to Bedford Creek was fun, but this was offset somewhat by the knowledge that we would have to climb up it later in the day. At the creek Kevin rode through both crossings, while Dave and I picked our way across, deciding that doing a further 80km with wet feet wouldn't be much fun. The steep climb out of the creek was a bastard, and the knowledge that at the top we were still lower than Woodford didn't help. The firetrail undulated for a while, before becoming a constant uphill.
 
    By the time we reached the locked gate at the turn off to Kings Tableland Road it had started raining lightly. This made the long slog even more unpleasant, but we eventually reached the sealed road, marking 6km to Wentworth Falls. Although the tar was easier to ride on, it was still uphill. After what seemed like an eternity, we arrived at the town at 1 o'clock. It felt a lot longer than 3 hours since we had left Woodford.
 
    We had lunch here, and while we were eating the weather deteriorated, and the rain started to fall quite hard. The train was looking inviting, but we resisted the urge, donned jackets and headed off into the elements. Funnily enough, the riding was much easier in this direction. The rain eased off, and by the turn off it had stopped. It wasn't too long before we reached the big downhill.
 
    The recently graded track, and our opportunity to study all of the corners at low speed on the way up, made for a fast trip down. At one waterbar Kevin was ahead. He took air off it, then slowed down and looked back towards me. I also took some air and then realised why Kevin was looking back as I watched my rear wheel land about six inches from a red-bellied black snake. Phew!
 
    Once again we crossed the creek. The climb up was hell, but we all rode it, taking a couple of stops to catch our breath. The rest of the hills back to Woodford were nasty, but doable. We got there just after 4.
 
    Determined not to allow ourselves to give in to the temptation of rail travel, we stayed here just long enough to check our water, before continuing down the Oaks. The first 12km of undulating fire trail to the helipad is usually fairly easy, but this time around it felt like it was the longest 12km of my life. Dave surged ahead, while Kevin and I took our time.
 
    While stopped at the helipad, at the beginning of the 15km downhill to the weir at Glenbrook, we were passed by a group of three riders. Forgetting that we had by this stage done more than 100km of riding and 2400m of climbing, Dave and I gave them a bit of a head start, then decided to chase after them. I caught up on the first steeper section before deciding to cruise down for the straighter, more level bit. Dave caught up and passed them.
 
    I kept my pedalling to a minimum as my legs were bitterly complaining, and so I made relatively slow progress down the road. At the weir I just couldn't be bothered keeping my feet dry any longer, and rode straight through. We all managed to ride up the steep hill from the weir, grinding away in granny gear. Having come all this way, I wasn't going to succumb now.
 
    At 6pm we rolled into the car park and collapsed onto the asphalt, absolutely exhausted but at the same time elated. This was one of those rides that 'just had to be done'. We've proved that it is possible, but I'm not sure if I'd do it again. In all we rode 121km, climbing 2500m, and spending 8 hours in the saddle. No wonder we were stuffed!
 


 
 Email List
    If you have email, just let me know and I’ll put you on my contact list so that I can send out info on rides and other Bikesoc happenings. I will try to send out an email every Thursday afternoon with details on rides coming up on the weekend. If you’re going riding and don’t mind a couple of other people coming along, then I can send out the details to the list. My address is wardrop@ar.com.au
 

 
Website
    The Bikesoc website has this newsletter, a trip list, a page of useful mountain biking, bicycle advocacy and general cycling links, articles, a photo gallery (which might actually have some photos in it very soon) and an archive of past newsletters. Find it at
http://www.ar.com.au/~wardrop/bikesoc.htm
 
 

 
Contacts
President & newsletter editor: Tim Wardrop  9953 1799  wardrop@ar.com.au
Secretary: Dave Budden  9416 3042  daveb@ugrad.phys.unsw.edu.au
Treasurer: Byron Ross  9387 5026  bkmr@hotmail.com
 

 
Upcoming Events
 
    If you want to do any of these rides, contact the organiser beforehand, otherwise there’s no guarantee that they will turn up.
 
Saturday morning road rides: I mentioned to some people during O-Week that i would like to start some sort of regular north-side road ride. I have been putting this off due to a fear of loosing my precious saturday morning sleep in. I've now bitten the bullet and it goes something like this:
    There are a number of places we could go. A good circuit is to ride from Terry Hills, into Kur-ing-Gai national park, follow the road around Akuna baymaybe out to West Head, then back to Terry Hills. It's possible to do a nice loop of about 45km from there. Alternatively we could start on the lower north shore and ride up the northen beaches to Church Point and beyond (see Tim's ride in the calendar), or ride to Mt Colah via Bobbin Head and maybe through to Berowa Waters and Arcadia. There are many possibilities.
     I would be happy to ride up to 20km (from Killara) to get to the start of a ride, this basically means anywhere on the north side. We could ride anywhere from 15km to 100km (i'll go further if anyone is _really_ keen), depending on who wants to come on any particular day. To organise ring me (Dave), on thursday to see where we're going that weekend. I'll be going out every saturday other than the extremely rare exception, so don't hesitate to ring. Starting this weekend (during the holidays too).  
Critical Mass: Join hundreds of cyclists, bladers and other human powered vehicles in a ride around the city or Parramatta. Don’t be afraid to join in - the pace is always really cruisy. The ride usually finishes at 6:30-7:00 somewhere where you can get dinner. A group leaves from uni for the city Critical Mass - meet at 5pm at the steps in front of the applied science building. OR    
Parramatta Critical Mass  
World Cup Cross Country Mountain Biking: Come along to support our local riders, including reigning champion Cadel Evans, when they race against the best in the world at the Olympic mountain bike course. I’ve raced on this track, and it’s pretty tricky, with quite a few hairy technical bits. There's also a short criterium through Darling Harbour on Thursday.  
The Oaks fire trail: This is a good ride for beginners or experienced mountain bikers alike. Starting at Woodford, the fire trail undulates for the first 12 kilometres before about 15km of continuous downhill to Glenbrook, with the second half of this being singletrack.2-3 hours.  
City Critical Mass

Church Point road ride: Start at St Leonards Park (just up the road from North Sydney station) and ride along Military Rd, across the Spit, along Wakehurst Parkway and Pittwater Rd to Church Point, then through Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park along McCarr’s Creek Rd up to Mona Vale Rd, then the Pacific Highway back to North Sydney. I will be doing this ride on my MTB with slicks.  70km, about 3 hours, though I can slow this down.

Parramatta Critical Mass

Lane Cove River MTB ride: Ride up Lane Cove River via West Pymble to Pennant Hills and back depending on how keen people are (there's a station at P.Hills if people want to bail). Time: about 3 hrs, but can make it longer or shorter if needed.

Waterfall MTB ride: This is a fairly technical ride. Start at Waterfall station, follow a fire trail then a technical walking track down to Audley, then ride back along Lady Carrington Drive.  3-4 hours

City Critical Mass

Woodford to Glenbrook race: An event held to raise money for the Careflight helicopter rescue service. It follows the popular Oaks fire trail. The emphasis is on participation, rather than competition.

RTA Cycle Sydney: The cycling equivalent of the City to Surf. More info later. About 50km

Scott’s Main Range - Blackheath to Mittagong: See details earlier on in the newsletter. 3 day mountain bike tour.

Sydney to the ‘Gong: The biggest cycling event on the Sydney Calendar. More info later. 92km

Weekend mountain bike rides: I ride off road most weekends, but these rides aren’t usually organised until mid-week. Phone or email Tim on 9953 1799 and I’ll tell you if there’s a ride planned. Details for these rides will be sent out by email most Thursdays.
 


 
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