Report by Julian

The wake up call on Sunday was much more pleasant than Saturday as the rain had cleared and I looked forward to the hill ride along one of my favourite courses through John Forrest and Mundaring. My shoes hadn’t completely dried from the Saturday ride and, even with covers, the toes were tingling on the way to the car park. On arrival I certainly wasn’t the only one feeling the cold with an assortment of long gloves, leg warmers and jackets being donned – but happily not a raincoat was in sight.

Following a quick discussion of the route and short cuts (and waiting for Ryan) we headed out along Great Eastern Highway in the cold morning air with the sun in our faces. By the time we’d reached the bottom of Greenmount my fingers and toes had warmed sufficiently to make riding comfortable and the extra effort up the hill got the blood pumping even further. Ryan and Ben got out to an early lead and maintained it until the finish, with the rest of us following.

KOM 1 – 1. Ryan, 2. Ben, 3. Julian, 4. Jerry, 5. Danny

At the re-group point the gate into the national park was locked so we carried the bikes around the gate and set off again. The storms from the previous days had resulted in a large amount of honky nuts being dropped on the road and as such we maintained a pace in the high 20’s to avoid any incidents. We had to climb over another gate and once we were on the main park road, the surface cleared and the pace picked up. Once on Oxley Road and onto the second climb Ben took off and got an early lead before he dropped his chain and was passed by the field. Ryan got ahead and Nick and Danny followed, with Nick especially keen to get some points to prove he had ridden. I waited behind them and pounced about 200 m before the crest to claim second with Oliver coming in fifth. Both Danny and Oliver found out about the rides through the web site and it was good to see the new faces doing well. Danny was over on holiday from Melbourne and was keen to hear about the organization of the rides and the club in general. I think he was impressed.

KOM 2 – 1. Ryan, 2. Julian, 3. Nick, 4. Danny, 5. Oliver

We cruised toward Parkerville, and stopped at the local shop so Ryan could get some jubes, then turned left towards Stoneville (the new way to avoid Gt. Eastern Hwy). This was a great diversion as the road was smooth and there was no traffic, although the hill towards Mundaring was unexpected. After crossing the highway the pace quickened as we headed down to the weir and back up towards Asher Road. Ryan and Ben set the pace out of the valley but Ben soon dropped back to the bunch of 5 behind. This climb just goes on and on and the group worked well until the final push to the line. Ben made a break for second and Jerry held on for third. On the last couple of rides we’ve stopped and re-grouped here and today was no exception. So with the group refreshed we headed for the final climb of the morning.

KOM 3– 1. Ryan, 2. Ben, 3. Jerry, 4. Julian, 5. Danny

At the start of the climb I took off trying to set a fast time on the bottom of the hill but soon realised the Saturday ride had taken a bit out of me. I slowed back and Ben and Ryan came past to fight it out. I don’t think anyone set a PB today (correct me if I’m wrong) and we were all glad to get to the café.

KOM 4 – 1. Ryan, 2. Ben, 3. Julian, 4. Jerry, 5. Danny

Unfortunately I couldn’t stay today but spent more time than expected there due to a flat tyre. The group witnessed a precision change and wheel re-fit before I bade farewell.  If anything excited on the way down, then please add them to the comments section.