this is my next idea for a ride.
Out to the samford valley and back.
But the BEST part of this ride will be the turnaround point at the steepest road I have ever witnessed. It is SERIOUSLY, RIDICULOUSLY steep. You will be gobsmacked.
We won’t ride up it - but it is just worth a look.
The route has some hills but no one will be left behind and it is not too long and has an option to short cut (to &) home via train.
ride starts somewhere central (up to youse) and then up newmarket road, then short cut through to Samford road and then up through ferny hills. This hill is tough and we may have to walk some of it but we will re-group at the top then roll down into samford.
Then it is a 10k return, pancake flat route through the village green of the samford valley out to the turnaround point at the corner of Mt O’Reilly Rd and Mayfield Road. (Google that if you wish)
After that we have food in samford. Then up the hill, may have to walk a bit again and back into Ferny Grove which will give some of us (or all of us) an option to train it back home.
Total distance would be 60-65 kms return or about 45 if you get the train home.
Another option is to meet us at ferny grove.
anyway - i was thinking sunday morning 20 September around 9am cause a bit of it is on some normally busy roads (which is also school holidays).
My O’reilly Rd is seriously steep, so much so that it is actually fairly pointless even for hill training.
I used to have a cyclocross bike fixed witha surly dingle double fixed cog and double chainrings, ride out through Samford and up the goat track to Mt Nebo. that bit was all fine, swapped to a 39/21 at the bottom of the climb from a 42 /17 on the way out.
The problem was when i picked up a stick through the cranks on the descent down Nebo on the South Boundary road dirt and sheared the lockring threaded step off the hub. Flipped to the freewheel to get home but was nearly very nasty.
Back on topic I doubt you will get 60ks out of this ride, more like about 45 -50 from the city return.
yep - around 50ks - i am terrible at distances. It is even less hard than it sounds.
it’s referred to as mt o’reilly but i’ve never seen it called that on a map.
yep - it is stupidly steep and nonsense - and yes: even for training - and only the most BRUTAL climbers can defeat it. I think the best time I have seen recorded is around 9 minutes which for a climb i am guessing is only 3 or 4 kms is pretty illustrative of the conditions this road imposes.
I myself have tried it on a road bike with compact cranks and fell off less than a third the way up. I had started zig-zagging to stay rolling and BANG! I knew I was defeated and couldn’t turn the cranks anymore - and because this defeat came so suddenly - i was zagging left and unclipped the left leg (as I normally do) and due to the gradient I couldn’t put my unclipped foot down and so I crashed and though it was low speed I bounced a bit with the gravity of the situation (lol) and cut my leg up on the big ring’s teeth and smacked my shoulder into the dirt and annoyed an injury from a crash a month earlier in the process. AWSM!
gonna postpone the ride on sunday - gotta minor ankle injury from being a douche.
Will still have a ride - but just not as brutal. starting at 11 at bottom of goodwill bridge. end up a bit early for polo.
If said “douche” activities do not involve either:
(a) a fixie;
(b) the consumption of alcohol/mind altering substances (bonus points on offer for the use of such substances that fall within the ilicit category); or
(c) a combination of both,
then please commence the necessary pontification in order to fabricate a suitably entertaining story to share and attempt to justify the gay ness
it was almost totally (b).
:oops:
it was at home, (I did have my drinking hat on), and I was just going through a doorway sorta spinning backwards (as you do) and the next thing I knew I was on the ground and my ankle was sore.
I know that doesn’t make much sense. but that is what happened. It’s my left foot too which has meant grounding a foot at lights on at least two occasions has almost flattened me. sigh.
It does feel a bit better today but.
I’ll be there. Doing a mini “alley cat” with some mates beforehand hahaha. By Alleycat I mean Time Trial from Sizzler at Toowong to Kangaroo Point side of story bridge at 10am lol.
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