AN INTIMATE RETREAT TO THE HILLS >>> Gawler Wheelers Group Ride Report: Saturday 28th July 2012
1. Gawler Wheelers-ROUTE06-Gawler-Kersbrook-Williamstown-Gawler-HILLS
http://www.bikemap.net/route/942158
2. Gawler Wheelers-ROUTE44-Gawler-SOB-Craigmore-Black Top-One Tree Hill-Gawler-BEGINNER HILLS
http://www.bikemap.net/route/1413761
No. of Riders : 46
TO JOIN GAWLER WHEELERS Group click >>http://www.adelaidecyclists.com/group/GawlerWheelers
*** TODAY's PHOTO GALLERY BELOW ***
Ride Summary
Last week we were all hot and sweaty on the highly erotic “Fifty Shades of Grey” ride. This week the Gawler Wheelers definitely needed to cool down so we retreated to the hills, holding two concurrent rides…a HILLs ride and a BEGINNER’s HILLS ride.
46 cycling lovers participated in today’s rides including newbies Alan, Darren and Mark. Welcome to you all and trust that you all enjoyed your first GW experience.
22 riders set off on the Beginners Hill route, with the first leg involving a beautiful spin down the Stuart O’Grady Bikeway. We arrived in metro-land in no time and turned onto Curtis Rd for the leg to Adams Rd. There were a couple of light showers on this leg just to remind us that it is winter! However, by the time we arrived at the Adams Rd regroup the rain had gone and we headed off for the Yorketown Rd long ascent. Everyone made it up Yorketown without stopping which was quite an achievement for some on this ride…(well done all!)
We regrouped at the top of Yorketown while Craig struggled with fixing a difficult flat. The regroup here was welcomed, as the riders contemplated the next leg which included the infamous Cornishmen’s Hill climb. Nothing to worry about though and the smiles could be seen for miles as the riders conquered this climb! The final leg back to Gawler on this route was again most enjoyable, particularly as it concludes with the long long Kentish Rd descent. Back home the consensus was unanimous….a great ride…nothing too hard but great satisfaction with mission accomplished.
The other 24 riders were simultaneously enjoying a fantastic HILLs route. The route kicks off with the big Medlow Rd climb, which some described as a challenge while others described it as relaxing! Which camp were you in?
Alistair suffered two punctures on Medlow Rd…and had no tubes left. What to do he says? Solution…he rings his wife Karen, gets her out of bed to bring the spare bike up! Nice one Alistair!!
Once Karen had sorted Alistair out the group continued on their adventure to Kersbrook, Humbug Scrub, Mt Crawford Forest, Williamstown and back home. Along the route the riders encountered a few showers, the odd kangaroo and were enveloped in the most romantic fog. They will comment later about how much they enjoyed the ride (it was heaps good by all accounts!) The number of riders now electing to do our HILL rides is testimony to the progress that our riders have made over the past year in improving their hill climbing ability. Great ride all!
Back at Jaspers the main task was drawing the winner of the “Fifty Shades of Grey” book competition. You will have to read on to see who won it!
Thank you to all who rode with us today. What another brilliant GW morning!! (Juz, we all missed you….how is Queensland?)
NEXT WEEK: We will be holding one big group ride. We will be riding the easy undulating Freeling/Wasleys route in reverse direction for the very first time. YOU are welcome to attend. This route is a real beauty….don’t miss it!! Details will be posted on AC Events soon.
On a day when we retreated to the hills we would like to share “SOLSBURY HILL” with you. At about one minute into the song Peter Gabriel jumps onto a bike, rides around the stage and keeps singing the song without missing a note….a wonderful performance. Put it “full screen”, turn the volume up and ENJOY!
TODAY’s PHOTO GALLERY + MORE FOLLOWS:
Mark arrives for his first Gawler Wheelers experience↓
Newbie Alan (L) is made to feel very welcome by Pete↓
Matt, one of the many good looking guys on today’s ride↓
Shayne, David and Andrew having some pre-ride fun↓
Nick…”oh I have spot of dirt on my nice white shoes…damn!”↓
Paul (L)…”hmm….so many classy ladies on our rides!”↓
Andrew (centre)…”excuse me I would like to say something!”↓
Riders entering the SOB↓
Hills Group on Medlow Rd…and Nick’s shoes still all white!↓
SOB: Keith (R) we will let you tell everyone why you missed the start!!↓
Hills riders on one of the regroup stops…time to chat↓
Riders on the SOB near Curtis Road↓
Tony and Sue having a great time on today’s ride↓
Doug and ----? on the Hills ride↓
SOB Regroup↓
Hills Group – John and Carl emerge from the fog↓
Top of Yorketown Rd. Barry….we are going this way mate!↓
What is this car doing on Medlow Road??↓
OHH….it’s Karen bringing Alistair his spare bike….nice one!↓
Craig had a real tough time fixing this puncture!↓
Hills riders near the Whispering Wall↓
Mick with Elaine who was so happy because she got up Yorketown Rd without stopping! Well done Elaine.↓
Ray (R) on the hills ride…”man I can’t see a thing!”↓
Sue and Elaine ready to draw the winner of last weeks competition↓
Hills riders start arriving back home↓
..and the winner is….Michael Bland!! We expect a review Michael!↓
Lee and Terry join us for a coffee. Which ride were you guys on????↓
8 month old Sage came along to see her Dad (Craig) get back from his ride.↓
Ray (L) after the HILLs ride saying to newbie Darren “well done mate”↓
Michael (L), with Colin & Doug, starts reading the book immediately! …saying ”WOW ...OH MY!!!…are there any pictures?”↓
Finally, after two fabulous hills rides today we leave you with a fabulous intimate version of “Blueberry Hill” by Johnny Hallyday and the very sensuous Celine Dion. ENJOY THIS CLASSIC! PS >> See if you can pick when Johnny drops the “F” word!↓
Gawler Wheelers is all about comradeship, fun, fitness and chasing our dreams. Join the GW group on AC. Come on our rides. Contact details below. Until next week >> Cheers for now...Frank.
http://www.adelaidecyclists.com/group/GawlerWheelers
Next Gawler Wheelers Event Details (check the following links) :
➨ Gawler Wheelers Upcoming Group Ride Events
- ➨ Gawler Wheelers Group Ride Calendar
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by terry heney on -
Hey John..
Dont put your foot in it if you know what I mean by that statement... LMAO.... Oh sorry folks thats a private joke via Facebook :)
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Permalink Reply by Lee Bakes on -
Just saw a comment on facebook, which I just had to copy and paste to here.
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Permalink Reply by Keith Davies on -
After a month without a road ride I was a bit disorganised yesterday morning, driving along Main Nth rd just north of Elizabeth realized I had no Helmet. So chuck a u turn head back home then back to Gawler. No surprise everyone had gone, so head off down Coventry to Curtis finally meeting the group at the sob/curtis regroup. That Frank is why you got a photo of me facing the wrong direction. After that the ride was great even though a few muscles decided to complain after my lay off, thoroughly enjoyed the ride especially the down hill run back to Gawler and the after ride gathering at Jaspers.
On the down side, heading back to Gawler after the Uley Rd junction and the start of Kentish we were riding in mist. I lost sight of a couple of riders in front of me with no lights. A vehicle driver travelling at a higher speed would have no chance of seeing these bikes. Take care
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Permalink Reply by Juz on -
Sounds like you all had a great time without me... I thought we'd talked about enjoying yourself too much while I was away?! None of that, you hear? :-P
No, it's awesome to see such a good turn out and so many of you having a great time on this week's ride. I've rarely been in this position where I'm reduced to reading about the brilliant time you all had, feeling quite disappointed to have had to miss it myself. However, seeing the photos of the weather and imagining the amount of gunk I'd have to clean off my bike makes it easier on me. What more, as Frank pointed out in the ride report, I'm in Queensland with my family so the utterly perfect weather up here means I'll have ample riding opportunities and subsequent stories with which to regale you all upon my return.
As for my Saturday morning, while you all conquered the various hills around Gawler, my Dad and I went for our first ever ride together so, as disappointed as I was to miss the GW ride, nothing could beat my morning.
Dad has only very recently bought a bike and is in much the same position I was in this time last year (somewhat poetic given this Saturday would have marked my 1-year 'birthday' with Gawler Wheelers) so I was very happy to help him get started, remembering the patience and encouragement the GW TECs (and group on the whole) have displayed towards me as I've developed my 'legs' on the bike. I'm also very close to my parents so sharing this with Dad is very special to me.
Sadly however, last week, Dad exacerbated a lower back injury so we were limited to a very short loop around the Brisbane River and Dad has been in quite a bit of pain since. It's been improving over the last 36 hours so we're hopeful that we'll be able to tackle some significant rides in the next few days. Mt Coot-tha is on my 'must conquer' list and there are a few other rides I'm keen to try while I'm here with my bike. I'm also going to ride with a few other groups in Brisbane during the week so we'll see how much I suffer on the ridiculous undulations of Brisbane.
Actually, speaking of the undulations here, when Dad and I arrived back home from our river loop, I hopped back on Dita to get a feel for my new set up (including a 29t gear on the rear) and went for a quick 5km squiggle around the streets near home. In 5kms, I went up 6 different 'hills' with gradients ranging from 12-17%. THAT is Brisbane suburban riding!
So, in something a little larger than a nutshell, Frank, that's how QLD is going :-D
And yes, I miss you all. :-)
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Permalink Reply by Dave, Lewiston on -
Hey Juz,
We missed you too!
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Permalink Reply by Juz on
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Just a little update - Dad and I rode up Mt Coot-tha today! His back has settled nicely and he did an amazing job getting up the mountain without stopping. I'm very proud.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Bland on -
Good news all round .. Nice photo , ride on Juz ..
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Permalink Reply by john mills on
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You are certainly having a great holiday Juz. Enjoy the rest. From what you told us before you left it sounded like you really needed a good recharge! By the time you get back it should be lovely sunny weather back in Gawler. But lot of us looking at the rain (and wind) forecast for the Grand Slam on Sunday. We actually ride through Gawler.
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Permalink Reply by Keith Davies on
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Good on you Juz, great to see the relationship you have with your family, best wishes to dad I know what lower back problems can be like.
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Permalink Reply by Juz on
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I showed Dad your comment, Darren. He'd earlier commented to me that that particular photo showed off his bike the best (of the 3 shots we got) and he's rather chuffed that his bike was noticed :-)
And yes, both of my parents are awesome :-)
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Permalink Reply by Frank (GW) on -
Loving everyone's comments & ride reports!!!
@Warren .... well done on the Sydney rides mate. Can you expand for everyne re what these rides are about....will help others understand a liitle better about the rides you and Scott do.
@Mick...Sorry that you got left on your own Mick with the mechanical issue. You should have called one of us and we would have come back to assist. We have not had this issue before....ie the TEC having a problem at the back.
@Michael.....assume that you have now read the book a couple of times?
@Terry....you keep telling us that Christene has read all three books however she is very silent on the matter?
@John and Clive...we ;love reading your stories of all those little towns you visit...thanks for sharing.
@Juz.....say hi to mum and Dad for me! (Don't worry...the boys looked after Elaine :-)
@Elaine...you will see further up that Wilson has now posted links to your fund-raising page. Great cause and we all wish you well with the fund-raising. (I will make a donation on your next GW ride.)
@EVERYONE
1. FYI yesterday I rode next weeks route. Easier than the normal direction as you do not have that incline to Freeling on the first leg. The best part is that the final leg from Freeling is all down-hill for a change. Think you will all like it!
2. I have received a couple of emails re "Frank...what do you mean about the "F" word in that video". OK....below is a 30 second clip from the video. At the 13 sec mark you will Johnny drop the "Fart" word. Celine looks a little stunned! The French are not that romantic!!!....ie like the Italians are!
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