Sydney to the Gong

A while back I enrolled in the 90km Sydney to the Gong ride.

I have done zero training, last ride of any sort was 5 weeks ago.

I have a new second hand bike that I have ridden a total of 150kms on.

This will be the third longest ride I've ever done.

How far up shit creek am I ??
 

JTmofo

XC Enthusiast
Na you'll be sweet. I'm doing it with a bunch from work. Never ridden 90kms in my life, but I reckon the first 30/40km + will get towed along.
Stop plenty, keep hydrated and don't try breaking strava records.
 

Comic Book Guy

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I'm a fat old unfit bastard and I've done it a few times. Most of the ride is pretty flat. There are a few climbs but the only long climb is out of the RNP.

Take your time and enjoy the day. And I highly recommend the Five Islands Brewery for some post ride refreshment.
 

Mr Crudley

Glock in your sock
Hey, I'm coming along too after a friend couldn't make it and I have the ticket now. I haven't done this before either and the thought of 10k people at the start line at the crack of dawn sounds unfun. I'll see you folks there, somehow.

Are you taking road bikes your MTB/DH rides?
 

Brow

Big Block
A while back I enrolled in the 90km Sydney to the Gong ride.

I have done zero training, last ride of any sort was 5 weeks ago.

I have a new second hand bike that I have ridden a total of 150kms on.

This will be the third longest ride I've ever done.

How far up shit creek am I ??
Buy a paddle just in case.
 

Mr Crudley

Glock in your sock
I'm riding my disc roadie/gravel bike with road tires.
Bugged doing that on a MTB.
I'm taking the roadie too. I've heard unicycles occasionally get a look in too - it is a charity ride after all so that gives punters permission to be as free / stupid as you like
 

richie_gt

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I did it last year on my Trek Remedy with slicks and the suspension locked out without any dramas...I ride flats too! I'll be doing it on a 650b hardtail this year, my nephew (in law) did it on his 29er with big tyres and flats...he got there but he was cooked with about 15km to go!

I enjoyed the ride but there are so many punters that do it, witnessed an epic clipless fallover stack at a set of lights near Rockdale, about 25 people or so on the deck, looked like a pack of dominos go down! The guys with the full aero time trial helmets cracked me up too!
 

Mr Crudley

Glock in your sock
How did you all go? The headwinds never seemed to go away.
It wasn't as hard as I thought but I'm sure tired now.
No flats, endos or anything else going schnappen.All good news. I reached Da' Gong at about 9:30-ish so I'm happy with that.
 
Survived!!!

Pretty slow at 4 hrs 20 but given the circumstances I'm happy, got home and wasn't nearly as wrecked as I expected. Put a shorter stem on my bike the nite before and it went like a dream.

The Bobbo is 4-5 months off, if I get my move all sorted I can train and have a red hot crack, it has a lot more climbing than the Gong ride so I better.

Off to the Fling next weekend, but only some fling, I don't want to put the boy through the half, maybe next year.
 

Mr Crudley

Glock in your sock
Survived!!!

Pretty slow at 4 hrs 20 but given the circumstances I'm happy, got home and wasn't nearly as wrecked as I expected. Put a shorter stem on my bike the nite before and it went like a dream.
Well done. That skinny tyred road bike goes like well. Roadie and very organised and seem to love to point to just about anything in the way like potholes, hydrant covers, red lights, large birds, corners and skinny whippets on CF bikes etc, etc. It is good thing I guess and I should not grumble but with a few doing it gets bit annoying. I suppose i'm not used to riding in a pack.

I dropped a chain while in the big gears into the national park but managed to coax it back on with the shifters so I didn't stop. Luck was involved.

It was getting pretty warm by the time I puiled into Wollongong. The two guys I rode down with also rode back. I almost got roped into that one but fortunately I'm not that good :heh: I threathened them with a lot of waiting up hills if this idea went ahead.

The Bobbo is 4-5 months off, if I get my move all sorted I can train and have a red hot crack, it has a lot more climbing than the Gong ride so I better
. I'd like to do that but I'm not really the organised racing kind I think. I've never rode there so that's an attraction.

Off to the Fling next weekend, but only some fling, I don't want to put the boy through the half, maybe next year.
You are going big Mr Pancrea's. Good luck Flinging it.
 

hifiandmtb

Sphincter beanie
Well done. That skinny tyred road bike goes like well. Roadie and very organised and seem to love to point to just about anything in the way like potholes, hydrant covers, red lights, large birds, corners and skinny whippets on CF bikes etc, etc. It is good thing I guess and I should not grumble but with a few doing it gets bit annoying. I suppose i'm not used to riding in a pack.
Imagine doing this on a group ride down some technical singletrack :director:
 

Mr Crudley

Glock in your sock
Imagine doing this on a group ride down some technical singletrack :director:
I'll give that a miss. I've went OTB on singletrack by myself when a bendy tree got under my trailing pedal and bucked me off. I don't need a group of co-riders to make it more sketchy :tape2:
 
Ok, I might indulge. Although I've heard Bobbin Head road is a code word for nasty climb.
http://theclimbingcyclist.com/wiki/Bobbin_Head_(west_side)

I would prefer to tackle the climb out of Bedford Creek at Andersons.
I have a score to settle to go no dabs one the first few switchbacks.
The Bobbo descends the west side (steeper side) and climbs the east side (easier side).

Akuna Bay climb hurts coz it comes at the 80km(?) mark.
 

Mr Crudley

Glock in your sock
I had some clown, not a noob, hit me in the arse with his bar, no crowd, plenty of room.
It just amazes me that there wasn't big carnage with pedal is spokes etc. he descent into the National Park is pretty fun though, I liked that one.

A few of the hammerheads came close at times but I suppose close only counts in horseshoes and Mexican Hat dancing anyhow.
 
Top