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The Oaks, Sunday 7th, 6.52am train!
Ok, after such an enjoyable ride last Wednesday at the Oaks and another nice ride this morning a few of us thought we would hit the Oaks up again next weekend before everyone returned to their "normal" work mode.
Where: well the Oaks obviously
When: Sunday 7th January 07
Time: 6.52 am train from Glenbrook station, this departs Central at 5.48 if your training it all the way, and should have us at Woodford by 7.23am.
What: The Oaks fire trail standard run, ie Woodford to Glenbrook, not St Helena's.
Confirmed starters: Stuart, Bernd, Evan, Tien, Carolyn, Flow.
If you want to join us then please feel free to, just post back here or send me a text 0412 174 282, failing that
If you want to do the Oaks but not that early, say the 8.23am train, then please do but start a separate thread so as to avoid the confusion that some experienced re todays varying start times.
If you want to ride up and back, great, just make sure you leave early enough to meet us at the Woodford trail head about 7.30am or the helipad probably about 8.45 - 9 ish, sorry last week was a slow ride and I'm a bit vague on track times.
Be warned though, if State rail runs to their own schedule only they know, ie if the train doesn't show like last week, we won't be having a leisurely breaky and wait, we will ride to the helipad and then turn for the run home.
Hope to get a good turn out to see in the new year.
Stuart
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Yes, I will be there,
with more Air in my tyres....
6-52am on the 7th!!!!
Thanks for showing us around today, Stu and Even.
Bernd (0412 001180) Tien , please SMS me if u like a lift!
As stated above... count me in.
Evan
new here and to mtbing. have not ridden oaks yet and would love to join. name is kiet (0422351499).
Won't be able to make it, gotta go for a b'day at noon.
My thoughts will be with you, though
that isn't good! i have to work... I shall be a grumpy worker now I am missing out on that! Have to get the mag to the printers on Monday and since we were slackers having those days off last week we have to pay for it!!!
take PHOTOS!!!
MEEEE
Well the Oaks Fire Trail beckons....I have not ridden this trail for several years, I'll try to make it though. Feeling a little unfit from eating chrissy ham and drinking beers....It should be a good opportunity to get my legs back.
Hope to see you on Sunday
Sam
Sounds like a pretty good ride to me, I'll be getting up early for the train from Central.
How many hours will the ride be in roughly in total? I have a touch footy match on the afternoon i'd like to get to (if I can even stand after riding all morning).
Andy
Hi Andy,
Depending on train times and time tables I would image you being home around lunch time. The ride is a good couple of hours at a social pace.
Evan
Christine, I will take some for u....
next time try to work during the week, like we do!!!!
anyone interested in a cool jersey??? have a look at this one, I will get this one in FEB in the US.
have a look at primalwear, cool stuff!!
http://www.primalwear.com/Catalog/index.cfm?cati... That's the one!!!!!!! about AUS $ 85-00
http://www.primalwear.com/index.cfm
Bernd
Talked to Bernd about this ride on New Years Eve, and I am keen to join - probably with one other (Peter).
Neil
Hi there!
Can't wait to go to the Oaks on Sunday!
! Also if anybody needs a lift, am driving from Randwick...
Was wondering if anybody could give me an estimate on how long it will take me to drive there from the city, about 1.5hours???
Don't want to get up earlier then necessary
Cheers
Caro
FWIR it takes about 40 mins to get to the bottom of Oaks (Glenbrook) from Newtown, so if you leave an hour from Randwick I'm guessing you'll be good. Visit whereis and get a trip plan, it's usually quiet good with the distance/time thing.
Think I'm a starter too... would like to up and back, but it takes about 1h40 to ride up but don't fancy an earlier than 6am start so will make it one way only to appease Stuart
Depending on how everyone (or at least some) is feeling perhaps we could do a loop out to Pisgah Ridge after the quick downhill to the gate?
I'll probably make it too and would welcome a Pisgah postscript. Anything to make the Oaks interesting...
Matt.
Bloody winging pomms! [ said Rob who will get an Aussie passport this year one hopes
]
I know the top of the trail isn't so interesting, but that flat out downhill to the gate is rather fun, as is the single trail that follows. I don't recall where the technical ending is, but the one time I rode that seemed like fun so will want go looking or be shown the way.
I might suggest that for thsoe of you who are not familiar with the oaks deal, my advice is get to the rail car park by 6:30am to give yourself plenty of time to unpack car get to train and buy ticket...
Look forward to punishing my legs on this pigs ridge didge thingy
See you all there, i'll be the one with teddy bear and blanket trying to wake myself from a slumber.
are making me really jealous so! please can you guys post a report on Sunday afternoon for a nice distraction for me to read at work?!!
Also, I guess Mat would be feeling like a bit of a whinger about now...wasn't he going for England in the cricket...?
MEEE
Hi Caro,
Im keen to go, but unfamiliar with the trail; im in Edgecliff and a lift would be great if your going that way:) I'm happy to peddle up to Randwick in the morning.
Sound's tempting, but before i put my hand up for this ride can anyone give an indication of the fitness level required for the ride (not a fan of extended climbs).
Thank's
Chris
Im fairly new to this site and this is sounding like it could be a good ride so count me in. I have only done the oaks once before and missed the single track towards the end (Doh!) the only probably now is trying to get out of bed at 0530!
Dan
... well almost
The only tricky climb here is the one right at the end back to Glenbrook station - from the creek crossing it's about 90m vertical in a little over 1Km. All on the black stuff though so stick it in granny and grind away, or chase Matt up who will no doubt be standing and climbing like a roadie
Sorry I don't actually have a profile to show, but found this one:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/1546857
The trail is mostly as you can imagine - pretty much all downhill. Think there are a couple of other testy climbs, but they are short and much smaller than the last. Distance is around 26Km and should be done easily in 2 hours (think we did top to bottom in 1h20-ish last time in the rain and the above is timed at 1h48).
Overall, I'm (and sure a few others are) in pretty poor shape after xmas/NY so don't worry.
this is turning out to be quiet a large group which normally means a slower than usual ride time, takes a little longer for the last one to get to the group when we stop for a breather when there is more. Then takes longer for everyone to set off again so you do get a break.
If push comes to shove and the group is too big or there is enough of a quick group slow group thing going on then the quickies can always shoot off ahead, do the pigsy ridge thing and join up again for the single track.
If your newish to MTBing then you probably won't want to add on the extra distance as, even though it is a predominately downhill run, you still want to have legs left to enjoy that sweet single track.
Whilst I'm thinking of that sweet single track, can everyone please make sure you have spare tube/s and have atleast 40psi in your rear tyre. This trail is notoriuous for pinch flats, we had three in a group of eight riders the other week, mainly because people were riding with too low a pressure. That extra 5 or 10 psi really will make a difference, and it makes the climb out easier.
Good to see you're joining us Rob, you can play tour guide Barbie on the detour, I've never heard of it.
Look forward to seeing you all there, hopefully none will get left behind.
Stuart
Yes, I will be there, I hope I see u there, please give me a call or sms before,
tomorrow...
Bernd 0412 001180.
Top day today, am heading out now to enjoy it. The forecast is for the same tomorrow... with late showers, but we'll be home long before then.
Anyhow, that in mind, don't forget to bring loads of water and sunscreen. I'll have 3l water in the Camelbak and a bottle of Gatorade on the frame, but then again, this is only going to be necessary for the pigsy ear thing. As Stuart says, the Oaks is notorious for flats so also bring at least two tubes and a pump (I take two tubes on every ride anyhow and will probably have more tomorrow).
Here's looking forward to a great day!
Rob
Hi everyone,
I'll be there tomorrow. maybe my flatmate James also. Will be catching the train from cental at 5.48 if anyone else is as well, my ph. no. is 0409 910 550 so you can call and we can meet beforehand.
See you all tomorrow.
Hi there,
thanks for driving time guesstimate Rob!
Murray, ring me before 10pm today to organise pick up tomorrow morning around 5am ish. I could meet you somewhere in the middle e.g. Oxford street. See my profile reg. phone number.
Look forward to c u all tomorrow!
Caro
Add another rider to the list.
Loading all these bikes on the train is going to be fun to watch...
Haven't done the Oaks since June so I can't resist!
See you there
Shane
Okay, count me in too.
I will try to remember to point out the walking steps section right at the end, which are always fun to ride down. A lot of people do not know about that part.
As stated, I am not sure how we will fit in 15-20 bikes on the train.
Bring it on!!
Top ride today, here's the profile... well... for the breakaway gang, Tien will have the other one no doubt:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/episode/view....
Notice how there's a GPS glitch as it thinks I was doing over 100K/h up from the causeway (must have me confused with someone else?). Cunningly the 63K/h or so down to there is correct, given the state of the brakes stopping at the bottom was interesting
Yes Top Ride!
Thanks everyone.
Nice one....your brake!!!I'm surprised you stoped at all....
Bernd
A BIG thanks to Stuart for organising the ride. Thanks mate!!
What a great way to start the day
!
Thanks a million Stuart and everybody else, was great fun!
Thanks all for the great ride and nice meeting you all.
Great ride, thanks to all who put the effort in. I hadn't done the singletrack before, me likey.
Now on to my subject for today (which could have been posted anywhere really)... falling off.
I had a big('ish) stack on the sniggle, involving an involuntarily aborted pass, over the bars, landing on shoulder/thigh, throwing my arm under someone else's rear wheel and the usual inexplicable knee grazes that invite comments about what you've been doing kneeling down in rough ground... I am now the proud owner of a black and blue shoulder and thigh, and at the risk of sounding masochistic I do mean proud! Which is the point of all this...
...being that if you don't push yourself and try bigger/badder things than you've done before, such that you fall off, then you're not trying hard enough ;-}
Not that I'm advocating doing something silly or wildly beyond your abilities, but I seem to be the only one falling off regularly! If you watch DVD's of the pro's they're always coming unstuck and then trying it again, that's the only way you progress and more importantly learn how to fall off and that it doesn't really hurt that much... honest... lose the fear and you'll love it I swear.
Banzaiii ;-}
Now where was that iodine?
Matt.
Matt I'd have to agree with you, I too had a fall yesterday and I can tell you i'm in a spot of bother right now. However this is only encouraging me to get back to the Oaks sometime soon and pinning that same hill.
You don't have to fall off though to push yourself. It may be as simple as going back to the top/bottom of a difficult section you've never done before and trying it until you get it.
Beleive me when you do it you'll get a rush and it'll spur you on to acomplish more difficult terrain.
Falling though is inevitable, but you should never expect it to happen, as soon as you do you'll fall. Positive thinking is the way to go.
Good luck to all in pushing your riding further, see you all on a trail soon.
Cheers
Sam
So proud I would expect to see pics of said "injuries" and "spots of bother" on this site somewhere so that we may all learn from your experiences. C'mon ROB where is the "GORE FILE" gallery.
Matt atleast we now know how you got the tire mark over your forearm, we couldn't figure how you could come off and end up with your arm under your own bike. Did you get his licence plate number, I hope they atleast stopped or maybe they though it was just another tree root they were bouncing off. Seriously though how did you end up loosing it where you did?
Speaking from experience though, try and avoid serious crashes where you end up splitting your helmet. It's never a good feeling spending the day at RNSH casualty with some dodgey looking doc trying to ultrasound your groin when you've clearly landed on your head and then taken all the skin off your back!! Damn those kickers or was it just a lack of skill, either way gravity sucks, just ask any woman over 50. (Did I really just say that)
I was trying to pass off on the right side of the singletrack (genius!) and something unseen twisted the front wheel to the right I think, at which point bike goes down and I carry on in a straight line without the bike, landing sort of on the side/back with arm outstretched under somebody's (who shall remain nameless) rear wheel. Didn't feel a thing from that though!
So after all my talk of pushing it, it was actually due to being a bit of a dill...
I'd love to add some pics but I don't see an option to add an image? Besides it's not that impressive yet!
Ditto on the helmet splitters, didn't much appreciate my first one of those as Rob can attest, knocks the confidence for a bit mostly from eviul thoughts of what could have happened, but helmets these days are bl00dy good, I hardly felt a thing on my head at least.
Thanks everyone who organised and came for the ride, that was the best ride I have been on so far(in my short time MTBing). I'm almost dissapointed I didn't take a dive cause I pushed myself pretty hard.
I didn't get to see your arm on the day, lets see some pics.
Andy
Matt,
You are correct in that if you are not stacking your MTB every now and then (uhmmm, once a month would do!), you have not pushed your limits enough. Don't get me wrong, no-one wants to see anyone get hurt. But you don't make the proverbial omlette without breaking some eggs. Improved proficiency is always gained through pushing the performance envelope.
So what are you down to now, 8-lives?
You know that your friends and colleagues will be wondering what happened to you. Are they cracking out the domestic violence gags?
Rob,
Evan's dicky knee is a decent start. And Matt will bruise up rather nicely.
I second the idea about collecting the pictures of various stacks to view on this website. How about Casualty Corner? Some of us are a rather black lot.
Cya!
Well, the Crashes Gallery is pretty much gore filled at the mo, have a look.
Oh, more discussion on this in what not to do on a hot day...
Re the crashes gallery, why is there a picture of the smallest injury in the world ever in there?? Don't I get a say? Can somebody take it off, it's embarrassing!
Nails.
Thanks Rob.
That picture for "Wrong Way Down" submitted by Pikey looked pretty nasty. Could I ask who was wearing that one?
Wrong way down is one of Fargs' pommie mates if I recall.