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The Oaks ride on June 2nd
Hey there
A group of us (about 5)are planning to go to The Oaks on June 2nd, but none of us have been on the track before. Any advice gratefully received and if anybody wants to join feel free.
Starting times and meeting place TBA - open to suggestions.
Are two laps in a day feasible? We are looking to do 4+ hours riding.
cheers
Mark
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...then you should add in Andersons to the start, check out the fat hippy's website for directions (just google fat hippy blue mountains) and a write-up that'll tell you if it's a trail that'll suit you. It'll get you more hours and a lot more interesting trail, take lots of food and water though as I think shops shut at Woodford before lunch!
Have a good one,
Matt.
It's pretty hard to find the nice technical sniggle after the gate, watch out as that's the best bit.
From the top, you'll be up and down and up and down and then come to a big-ish clearing. You'll know the place - there are no other real clearings on the top section and this is the end of the climbing. Following this is 5.5Ks in 9-ish mins flat out firetrail. Be careful, there's a sharp corner half way down, oh, and maybe people coming up!
Anyhow, then you come to the gate. Starting off left of the road is the fun sniggle, although it crosses a road (the road to Red Hands Cave - don't get disorientated) after a few 100 metres. After a while you'll come across another road and want to head left-ish into another large clearing where there's usually all sorts of junk (power poles, old tires, porta-loos, crop spraying gear!?). Head out of that right-ish near where you entered and you'll soon be on the most technical part of the whole lot. Comes out on the road one turn from the causeway. You can go down some steps from this corner (which are pretty mental, I've never tried) or take the road.
If you want more firetrail then at the gate turn right and go out to Pisgah Ridge and Nepean Lookout Firetrail. There's no real climbs here and you have to come back to the gate anyhow.
I should add the above to our Oaks ride report, eh?
Have fun!
You've twisted my arm, I'll tour guide the party down Andersons and the Oaks, I met up with the nobmobbers a few weeks ago and we did Andersons and St. Helenas, we all had a great time. Andersons is a great ride, fast, scenic and has a nice challenging hill at the end.
The best plan is to park the car at Glenbrook and take the train up to Wenthworth Falls to start the ride, I would get on the train at Woodford as that's where I live, also the shop at Woodford was closed for a year or so and has now re-opened.
John Evans
And let's hope there is no repeat of the tyre blow out that Bruce experienced.
I am sure that once these boys read the review of the Oaks here and at Fat Hippies, they will be itching to get out there. It is great run - if a bit linear. But at the Oaks, speed is your friend!
Thanks John, sounds good to me - more the merrier.. and a guide would be great.
Is Andersons rideable at present? i heard form a recent rider (admittedly of indeterminate fitness and skill) that there was a significant amount of bike hiking...? None of us are real weight weenies, but several of us managed the Dirtworks 100 - bit slow but hey, we finished, and not being last was a bonus
Mark
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if at first you don't succeed, try not to look astonished.
then there'll be minimal hiking on any of this, maybe a bit on the Andersons hill, which is all rideable if the ground is right but might be quicker walking!
Walking... =;o)
at the end is a beauty, and most people walk a few of the steepest sections of it, but all up maybe 10 mins worth of walking. I ride it all in a very low gear.
Also Kiwiboy you'll have a fellow countryman there as I'm from Invercargill Brrrr, I always shiver when I say Invercargill, Brrrr. See you John.
PS will you be joining us Liam? I've tried to get to other nobmob rides but had club races, fishing trips, mothers day and rain holding me back.
Invercarrrrgil
I'm a Christchurch lad myself, and even THAT makes me go brrr.
So none of the crew are nobmobbers as such - we are just a bunch of aging (mostly 40-ish) riders having a good time. Having said that most of the crew are from Northside, and I joined the site bcos of all the excellent info and goss. Would be good to meet a few of the mob... we are planning Coffs as well, and its always nice to know your fellow sufferers. But we haven't been on an organised nobmob ride so far, just our own group.
Mark
Yes, they put me in the Master's category at races too, but I think smarter is better than younger, and I only feel about 26.
You sound like you really 100k rides so I can fit a few more tracks into the day if you'd like ;}. Cop u later.
I could possibly have my arm twisted for this. This ride appears to be the week before Canberra, so an Oaks run might just be the ticket. But I am not confirming yet whether I would do Andersons though. I am trying to limit the number of 5+ hour rides I am doing.
OK, lets put this in perspective - two of us finished in the last 50 in DW100, and a third did 7 + hours. That was our first 100km event. We are looking for 4-5 hour max training ride. So if we can do Andersons and Oaks in 5 hours-ish sounds all good. A couple of the lads may be of questionable endurance, so they may well skip Andersons - yet to be determined who the starters really will be.
And funny thing about the 100km rides - the pain fades and it seems like a good idea again!!
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Experience is something you usually get right after you first need it.
we could start at Hazelbrook and do a little sweet single track before the oaks, and the amount we do there can be determined on the day.
John
O dear now the challenge is there don't know if I could say no.
Anyhoo plenty of time to figure that out. Looks like an hour from my place to Glenbrook, then train to Wentworth or Hazelbrook. So if we got to Wentworth by say 10am latest, 5 hours finish at 3-4 back by 5. Sounds workable.
Yes? Plausible?
The trains leave hourly, and I feel the 8.23am from Glenbrook would be better than the 9.23am to get started reasonably early, there's also a great bakery at Glenbrook that I normaly visit after the ride. John.
Sounds like a good plan.
At least 3 of us are keen to start at Wentworth - others may decide to just do Woodford - Glenbrook, still to be determined.
Appreciate your input John.
M
We are getting final numbers sorted - 3 of us at least want to start at Andersons - and maybe finish with a BBQ at Glenbrook? Is there a BBQ area there John?
There is an electric BBQ or two in Glenbrook Park
Sorry, I can't help you on the barbi facilities.
John.