Tweed Coast Treadly

Managed a day away from work today and put it to good use. After yesterdays balmy weather I thought I would wait until midday, forgetting the dreaded ‘arvo  sea breeze! To get into ride mode.

Any who, decided to take the hybrid for a jaunt over Cudgera Creek road. Surprise! Surprise to come! Set out into a Sou’West head wind and thought it would keep it up right though the ride, not to be!

The surprise was the condition of Cudgera Creek Road, so smooth you could of ridden fast on a road bike over the climb. Tweed Shire has resurfaced it unlike any I have seen over the last few years, this is a special year! The Tweed will be the host of the State Government’s extra special international boys toys event in the Spring. So maybe the smooth surface was not really created for the local road user but they do get to benefit from the noise and chaos that will surround these quite areas on race days!

The ride went well with the ultra smooth, like new concrete, road. Not a bit of dust o loose gravel any where, not exactly the same on the descent into Burringbah where a few of the corners proved a little hairy!

Thinking the wind was still the same as when I left, I was protected in the tree cover, I decided to take advantage of a tail wind and take the Wooyung Road home. Wrong! It had swung to the East South East and was to be a cross wind all the way home. Should of taken the Moobal Road to Potty. Next time.

The knees were to really feel the effect of maintaining the cadence over the 20kms from the Old Pacific Highway through to Hastings as well as the front derailleur not functioning since the servo at Burringbah. Fix it later!

Only 43kms but included a little hill, some undulations, a near miss from a Qld registered 4×4 through one of the roundabouts in Pottsville and a malfunctioning front derailleur.

But the sun was shining all the way and what a road surface? It even looked like some good surf conditions on Hastings North side as I passed by.

Today was a bit of fun with a work ride to Pottsville with a tail wind… I have been riding just not posting! Did a cruise from Tweed Heads on the Shogun a couple of days ago, just returning the hire car after a drive to Grafton to clean up Dad’s shed for the last time, quite a sad experience.

Rode a few return trips to Chinderah for the fun of it. Rode a couple of loops for exercise, but I am still very wary of back to back rides on consecutive days. The knees are holding up but always noticeable after a ride, Will they never again not draw attention to themselves?

Of note the birds, especially the Magpies, are starting to get active! Prepare for Spring!

Just a slow loop of 20km this evening. The sharp pain behind my left knee has dissipated to a mild general non definable ache so riding might start to get a bit more consistant again. But it is bearable when you get out of the saddle for a bit of a short climb. Also the sun doesn’t feel as extreme today, maybe it’s the Easterly Sea Breeze keeping the road temperature down if not the oppressive humidity.

Rode the loop on the cypress, this arvo. The only thing that came from it was the ability to daydream, hopefully I was concentrating when required! The main focus of the thoughts was not obvious just random thoughts… Such as when I recently rode over the Cudgera Creek Interchange there was a highway patrol vehicle sitting there doing the freeway radar bit… anyway as I approached I noticed the tinted side window being wound up… Why? was it just a coincidence?or, was it a privacy issue based on policy? or, a subconscious technique by the patrol(wo)man to avoid any personal interaction?

Or something along the lines of must clean the bike  etc or when will I drop the ride in for it’s first service?

Other thoughts drifted to riding technique, like cornering and trying to ride in higher gears to prepare for the drop bar rides etc

So really a blah blah ride… but a pleasant wind down to the day’s endeavors

Rode off today without too many plans. I turned onto the road as a shower was passing over at about 12:30pm with the intention to ride a loop on the Cypress. As I rode down Kanes Rd the rain stopped but the clouds stayed around. As it wasn’t raining and was quite cool still I thought a little climb of Cudgera Creek Road would be appropriate…. When I managed to put together a climb above 9 km/hr. It seemed a possibility to ride Wabba Rd through the Mooball Forest. I was a little unsure as it is a little isolated to ride solo, but what the heck! Just do it. After reading ChrisL’s ride recent report, I thought conditions would be excellent it turned out that that is what it was like. Very short grass, dry gravel patches etc and few if any large rocks strewn on the track. The only obstacle was a fallen tree across the track, and that was easily negotiated.

Wabba-Solo elevation

The most common creature beside birds were Goanna’s scurrying away as I rode past. I didn’t see another vehicle from the time I left the freeway interchange at Pottsville until I got to the Pistol Range at Murwillumbah when a 1930’s car went past towards Wardrop Valley. About 2 hours of complete solitude, bliss.
The ride was undertaken without sufficent water or any food… not something I want to repeat!

Occasionally toward the end of the ride the bike started to act up on a few of the changes down to the small ring as I was climbing Reserve Creek Road, but it was suffer-able.

The distance: 50 kilometers
Average Speed: 14 km/hr
Duration: 3 hours 30 mins