2 weeks to go

Canterbury road
Mary Macillop Park

Well the training thing from BQ says I should be doing 2 days in a row of 80km. I did 33 km yesterday, but pushed it quite hard and whimped out on doing more for the day. Today I did nearly 80 km. According to the speedo I did 79.56, but according to the GPS, I only did 78. mmm. Normally they are the other way around. I expect the GPS is the more accurate, so I will have to do a calibration run to make the speedo correct. Still, I nearly did 80 km and was pushed the speed quite a bit on the long gentle downhill run along the cooks river track.

by the railway
Along the railway line

I started up along the cooks river track, heading north west. To avoid the narrow underpass at Canterbury Road, where the GT3 does not fit, I tried going up over the other side of the river. This is a bit better as the traffic lights are closer to the river and the footpath flatter and wider. From there I continued up. I did one detour to see what was over one of the bridges, but only found some access tracks. I thought that maybe there might be a cycleway along the railway line.

At Homebush bay, I had an early lunch. I then continued through the Olympic Park Precinct. I went along the trotting track as one of the gates was open to the track from the north end and then along a track I had not cycled before. Unlike the rest of the park, there were only a few walkers and even fewer cyclist in this part of the park.

The bridge over the m4
bridge over the M4

On the m4
along the M4

Eventually, I found my way onto the cycle track along the M4. At the Duck River, it becomes the Duck River Cycleway. I followed this, past Parramatta into Merrylands. The track mysteriously ended there. I was not sure if I was supposed to use the side streets or the emergency stopping lane on the freeway. So I turned back. There is an interestingly pleasant section of the track underneath the elevated freeway. It was quite and quite cool down there and protected from the harsh sun.

Private bridge
private bridge

Car show
car show

I stopped at the super centre in Auburn for a toilet break and a drink. My upset stomach from the day before was still following me. Then I headed north along the roads parallel to Silverwater road. At the Parramatta River, I found a car show. They were just about to start the presentations for prizes, I think for the best presented cars. They all looked like Holdens to me. I had a chock soft top ice cream from the van and continued on my way. A bit of research shows it was the 46th anniversary Show and Shine show of the EH Holden club.

Crossing over the Parramatta River I found that much of the cycleway is a massive construction zone as some new housing estates are built. So the track was a mix of on road sections and very new and nice cycleways. Where it does exist, it is called the Parramatta Valley Cycleway. I crossed over the bridge at Meadowbank along the old railway bridge. The climb from the east side is very new but also quite steep. Back in Homebush Bay, I had some afternoon tea, a drink and a roll, and then returned back along the cooks river trail.

So could I get up tomorrow and to another 80km? That will be a test. I am confident I can. But time will tell.

Speedo:

79.56 km
14.50 ave km/h
5:29:19 moving time
37 max km/h

Training Ride to Parramatta
rider map

Man: shit! They didn’t know this and they stuffed that!

Man: they have to explain this document.

Man: god she is buggered!

Man: oh no, not the recipie bit!

Man1: they thought he was a hard man. Man2: who did?

Man: they said he was on happy drugs!

Man: he’s a buff head… Well he was!

Man: you’re an arsehole; Woman: you’re an arsehole

Woman: we can’t believe that they thought he stole the bike.

Girl: they said, he won’t admit!

Girl: so if he did this, where are your witnesses?

Hoon man leaning out the drivers window: keep it up! You can do it! Keep riding!

Woman; a bungee is a strap.

2 comments

  1. G’day Brian, I came across your blog googling “CQ09”, good luck with the training. Not long to go now, 8 more sleeps.

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