Parklands Ride Summary – 11/09/2016
This ride summary was brought to you by the new 2016 Bushrangers Members Survey. Check your emails and complete it today and the club President will wash your bike!*
So our regular “Parkies” ride was a smaller affair due to the music festival, Cycle Epic and some people are just scared of mud I guess (not to mention the nasty, rooty, rocky, slippery, steepy mess that is the glorious Parklands!).
Sonja’s new XC beast!!
Sunday morning ended up being lovely and sunny and even a smidgen humid in places. While we got ready Alf shuffled about trying to decide whether he wore the bike shoes today or give us mortals a chance to keep up by wearing the crocs – unfortunately he chose the bike shoes. Suddenly all of us felt a ‘presence’ (for lack of a better word), we turned and saw Dave and Sonja driving towards us but there seemed to be a bright heavenly glow beaming out from behind their car. They pulled up and Sonja went around to take her bike off the rear rack and it was then we heard a sound like Zeus slowly drawing his giant golden sword from it’s scabbard and the light became even more intense and then there it was… Sonja’s new bike. It was a carbon XC speed machine from Specialized (it would’ve been lighter had it not been painted black and therefore sucking all those heavy light waves in, but hey still pretty good I suppose).
So at 7am we started off from Atkinson road with Murray, Nick, Alf, Kaiden, Dave and Sonja and new riders Ben and Tristan. We regrouped at the top of Phoenix and Alf recommended the route will be taking. He said “Let’s go down Phoenix then go up Double Dab” – this simple statement almost popped my head open. In a single moment I was feeling instant joy and instant dread. It was like finding a suitcase filled with gold… and my naughty bits. Does this happen to others or is it just me?
We shot off down the awesomeness that is Pheonix and it was good as always. At the bottom was where Dave and Sonja decided to do their own thing and broke off from the group. We then climbed the annoying crap that is Double Dab (there I said it! I don’t like climbing Double Dab! Love going down it though). At the 4-ways intersection we had a break and then the group took off into the Meadows. New rider Ben was having camelbak woes so the two of us were delayed a bit but I thought “She’ll be right, I know the way” and then I got us lost badly (I’m not very good with the other side of Parklands). So we rode around a bit in the 6, 8 and 9 loops and I think we climbed the same hill 3 times but eventually I found Lower NZ and we were away. NOTE: There are some new jumps in Lower NZ with really small runout zones so they are a bit dicey.
So Ben and I waited for a bit at Beehive but we still couldn’t find the group. Dave and Sonja rocked up and I gave them some really bad directions to a new trail (I see a common theme developing here – I’m not good with directions). Ben and I screamed down Lower NZ and HoChiHo – Ben had no air in his front shock and a back shock that turned on and off whenever it felt like it, so it was even more exciting for him. We waited at the carpark but still no Murray, Alf etc so Ben and I rode with Sonja and Dave so I could show them my special secret way around the nasty wet tree roots that Sonja didn’t like (and guess what? – failed again, we went through Cancer Tree which is pretty much where nasty wet tree roots are born, so sorry again about that Sonja).
So our new little group started heading home (Sonja lead the way, thank god!) and we made it back to the Phoenix, had a quick chat to Susie and Paul and then got back to the cars after a 15km ride.
Thanks for the ride guys and special thanks to new rider Ben for politely putting up with my terrible navigation skills.
* Ben will not wash your bike – it was a devious ploy, BWAHAHAHA!
Yours faithfully,
Michael
Club Secretary
#argylesocks #sosexy
