Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Finally I had a crack at finding and riding this nasty piece of bitumen hidden in the depths of the RNP. I've also found my main training tool for the ACE ride in late Jan. Although I just have to work on getting out of helensburgh cleanly and getting on the old princes highway now. The freeway wasn't much fun...

Any other insider secrets around Sydney such as this? Theres a ride going from Hornsby to Mt White and back on the weekend, always wanted to try the North side so it sounds tempting. But I usually prefer riding door to door.

I have never done the Wall but have heard it's painful.

The climb up to Waterfall isn't too bad either but nowhere near as nasty as the Wall.

You can extend it to Garie too if you like. The path up from Garie beach is nice and steep too.

So where exactly is The Wall - sounds like fun!

number21 wrote:Theres a ride going from Hornsby to Mt White and back on the weekend

do it! and if possible start at turramurra and go via bobbin head to hornsby. if i wasnt racing i'd be up there for sure.

mt white is pretty deceptive i.e. it's steeper than it looks and keeps going and going...and going. you'll be passing motorbikes on the descent

the descent from pie in the sky to mooney mooney is epic too. you'll get to max out 53x11 and it's nice and flowing like a giant slalom run

JV911 wrote:do it! and if possible start at turramurra and go via bobbin head to hornsby.

if you're going to do that - start at turra, go to hornsby, then through galston and berowra gorge on the way to brooklyn and mt white (can continue to mooney mooney up to kariong if you're keen), then do bobbin head on the way back. makes for a good ride.

agree on the mt white section too. that one always gets me. as you said - deceptively long hill.

nickj_d wrote:So where exactly is The Wall - sounds like fun!

Otford to Helensburgh I believe

I do a Berowra to Gosford ride every few weeks just as a ride home from work and I have to agree that the descent from The Pie to the Hawkesbury is fun. Actualy all descents on the old Pacific Hwy are fun but the descent from Mt White to the Hawkesbury is the fastest, an easy 60+ just rolling). The climb up from the Hawkesbury to Mt White is unrelenting if you've got a standard crankset but relatively tame on a compact. And it is much better when you've got a few km's under your belt and your legs are warm, like my occasional Gosford - Berowra and return. Then it's hill #4 and about 60-65km in to the ride, that's when it kicks in and you can start to experience real pain.

For those of you (from the Hornsby side) who want a good hilly ride, keep riding through Mt White, take 2 right turns at Calga and you'll get another descent to Mooney Mooney Creek (to down below big F3 Mooney Mooney bridge) followed by another tough climb up to Somersby... then turn around and head back to Hornsby.

fatherofmany wrote:For those of you (from the Hornsby side) who want a good hilly ride, keep riding through Mt White, take 2 right turns at Calga and you'll get another descent to Mooney Mooney Creek (to down below big F3 Mooney Mooney bridge) followed by another tough climb up to Somersby... then turn around and head back to Hornsby.

thanks for the tip!

JV911 wrote:

fatherofmany wrote:For those of you (from the Hornsby side) who want a good hilly ride, keep riding through Mt White, take 2 right turns at Calga and you'll get another descent to Mooney Mooney Creek (to down below big F3 Mooney Mooney bridge) followed by another tough climb up to Somersby... then turn around and head back to Hornsby.

thanks for the tip!

OH... more info. You probably already know about the truckstops at berowra and the hawkesbury for refills and empties but there's not alot at Somersby in the way of a pitstop.
However you can either turn right at the roundabout at the end of the old highway on to Wisemans Ferry Rd then left at the end of that (not too far) that takes you on to the freeway exit road to Gosford, (I think it's now called the Central Coast Highway), at the top of the short rise is Kariong where there's a small group of shops and a Petrol Station. That's the easy option being flat tar and only a couple of km. Otherwise you could turn left on to Wiseman's Ferry Rd and ride up (a very unforgiving twisty dead tar road) to Somersby where you'll find a shop opposite the school and a public toilet (an aromatic pit toilet I think) but it's at least another 5-10km

fatherofmany wrote: OH... more info...

wow thanks...do you do guided tours too?

nickj_d wrote:So where exactly is The Wall - sounds like fun!

If your familiar with the Royal National Park, head up Lady Wakehurst Dr towards Stanwell Tops then when you reach the Otford pie shop turn right and the road drops away but its tight and short with a few cars about so no fun descents. Turn right again onto Otford Rd then follow that until you get to a little bridge where it bends around and goes straight up for is it 2-3km's? Then your in the backstreets of Helensburgh

JV911 wrote:

number21 wrote:Theres a ride going from Hornsby to Mt White and back on the weekend

do it! and if possible start at turramurra and go via bobbin head to hornsby. if i wasnt racing i'd be up there for sure.

mt white is pretty deceptive i.e. it's steeper than it looks and keeps going and going...and going. you'll be passing motorbikes on the descent

the descent from pie in the sky to mooney mooney is epic too. you'll get to max out 53x11 and it's nice and flowing like a giant slalom run

I want to do it but the biggest challenge for me is going to be getting out of bed at 4am to ride to the station! Although the talk here has given me extra motivation

number21 wrote:

nickj_d wrote:So where exactly is The Wall - sounds like fun!

If your familiar with the Royal National Park, head up Lady Wakehurst Dr towards Stanwell Tops then when you reach the Otford pie shop turn right and the road drops away but its tight and short with a few cars about so no fun descents. Turn right again onto Otford Rd then follow that until you get to a little bridge where it bends around and goes straight up for is it 2-3km's? Then your in the backstreets of Helensburgh

JV911 wrote:

number21 wrote:Theres a ride going from Hornsby to Mt White and back on the weekend

do it! and if possible start at turramurra and go via bobbin head to hornsby. if i wasnt racing i'd be up there for sure.

mt white is pretty deceptive i.e. it's steeper than it looks and keeps going and going...and going. you'll be passing motorbikes on the descent

the descent from pie in the sky to mooney mooney is epic too. you'll get to max out 53x11 and it's nice and flowing like a giant slalom run

I want to do it but the biggest challenge for me is going to be getting out of bed at 4am to ride to the station! Although the talk here has given me extra motivation

If you are interested, I do the ride from Hornsby Heights to Mt White every 2nd week but I do Galston Gorge instead of Bobbin Heads because I already do Bobbin heads everyday and it gets boring. Galston Gorge is a longer climb but not as steep. You still get to do 3 gorges, about 1,300m in climbing. Average speed is about 31.5 km/h but with two people, that might be faster.

J

Well I found the wall this morning, got a little lost at the bottom and the top but I can tick it off the list.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/80660397
First time I'd continued along Lady Wakehurst Drive instead of turning up to Waterfall in the RNP. That's a very pleasant road though it was a little chilly because of the lack of sun in the valley. Missed the turn off and had to double back to the pie shop. Take note that the climb starts immediately after you stop descending so get ready to dump some gears or you'll struggle cause it starts steep. It's not as steep as Awaba St but longer, mellows a bit in the middle then kicks in again.
Again I got a bit uncertain when I reached Helensburgh but maps on the iPhone sorted me out.
The junket added about 20 km to my usual RNP loop so It makes a good extension time permitting.
Cheers,
Peter

Mmmmm ... it's not getting easier but I did take the Farleigh today
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/109601983
The secret is to let enough time pass so you forget how bad it is
Cheers,
Peter

Know what you mean humanbeing!

I had a love affair with The Wall last year, but she was a hard mistress. I went away to lick my wounds for about a year, and sentimental nostalgia coloured my judgement. Yes, I went back again two weeks ago.

When I was half way up the first section, I asked myself would it really be so bad if I just stopped and had a little rest. Actually, I asked myself that a couple of times.

Now I have that little voice again, telling me, "you know you want me, don't you?". I do, I do. I don't. I do.

I must face it. I am going back again soon.

Back to the wall this morning, it's been a while
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/160779175
Good to be back.
Cheers,
Peter