So much glass - rant

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Ross
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Re: So much glass - rant

Postby Ross » Thu Mar 11, 2010 9:22 pm

There's 500m of dirt on Mulligans Flat Rd just before you get to Gungahlin. It's quite a good surface at the moment, all the loose soil and rocks has washed/blown away leaving a relatively smooth, hard-packed surface to ride on. Easily negotiable on a road bike. Only downside is sometimes the cars coming the other way don't slow down. Mulligans Rd brings you out onto Horse Park Dr. I usually turn right onto HPD and then second left (at the servo) Katherine Ave, follow that around and turn right into Shoalhaven Ave and follow this and it brings you out at the roundabout on Mirrabei Ave near the 'platypus' shops. Good little TT through the suburbs!

I've heard rumours that the 500m dirt section of Mulligans Flat is on the list of roads to be sealed this year, will wait and see. Be good too when/if they ever link up the two sections of Horse Park Dr, should of been done years ago.

thomas_cho
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Re: So much glass - rant

Postby thomas_cho » Sat Mar 13, 2010 6:31 pm

Ross wrote:No, just out through Sutton and back into Gungahlin via East Talagandra Lane/Mulligans Flat Rd.
Kinda off topic, but I live in Amaroo, and have seen that unsealed part of Mulligans Flat, and then turned back thinking that it was ALL unsealed. Might venture out a bit further in future.

How far is the loop that you described above? What is the condition of rest of Mulligans Flat Rd, and Talagandra Lane?
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Ross
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Re: So much glass - rant

Postby Ross » Sun Mar 21, 2010 8:13 pm

I keep forgetting to look at my bike computer to check the distance! :oops:
I'm guessing maybe 30kms? If I leave my work at Mitchell at about 5.15pm I am usually home at Ngunnawal by 6.25-6.30pm.

The rest of the roads are ok, Mulligans Flat being the best. MFR is quite wide and fairly smooth though it's the coarse bitumen surface. Pretty flat except about 1km from where it turns to dirt and there is a bit of a kick that makes your legs complain.

The other roads (especially the Sutton Gundaroo Rd) are a bit bumpy. There are two hills on Talagandra, the first starts a km or so from where you turn onto it from Sutton Rd (direction is heading toward Gungahlin) and is a longish one then it flattens out and a bit of a downhill through a small dip (creek crossing/ford - I've never seen water here but I believe there was the other week when we had the heavy rain) before you go up the second hill which is a short sharp one then flat for a couple of kms to the MFR t intersection.

The section of MFR past the finish of the dirt (Gungahlin side) is quite good for TT practice. I usually try for an all out TT effort until the first roundabout. Distance is about 2km I think, maybe less (feels more!) Someone else go and do this ride an post your average speed along this section and then I'll post mine!

The other section of this ride that gives you a good workout is when you turn right off MFR onto Horse Park Dr and head up to the United servo. The road is flattish with a very slight gradient, just enough to make you feel it, especially after doing the Talagandra hills and the MFR TT just before!

I also like the hill on the Fed Hwy leading up to Horse Park Dr, when I'm feeling strong I love standing up in the big ring and maybe the middle of the stack on the rear and powering up to the top. Not sure if the gradient gets steeper near the top of HPD or I just get tireder and weaker, I'm sure it must be the gradient! :mrgreen:

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Ross
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Re: So much glass - rant

Postby Ross » Sun Mar 21, 2010 8:22 pm

Back on the subject of glass, I noticed on Friday morning there was a particularly bad patch of glass on Northbourne (southbound) just a few metres before the left turn left into Girrahween St Braddon. I ran over it but fortunately didn't get a puncture, others I was riding with weren't so lucky. :x

gassyndrome
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Re: So much glass - rant

Postby gassyndrome » Mon Mar 22, 2010 7:13 pm

Yeah, it has picked up in the last week or two. Got my new bike on the road last wednesday, and on the way home shard of a beer bottle straight into the back tire......

Just used the link from earlier in the post to write to TAMS. Northbourne certainly hasnt been swept in at least a month.

mrgolf
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Re: So much glass - rant

Postby mrgolf » Mon Mar 22, 2010 7:31 pm

Ross wrote:Back on the subject of glass, I noticed on Friday morning there was a particularly bad patch of glass on Northbourne (southbound) just a few metres before the left turn left into Girrahween St Braddon. I ran over it but fortunately didn't get a puncture, others I was riding with weren't so lucky. :x
Thats nothing! Near North Watson, there was a whole TV smashed in the cycle path... 5-10 metres of a thick covering of glass.
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twizzle
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Re: So much glass - rant

Postby twizzle » Mon Mar 22, 2010 8:45 pm

mrgolf wrote:
Ross wrote:Back on the subject of glass, I noticed on Friday morning there was a particularly bad patch of glass on Northbourne (southbound) just a few metres before the left turn left into Girrahween St Braddon. I ran over it but fortunately didn't get a puncture, others I was riding with weren't so lucky. :x
Thats nothing! Near North Watson, there was a whole TV smashed in the cycle path... 5-10 metres of a thick covering of glass.
Yep - I stopped and used the road to get past that. Amazing how much glass is in a TV tube.
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Ross
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Re: So much glass - rant

Postby Ross » Mon Mar 22, 2010 8:55 pm

Back OT again to my Sutton loop, I remembered to check the bike computer today when I got home and the distance from Mitchell to Ngunnawal is 34.7km.

The dirt section is becoming corrugated again and covered with loose dirt and small rocks. Didn't see a single car on Mulligans Flat Rd today until I got to the dirt section where two cars passed the other way - Murphy's Law or what...

mrgolf
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Re: So much glass - rant

Postby mrgolf » Mon Mar 22, 2010 9:09 pm

What time were you out there? I did Campbell - old fed through to Gundaroo turnoff and return.
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Ross
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Re: So much glass - rant

Postby Ross » Tue Mar 23, 2010 6:20 pm

Left work at about 5.15pm, probably get to the Horse Park Dr overpass about 5.30 ish I guess and maybe another 15-20mins to get to Sutton. I have passed a cyclist guy sometimes on the (new) Federal Hwy that was wearing Torpedo 7 knicks (not sure of the type of bike), that isn't you is it?

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ColinOldnCranky
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Re: So much glass - rant

Postby ColinOldnCranky » Tue Mar 23, 2010 6:47 pm

I worry mostly about the glass near overpasses that enter or leave our freeways. It seems that motorists toss there bottles out there. What willhappen to any cyclist or ped that happens to be there as a bottle casually tosse dout of a car doing 40kph +. Ouch.
Unchain yourself-Ride a unicycle

mrgolf
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Re: So much glass - rant

Postby mrgolf » Tue Mar 23, 2010 8:49 pm

Ross wrote:Left work at about 5.15pm, probably get to the Horse Park Dr overpass about 5.30 ish I guess and maybe another 15-20mins to get to Sutton. I have passed a cyclist guy sometimes on the (new) Federal Hwy that was wearing Torpedo 7 knicks (not sure of the type of bike), that isn't you is it?
I reckon I was on the way back in as you were going out. Got to Watson at about 5:45. Prolly passed you just before Eaglehawk. I ride a black, white and red (in dominant colour order) DBR roadie with slate grey 105 and Mavic Aksiums.. Always wear long sleeved jersey, usually white. Without meaing to sound like a twat, I dont often get passed out there either... Too late. Sound like a twat. 8)

Here is a pic before the component upgrade.
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thomas_cho
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Re: So much glass - rant

Postby thomas_cho » Sat Mar 27, 2010 2:18 pm

Ross wrote:Left work at about 5.15pm, probably get to the Horse Park Dr overpass about 5.30 ish I guess and maybe another 15-20mins to get to Sutton. I have passed a cyclist guy sometimes on the (new) Federal Hwy that was wearing Torpedo 7 knicks (not sure of the type of bike), that isn't you is it?
Hi Ross, thanks for the info on the Mulli Flat Rd. Rode from Amaroo onto the Mulligans Flat, just as I was going onto the dirt path, a truck with sheep went past and kicked up a whole cloud of dust. I think I might try again earlier tomorrow morning.

Funny you mentioned the person in T7 knicks. I went onto the the Fed Hwy, and was passed by him, he was riding a Giant TCR.

Onto the topic of glass, there seems to be quite a few broken red bull bottles ... teens getting agro and high on red bull&beer cocktails? Is that the in-thing now?
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Fletcher
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Re: So much glass - rant

Postby Fletcher » Sat Mar 27, 2010 6:12 pm

thomas_cho wrote:teens getting agro and high on red bull&beer cocktails? Is that the in-thing now?
Red Bull & beer??? :lol:

A lotta glass on Belconnen Way at the moment. TAMS haven't cleared the glass between Benjamin & Eastern Ways I told them about 6 weeks ago, andI haven't yet let them know about the big patch of glass in a dangerous spot on downhill section towards Barry Dr yet. You have to ride on the white line to get around it, it's a 50km/h section on a roadie.

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