2014 Gong Ride
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2014 Gong Ride
Postby tez001 » Mon May 26, 2014 12:40 pm
Notice there is a pre registration for the gong ride. Does anyone have a code for this
Also, this thread can be used to discuss the 2014 ride, what are you going to be riding, what are you dressing up as
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Re: 2014 Gong Ride
Postby familyguy » Mon May 26, 2014 1:11 pm
Not dressing up. Don't wanna ruin my vintage mankini by riding in it.
Jim
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Re: 2014 Gong Ride
Postby tez001 » Mon May 26, 2014 3:00 pm
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Re: 2014 Gong Ride
Postby familyguy » Mon May 26, 2014 4:12 pm
60-100km fitness will get you there. Just don't overcook early and leave some for the RNP. But that's not the hurty part. First Bald Hill, then the (seemingly) endless rolling lumpiness from Thirroul to the finish are what's gonna get ye.
Jim
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Re: 2014 Gong Ride
Postby Rockford » Mon May 26, 2014 6:07 pm
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Re: 2014 Gong Ride
Postby grantw » Mon May 26, 2014 6:19 pm
Technically that's the flat partfamilyguy wrote:
First Bald Hill, then the (seemingly) endless rolling lumpiness from Thirroul to the finish are what's gonna get ye.
Jim
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Re: 2014 Gong Ride
Postby queequeg » Mon May 26, 2014 7:00 pm
Bases on the course profile I was expecting bald hill to be a mt Ventoux type of climb, but when I did the ride I was wondering when the climbing was going to start.familyguy wrote:Last years thread may assist.
60-100km fitness will get you there. Just don't overcook early and leave some for the RNP. But that's not the hurty part. First Bald Hill, then the (seemingly) endless rolling lumpiness from Thirroul to the finish are what's gonna get ye.
Jim
I did the ride with less capable friends, and my HR barely reached 60% max.
coming down the other side of bald hill was fun. All I could hear was "bang, bang....bang" as all the poorly maintained bikes had blowouts from excessive braking on the way down.
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Re: 2014 Gong Ride
Postby Derny Driver » Mon May 26, 2014 7:28 pm
Yeah, make sure your medical insurance is all paid uptez001 wrote:Never done it before although keen to crack it this year. Is there any special preparation needed for this?
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Re: 2014 Gong Ride
Postby 39x25 » Mon May 26, 2014 7:43 pm
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Re: 2014 Gong Ride
Postby bigfriendlyvegan » Mon May 26, 2014 11:00 pm
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Re: 2014 Gong Ride
Postby KGB » Tue May 27, 2014 9:11 am
The event itself though, is not one for me.
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Re: 2014 Gong Ride
Postby familyguy » Tue May 27, 2014 9:18 am
You're right. That's the wrong hill. I'm referring to the pinch after the Seacliff Bridge. Always get a lot of topplers there, so be warned!queequeg wrote:Bases on the course profile I was expecting bald hill to be a mt Ventoux type of climb, but when I did the ride I was wondering when the climbing was going to start.
I did the ride with less capable friends, and my HR barely reached 60% max.
coming down the other side of bald hill was fun. All I could hear was "bang, bang....bang" as all the poorly maintained bikes had blowouts from excessive braking on the way down.
Don't expect to set records, be prepared to slow down and you'll have a good day.
Jim
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Re: 2014 Gong Ride
Postby Mugglechops » Tue May 27, 2014 9:33 am
bigfriendlyvegan wrote:Whales. Ones in the water - very cool - and ones on bikes who are getting out for a challenge and make it to the end. If they can do it, you can do it. You can do it on a bmx. You can do it on a fixie. You can do it on a bent. You can do it dragging a child in a trailer. It's just a matter of how fast you do it. If you're not worried about how fast you're going, anyone can get there.
You left out Fatbike
I am doing again this year. We normally get the train up on the Saturday stay in Sydney then ride back through to Kiama and train it to Nowra
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Re: 2014 Gong Ride
Postby andrich » Thu Jul 03, 2014 11:41 pm
Was wondering if anyone had a map of the route. I'm doing it this year for the first time and wana check out where it goes
Cheers
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Re: 2014 Gong Ride
Postby rheicel » Fri Jul 04, 2014 12:05 am
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Re: 2014 Gong Ride
Postby trailgumby » Fri Jul 04, 2014 5:10 am
Yep it's pretty chaotic. That and the Spring Cycle. Full of not just "Sunday riders" but once a year riders, lots of people for whom riding bikes is an extension of their pedestrian habits, and kids with zero traffic sense.Derny Driver wrote:Yeah, make sure your medical insurance is all paid uptez001 wrote:Never done it before although keen to crack it this year. Is there any special preparation needed for this?
The event is great for getting people out on bikes and I want to support that, but after seeing the number of crashes requiring paramedic attention, and experiencing countless near misses I am unlikely to ever participate again.
The teenage kids were the most scary. Random line changes across the full width of the road without looking, like windscreen wipers.
I ended up riding the wrong side of the road most of the time just to get a little space so I could relax occasionally.
Everyone should do it once, but you need to be very attentive the whole way.
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Re: 2014 Gong Ride
Postby HiChris » Fri Jul 04, 2014 7:07 am
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Re: 2014 Gong Ride
Postby queequeg » Fri Jul 04, 2014 2:53 pm
The most frightening part for me was the descents from Waterfall and Bald Hill.
There is a reason the police have an escort in these sections. The skill levels on display were atrocious.
Going down bald hill all I could hear was "bang......bang........bang....." as all those poorly maintained bicycles had blow outs from excessive braking.
If I really really had to do it again, I would leave at the earliest possible time, and I would join the course at Tempe just off the Cooks river path and avoid the jam.
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Re: 2014 Gong Ride
Postby Mugglechops » Fri Jul 04, 2014 5:44 pm
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Re: 2014 Gong Ride
Postby rheicel » Fri Jul 04, 2014 5:49 pm
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Re: 2014 Gong Ride
Postby rdp_au » Mon Jul 07, 2014 11:26 am
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Re: 2014 Gong Ride
Postby SmellyTofu » Tue Jul 08, 2014 9:16 pm
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Re: 2014 Gong Ride
Postby SheikYerbouti » Thu Jul 10, 2014 7:08 pm
What do you mean? Locking up and skidding and quickly wearing thru tyres?queequeg wrote:Going down bald hill all I could hear was "bang......bang........bang....." as all those poorly maintained bicycles had blow outs from excessive braking.
I'm looking to do this, doing Spring Cycle with a work team, and to learn group riding, then the Gong a month later. I'm a recreational rider, not a racer/pseudo-pro, so I am not sure if others' objections would apply to me...
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Re: 2014 Gong Ride
Postby queequeg » Thu Jul 10, 2014 10:35 pm
Nope, riding the brakes and heating up the rims, leading to the tubes blowing out. Mind you, one of the guys I was riding with had a blow out just before the RNP stop, and his tyre was down to the canvas! The mechanics at the stop sold him a new tyre for $50, which he claimed had doubled the value of his bike!SheikYerbouti wrote:What do you mean? Locking up and skidding and quickly wearing thru tyres?queequeg wrote:Going down bald hill all I could hear was "bang......bang........bang....." as all those poorly maintained bicycles had blow outs from excessive braking.
I'm looking to do this, doing Spring Cycle with a work team, and to learn group riding, then the Gong a month later. I'm a recreational rider, not a racer/pseudo-pro, so I am not sure if others' objections would apply to me...
If you are looking to learn group riding, the Spring Cycle and Gong Ride are not the places to do it. Find a local BUG and do some rides with them to learn those skills. The big events are filled with a very large range of riders, from novices to pros. Most of the prangs I have seen are from poor handling skills and the general chaos of such a large event.
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