Mt. Lofty
-
- Posts: 17
- Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2007 3:16 pm
Mt. Lofty
Postby split_city » Fri Apr 04, 2008 3:54 pm
A mate and I are thinking of going for a bike ride up to Mt Lofty tomorrow morning. As we haven't attempted this before, we were just wondering what the bike paths/road situations are. I know there is a bike track which follows the old freeway but I noticed that there aren't any bike tracks that go right up to Mt Lofty. Is this correct? If so, is Mount Lofty Summit Road relatively safe to ride along?
-
- Posts: 267
- Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 2:58 pm
- Location: Adelaide
Postby Jeremy » Fri Apr 04, 2008 7:26 pm
I normally ride in the opposite direction, like this:
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/No ... -Hill-ride
but if you come up from the old freeway end, it should still be relatively traffic free.....I normally do it on a sunday morning, at mt lofty by about 8:00am, and it's rare to see more than 1-2 cars in the hills at all.....
I'm not sure about a saturday, but i'm sure it would be ok, it's a fairly wide stretch of road and the local drivers would be quite used to cyclists being in the area.
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/No ... -Hill-ride
but if you come up from the old freeway end, it should still be relatively traffic free.....I normally do it on a sunday morning, at mt lofty by about 8:00am, and it's rare to see more than 1-2 cars in the hills at all.....
I'm not sure about a saturday, but i'm sure it would be ok, it's a fairly wide stretch of road and the local drivers would be quite used to cyclists being in the area.
-
- Posts: 17
- Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2007 3:16 pm
Postby split_city » Sun Apr 06, 2008 10:24 pm
Well, the mate and I achieved our goal of climbing the massive mountain!....I mean "hill." Road from Marion, along Goodwood Rd, Cross Rd and then along the bike track up the old part of the Freeway. We saw a policeman taking some notes along the bike track at the bottom of the Freeway, not far from the toll gate. Also noticed some skid marks where he was. Looks to have been a bike accident there recently.
Mate was pretty tired by the time we got to the summit. All up, it took about 3 hours to get up there (many breaks in between!). On the other hand, it only took about 1.5 hours to get home.
I will certainly give it a go again in the near future
Mate was pretty tired by the time we got to the summit. All up, it took about 3 hours to get up there (many breaks in between!). On the other hand, it only took about 1.5 hours to get home.
I will certainly give it a go again in the near future
-
- Posts: 267
- Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 2:58 pm
- Location: Adelaide
Postby Jeremy » Mon Apr 07, 2008 7:43 am
Well done It's certainly a good climb......
Dont be worried about taking breaks, it's important to remain hydrated and have something to eat.....especially when your ride is going to take 4 1/2 hours.
Climbing is great training, the more you do it the better you will get and the fewer breaks you will need. If you do that climb every weekend for a month or so and then have a flat ride, you will notice that your cruising speed will have increased a few km per hour and you wont feel as tired either
Dont be worried about taking breaks, it's important to remain hydrated and have something to eat.....especially when your ride is going to take 4 1/2 hours.
Climbing is great training, the more you do it the better you will get and the fewer breaks you will need. If you do that climb every weekend for a month or so and then have a flat ride, you will notice that your cruising speed will have increased a few km per hour and you wont feel as tired either
-
- Posts: 298
- Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2007 12:12 am
Postby stevos » Wed Apr 09, 2008 5:01 pm
looks like a nice ride, i think id get lost though going through the hillsJeremy wrote:I normally ride in the opposite direction, like this:
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/No ... -Hill-ride
but if you come up from the old freeway end, it should still be relatively traffic free.....I normally do it on a sunday morning, at mt lofty by about 8:00am, and it's rare to see more than 1-2 cars in the hills at all.....
I'm not sure about a saturday, but i'm sure it would be ok, it's a fairly wide stretch of road and the local drivers would be quite used to cyclists being in the area.
"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever." -Lance Armstrong
-
- Posts: 3493
- Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2008 1:39 pm
Postby rustychisel » Wed Apr 09, 2008 5:47 pm
nah, that one, ride it with friends once and remember the route markers. After all, If you can see the towers at Mt Lofty you know exactly where you are...
-
- Posts: 1698
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2007 8:03 pm
- Location: Adelaide
Postby Deanj » Wed Apr 09, 2008 7:26 pm
Good effort split_city! Don't forget at Crafers theres a Servo and a cafe (that does great hot choclate on a cold wet day) and a few other shops that makes for a handy rest point.
Yeah Stevos you need to get into the hills, it can be pretty confusing for your first few times, but all roads seem to lead to one of the main roads. When you can recognise which one your on, its not to hard to find your way home. I'd just start with short ventures that are easy to remember the directions, then venture a bit further out each time.
Yeah Stevos you need to get into the hills, it can be pretty confusing for your first few times, but all roads seem to lead to one of the main roads. When you can recognise which one your on, its not to hard to find your way home. I'd just start with short ventures that are easy to remember the directions, then venture a bit further out each time.
-
- Posts: 17
- Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2007 3:16 pm
Postby split_city » Fri Apr 11, 2008 11:24 pm
Looks like we will be taking on this route again sometime this weekend
While I'm sure that most drivers along Mount Lofty Summit Rd are aware that bike riders are common along this road, it's still a little scary as a cyclist because the road isn't that wide and you have a few blind corners. Just need to be extra careful for about 3km.
While I'm sure that most drivers along Mount Lofty Summit Rd are aware that bike riders are common along this road, it's still a little scary as a cyclist because the road isn't that wide and you have a few blind corners. Just need to be extra careful for about 3km.
-
- Posts: 17
- Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2007 3:16 pm
Postby split_city » Fri Apr 11, 2008 11:26 pm
Sounds good. The restaurant at Mt. Lofty summit did us the trick last time.needsapush wrote:Good effort split_city! Don't forget at Crafers theres a Servo and a cafe (that does great hot choclate on a cold wet day) and a few other shops that makes for a handy rest point.
-
- Posts: 97
- Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2008 12:53 pm
Postby brettjames » Mon Apr 14, 2008 2:09 pm
Right, whos riding this one anytie soon ?
Id be keen to join on the back of a group one week
Id be keen to join on the back of a group one week
-
- Posts: 17
- Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2007 3:16 pm
Postby split_city » Mon Apr 14, 2008 6:28 pm
Glad to say I made my way up to Mt Lofty again Sat morning. Unlike last week, I rode alone as my mate backed out. Made it from Marion to Mt Lofty in 1hr 45mins which is in contrast to last week with a time of about 3hrs. I'll blame my mate for this as he wanted to stop every few kms
Saw lots of bike riders on Cross Road and then coming down on the old part of the freeway. Boy do they come down fast!!! Had a small group of riders pass me on the way up. They make it look so easy!
It was bloody cold up at Mt Lofty summit (~9 degrees) at around noon. Made my way back home in about an hour. I will certainly be going up again if the weather remains rain free
Saw lots of bike riders on Cross Road and then coming down on the old part of the freeway. Boy do they come down fast!!! Had a small group of riders pass me on the way up. They make it look so easy!
It was bloody cold up at Mt Lofty summit (~9 degrees) at around noon. Made my way back home in about an hour. I will certainly be going up again if the weather remains rain free
Jump to
- General Australian Cycling Topics
- Info / announcements
- Buying a bike / parts
- General Cycling Discussion
- The Bike Shed
- Cycling Health
- Cycling Safety and Advocacy
- Women's Cycling
- Bike & Gear Reviews
- Cycling Trade
- Stolen Bikes
- Bicycle FAQs
- Serious Biking
- Audax / Randonneuring
- Retro biking
- Commuting
- MTB
- Recumbents
- Fixed Gear/ Single Speed
- Track
- Electric Bicycles
- Cyclocross and Gravel Grinding
- Dragsters / Lowriders / Cruisers
- Children's Bikes
- Cargo Bikes and Utility Cycling
- Road Racing
- Road Biking
- Training
- Time Trial
- Triathlon
- International and National Tours and Events
- Cycle Touring
- Touring Australia
- Touring Overseas
- Touring Bikes and Equipment
- Australia
- Western Australia
- New South Wales
- Queensland
- South Australia
- Victoria
- ACT
- Tasmania
- Northern Territory
- Country & Regional
- The Market Place
- Member to Member Bike and Gear Sales
- Want to Buy, Group Buy, Swap
- My Bikes or Gear Elsewhere
- Cycling Brands
- Cannondale
- Garmin
- Giant
- Shimano
- Trek
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users
- All times are UTC+11:00
- Top
- Delete cookies
About the Australian Cycling Forums
The Australian Cycling Forums is a welcoming community where you can ask questions and talk about the type of bikes and cycling topics you like.
Bicycles Network Australia
Forum Information
Connect with BNA
Brought to you by Bicycles Network Australia | © 1999 - 2024 | Powered by phpBB ®
This website uses affiliate links to retail platforms including ebay, amazon, proviz and ribble.
This website uses affiliate links to retail platforms including ebay, amazon, proviz and ribble.