MS Gong Ride 2023 - 05/11/2023 (Cancelled Due to Weather)

[peter]

Registration opens next week (27/June) at 10am AEST, will have a 25% discount.

It's back to Lang Park this year, starting at Tempe, estimated 82km. I wonder if they have ever considered riding the full length Royal National Park, that will make it closer to 89km. Probably logistically challenging as local residents will need to use the road.

I guess even with the discount, it will be $100 to sign up. If joining the ride, will look forward to a Levendi lunch.

[peter]

Registration now open: https://www.msgongride.org.au/the-event

Early Bird (last day 30/Jun): $90
Super Saver (last day 28/Jul): $102
General (last day 01/Sept): $108
Late (last day 27/Oct) : $120

Will think about it for a couple of days.

[AndrewCowley]

The pricing is reasonable.

The event has become compromised though. It's too short. And due to the numbers, the delays on the descents are ridiculous.

It is run for charity, so I guess they don't care much about how it is from a pure cycling perspective. The organisers have other priorities.

[peter]

True, not 100% sure, thought the shorter rider was cheaper, now same price.

Mostly interested in the RNP section, so thinking to do the short ride and join the group from Sutherland. But same fees now.

[Retrobyte]

There was a 90 minute delay just after Waterfall last year because of a fall and the wait for an ambulance to arrive and evac the injured rider. A few hundred riders were banked up there.

[AndrewCowley]

There are crazy delays every year at the entry to the RNP. Even when there are no ambulances. It's by design. All for a 5 minute descent.

[g-boaf]

There are crazy delays every year at the entry to the RNP. Even when there are no ambulances. It's by design. All for a 5 minute descent.

What would they do if it was a 15 minute descent?

[AndrewCowley]

What would they do if it was a 15 minute descent?

They would just screw the cyclists even more. For seasoned cyclists, it's not a friendly event. Well intentioned, but they have allowed the numbers to grow out of control. Combine with it being shortened over the years and you wonder what is the point?

Apologies if this sounds harsh.

[g-boaf]

What would they do if it was a 15 minute descent?

They would just screw the cyclists even more. For seasoned cyclists, it's not a friendly event. Well intentioned, but they have allowed the numbers to grow out of control. Combine with it being shortened over the years and you wonder what is the point?

Apologies if this sounds harsh.

You wonder if they wouldn't just run it on the flattest course they can find and with a maximum speed of 25km/h to limit any risks of people on descents.

I guess it's not really for seasoned cyclists.

[AndrewCowley]

You wonder if they wouldn't just run it on the flattest course they can find and with a maximum speed of 25km/h to limit any risks of people on descents.

I guess it's not really for seasoned cyclists.

Exactly. The Spring Cycle does as you say. It's a casual 50km jaunt from point A to point B in Sydney, using a lot of shared paths, with no intention of being aimed at anything other than casuals, families etc...

The Gong ride has a really mixed identity. It's origins are a 100km ride for seasoned cyclists. It is no longer that. The course, even after being shortened, is not suitable for the numbers and also not suitable for casuals who ride only a few times a year. Hence the ridiculous situation with the descents.

Again apologies for hating on it. If you want a proper cycling focused event then the Bobbin Head Classic is miles better.

My suggestion for the Gong ride is to have 2 or 3 distinct categories and courses to suit, with a staggered start time, that create appropriate separation between different types of riders. If they had a 120km event then you wouldn't get loads of casuals signing up for that.

If the above can't be done, then dumb it down completely (ala the Spring Cycle). Right now its trying to be all things to all people. And as a result, it's not a nice day out on the bike.

In the end, I think the organisers have gotten lazy. They have lost sight of it as a cycling event. They are very good however at spamming you with emails every day.

[DernyDriver]

I guess it's not really for seasoned cyclists.

In the end, I think the organisers have gotten lazy. They have lost sight of it as a cycling event. They are very good however at spamming you with emails every day.

Its just a money making venture.
Its probably politically incorrect to say the MS society are greedy, but they have 15 running festivals / half marathons, 2 cycling events, the MS Readathon in all the NSW public schools .....there's only so many charity dollars out there and the MS society want the majority of it. Personally, my charity dollar goes to smaller charities, cycling charities, or just people doing it tough in my local community. Super charities like the Heart Foundation, the Cancer Council, MS Society etc get plenty of support. I try to put my hard earned elsewhere.
Just my view.
Personally I dont see the point of paying money to risk my life riding with tens of thousands of wobblers on rusty bikes they pulled out their garden shed for their once a year outing. You can ride the Royal National park any weekend you like, by yourself or in a small group, quite safely, and for free. Same deal with all the other Gran Fondo events. Not my scene.
Anyway, Im on my own with that view but im okay with it.

[g-boaf]

I think you are right DD - I'm suspicious of the mega-charities as well. I'll support them but just concerned the mega-ventures are crowding out the smaller ones who also need a bit of support.

[AndrewCowley]

Personally I dont see the point of paying money to risk my life riding with tens of thousands of wobblers on rusty bikes they pulled out their garden shed for their once a year outing.

Poetry.

Post of the year.

[peter]

In the end, I think the organisers have gotten lazy. They have lost sight of it as a cycling event. They are very good however at spamming you with emails every day.

Haha I had enough from Fleur last couple of years. Donovan has pickup the ball to continue the tradition this year.

[familyguy]

Signed up. Missed last year due to getting on a significant number of beers the night before (school reunion). This may be my last one, the above sentiments ring more true each year. If you're early, you're pretty right, but it's getting harder to control. The fact that people don't feel safe enough to do a high-km ride except on an event ride is pretty damning commentary of the state of infrastructure and road behaviour, for mine.

[peter]

You can ride the Royal National park any weekend you like, by yourself or in a small group, quite safely, and for free.

I go for a drive quite regularly and sometimes on my motorbike, won't consider RNP is safe during weekends, unless super early but road surface can be damp.

[peter]

The fact that people don't feel safe enough to do a high-km ride except on an event ride is pretty damning commentary of the state of infrastructure and road behaviour, for mine.

In the case of RNP, narrow or often non-existent shoulders, single lane with limited overtake sections, it is not designed to be cycling friendly. Poor condition is amplified by impatient drivers and aggressive motorbike riders, particularly on weekends. For most people, road closures facilitated by Gong ride is the only time they feel "safe" to ride through the Park (part of the Park).

Old Pacific Highway is the worst, due to motorbikes are out in force on weekends.

[trailgumby]

There are crazy delays every year at the entry to the RNP. Even when there are no ambulances. It's by design. All for a 5 minute descent.

We left in one of the very early waves, and I was very glad we did. Minimal holdup at the top of RNP, compared to hours in the scorching sun when everyone got banked up later.

The whole police escort thing down that run was just ridiculous. It actually makes the risks a lot worse because it bunches everyone up together, ensuring overlapping wheels for most.

Fortunately my mate and I were first behind the motorcycle cop, so we just let the brakes off and bombed the descent to get away from everyone. Motorbike cop was about 50m ahead of us. The gravel they were all concerned about was minimal and you could just straight-line it with no risk. I was expecting a hairpin covered in it. At the bottom my mate and I were looking at each other asking "was that it? " - an anticlimax.

I'll do it again this year, but will be taking the first wave again. I might put slicks on the dual suspension XC race bike and ride that for something interesting to do.

[AndrewCowley]

Exactly. It’s a nothing descent.

Not worth the hassle.

[zebee]

Old Pacific Highway is the worst, due to motorbikes are out in force on weekends.

The motorcycle riders say the same about the pushbikes!

[peter]

The motorcycle riders say the same about the pushbikes!

That is not wrong

I ride motorbike myself, but more of a cruisy rider.

The speed demons dragging their knees up and down OPH is a different story. There's a place called Eastern Creek and Luddenham for that.

[peter]

Signed up today, will join the main group at Sutherland, hopefully non-issue.

[AndrewCowley]

The motorcycle riders say the same about the pushbikes!

But they can pass cyclists so easily, even when the road is only one lane. Didn’t think there was an issue here. I always look at motorcyclists are being on our side rather than against us.

[zebee]

The motorcycle riders say the same about the pushbikes!

But they can pass cyclists so easily, even when the road is only one lane. Didn’t think there was an issue here. I always look at motorcyclists are being on our side rather than against us.

It's the speed differential when you have a lot of corners. We both want the same lines and we both want clear road. So on a motorcycle you line up one corner but can't line up the next one cos there's a bicycle there and they take forever to get out of the way uphill. Downhill especially hard as we are both wanting the same line.

Plus cyclists are rarely alone. The more there are, the harder to get past in blind corners and a lot of the fun ones are blind.

I used to do a lot of motorcycle advocacy. I was surprised by the anti-bicycle feeling in some advocacy groups. I think some of it was that motorcycles are lumped in with cars by the government and some people felt that bicycles were getting things (bike lanes, filtering laws) but motorcycle advantages weren't being recognised in the same way.

I pushed back on the anti cycling rants pointing out that the ranter was no different to a car driver ranting about motorcycles. Usually shut them up!

[caneye]

There are crazy delays every year at the entry to the RNP. Even when there are no ambulances. It's by design. All for a 5 minute descent.

We left in one of the very early waves, and I was very glad we did. Minimal holdup at the top of RNP, compared to hours in the scorching sun when everyone got banked up later.

The whole police escort thing down that run was just ridiculous. It actually makes the risks a lot worse because it bunches everyone up together, ensuring overlapping wheels for most.

Fortunately my mate and I were first behind the motorcycle cop, so we just let the brakes off and bombed the descent to get away from everyone. Motorbike cop was about 50m ahead of us. The gravel they were all concerned about was minimal and you could just straight-line it with no risk. I was expecting a hairpin covered in it. At the bottom my mate and I were looking at each other asking "was that it? " - an anticlimax.

I'll do it again this year, but will be taking the first wave again. I might put slicks on the dual suspension XC race bike and ride that for something interesting to do.

i did it with a hardtail a few years back, so you with your better fitness should be fine.


the descent is nothing for most of us who are familiar with Bobbo and RNP.

but there are many casual riders who have never had the opportunity to ride such a descent, and all of a sudden, they have this opportunity to go silly fast, it's thrilling, it's exhilarating .. until it isn't ..

case in point - when i did it a few years back, i was riding down with a bunch of teenagers. i kept my distance from them. as boys would do at that age, they were having a good laugh, lots of chatting, male bravado and all that. until one of them slipped of his saddle and knocked his goolies against the top tube, had a wobble and came off.

that's the type of crowd you can expect if you join the later wave