Got a last-minute call to play “Ride Leader” today—basically the biking equivalent of being asked to DJ a wedding with no playlist.   I wasn’t exactly prepared, but hey, we’ve done this route before, and it’s pretty straightforward. Weather looked like it was auditioning for a rainstorm, but BOM promised, “Don’t worry, mate, you’ll be fine till tonight.” Sure, BOM. Sure. About 15 riders gathered at Berowra for the briefing. Three faces I didn’t recognize, but apparently Keith was the only newbie.  Poor Keith—he didn’t know what he signed up for. We rolled out  at 10 a.m.  sharp, heading for morning tea at the Triangle. I set a decent pace—roads were quiet, just a few cars, trucks, and the occasional bike.  Nothing dramatic happened en route, which is always a win in my book. Then… the rain decided to RSVP just as we hit the bottom of Bumble Hill Road.  Time for Plan B: abort mission and head to the Pie for lunch.  Cue the wet-weather fashion sho...

  Last time I visited Mt Piper it was a big wheel in the NSW power supply. Today it represents only about 1/3 of the total. Wind and solar are now the predominant energy sources in NSW. Mt Piper is scheduled to play a support role rather than the base load role it had played in the past. A fascinating view into the past! 17 riders arrived at Macca’s Vineyard for the ride to the historical Mt Piper Power Station. Situated between Portland and Wallerawang, there were a number of possible routes to the well supported visitor’s area, I selected the one that would get everyone there without the need to spend time on the gravel. I was hopeful that we would see all at the destination. It was not to be so. We lost one rider before we even left the Macca’s. Rob T had seniors moment stepping off his bike at the refuelling garage so now we were down to 16. (hope the knee improves Rob), Frosty left before morning tea so we were now down to15 who all arrived at South Bowenfels for morning tea w...

  We had 11 turn up for the Berowra PAD PAL which then split into 2 groups with one group going to Wollombi and the other to Frasers Beach for a swim on a hot day. Routes were discussed and commitments made and we all headed off to the different destinations. No virgins were clapped. Paul led the small group to Wollombi, and I lead off with 9 to our morning tea destination of the Triangle. The 9 arrived for a pleasant get together in the shade of the trees and lots of thanks to Rob T for TEC duties – no one got lost however 5 of the 9 decided to make the triangle their destination and headed off to their respective commitments TJ then became the alternate TEC, many thanks for taking over the role. Next destination was the seaside where worldly matters were discussed as well as Danny’s New Project. Two fell into the water for a very refreshing dip after a 36 deg run to Frasers. The shady structures remained vacant to allow us the communing time. We then headed for the mandatory post...

  As mentioned last week, this ride was one of Ronnie Knight’s favourites, and for good reason!! And good thing we didn’t get yesterday’s weather… hail and heavy rain, lightning and thunder and STRONG winds. Instead, we got a warm sunny day, but we did get STRONG winds to keep us on our toes!!   Given the start point was Narellan I wouldn’t have been surprised if only a few (or none!!) turned up. Anyway, by the time we were ready to roll we had 7 riders, including myself… the Magnificent Seven.    The first part of the ride meanders through Razorback, Picton, Thirlmere (we must do a ride and take a look at the newish NSW Rail Museum at Thirlmere, it looks interesting), past Mittagong Airport and stopping at Moss Vale for morning tea. After that we turned left and headed through Exeter and Bundanoon popping back out at the Hume Highway near Marulan. Endured the Highway for about 20 kays and exited at Goulburn for a quick fuel top-up before heading north on Taralga Rd ...

  16 eager riders assembled at Berowra. Today there was a good variety of bikes to look at.  A short ride briefing as mostly everyone  knew how to get to our destinations. A point was made about the speed cameraS facing both directions just past the little bridge.   There was only a few corners to mark and some had carefully worked that out. The weather was near perfect for riding. No snow or black ice to spoil the day, no bluebottles and min. traffic hold-ups. Had a good pace to morning tea at the Dunkirk Hotel. Some say the centre of the universe.    Then off to St Albans via Wisemans Ferry were some took the dirt road most on the blacktop  over Webb's creek Ferry.   The dirt was alot quicker and the dusty ones had nearly finished lunch when we arrived. A special spot was allocated for the ride leader under a tree. Much to talk about and world problems to solve. After lunch most continued on and did the loop back over Berowra Ferry to the Pie. ...

  The ride last week gradually became known as the NSW & VIC alpine ride, it was a compilation of Thursday Riders committee’s favourite roads, naturally some of those are the most iconic motorcycling roads in Australia, like the Alpine Way NSW, Snowy Mountains Highway NSW, Great Alpine Road VIC. It was 4 nights/5 days.     Those favourites roads, in order were: Oberon to Crookwell. Gundagai to Tumut. Tumut to Tumbarumba. Tallangatta to Omeo (colloq’ Mitta Mitta road). Omeo to Mount Hotham (colloq Dinner Plain). Mt Hotham to Bright. Whitfield to Mansfield (colloq Tolmie road). Beechworth to Khancoban. Khancoban to Thredbo. Thredbo to Jindabyne. Jindabyne to Dalgety. Nimmitabel to Bemboka (colloq Brown Mountain). Bemboka to Candelo. Tathra to Bermagui. Batemans Bay to Braidwood (Kings Highway).   We had 25 riders, two were first timers on an away ride, Ken Burke and Kevin Hardy, both were older than most of us and both were on the smallest bikes, they handled to ri...

  We had 16 eager starters today for a perfect  balmy days riding to the beach.   It was great to be out in front and a responsibility not to lose anybody. So on leaving the servo I noticed that I only had 2 riders behind me.   Down the old road enjoying riding through the twisties to have to do a sudden emergency slowdown when a speed camera rose out of the ground and waved at me. I think fingers crossed that I might get away with it.   Got going again up through Mooney to again lose most of our group. What was I doing wrong. Then off we toddled down Bumble Hill into Yarramalong Valley. It's very scenic at this time of the year, so when we were blocked by the garbo trucks we had no choice but to enjoy the view.   Bushels Ridge up to Pacific Hwy then Munmorah National Park through the twists and turns corner marking all the way nearly. Somehow we all made it.  A serious discussion followed over lunch about youth crime and how to fix the problem. Stocks...

St. Ives to Mount Wilson - 20 Riders Strong! What a fantastic day for a ride! On Saturday, November 15th, a magnificent group of 20 riders set off from St. Ives for an unforgettable journey to the breathtaking Mount Wilson. The weather was perfect – crisp, clear, and ideal for carving through some of the best riding roads our region has to offer. The energy at the St. Ives meeting point was palpable, with engines rumbling and the camaraderie already in full swing. After a quick briefing and a final gear check, we hit the road, a long procession of gleaming bikes heading north. The early stages of the ride saw us winding through scenic backroads, enjoying the open stretches and the beautiful countryside. As we climbed towards the Blue Mountains, the air grew cooler and the views became increasingly spectacular. Each turn revealed another postcard-worthy vista, from rolling hills to deep valleys. We made good time, and the group rode brilliantly together, maintaining a steady pace and en...

  I was filling in for Richo who was undisposed. We had 10 riders line up with a mixed forecast not warm, possibly cold, possibly wet. I just love the way the BOM hedges their bets with forecasting. Probably because they were so criticised for not giving enough warning during the Lismore floods. We had morning tea in Bowenfels & rode the well-trodden route through Tarana. Alan & I chatted & agreed that this ride really should  start at 0930 as time was getting away from us. So he knew a short cut to Bathurst which made up a bit of time. Then on to the Sofala road which was in really good condition compared to the rest of NSW roads. We had lunch in Sofala where I abandoned the group because I was staying the night in Orange.  We didn’t lose anyone thanks to Rod for being TEC Until next time… Tony James

  Well, that all went ok. The weather was near perfect. People thrust money into my hands as they arrived at Berowra and we went for a ride. We wandered off down the Old Pacific Highway. This is a lovely road and easy to under-appreciate because we do it so often. Lots of bends and twisty bits, and the added excitement that comes with the impossibility of riding within the speed limit, even, for much of it, if you are on a bicycle.  We are blessed, and Australia is beautiful as you wander through the trees and over the Hawkesbury and past the rich orange-red sandstone cliffs. The colour is almost Trumpesque, but I put that unpleasant thought behind me secure in the knowledge that the cliffs were there a million years BT, and will be there, provided we don’t blow the world up, a million years PT. I thought the following crowd was a bit slow, but that didn’t matter. They’d soon catch up at the multiplicity of roadworks traffic lights placed strategically to frustrate us. Quietly...

  Today’s ride didn’t go exactly as planned. The weather was certainly not perfect with a grey sky and gusty winds and 26 degrees   at 10.00am but this did not deter 15 riders turning up at 7 Eleven Berowra looking forward to a ride but evidently not Dungog.   Filling in for Jim Cormack today I had the ride to Dungog all sorted going north it was going to be good, however one by one I had 5 riders tell me individually that they would only be riding to Smoko so that left 10 riders. These 10 riders were not showing a lot of enthusiasm either as they looked at the weather forecast on their phones. Discussing Dungog as a ride destination with three committee members and others it was agreed we take Dungog of the Ride Calendar due to the distance and lack of interest.  After some deliberation it was decided to ride to the Oak Dairy Café at Freemans Waterhole for morning tea and then onto Mt Sugarloaf for lunch cutting off about 2 and half hours return trip. Leaving on tim...

  McDonalds McGraths Hill was a hive of activity as 25 or so riders gathered for   a 10.00am   departure for this overnight ride to Scone the long way but a more interesting route. After a short briefing we managed to successfully hightail it out of Windsor and across the grasslands past a mobile camera car not far along on the right-hand side opposite. A quick stop at Kurmond to regroup and it was a nice ride along Bells Line of Road with another mobile camera car and then a lollipop stop and go at Bilpin as workman were clearing vegetation along the roads edge. Roadworks at Mt Tomah held us up momentarily and it was a clear run to Lithgow to regroup just west of McDonalds. The group of 25 bikes seem to have been split up into three groups because of the number of traffic lights getting through the railway town of Lithgow. The first stop was the very impressive Wallerawang Bakery for lunch. The Castlereagh Hwy was a good run with a 5-minute break at the Ilford Rest Area....

The day beckoned with a blue sky and double digit temperatures, the last time I tried to lead this ride it was very wet and very cold, only 2 riders showed up and we only got as far as Kulnura before giving it away. So 25+ riders decided this was the day to do the Luskintyre ride 👍🏻 To be fair there were a few blow-ins with 3 Jim picked up at Bayview, Mike a mate of Ron’s and Anton who was joining for his first ride with the group, but still a sizable turnout for what is a long ride. At the briefing I described the route, old road to Wollombi for morning tea, Wollombi rd to Cessnock, Old Maitland/Old North roads to Lochinvar and thence on to the airfield. Some bright spark lobbed in “but do you know the gate code” but everyone knows it’s top to bottom middle row +#. Probably because everyone knows the code when we got there the whole gate was missing! Given the newbies I described Corner Marking once again with emphasis on wait until relieved by the TEC who, being a glutton for punis...