Myself and Kevin met up this morning to do the annual Sydney To The Gong ride. As the construction of a new bridge is yet to finish past the Royal National Park, the route didn’t actually go to Wollongong, but turned back inland and finished up back at Sutherland. I rode from home to the start at St. Peters, then from St. Peters to Sutherland, via the Royal, then got the train back to Bondi Junction and cycled home from there for a total distance of 100.8km.

The first 30km of the ride were a bit scary as there were quite a lot of people who were riding all over the road, making it a bit dangerous trying to pass them. Once we got out towards the Royal things thinned out a bit and it was much better from then on. I’d never ridden in the Royal, and as it is quite hilly I was curious to see how I’d go. It turned out to be not as bad as I’d expected and while there were some long uphills they weren’t too much trouble. They were hard, but not uncomfortably so. Once I’d settled in to a good rhythm I was OK.

After reaching Stanwell Tops, the ride back to Sutherland was relatively straightforward. Undulating, but no serious hills. Even still, when we got to the end I was glad of the rest. Had a burger, kicked back in the sun for a while before heading home. Good fun.

B: 100.8km