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No 46, May 2006
Editor: Jennifer Gilmore
Production: Lindsay Harvey, Keith Griffin
The views expressed in Chain Mail articles are those of the authors only and do not necessarily represent either the common views shared by a majority of Bike North members, or Bike North policy as formulated by the Bike North Executive Committee.
Bicycle NSW Big Ride 2006
In February this year 12 Bike North members headed for Holbrook as entrants in the 2006 Big Ride. Some travelled by overnight bus to arrive bleary eyed in Holbrook early Saturday morning. The Friday travellers slept in Holbrook and listened to the Hume Highway transport passing through the town about every 30 seconds through the night. Up before dawn to pack gear, breakfast and get the bike ready.
Saturday morning, the Registration at the Holbrook Shire Hall was its usual organised chaos, with 700 odd cyclists crowding the halls, having luggage weighed, assembling bicycles, registering for the ride and picking up their ride guides, ride shirts, luggage tags and other ride paraphernalia. Adding to the chaos were some 200 volunteers ("Vollies") all registering as well to start their 9 days of good work.
After leaving luggage for transport ahead to the next campsite, riders moved up town to
the ride start, alongside the Oberon Class submarine HMAS Otway (fi rmly aground in
Holbrook's' central park – a long long way from the sea!)
At the official start a spectacle of over 700 multi-coloured cyclists headed out of town
for the first day's 50 km ride to the township of Jingellic.
In the following 8 days of cycling, we covered distances ranging from 70 to 100 km a day, through the western Snowy Mountains area around Tumut and Gundagai and out west as far as Junee and Cootamundra, some days climbing up to 1500 metres.
A typical Big Ride day starts at 5:30 am with the sound of 700 tent zippers, and a rendition of Shakespeare by "Debbie" the Big Ride Town Crier. Once up, gear is packed, loaded onto trucks and riders fed. At 7:30 the day's cycle route is opened and we head out on the road to the next campsite.
Police motorcyclists control the traffic, and the cycle route between towns is well signed and staffed by VRA and volunteer marshals to ensure the safety of riders. Danger points are all signposted and are usually staffed by the marshals giving warning of possible trouble from poor road surface. Riders unable to complete the days ride can take advantage of BNSW's sweep bus, which picks up those who fall by the wayside. (The "sag" bus will always get a cheer from the cyclists as it passes the local pub each evening with its cargo of spent cyclists and bikes on its way to the campsite.)
Local councils make the town's showground available for the 1000 or so tents of the riders and volunteers, and amenities are provided in the form of shower and toilet trucks. Volunteers erect a tent city on the ground each day for feeding and servicing the riders, with kitchens and various shops including a travelling bike repair shop. After a day's ride,
riders pick up their gear that has been trucked ahead, put up their tent, shower and change; then generally head for the attractions of the town. Some even visit the local pub (20 keg days in the local pub are a feature of the Big Ride!) Meals are served alfresco, using own plates and utensils, and the campsite bar is also popular, both for the refreshments and for the nightly briefi ng about the next days road conditions.
The 2006 Big Ride visited 9 towns and traversed about 500 km. Apart from some light showers on day 1 the weather this year was sunny and warm. For those getting into camp late in the afternoon, the days were perhaps a little too warm with temperatures into the upper 30's. This meant that the on-site bar and the local pubs did a roaring trade most days – each day as I rode past the small town pub, the doorway was crowded with cycles, noisy crowds within busy correcting their fl uid balance as only thirsty cyclists can. On the last day, after a short ride through gently rolling farmland from Boorowa to Binalong, the last town visited by this years ride, buses await the cyclists for their return to Sydney and other locations.
I highly recommend these 9 days of enjoyable cycling if you haven't tried the Big Ride before. With a limit of 1200 riders the BNSW Big Ride is a friendly, pleasant and well organised holiday. I'm hooked after 5 Big Rides and will be eagerly awaiting the BNSW web page to open bookings for 2007.