“It was two hundred years ago today
Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play
They’ve been going in and out of style
But they’re guaranteed to raise a smile”
Apologies. I’ve got the anniversaries mingled up. Sgt. Peppers was a couple of weeks ago. Just as significant, today, June 12th, was the anniversary of Baron Karl von Drais riding his “dandyhorse” in 1817. I bet his 14 km was a bit harder than my 39 k’s. However, if his day was as crisp, calm and sunny as mine he picked a good one. A lot of other cyclists must have felt the same as it was a popular morning, particularly around the airport and through Keilor Valley.
If you want a ride that doesn’t take much time out of your day, but still provides a workout, this is the one. This ride has three challenging little hill climbs nicely complimented by three sweeping downhill sections.
Starting in Greenvale, the trail along Broadmeadows Valley Park combined with the Moonee Ponds Creek Trail through Jacana provide 7 k’s of smooth rolling. Generally uncluttered with other foot and cycle traffic, you can make the most of the whole path to shave those seconds of your Strava segments. Sticking to the right of the creek, the trail snakes up to the Western Ring Road at various gradients between 2 and 8 degrees, with a little kicker up over the bridge across the freeway. At only 700 or 800 metres, it doesn’t seem far on paper, but in practice it gets the heart rate going.
Navigating through the the streets of Gladstone Park and Melrose Drive in Tullamarine leads you onto the Western Ring Road Trail. Not much to see here, as I’ve discussed in the past ( Greenvale to Williamstown Loop ), but just for the joy of cycling, it’s gives you that “free” feeling. The path is disrupted by road works along the freeway at Keilor East Industrial Estate, but never you mind, after crossing Keilor Park Rd into Brimbank Park, the fun starts again.
Skirting the ridge of Brimbank Rd and down into it, alongside the Old Calder Hwy, is the third sweeping downhill section of the journey. Wet or dry, the rubble on the path keeps the alertness levels up, but when you’ve got a chance to go for it, you just have to. Be aware of the bend in the path before and under the highway alongside the river. I always find its sharpness quite deceiving either side of the bridge and have no urge to end up in the drink.
Through Keilor Village and the market gardens is the Annandale Rd climb. Happy for the lower gears, I just tell myself to keep pedaling. Not a massively long hill, it never gets painful, however the distant Mickleham Rd hill does cross your mind. A further 10 km’s on, it somehow doesn’t have the same appeal as when you set out.
Tullamarine has the airport and wide open commercials estates which never disappoint in providing a breeze of some kind. I thought that Essendon had moved away from Windy Hill when they relocated out here. The sentimentalist in me is pleased that the consciousness of the old haunting ground is being kept alive. Go you mighty Dons!!!!
The gradient of Mickleham Rd is the final heart buster of this ride. Heading past Cambridge Gardens, the 15 degree hill is not as thrilling as the theme ride on the opposite side, but endorphin producing all the same. Blessed with wide bike lanes and generous concrete off road cycle paths, the traffic is not a problem. The state government obviously rate cyclists quite high as the population has grown. Commuters not so, as public transport is crap, so don’t expect a train ride back home if you’re knackered by this point.
An excellent ride. One to which I return, time and again.
Go you mighty Dons!!!!