March 18th. The Dorward Reserve Ride.

This ride was planned with our “Tuesday” riders in mind, a short distance and any type of bike, to have the option of on or off road. There were 15 riders and considering the wind’s force, this was a great turnout and with five non-riders meeting us at Dorward Reserve, this was a great response. Most left from the hall, but re-grouped at Stenross’s and picked up more riders. Some went onto the Parnkalla Trail here, others at Lions or Haigh Drive an a couple stayed on the road. We all enjoyed the challenge the wind presented, (or not), but as it was straight off the water, there wasn’t much protection for anyone. Some of our members had not experienced our “back-up” support, so Kingsley took our trailer out and provided a typically fantastic pit-stop for us, ably assisted by Carol. They set up in a perfectly sheltered spot and by the time riders started arriving, the kettles had boiled, chairs were in position and food was on the tables, (with tablecloths of course). There was much socialising and plenty of jaw exercises being done, but all good things must come to an end. It would have been easy to stay, so a group photo was taken, we packed up and prepared to head home....until....a flat tyre. Yep, if we’re doing 5kms or 55kms, we can get a puncture and this was the second one for the day. This isn’t a problem if our spare tubes or puncture kits are in order, but if not, it can be a nightmare. Once on the way, we all rode our chosen route back and re-grouped at Stenross’s for a head-count before going our separate ways.

The Blackberry Ride

A distance of 36 kms, this ride was almost entirely on tracks and dirt roads. Nine of us headed out of town via Tenant St. and Grantala Rd. to the Old West Road access track. We crossed the main road a couple of times to keep to the tracks and through what used to be ‘The Pines’ to Pines Road. Left along Hyde Road for a short distance took us to private property and onto a fire access track. The track meandered over gentle hills, through clumps of gums, past cropping paddocks and through a few gates. We crossed into an adjoining property and followed the pipeline, taking in the uninterrupted views. Soon Dene warned us that there was a creek ahead which was steep and required caution in and out of it. ‘Yeeehaa’! See the photo attached. It was a ripper! Some had to ‘hoof it’ a bit for not selecting a low enough gear in time, but all survived and it became the talking point of the ride until we stopped for a snack break. The last gate took us onto the main road near Greenpatch Farm where we turned on onto Clark’s Lane. Along the roadside there were huge clumps of blackberry briars, much to the delight of some of us. Yes, dust and all, we got stuck into them, vowing to return later in the car. A few more kms of great views, chatter and perfect riding conditions, then we began the sometimes “hairy” downhill into Nth Shields. Was that burning brakes I could smell? Dorwards Rd. never looked so good. We called into the roadhouse at Shields for a cuppa and half of the cake counter, then onto the track back into Lincoln.