A bit of a ride

[Cormanus]

Day 3: Denman-Sydney

446 kms

[url=https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zwzS5Q1Lo7Yk.kkMlijLMSo08]

I'd pondered the whole business of the final day’s ride into Sydney. After Pterodactyl's descriptions on this forum, I was keen to ride the Wollombi Road and check out Lemming Corner but, when we discussed it at the LionsTT, he’d persuaded me that the road through the Bylong Valley was a more entertaining proposition given a day to do it. It was the reason I’d ended up in Denman and I'm very glad I took his advice. It's a great ride.

I came across dirt road just after leaving Denman and cursed Pterodactyl for not warning me I was in for that. It didn’t last long at all, no more than a few kilometres and, had I only known it, could easily have been avoided. Turned out Pterodactyl had no idea about it as he had taken a different route on to the Bylong Valley Way. But he wasn’t there to defend himself, so I got some satisfaction from cursing him.

But on the Bylong Valley Way I was soon racing alongside enormous coal trains through pretty agricultural land flanked by striking mountains. You have to climb some excellent road over a couple of the mountains.

A coal train to the right


Load adjustment


More coal train

The ranges west of Sydney produce great hills and mountains with sheer rocky faces that look like they mean business. I really like them.

I'd readjusted my load and was much more comfortable, but it wasn't quite stable. Just after getting off the dirt I stopped and re-secured it. Almost every driver, car or bike, slowed to make sure I was OK. A couple, he on a large BMW, she on a Honda 900, actually stopped. Having checked that I was OK, the bloke proceed to tell me how much he liked the CB1100 and how he had very nearly bought one. I suspect that was really why he stopped: for a bit of a drool. They headed off, but I soon caught them up and stayed with them until they stopped, I think at Bylong.


Load adjustment


More coal train




Approaching one of the mountain passes