The North Road Ride
This week it's instalment number two from The Bunch Cyclist. This week he's giving us a quick overview of Melbourne's famous North Road Ride.
Melbourne's famous midweek hour of power. These rides are where some of Melbourne's best cyclist lay the foundations of their midweek training.
These rides are generally ridden with smooth rolling turns and they are appealing to anyone who has some bunch riding experience and a good level of fitness.
When: 5:45am and 6:00am Monday to Friday, Corner of North Road and the Nepean Highway rail, hail or shine and 5:45am Wednesday for the long option
Finish: 1 hour later or 8am for the long option at the Corner of North Road and St Kilda Street (aka Beach Road) with most continuing onto Cafe Racer and beyond.
Average Rolling Speed:
- Monday and Friday: 32km/h - 34km/h recovery ride
- Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: 39km/h - 42km/h hour of power
Bunch Size: 30 to 100
Distance: 32.6km and 86.1km for the Wednesday long option
The bunch leaves at 5:45am or 6:00am sharp depending on your choice of time. The ride down to Mordialloc starts out slower with the bunch at 35km/h-38km/h until the Mordialloc roundabout where, on Tuesday to Thursday, the bunch turns and sprints back to St Kilda at 43km/h-48km/h. On Mondays and Fridays the bunch holds their speed at a comfortable 32km/h-34km/h back to St Kilda. The Wednesday long ride continues from the Mordiallic Roundabout down to Mount Eliza for some hill work, the pace is fast and this is a ride best suited to those with a high level of fitness.
Enjoy a post ride coffee at Melbourne's best know cafe for cyclists, Cafe Racer. The Cafe has recently changed owners and is back to its former glory serving great coffee and food in a fantastic environment geared towards cyclists. Be careful when pulling up to the cafe though as Police have been known to stand by and fine people who ride on the footpath so dismount prior and park up.
