Cottage Point
- Group:
- B2
- Distance:
- 55km
- Route Description:
- Leave Lane Cove and head towards Epping Rd via Rosenthal Ave, Birdman Ave and Longueville Rd. Turn right on to Epping Rd and then turn left on the Pacific Highway.
Follow the Pacific Highway through Chatswood, Roseville, Lindfield, Killara and Gordon. At the Mona Vale Rd intersection turn right and ride up Mona Vale Rd to St Ives.
Follow Mona Vale Rd through St Ives and into Terrey Hills. At Terrey Hills, turn left onto McCarrs Creek Rd and right at the roundabout. Continue on McCarrs Creek Rd down to Cottage Point Rd turn off on the left and follow down to Cottage Point.
At Cottage Point turn around and climb back out to regroup at the Thai restaurant. Leave the Thai Restaurant, and at the roundabout turn left and then right onto Mona Vale Rd. Follow Mona Vale Rd back through St Ives and at the intersection with the Pacific Highway, turn left and follow the Pacific Highway back through Gordon, Killara, Lindfield, Roseville and Chatswood. At the intersection with Epping Rd, turn right and then left onto Longueville Rd. Take the first right onto Birdwood Ave and follow this back to Burns Bay Rd, Renegade and the Cafe.
- Ride Description:
- After leaving Renegade, the group will head north up the Pacific Highway to Mona Vale Rd, turn right and then ascend the hill that Mona Vale Rd welcomes you with. The traffic should still be light this time of the morning. If the group has splintered on this climb, they will pull into the Caltex Service Station just past the Cowan Rd intersection for a brief regroup.
Continue on Mona Vale Rd through St Ives towards Belrose. Just after the Richmond Rd intersection, there is a short descent followed by a short climb. There is a bike lane along here but take care as there is often debris and glass on the surface. After this descent, there is a climb out the other side past St Ives Showground, it is only short and the group will often take it easy to allow those who are trailing behind to rejoin once over the crest. The rest of the trip along Mona Vale Rd is pretty straight forward, there is a good shoulder with virtually no hills, expect a reasonable pace along here.
On turning into Terrey Hills, the group may stop briefly at the Thai Restaurant if it is hot to top up water bottles as this is the last tap of drinkable water, otherwise, they will keep riding along McCarrs Creek Rd. Follow McCarrs Creek Rd to where it joins Coal and Candle Drive, take the left fork and follow this down into the National Park, past the Toll Booth and down towards Akuna Bay. This section is quite fast but care is needed if the road is damp from dew or rain, there are also a few tight bends towards the bottom.
Turn left onto Cottage Point Rd and follow the meandering road out to Cottage Point. There is a traffic sign warning of a steep descent towards the end, take care here as the final 200 metres is quite steep. Have a brief rest at the bottom and contemplate the climb back out.
Ride out at your own pace and regroup at the Thai Restaurant before heading back to Renegade. At Mona Vale Rd, turn right and head back towards St Ives. Mona Vale Rd is slightly downhill along here so expect a reasonable pace but as always in the busier areas, the group will be kept together, watch out for the short climb back up Nasty Little Hill to St Ives.
After that, there is the heavier traffic to contend with through St Ives, and then the fast descent down to the Pacific Highway. At this point there is a mere 10km along the Highway before enjoying your much deserved coffee at the Cafe.
