North Head - The Seven Sins

Group:
A
Distance:
70km
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 right on the Pacific Highway.

Follow the Pacific Hwy through Gore Hill, St Leonards and Crows Nest. Turn left on Falcon St and continue on to Military Rd, Neutral Bay. Follow Military Rd through Cremorne to Mosman.

At Mosman veer left onto Spit Rd and ride down to the Spit Bridge, cross the bridge and turn left onto Battle Bvd, follow the road right onto Palmerston Pl. Follow this onto Ponsonby Parade and into Sydney Rd. Turn right at the roundabaout onto Ethel St, follow this to the end at Maretimo St and turn left, then the second Right onto Violet St. At the end turn left onto Wanganella St and then the first Right at White St.

Follow White Street down the hill, and it becomes Launderdale Ave just past the lights, and then later on becomes The Cresent, then Commonwealth Parade and West Esplanade as it approaches Manly Wharf, and then East Esplanade as it passes it.

As East Esplanade turns right at the end, turn left up Osborne Rd, then left again at the roundabout onto Addison Rd, and then right into Darley Rd. Follow this past Manly Hospital, and then veer right onto North Head Scenic Drive.

Follow North Head Scenic Drive (veering left at the roundabout), and then riding through the loop at the end, retrace the Rd back to Darley Rd. Follow Darley Rd to the roundabout at Victoria Parade. Turn left and then right onto East Esplanade, which shortly becomes West Esplanade.

Follow West Esplanade as it becomes Commonwealth Parade, The Cresent and Lauderdale Ave, then veer right onto Rosedale Ave, follow this to Hill St, and then turn left onto Sydney Rd. Follow Sydney Rd and then turn left onto Manly Rd back across Spit Bridge.

Once across the Bridge, turn left (cyclists can legally make this turn) onto Parriwi Rd for the climb, before rejoining Spit Rd. Follow Spit Rd to Awaba St for a right turn down the hill. Turn left onto The Esplanade, which is followed before veering right onto Coronation Ave, at the top, turn right onto Wolseley Rd, and then left onto Beaconsfield Rd, and then left again onto Middle Head Rd.

Follow Middle Head Rd past the Naval Base, then then turn right onto Chowder Bay Rd, which is followed to the roundabout before doing a full u-turn and heading back to Middle Head Rd and turning right. Follow Middle Head Rd, before turning left onto King Max St, and then left onto Bradleys Head Rd.

Follow Bradleys Head Rd where it will become Athol Wharf Rd to the Ferry Terminal, where again a full u-turn is performed, and the road is retraced back up the hill. Follow Bradleys Head Rd back to King Max St, and turn right, and then right again at Middle Head Rd. Turn left into Beaconsfield Rd, and then right into Wolseley Rd and then veer left into Coronation Ave. Follow Coronation Ave into The Esplande, which is followed until a left turn into Awaba St.

At the top of Awaba St, turn left onto Spit Rd to the 7-11 at the corner of Punch St for a quick water top up. Exit left onto Punch St, and then turn left onto Moruben Rd and then right into Awaba St. Again, turn right onto The Esplande which is followed to Coronation Ave.

The route here follows the same path as the first loop through Coronation Ave, Chowder Bay Rd and Bradleys Head Rd.

After completing the second climb up Bradleys Head Rd, continue along to the round about and turn right onto Military Rd, take the left into Belmont Rd, which is followed back to Military Rd. Turn left onto Military Rd, which is then followed as it becomes Falcon St, before turning right onto the Pacific Highway.

The Pacific Highway is then followed back through St Leonards, before turning left onto Epping Rd, and then left into Longueville Rd, and then right into Rosenthal Ave, and finally left into Lane Cove Mall and the Cafe.
Ride Description:
This is one of the two "traning" rides that the A Group do (the other being Homebush), it shows up every couple of months. It is a testing ride, but because many of the hills are down and out, it is possible to skip some of them.

It was renamed to the Seven Sins late in 2011 due to there being seven hills climbed in the Balmoral/Mosman area. Before they are covered though, the ride heads down through St Leonards, Neutral Bay, Cremorne before finally crossing The Spit Bridge, there is a nasty set of traffic lights at the bottom of the hill, so be careful if they are red.

Once over the Bridge, the climbers start testing themselves up Battle Boulevard (aptly named) for the first short climb of the day, before taking some back streets through Seaforth heading towards Manly. There is another fast descent down White Street with a roundabout at the bottom, and after that some undulations on the way to Manly. Most of the road here is single lane each way, but it is usually reasonably quiet, so it is still possible to ride two abreast.

After passing Manly, there is a short climb up Osborne Rd, and then into Darley before finally topping at Manly Hospital. The ride then does a loop through North Head, and expect a fast pace. The road is generally pretty flat, but there are a few speed humps along it. The group will sometimes stop at North Head in the parking lot, and other times back at Manly Hospital for a regroup, so don't worry if you weren't able to sit with the faster riders.

After leaving North Head behind, the group returns to the Spit Bridge via Rosendale Ave and Sydney Rd as a bit of a short cut. After crossing Spit Bridge again, the group will climb Parriwi Rd before rejoining Spit Rd.

Now comes the main event. The Seven Sins.

First on the menu is Sloth, Coronation Ave. Everyone takes it easy going up this hill, no point in destroying yourself too early. After that, the group moves onto Greed at Chowder Bay, someone by this stage is starting to feel a bit strong and wants to try and get an early lead.

Next up is Wratb, Taronga Zoo. The name for this is more because you know what's coming up after you finish it. Gluttony - Awaba Street, after all, you have to be a Glutton for punishment if you ride this hill.

Then on the repeat through the first three hills, they take on different names. Coronation Ave becomes Pride, after all, you're pretty proud about having just done Awaba. Chowder Bay is Lust this time around, it's second last, you're really wishing it was last, and finally we finish on Envy at Taronga Zoo. There's always someone with something left in their legs who's showing off.

The group then heads back to Lane Cove, often hanging for the coffee at the Cafe.