Akuna Bay (anticlockwise) via St Ives
- Group:
- B2
- Distance:
- 62km
- Route Description:
- Leave Lane Cove and head towards Epping Rd via Burns Bay Rd, Rosenthal Ave, Birdwood Ave and Longueville Rd. Turn right onto Epping Rd and head towards the Pacific Highway. Turn right onto the Pacific Highway.
Follow the Pacific Highway through Chatswood, Roseville, Lindfield, Killara, and Gordon. At the Mona Vale Rd Intersection, turn right and head towards St Ives.
Follow Mona Vale Rd through St Ives and at Terry Hills, turn left onto McCarrs Creek Rd. At the round about turn right and then take the left to remain on McCarrs Creek Rd.
At the first turnoff for Akuna Bay, turn right to remain on McCarrs Creek Rd and descend down the hill. Just past the bridge over Fern Tree Gully Creek, turn left onto West Head Rd. Follow West Head Rd to the intersection with Coal and Candle Drive. Follow Coal and Candle Drive through Akuna Bay and ascend on the Western side. At the intersection with McCarrs Creek Rd, continue straight ahead and 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:
- There are two ways of riding around Akuna Bay, this is considered the more difficult way as the exit climb is steeper. Even so, there is only the one major climb.
The first part of the ride to Mona Vale Rd is along the Pacific Highway, at this early stage in the morning the traffic is generally quite light and apart from the slightly uphill nature of this section of the road, the ride is pretty stock standard.
At Mona Vale Rd, the group will have to ascend the hill, this is a pretty steady climb and isn't too long, some of the stronger riders may be able to move ahead of the group but there is no pressure to ride any of these hills fast. Ride at your own pace and the group will either ease up to reform, or pull into the Service Station in St Ives to bring all riders back into the fold.
Continuing along Mona Vale Rd, there is a descent just past Richmond Ave, on the approach, the group will move out of the shoulder and into the left hand lane. There have been issues with debris and overhanging branches in the shoulder and as a result it is safer to descend the hill in the traffic lane. After the descent, move back into the shoulder and climb out the other side past the Showground. Again, at the top of the hill the front riders will slow the pace to bring all riders back together.
The group will maintain a steady pace along this section of the road, on reaching Terry Hills, the group will turn onto Mona Vale Rd, riding along McCarrs Creek Rd, the group will continue along here past the first turnoff to Akuna Bay. On the descent down McCarrs Creek Rd, the group will string out with the faster descenders near the front. As always, descend at your own pace, this is a nice solid descent, the corners are all fairly straight forward, and while some of them are tight, none are dangerously so.
After crossing Fern Tree Gully Creek, there is a left hand turn towards Akuna Bay and West Head, there is a short climb here to Coal and Candle Dr. The group may pause at the top or may simply continue riding and regroup after the climb out of the Western side of Akuna Bay.
There is a descent down into Akuna Bay here, again, descend at your own pace. After reaching the bottom, there are a few minor bumps in the road before encountering the main climb of the ride.
Having reached the toll booth and McCarrs Creek Rd return to the Thai Restaurant just before the roundabout. There is a tap here so it is possible to refill water bottles before returning to Renegade.
On leaving the Restaurant, watch out for the right hand turn onto Mona Vale Rd. The traffic heading West isn't stopped by the lights so it is necessary to cross two lanes of traffic. Do so as safely as possible. The group will ride slower until everyone has crossed and rejoined the group.
Expect a steady pace on the return leg of Mona Vale Rd, there is the descent back past the Showground, and then the annoying hill back into St Ives. Having beaten this hill, ensure that everyone is back on the bunch before continuing.
After traveling through St Ives, there is the descent back to the Pacific Highway, this is a fast descent where the braver riders can hit some pretty impressive speeds.
After rejoining the Pacific Highway, there is the usual ride back to Renegade and the much anticipated Coffee at the Cafe.
