A Gentle Day to Woodside

After a thoroughly wet ride out to Woodside on Monday, I decided to take a leisurely repeat ride on Thursday. The photo is Main North East Road at 9am.

There are three routes to Woodside from Elizabeth, two of which are almost exactly the same distance. The map has each of them marked and will enlarge to a Google Map.

Route One is up Yorketown Road to Kersbrook and then down via Cuddlee Creek and Lobethal. This begins climbing 2km from my house and continues to the top of the Mt Gawler shoulder, which is an abrupt start to the morning! Distance 46km.

Route Two takes McIntyre Road across to Main North East Road and then goes up to Cuddlee Creek via the same Tippett Road cross-over from Main North East Road to Cuddlee Creek that Route One uses.  It is a gentler start for old legs, but you can't avoid the climb!  And it's ten kilometres longer. Distance 56km.

Route Three goes up Yorketown Road to One Tree Hill but then cuts across to Tippet Road and Cuddlee Creek by using Hannaford Hump and Milbrook Roads. It has the steepest climbs both ways, and also has some good quality gravel road. Fidlers Hill Road is a variation on this route, and from the photo you can see why I love the Adelaide Hills.

There is a direct route from Woodside to the City, which I have used to go home when I had city work on as well. Distance to Elizabeth 62km. 

My interest in Woodside, apart from Lovell's Bakery, is the excellent Library which has a good coffee machine and is warm. I like to write my weekly Lectionary Commentary there, combining work and pleasure.

I normally come home via Milbrook Road, which is God's Own Country, and did so again on Thursday. I varied the route before Milbrook to take in Fox Creek Road, which is a magnificent downhill swoop, and simply gorgeous landscape. I could happily live there, even though the winters must be cruel!

The road out to Fox Creek runs past the Lobethal Quarries which are roaring scar in the middle of a normally quiet landscapel

During winter the gravel roads in the Adelaide Hills tend to have most of the loose muck wash off and are much more comfortable for riding. In summer the gravel can make keeping traction up the steeper slopes quite difficult.

 The climb profile for the day is below.

The climb required for Thursday was 1437 metres over 96 kilometres.  Woodside is at about the 46km mark. Temperatures ranged from 15 to 18 degrees centigrade, but the north westerly wind added uncomfortable wind-chill. The ride is a comfortable 5 hours, and probably easily less on a light bike.

August 1, 2013