Cyclist on the F3

[rusty1972]

Once again im going to regret opening my mouth and losing my inner monologue. Must come clean and admit that I had once ridden over Moony Mooney on the freeway. This was on a journey from Wentworthville to Beresfield (at the end of the freeway) one Friday after work.
I was riding my old mountain bike with 2 Pannier bags full of gear to a friends house.
Being rather tired and running out of light I thought there was another oportunity to get off the freeway past the mt white( WTF i hear you all screech?!?)
As I plodded along at a cadence not much less than I produce now I slowly got that grip of fear that those insane surfers in Tahiti get. The difference being i didnt really want to be there!
This was before those big fences were put up on the bridge. So you could imagine how smooth 1 pudgey rider plus 2 pannier bags full of i will pack that just in case i dont use it with an old clinker MTB went over the bridge.
My butt cheeks were so freakin tight for days afterwards that you wouldnt hav been able to pull a pin outta my arse with a tractor!
In fact the screams from cars calling me a dickhead had me saying to myself I agree.
So let a crash test dummy like myself not only be an advertisement for birth control but also just a slight recommendation that it aint worth the time saving.
You actually get a better training session from doing the ol down and up routine from somersby to calga aand vice versa.
Not that you needed a schmuck like me to show you that....I hope?

[Andy H]

Good message Rus and a great read 

[Tildog]

Yes Russ, Didn't think you had it in you. Reminds me of the time when my ex and I went bush walking down at Wondabyne. Couldn't find the cave we were looking for, kept walking and walking until we came to the Hawksbury River rail bridge. Can't tell you what happened then, but thank goodness they didn't have CCTV on the railways back then! TIL

[Matt]

Great post Rusty especially that wave analogy.  Used to be a rabid body-surfer down Bondi/Bronte way.  That moment when you take off on a big green block of flats, you know there's no turning back and then the wave starts hollowing out beneath you....

Your post gave me a shiver or two!.

[CD President]

This is bringing back some memories - I haven't ridden the F3 for a few years but I suspect the widened sections will now be more dangerous than before. If you do ride the F3 beware of truck tyre delaminations.
   

Driving down F3 to work at WyoNg week before last, passing a concrete pump truck and one of it's inside rear tyres blows.  Heart rate spiked like it does on Blood Hill...glad I was not on m bike.

[Matt]

LOTS of riders on the Pacific Highway, Wahroonga to Artarmon (7.00am when I go through).  Everyone seems to be doing the right thing at the moment but some nervous newbies so if you're driving beware the numbers are steadily rising.

[gtveloce]

Yep, the delaminations are probably the scariest and most likely "bad" thing you'll encounter on the F3 shoulder. On a bike everything is louder and more urgent than it seems in a car and the worst-case bang and flap-flap-flap in the lane immediately on your right is rather unnerving! (Even an atheist would start praying when it happens, or at least cross fingers for a good outcome!) You also get shrapnel flying around. And there's nothing you can do - it's just so quick and unexpected. The trucks just press on and I get the impression no-one cleans up as the shoulder is littered with various sizes of shredded tyres. Most are of no consequence but fresh large flaps of rubber are like bricks if you hit them at speed. Just something to watch out for I guess if you do chance your arm (and life) on the F3. As Grant said earlier the Berowra to Hornsby section is much faster than the old road. And despite plenty of "moments" the worst that ever happened to me was a puncture. Whereas far worse has happened to me just riding around quiet local roads.