Entries open again !

scroll down below for the link !

Will close midnight Friday though (so we can print the cards)

in other news there are a few road closures in preparation for a car race in Newcastle next weekend but there will be a way around…  apparently locals say ride to the end of Darby street across to harbour ride to Nobbies then turn right and go to the baths…

weather forecast is good, light winds, no rain….

 

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A week to go !

Yes Sat 11 Nov is the day.

its important to be seen out there in the dark.  We must follow the Audax lighting rules so two independent lights front and back, a reflector and some form of reflective clothing

monkeysee is offering all ride participants a 15% discount on all monkeysee products including the monkeysee harness and monkeysee elasticated belt.
To claim your discount use the promo code NEWCASTLE at the checkout.
monkeysee.net.au

we will also have some reflective gear available to buy at the start !

Less that 2 weeks to go

 

bathersJust a reminder of a few things in the lead up to what will hopefully be a glorious sixth edition of the annual Newcastle Overnight ride.

1: Make sure you register over at the Audax Australia site.

2:Make sure you are familiar with the lighting requirements. We can’t sign you in on the night unless you meet the requirements. 2 independent front lights, 2 independent rear lights, reflector attached to bike, and a hi vis jacket or Gillet.

3: Pre dinner is on again at the lovely York Lane Bar. Its really hard signing in 300+ in the dark at Observatory Hill so come down to York Lane and avoid the crush. York Lane will be serving beer and coffee as well as other drinks and pasta. If you are planning on coming for a spot of dinner, take the time to TXT Dieter on 0415 236 351 so we have a rough guide on how much food to make.

4: We have a generous array of prizes from our sponsors up for grabs.

Prize categories are: Most inappropriate bike, Award for camaraderie, and Last arrival.

This year we have some fantastic prizes to give away including: a custom hand built stem from Killen Bike in Newtown, A service voucher from Wheely Convenient Mobile Bicycle Mechanics, and $100 gift vouchers from Metro Cycles and Omafiets Dutch Bicycles

All completed Audax cards deposited at the finish will also go into the draw to win a set of K-lite Dynamo lights from K-Lite and Ghost Gum Bikes

 

Post ride wrap up

So the fifth annual running of the Newcastle Overnight is done and well wasn’t that an enjoyable night out.

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(photo: Jullietta Jung)

Perfect warm weather, a few gentle tufts of breeze and an absolutely beautiful sunrise over Newcastle Baths as the end.

Riders numbers were just over 220 this year ! A steady growth of the event.

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(photo: Jonathan Vanenberg)

Prizes this year are supplied by Omafiets Dutch Bicycles in Redfern and consist of a $50 voucher for parts or servicing.

Most inappropriate bike: 

This year saw a stellar effort on the strange bike front, many riders obviously realising the bar had been set pretty high in previous years(BMX, cargo bike, Brompton, fixie, tandem etc)

Nominations included:

Laura Shane riding a rather heavy and extremely upright step through Dutch bike. Full Mudguards, rack panniers, lock and chain case didn’t stop Laura finishing the ride in a remarkably quick time.

Jason Sylvester on a 1960’s restored 3 speed Raleigh. Restoration seems to have included some rather sensible additions such as new tires and an overhauled rear hub (if you only have three gears, you want to make sure they work) but stalled when it came to raising the seat to a sensible level. Jason was spotted throughout the night, knees bent up near his chin overtaking all sorts of other cyclists.

Oliver Cashman was hard to miss this year riding a “tall bike”, two bikes backyard welded onto each other. With the saddle some 7 foot off the ground and festooned with red flashers and fairy lights it was enough to make some central coast locals question whether they were witnessing some sort of hovering apparition. A seven speed friction shifted cassette and a single functioning brake didn’t slow him down much, although the difficulty of dismounting and remounting may also have accounted for his apparent haste. (note: Oliver is also disqualified from prizes for being 1/3 of the organising committee)

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But the prize for most inappropriate bike has to ultimately go to the woman on the five inch wide tired rolling behemoth fat bike. Terribly sorry we forgot your name (do get in touch) but to come back from racing that ridiculous bike across the Simpson Dessert and then knock out 170km on pavement is a stellar effort. It just goes to show that the Newcastle Overnight is a ride for bikes of all shapes and sizes!IMG_3711.JPG

 

 

 

Award for Camaraderie:

Ali Jones, Jacquie Fetchet and Rachel Hayden. These three deserve the prize for inventing their very own form of cycling formation. Deciding that the aerodynamic benefits of close formation cycling were negligible compared to the moral benefits of a looser formation, these three rode two abreast, sometimes three abreast (only on cycle paths of course). Countless hours of singing and story telling later they all arrived at Newcastle Baths a fair bit quicker than an ordinary pace line would have delivered them. 15419800_10100161190087761_616210047708688534_o.jpg

(photo: Ali Jones)

Other nominations include Phillip and Monica Moore for administering first aid to another injured rider, and Edward for helping Garth who had a puncture on his Brompton.

Last arrival:

This prize was a little up in the air this year, given that everyone was a little quicker than in previous years. We stuck around at the finish till about 10:30am and a few folks rolled into the baths around then but no one came later as far as I know.

In the absence of a clear winner, the prize is awarded to Edward Fernandez who was in the group that came in very close to last. Edward is singled out from this group because this was his first year riding the Newcastle overnight and almost certainly his longest ride to date. Further Edward didn’t really want to keep riding beyond Gosford, his plan was to ride a bit further and then find some way to get home. Now as anyone who has ridden this stretch knows, once you pass Gosford there just simply isn’t any easy way to get home. We used to write this on the maps but then figured it might scare people off so edited it out. So for persevering  and keeping on going (despite there being no other option) , Edward wins a prize.

 

 

Massive thanks go to:

Our wonderful Volunteers, with out whom this event could not function! Thanks for staying up all night and offering such an amazing spread of delicious treats and hot drinks! It really does make the ride special!

Budgewoi:
Lucie Loane
Ben Keating
Mt White:
Natasha Davies
Naomi Ascui
Juliette
Michael Wester
Providore: (if you ever wondered where all the food came from)
Phil Pearce

Massive thanks also to our other two pit stops for opening up specially for us! These guys again support the event year in year out and it really is appreciated.

York Lane Café

Newcastle Baths Café

 

Thanks also go the the Audax Club of Australia for proving Insurance and support to the event. Check out their website and ride calendar for more events like this.

p.s. Another great ride coming up in the new year is the Southerly Buster, an overnight ride to Kiama! 14th January, Check it out15370152_10100161189972991_1454388565648410225_o.jpg

(Photo: Ali Jones)