Have you heard the buzz?

OnYaBikeThe feeling of being a swarm of giant wasps was magnified today as a grand total of 18 DUBBUG riders participated in an easy ride to Coffs and a not-so-easy ride back (thanks to the wind).

With almost all of us in our signature black and yellow jerseys (hence wasps), we must have been a sight streaming down the Pacific Highway on our way back from the annual Coffs City Council’s “On Ya Bike” free breakfast.

 And like a swarm of wasps we had descended on the breakfast (some of us were in time to snaffle up a free t-shirt) where we enjoyed muesli, fruit, yoghurt, bacon and egg rolls, and the good company of other cyclists.

We started the ride at 7am, an hour early, from Urunga BP so that we would be at the breakfast in good time. There were 10 starters, which was a good turn out as it was, but on the way north we picked up three others and whizzed with a strong southerly at our backs to Coffs Botanical Garden.

Once there it was time for food and coffee and to catch up with a few northern DUBBUG riders who had had a shorter bike ride before brekkie. True cyclists that they are, four of them joined us for part of the ride back toward Urunga into the teeth of the howling southerly.

Thanks to the wind, the trip back seemed to take twice as long as the trip there. Halfway back, the seven northern riders peeled off and got blown back home while the Urunga starters slogged on to the starting point.

The day was a brilliant cycle in good conditions, despite and because of the wind, but that’s cycling, isn’t it?

Next week’s ride begins at the Macksville Memorial Aquatic Centre at 8am for an approximately 70km ride from Macksville, along Upper Warrell Creek Road to the Pacific Highway, then towards Stuarts Point, taking Grassy Head Road to Scotts Head and back to Macksville. Our usual Wednesday and Friday rides will leave from Urunga BP at 8am.

The inaugural Brian Cockbain Ride Around the River (25km and 50km) is being held as part of the Nambucca River Festival on 30 November. Visit the Festival website www.nambuccariverfestival.wordpress.com for more details.