The Blackstump Tour 2015

A place for those keen on vintage and retro bikes - steel is real.
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lindsay
Posts: 380
Joined: 13 Nov 2006, 15:29
Location: Sydney Australia

Postby lindsay » 13 Sep 2015, 17:22

The Blackstump Tour
Vintage Cycling - 200km across 2 days
Saturday/Sunday - 3th October
Gulgong to Coolah and return

And for the brave...
Mile Munchers Prologue Friday 2nd October - Lithgow to Gulgong (unsupported)

Cost - $120
Includes:
Accommodation at the Blackstump Hotel Coolah
Saturday lunch on the road l’eroica style
Sunday Breakfast
Sunday afternoon tea
Rider support and luggage transport provided.

Open to all Cycling NSW members

Valley Wheelers encourages vintage or keeper of the flame bikes for this ride.

For more information please contact:
Lindsay 0418209923
lindsay.munks@gmail.com

Peter T
Posts: 244
Joined: 15 Apr 2009, 19:25
Location: St Peters
Contact:

Postby Peter T » 06 Oct 2015, 15:41

It all ended in a dust storm on a dirt road with camels.
What really happened on the Black Stump tour of 2015.
Twenty minutes earlier, we stragglers got swarmed with bees as we left the Patisserie in Gulgong, our cafe of choice in the West. We were coming to the end of two days of big chainring and small chainring cycling that was the Second Black Stump Tour.

Such a great group of people to share it all with. Humour, compassion , ribbing and sarcasm all rolled into the moving circus that is the Black Stumpy.
Absolutely clear, blue sky days, temps in the thirties, cool nights, big rural roads, flycatcher uphills and good fast descents.

Lindsay and Alister also did the Prologue of the Tour. This involved catching the 4.22 am train from Central to Lithgow on the Friday morning. Lindsay with two hours sleep after setting up ANZ Stadium for the NRL Grand Final broadcast. They both made that 160 km ride and rode into Gulgong to cheers and beers. And an early night! Chapeau!

Did I tell you about the magpies? Camilla (on the Fixie, again) got hit six times. There was a lot of wildlife, and deadlife. Roadkill was interesting and varied.
The Great Midge Plague of 2015 hit us all on the approach to Coolah. Of course, this happened just after re- lathering with block out. At first we thought it was just a small passing cloud, but then realisation set in that we had a couple of kilometres of keeping our mouths’ shut.

Easier for some than others.

Midges got everywhere – in your ears, up your nose, all over your arms and legs, into your eyes behind sunglasses. They were all stuck on, but wriggling and moving. I tried to treat it like a massage, but really it was just stickily uncomfortable.

What really happened at the Black Stump Hotel continues. There were deep concerns that Alister would forget to bring his shoes. So we brought along a fine pair of Specialized beauties for him, just in case. We presented them to him in the beer garden at the wonderful old Black Stump Hotel after a long day in the saddle. We were washing off various collections of midges, sweat, blood and sunburn with beer, lemonade and water.
Of course, they didn’t fit him. We had a Cinderella “pass the parcel” (pass the shoebox?) until Paul fitted the bill. Enjoy them Paul.

It was at this time that what really happened at the Black Stump Hotel began to unfold. Dulwich Hill’s finest were all resting in the empty beer garden, muttering, laughing, cramping, dozing, aching and staring off into space, when the afternoon sun seemed to go behind a cloud.
I flinched, and out of the corner of my eye, an eight foot bikie appeared (that’s 2.4 metres), all denim and leather and patches, looming above us all as we sat in our sweaty lycra. He had hands the size of doormats.
We stared and blinked and waited. He looked around our group, and gazed deep into our eyes. He slowly and deliberately started talking
“I won’t take up much of your time, but I want to tell you a story. My mates and I have been very worried today”
“My name is Ben, and I’m here with my mate Tappet and two other Brothers. We planned this trip to the Black Stump a long time ago. Booked our rooms for the night. Then our other two wanted to come along. We were riding from Orange, from Armidale and from Queensland. I phoned the Pub to get another room for them. The Pub said I was lucky, that that was the last room available.

“Why’s that?” Ben asked the pub.

“Because another bike club has booked out the whole hotel”

This alarmed Ben and his crew. Visions of all in brawling, police batons and the Channel 7 helicopter flooded his thoughts.

“So we have been here this arvo, having a quiet drink, waiting for the madness to arrive.”
He looked around all of us again, and said
“So I suppose you lot are the other bike club????”

We all absolutely broke up with hoots of laughter and relief. There was much shaking of hands and assurances of no brawling in the pub that evening .It was a great bar night. Ben turned out to be an acoustic guitar man with a good voice and I remember singing along to Redgum and Neil Diamond.

On another matter, you will all be happy to know that the Manky Mauve Bath Mat of Coolah lives on. When you are having the Heavenly Shower of Saturday Evening, you can see it crawling slowly across the tiles of the steamy bathroom. Next year, I’m going to ask them if we can have it for a prize at the DHBC Xmas Party.

Talking about crawling slowly, out on the road we journeyed alternately in distress, in delirium and in delight. Sometimes it was easy, tucked in at 70kph in descent, but more often it was slogging into a “side” wind or climbing another hill. A really solid workout in surprising country. Sort of like a big Centennial Park, but with less four wheel drives.
Personally, both days ended with me crawling into town in bottom bottom gear, with nothing left. Perfect. Thanks for all the safe wheels on those long roads.

Thanks to all the Team Cars, sag wagons, water carriers, lolly snake deliverers and film crews. And the Riders. Chapeau!

All the bikes survived well, with a bit of pedallitis in two, and only one puncture I think. Sorted out by Marc at the notorious Ulan Hotel. Great lunch put on by them courtesy of Lindsay.
Actually the whole thing is courtesy of Lindsay. He planned and mapped it all, and the Black Stump Tour was even better on the second year.

Really recommend you get a rig sorted out for next year and join the mayhem.

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JoTheBuilder
Posts: 1500
Joined: 19 Feb 2011, 15:32

Postby JoTheBuilder » 06 Oct 2015, 15:54

That's gold. Great ride report Pete!

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humanbeing
Posts: 709
Joined: 26 Feb 2013, 12:16

Postby humanbeing » 06 Oct 2015, 19:10

Great report Peter,
Sorry I missed it. I'll be sure to be better organized next year.
Peter B

Eleri
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Joined: 31 Dec 2009, 08:43
Location: Erskineville

Postby Eleri » 06 Oct 2015, 20:40

Rival gangs! I love it. :-)

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ratzzzzz
Posts: 141
Joined: 12 Jun 2013, 17:37

Postby ratzzzzz » 07 Oct 2015, 06:26

Great report Pete sounds like a great ride. I hope you did a jersey swap with the other bike club!!

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Dougie
Posts: 755
Joined: 11 Jan 2008, 16:39
Location: Dulwich Hill

Postby Dougie » 07 Oct 2015, 08:23

Outstanding Pete!

RON WEBSTER
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Joined: 24 Apr 2015, 10:19

Postby RON WEBSTER » 19 Nov 2015, 17:51

Thanks for the Black Stump Tour Report.Sounds like you all had a great time.Thought the Bikie encounter was well reported.

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marc2131
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Joined: 03 Jul 2011, 13:14
Location: Ashbury
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Postby marc2131 » 20 Dec 2015, 15:26

Great video of the 2015 Black Stump Tour made by our very own Ian Carswell.

http://youtu.be/7DBCv_y_hRg

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Stuart
Posts: 2568
Joined: 11 Mar 2008, 10:43
Location: Dulwich Hill

Postby Stuart » 21 Dec 2015, 08:15

Excellent video indeed. I'll try to get it up on the website.


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