Eastern Hills runs on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, leaving The Square at 5:30am sharp and on Saturday mornings, leaving The Square at 6:00am sharp.
This Sydney cycling route will head via Newtown, Redfern and Moore Park to Bronte, Bondi, Watsons Bay, Vaucluse, Rose Bay, Bondi Junction and then on to Surry Hills for coffee, off to work or back to Marrickville. There are six hills on the route, with some riders attempting personal bests on the climbs and then regrouping at the top of the climbs.
On weekdays, Eastern Hills is a solid training ride, recommended for experienced riders only, as there won’t normally be a ride leader on the ride. Depending on the numbers, groups will split at Centennial park into A and B bunches and riders wait at the top of hills to regroup the bunch.
On the weekend, Eastern Hills is a no-drop ride, with the bunch often splitting into A, B and C bunches and riders regrouping at the top of the hills.
The group rides together from Marrickville to CP and then depending on numbers, will split into multiple groups. During the week there are often A and B groups, and on the weekend there is sometimes even a C group. The fasted bunch or A group will average 25km/h and is a drop ride. The B bunch can average anywhere between 20 - 23km/h and the C bunch can average between 19-22km/h.
During the week, the rides need to match finish times as best possible to allow for riders to have a life/go to work. However, on Saturday Eastern Hills is a no-drop ride and aims to keep everyone together, with regrouping at the top of the climbs.
Yes, the Eastern Hills route has a number of shortcuts available. If you choose to take a shortcut, you need to announce this to another rider to be aware to wait for you. As this ride has no ride leader, if something goes wrong, people might not realise. We recommend reaching out to another rider to stay with you until you learn the route and don't take shortcuts unless you are completely comfortable with navigating on your own.
Firstly, Olola ave can be skipped by staying straight on Wentworth Rd. Alternatively, Wentworth rd and Olola ave can be missed by going straight up Hopetoun Avenue and regrouping with the bunch at the water tap. Another shortcut includes skipping the Bellevue rd hill and turning left at the top of Cranbrook Rd onto Victoria Rd and regrouping with the bunch.
The Eastern Hills road cycling route has a number of turns and a lot of climbs. It's important to make sure you are experienced with navigating on your own and being comfortable with climbing.
We recommend trying this ride on Saturday first and introducing yourself to another rider, so they are aware to look out for you. Alternatively, you can reach out to one of our ride leaders or other members on our Facebook page and ask for someone to try the ride with you until you become familiar with the route.
Note: With a ride with many turns, accidents can happen and you can take a wrong turn or get lost, so please familiarise yourself with the route or at least be comfortable riding on your own as a safety precaution.
Photos by Mark Ross, Bike Racing Sydney, Richard Scriven, Thomas Ellis, Tarryn Myburgh and various DHBC members. Website by TM Creates
