Sorry - nothing useful from me but I would also be interested for any information on this. Also, does anyone know what sort of speed the bunch goes at (ie how fit do you need to be)?
"ALPINE TOUR OF THE SUBURBS": Leaves 6.30pm Thursdays from SBR (Punt Rd near St Kilda Junction). The bunch heads north along Chapel St and on to Yarra Boulevard. Some riders congregate on Yarra Blvd under Studley Park Rd around 6:50pm to jump on when the bunch comes past. Travel out into the suburban hills via Kew, Balwyn and Doncaster, then back via Heidelberg, where several laps of the challenging "Col du Burgundy St" hill are undertaken. Return back through Ivanhoe and Yarra Boulevard once again to St Kilda. Distance is about 60km and includes several KOM and sprint points along the way, with the bunch regrouping after each effort. Good hill work and a little technical in parts. Arrive back in St Kilda around 9pm, with pasta and wine on Fitzroy St usually following.
I haven't done it myself, but have thought about giving it a crack sometime.
Yarra Blvd, right at Chandler Hwy, left at Kilby Rd, Doncaster Rd, left into Williamsons Rd, where everyone waits for the slowies just past the Docaster Pub. Continues along Williamsons Rd, left at Sherpells Rd, left at Foote St, left at High St, and everyone again waits again at the corner of High St and Manningham Rd. Down Manningham Rd, right at Dora St, Burgundy St hill, then left at Upper Heildelberg Rd, where they wait again for everybody on the Bell St bridge. Left into Banksia St, right into Lower Heidelberg Rd, all the way to the "finish line" at the Red Rooster on the corner of Heildeberg Rd and Yarralea St.
The competitive "macho" bits are:
Doncaster Rd hill, from the Easter Fwy to the Doncaster Pub.
The short, steep hill up Williamsons Rd, just before Sherpills Rd, where the effort pretty much continues all the way to the cnr of High St and Manningham Rd.
Manningham Rd is easy until the Burgundy St hill.
Banskia St is easy, then the dash for the finish line starts from the cnr of Banskia and Lower Heidelberg, all the way to the Red Rooster.
no matter how good you're going, there will always be some tiny little 55kg kid who comes along and spanks everyone.
Many thanks 531! Tagged on the back of the group last week along Yarra Blvd and let them go at Chandler, found it pretty scary so close to a bunch in the dark doing 40+ along Yarra Blvd. Looking forward to the lighter evenings. What kind of pace is the ride generally, I wouldn't want to hold up the group.
Yeah, I agree about riding through the blvd in the dark -- it's farkin stooopid, so i don't do it
it's hard to say what the exact speeds are because I'm usually looking at the back wheel of some skinny punk whom I outweigh by 30kg
There's usually a few people at the back who go at about 3/4 pace, so not everyone is going flat knacker.
If you find yourself way off the back, there's only so long they'll wait at the stopping points
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