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Save the night 20 November 2021 (and a good chunk of the next day) for the best night ride ever. More details check out the newcastleovernight.com website. Previous ride info here. Hot tips: - Dynamo lights - Have lots of snacks - Monkeysee harness - link - Delirium is normal   Another successful Newcastle Overnighter by Ollie, Chris and Gareth, aka the night when some people think it'll be fun to ride from Sydney to Newcastle overnight and go for a swim at Newcastle baths. A distance of 172 kilometres, 2480 metres of elevation and some nice mountain climbs and decent. It's a test of mind and body. An opportunity to ride up to Newcastle. An experience of the New South Wales with the stars and the moon, and sometimes a cultural experience dealing with some bogans. Fast Facts:
   Thank you to the Newcastle Overnighter crew for organising another one. It's the one night a year we take over the Pacific Highway and ride through the cool night, up and down the hills through Mooney Mooney into Gosford along the Central coast. Sure it's 180 kilometres. Sure it kicks off at 9pm and all day you're debating with yourself over when exactly you should take a nap, what's the appropriate amount of carb loading and what do you wear*, but damn it's the best ride of the year. With tunes, lights, good company and regular treats, the sleep deprivation, the muscle cramps, and the delirium is bearable. Note: the essential ingredient is definitely good company. Yes there are 2 tea stops (stocked with tea, coffee, muffins, lots of sugary things) with volunteers cheering you on, having waited there themselves in the middle of the night. * The answers are: nap from 4 - 6, eat as much is physically possible, pack a wind breaker, the Korean style golf arm sleeves are really handy, take some swimmers for the other side. Pit Stop 1 @ Mount White. Must sort after relief after climbing out of Sydney on the Pacific Highway and climbing up Mount White from Mooney Mooney bridge. Greeted by the Watermelon ladies and loads of sugary goodness.  Pit stop 2 at Budgewoi. At about 4 am, it's a wonder how these guys are still awake and feeding us.
 Worth it  Final stats Distance: 180km Arrival time: from 5 am - 10 am (most arrived at 7am) Temperature: Wind breaker worthy Consumption: 3 slices of banana bread, 3 muesli bars, watermelon slices, handful of nuts, one servo coffee Strava link After all the adrenalin and the sleep deprivation has been appeased you can indulge yourself with a Strava Flyby link and see how the crew went.    Another crazy overnighter done and dusted for the year. Well done to the 200 cyclists who made the journey through the night from Sydney to Newcastle overnight along the Old Pacific Highway. Read the Newcastle Overnighter 2016 post ride write up from the organisers. Facebook link. Strava flyby link. Strava link.   Why is it so much fun riding in a group and taking over the roads (actually bike riders are legally allowed on the road)? What is it about rolling with a group, lights on, music pumping, that's sets the endorphin produces into overdrive? I guess it's the sense of safety in numbers and belonging to a tribe. Well Sydney Night Rides joined forces with the new Newy Night Rides crew to kick off their first Night Ride (read Tom's post). https://thisbicyclelife.net/2016/08/22/newynightrides-lights-the-city/ Facebook group: @newynightrides Instagram: @newynightrides Strava link of the route   Heard of the Newcastle Overnight (website)? Neither had a lot of people until one the SNR girls mentioned it a few months back. I hear you whining "but isn't it busy on the motorway to Newcastle"? Yes it is, but the route is along the old Pacific highway in the quiet smooth roads through some stunning National Parks with some epic climbs and decents. Why do you do it overnight? Cause we all know that's the best time to ride without fear of being run over. Plus no risk of sunburns. The adventure begins as 9 pm on observatory hill. Actually it begins early when everyone starts carbing and caffeine loading pre ride. Sign in and get safety checked by volunteers. Over the harbour bridge the biggest bottleneck of the ride. Pacific Highway in Sydney isn't the best, but we were still able to take up a lane most of the way without being mulled over. But in a bunch and with one of the girls decked out in Cylotron lights we rocked the highway. 1am, 55kms in and we hit the first tea stop after epic hill. The volunteer group have laid out the fruit, biscuits, tim tams, shapes, tea, coffee (even with soy milk). The sugar high you need to get you through the 85 km mark up a hill we hear Marc screaming, "Woah oh, we're half way there" and everyone starts singing along. Yes half way there and it's 2 am. 100 kms, cramping up. the Entrance has some nice port-o-loos, orange break. 4 am, 112 kms, second tea stop. Legs are cramping hard. Again the volunteer group have set up an epic biscuit and cake station. I couldn't stop anymore sugar so stuck with my apple. 5 am, start to hear the birds waking up and singing. Hating the wind. 6.30 am, hitting Fernleigh rail trail, loving the trees and birds, still hating the wind .Now hating the ever so subtle incline. 7:30 am, Newcastle Ocean bath swim! Hot chips (regrettable) for breakfast. Massive thanks to the organisers and volunteers, Omafiets, Yvonne, the tea stop volunteers. See you all next year.  Start: Observatory Hill, Sydney Australia End: Newcastle Ocean Baths, NSW Australia Distance: 170 kms Difficulty: F**ING HARD but worth it Roads: Smooth on road Riding time average: 9 hours Strava: link Route: Garmin link, Pacific Highway, Old pacific highway, Central Coast Cycleway Flyby: link Instagram: #newcastleovernight Highlights:
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