Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Looks like we'll be returning to the office later this month after working from home since March so I'm thinking I might even use my road bike for trips to and from work when the weather is nice. Because I'm not overly keen on riding in peak hour I'm trying to nut out the safest route, but also want to minimise the climb north out of West Ryde - which I think is unavoidable, but was hoping someone can recommend the easiest climb in that direction.

Most of the ride will be on quiet streets and a path because I'm not going on Victoria Rd and Lane Cove Rd, so I'm really only looking for guidance on the best route to get me from West Ryde station to the top of the hill that represents Blaxland Rd.

Im guessing you are talking about Melville St? Just spin up there in the easiest gear and practice, practice, practice.

The alternative which I can think of which consists of some gentle and short climbs would be to head up Chatham Rd to Eastwood and then Vimera or Balaclava Rd to Macquarie Park however that will be a bit of up and down, whereas going up Melville Rd you get the hill done with in one go and it's then pretty flat along the Shrimpton Creek path

might depend where you are starting from. you can backtrack east and take the Blaxland Rd bike path that goes from Devlin St to North Rd, then down North Rd, right on Heath, left on Quarry (bike path on the West side of Quarry) then cross Quarry into the Santa Rosa Park bike path, then the Shrimpton Ck path to the underpass under Epping Rd.

I used to do that from Meadowbank by going along Bowden then right on Parkes and there's a spot to get to the cut off bit of Blaxland Rd next to Devlin that bikes can get through and cars can't. Parkes is a bit of a hill but only a bit.

way home is nastier as you have to climb up Bowden which is a bit of a haul (not Melville st levels of haul but a climb nontheless). Mate of mine used to do it by crossing Parkes into Belmore then riding downhill on the footpath along Victoria Rd till he got to Bowden.

If you are training in, then don't get off at West Ryde, get off at Eastwood. Out the Eastern exit turn right, through the roundabout, cross Routledge/First, left on 2nd right on Young left on 3rd. right on Ryedale, left on 4th, right on Denistone across the front of the Hospital, take the bike path behind St Theresa's school then left into Terry( watch out cars from the right are hard to see) , right at the lights on Blaxland, left on Cecil then cross North via the footpath to ignore that bizarre not-a-roundabout mess at Quarry/Lovell/North and get onto Quarry. (If you don't want to do that short bit of Blaxland then cross it and immediately right into the little service road that takes you to Cecil)

To return turn off Cecil into that service road so you can cross at the lights. When oN terry I get onto the footpath where there's a driveway leading into the school then into the bike path in the park cos turning right directly into the path entrance has dreadful vision of cars coming towards you.