Sunday Easy Cycle - 15km Inner City, Foreshore & Beach loop - Start: Wickham

This is a free relaxed guided bike ride at a leisurely pace. Suitable for most skill & fitness levels 😊

😎 This ride is a great way to get know quiet inner city cycle routes through the CBD, Maryville, Islington & Wickham. Enjoy foreshore & coastal shared paths, low-traffic residential streets. Learn key road positioning skills, & build cycling confidence! ✨

Optional coffee afterwards. ☀️☕️

15 spots. New people welcome. Any questions, let me know 🙂

Starting at Tree of Knowledge Park, Wickham, we cycle a scenic 15km loop, taking in the:
- Throsby Creek & Honeysuckle shared path
- quiet streets of Tighes Hill & Wickham
- the Hunter St separated cycleway
- Nobbys Beach & Newcastle Beach

This ride is on 75% shared paths, 20% low-traffic, low-pressure streets, & 5% separated cycleways.

Here's the route (although we start this time in Wickham not Carrington):
Komoot link: https://www.komoot.com/tour/1928587808?ref=itd
See map in photos below.

Start/finish point: Tree of Knowledge Park, Hannell St, Wickham, the little park next to the outdoor carpark that's at the corner of Honeysuckle Dr & Hannell St

Start time: meet at 9:45am for a 10am start
Finish time: 11:45am approx, then optional coffee

Distance: 15km
Pace: slow, leisurely, max 15km/hr
Active pedaling time: approx 1 hour 15 minutes
Topography: flat, except a 50 metre & a 100 metre steep hill

Cycling fitness level: very easy/ EASY/medium/hard/very hard

The aim of this group is to showcase quiet routes & safe cycling principles so people have the option to cycle around town for everyday short trips 😁

What we'll do:
We cycle along the Throsby Creek shared path to Islington Park, do a little loop through Tighes Hill's quiet streets, before rejoining the shared path briefly. Then we weave through the quiet streets of Islington & Wickham to the Newcastle Interchange. A brief 200m stretch of riding on the footpath, then a laneway, gets us to the 1km Hunter St separated cycleway. Using this separated cycleway, followed by the Honeysuckle Foreshore shared path, we make our way to Nobbys Beach then Newcastle Beach. We pause for quick water break, before heading back to Wickham, via quiet Hunter St Mall & the foreshore shared path.🌳☕️

You’ll need:

• helmet
• bike with good working brakes & tyres pumped to the recommended PSI
• bike lock/s
• water bottle
• phone & opal card in case of puncture; a repair kit (spare tube, patches, pump) if you have one

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How we ride: We are a group of people with varying experience, confidence levels and cycling styles. A quick safety briefing at the start of the ride will establish how we will ride together. I lead the ride and provide instruction at certain junctions. We stick together & ride in an alert, slow manner. We position ourselves to be very visible, keeping clear of drivers' blind spots, & keeping a predictable trajectory/speed. We ride in single file, clear of the doorzone & of the mouths of side-streets. We frequently take primary position (claiming the lane) to prevent unsafe passes, & to turn right. We pass pedestrians slowly. You are responsible for your own safety at all times. If you have never heard of primary position, or the doorzone, it doesn't matter! I explain things at the start. Just follow along and you'll pick up it up as we go :)

Suitable for those who have recently learnt to ride through to those who are experienced.

However, you must be able to effectively: stop and start, pedal, steer, signal left and right, look over your shoulder to check for what's behind you, be always alert to upcoming hazards, and anticipate the behaviour of pedestrians and vehicles.

Indemnity and release of liability
By participating in this activity you unconditionally indemnify the organiser/host against any and all claims, demands, losses, injuries, damages, liabilities or other costs, whether present or future, relating to your participation and/or dealings with Bike About Town - Newcastle, including but not limited to, any accident, loss or damage to property or death or injury to any person.
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Getting there

• By Bike: https://www.newcastlecycleways.org.au/way-finding, or find routes on the group’s Komoot account https://www.komoot.com/tour/1831416099?ref=itd , or message me for a low-pressure route :)
• Coming by train? Bikes travel free. Alight at Newcastle Interchange.
• Parking: free unlimited weekend parking at the outdoor carpark, cnr Honeysuckle Dr & Hannell St, or park in Carrington

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If the weather is looking unfavourable, check the comments below for updates; heavy rain may result in cancellation.
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Videos about key safety principles for everyday urban trips!

*: [How to cycle safely at road junctions | Cycling UK (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CG0VTwevoU)

• [How to negotiate simple junctions when cycling | Commute Smart (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YOrAiXKagc)

Facebook https://facebook.com/BikeAboutTownNewcastleNSW
Komoot: https://www.komoot.com/tour/1831416099?ref=itd