Low traffic climbing roads around Perth

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Mububban
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Low traffic climbing roads around Perth

Postby Mububban » Fri Oct 12, 2018 5:49 pm

I'm off the bike until Christmas due to injury so I've got time to plan personal challenges if nothing else!
I got inspired watching an Everesting video (8848m of elevation in one activity, no time limit but no sleep). Realistically I could never achieve that BUT I'd like to see what I could achieve before I collapse of exhaustion or run out of motivation :)

Can anyone recommend a good quiet stretch of road to climb, descend, repeat? A link to a Strava segment would be appreciated. Very little traffic with a 4-5% average gradient and a non-technical descent would be perfect :) Also somewhere to park the car at the bottom of the descent to act as "base camp" so I don't need to carry all my gels/bars/water bottles with me.

Someone achieved an Everesting on Campersic Rd but 7% would crush me:
https://www.strava.com/segments/629107

Thanks for any suggestions, not being able to ride for so long as the nice weather is starting is driving me crazy but planning stuff like this is keeping me somewhat sane.
When you are driving your car, you are not stuck IN traffic - you ARE the traffic!!!

NASHIE
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Re: Low traffic climbing roads around Perth

Postby NASHIE » Fri Oct 12, 2018 6:26 pm

Sorry to hear your off the bike, speedy recovery.

Up Walnut rd down Patterson rd, Up Patterson down Walnut etc etc Can park where they both meet at the top in Pickering brook.

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Thoglette
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Re: Low traffic climbing roads around Perth

Postby Thoglette » Fri Oct 12, 2018 7:43 pm

How long do you need?
Where's convenient?

The coastal dune have some reasonable repeatable climbs. E.g. Sackville Terrace which runs over the second line of dunes and has bike lanes in both directions. Rise/fall of about 50m over 1km - probably just under 10%.

south of the river you could do loops of Fairburn, Longreach, Amity Blvd, Arlington loop, Mills St, King St, Garden road, bit of Hamilton road (plus a few little connections) till you go blue in the face.
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Mububban
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Re: Low traffic climbing roads around Perth

Postby Mububban » Sat Oct 13, 2018 10:54 am

Thoglette wrote:How long do you need?
Where's convenient?

The coastal dune have some reasonable repeatable climbs. E.g. Sackville Terrace which runs over the second line of dunes and has bike lanes in both directions. Rise/fall of about 50m over 1km - probably just under 10%.

south of the river you could do loops of Fairburn, Longreach, Amity Blvd, Arlington loop, Mills St, King St, Garden road, bit of Hamilton road (plus a few little connections) till you go blue in the face.
I live NoR, for reference Sackville is near my commute home and its gradient kicks my butt every time :D I'm thinking more like 5% and 2km long ideally.

I've done Mundaring Weir a few times, something like this might be a candidate: https://www.strava.com/segments/608776
When you are driving your car, you are not stuck IN traffic - you ARE the traffic!!!

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Mububban
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Re: Low traffic climbing roads around Perth

Postby Mububban » Sat Oct 13, 2018 11:01 am

NASHIE wrote:Sorry to hear your off the bike, speedy recovery.

Up Walnut rd down Patterson rd, Up Patterson down Walnut etc etc Can park where they both meet at the top in Pickering brook.
That sounds like a really good one, thanks.

I'm using the Everesting Calculator to get rough data, as well as Strava and Google maps street view for a bit of reconnaissance :)
https://everesting.io/
When you are driving your car, you are not stuck IN traffic - you ARE the traffic!!!

zebee
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Re: Low traffic climbing roads around Perth

Postby zebee » Sat Oct 13, 2018 9:56 pm

Ye Gods I used to live on Patterson Rd. Is that 5%? My child memory is that it's steep as all get out. Used to be soapbox racing down there.

It's also narrow or has it been all gentrified these days and is no longer pretty much single lane with daggy edges?

NASHIE
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Re: Low traffic climbing roads around Perth

Postby NASHIE » Sun Oct 14, 2018 11:41 am

zebee wrote:Ye Gods I used to live on Patterson Rd. Is that 5%? My child memory is that it's steep as all get out. Used to be soapbox racing down there.

It's also narrow or has it been all gentrified these days and is no longer pretty much single lane with daggy edges?
I wouldn't call it gentrified, but its not a bad road. Not sure on grade, it might be more 7% but its a nice even grade. Walnut is more uneven with maybe some 10% plus but if your planning on riding up and down all day gives you a change of scenery.
Mundaring weir rd especially the stave section you post is a dog. Spent my youth training on that road but these days give it a wide a berth as possible, mainly due to traffic as its very hard to overtake. It was better before they kerbed the section.

Another nice quite road to do repeats would be Mcness Drive. Bit of a drive but park near Araluan botanic park and ride to Canning Dam. Again not sure of grade but would guess most is sub 5% with a bit of 7%-10% at the end near Canning Dam. Great roads out that way in summer as it always feels 5 deg cooler when you ride into the valleys.

tomness
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Re: Low traffic climbing roads around Perth

Postby tomness » Mon Oct 15, 2018 3:03 pm

I am always concerned about kangaroos on Patterson Rd esp around dusk. Doesn't stop me riding there, but something to consider. Also the very bottom of Walnut is very steep, well over 10%.

How about Cann Rd in Mount Nasura? Start at Carradine and finish at Churchman Brook rd.

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Thoglette
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Re: Low traffic climbing roads around Perth

Postby Thoglette » Mon Oct 15, 2018 4:02 pm

Mububban wrote:I live NoR, for reference Sackville is near my commute home and its gradient kicks my butt every time :D I'm thinking more like 5% and 2km long ideally.
Newborough's neither as tall nor as steep. Next road north
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Dodgy-Knee
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Re: Low traffic climbing roads around Perth

Postby Dodgy-Knee » Tue Oct 16, 2018 1:12 am

NASHIE wrote:Sorry to hear your off the bike, speedy recovery.

Up Walnut rd down Patterson rd, Up Patterson down Walnut etc etc Can park where they both meet at the top in Pickering brook.
Yep... that's an excellent suggestion. Roads are pretty quiet even during the middle of the day and they are in pretty good condition. If you just want a gradual climb then Patterson Rd will do the job... I often do reps on that road and although it starts off easy, it doesn't take long for it to feel like a 'proper' hill ... not sure how many reps you'd have to do if you want to do an Everest though (a lot I'd think!!!)

There are other roads that have a 4-5% gradient but none that I can think of that are quiet.

Sorry to hear you're of the bike... I recently had to stay off the bike for 6 weeks after a hernia operation and it drove me completely nuts so I sympathise ... hopefully your time off the bike will fly by.

I heard that if you put cycling magazines under your pillow when you go to bed, you don't lose any strength or fitness... 8-/

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Mububban
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Re: Low traffic climbing roads around Perth

Postby Mububban » Tue Oct 16, 2018 5:16 pm

Dodgy-Knee wrote:
NASHIE wrote:Sorry to hear your off the bike, speedy recovery.

Up Walnut rd down Patterson rd, Up Patterson down Walnut etc etc Can park where they both meet at the top in Pickering brook.
Yep... that's an excellent suggestion. Roads are pretty quiet even during the middle of the day and they are in pretty good condition. If you just want a gradual climb then Patterson Rd will do the job... I often do reps on that road and although it starts off easy, it doesn't take long for it to feel like a 'proper' hill ... not sure how many reps you'd have to do if you want to do an Everest though (a lot I'd think!!!)

There are other roads that have a 4-5% gradient but none that I can think of that are quiet.

Sorry to hear you're of the bike... I recently had to stay off the bike for 6 weeks after a hernia operation and it drove me completely nuts so I sympathise ... hopefully your time off the bike will fly by.

I heard that if you put cycling magazines under your pillow when you go to bed, you don't lose any strength or fitness... 8-/
So far this route looks appealing. If I go between the intersection of Aldersyde Rd and Walnut Rd, turn right and ride to the corner of Paterson and Pickering Brook Rd, that looks like a decent workout:

Image


Looks like a combo of this segment on Walnut Rd (6%) : https://www.strava.com/segments/6279322
and this one on Patterson (5%) : https://www.strava.com/segments/616374.
Of which I did once for this year's Kalamunda 100 and put out a massive (estimated) 178W :mrgreen:

I'm not physically up for a full Everesting, I'm just too slow, this is just a personal challenge of "what can I do before I collapse?" but if you note any given Strava segment number, you can plug it into the Everesting Calculator to get rough estimates: www.everesting.io
When you are driving your car, you are not stuck IN traffic - you ARE the traffic!!!

Hugor
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Re: Low traffic climbing roads around Perth

Postby Hugor » Tue Oct 23, 2018 1:31 am

What about the Kings Park climbs? Not too steep, short but beautiful. Plenty of refuel options. I do them regularly and set myself targets like 1000m elevation etc. 1000m in Kings park takes about 90km on average.

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Mububban
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Re: Low traffic climbing roads around Perth

Postby Mububban » Tue Oct 23, 2018 3:46 pm

Hugor wrote:What about the Kings Park climbs? Not too steep, short but beautiful. Plenty of refuel options. I do them regularly and set myself targets like 1000m elevation etc. 1000m in Kings park takes about 90km on average.
Having access to toilets is also a good thing!

I've never ridden in Kings Park before, I almost never visit the CBD these days. Where do you park, and which road/s do you take?
I know there's a lot of vehicle traffic around Frasier's and the War Memorial, I'd prefer to avoid that.
When you are driving your car, you are not stuck IN traffic - you ARE the traffic!!!

NASHIE
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Re: Low traffic climbing roads around Perth

Postby NASHIE » Wed Oct 24, 2018 3:04 pm

Mububban wrote: I know there's a lot of vehicle traffic around Frasier's and the War Memorial, I'd prefer to avoid that.
No you just do loops of Forrest drive (anti clockwise), Lovekin and May Drive. Lovekin is turd of a surface and rarely ride it. May gets busy on weekends near coffee shop/playground. Park anywhere.

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