Hi,

another cycling route question. I am spending the long week end in Katoomba and I will be taking the bike along. I'd like to do a long ride (around 90-100km) over there. Can anyone recommend anything hilly and safe?

I was also thinking about maybe just catching the train to Penrith and then ride to Katoomba. Is that possible/safe?

Thanks.

Will what you have described is probably the best option - there is bretty much a breakdown lane all the way to Katoomba.

If you had a mountain bike you could do the Narrow neck at Katoomba and / or Anderson and Oaks fire trails together.

You will enjoy some of the views and get some hard hills and suburb fast downhills.

I wouldn't do the highway bit. I have rode from Glenbrook up to Woodford along the highway because of trackworks and no train operating. Didn't feel comfortable with the traffic. Loved coming back down the Oaks firetrails back to the car.

thomo

No mountains, so I have to stick to the roads...

What about from Katoomba to Jenolan caves and back? How far is that? is it safe?

Several sections of the highway have no verge on the left as you go up (top of Faulconbridge and Linden; Hazelbrook with current roadworks; Bodington Hill at Wentworth Falls; between Medlow Bath and Blackheath) so not particularly safe, but plenty of cyclists still use the highway.

I know of several cyclists in the upper mountains who regularly ride out towards Jenolan or up over Brown's Gap into Lithgow. Should be reasonably safe but the climb back up Victoria Pass is a real ballbreaker. Around Oberon, Tarana etc there are plenty of hilly, quiet country roads that are good for riding.

If Yurtie reads this topic he will be able to assist further.

Will it is 45k cross country to JC from Katoomba so it must be heaps more by road... 70 (?) - not that I've ridden it but it would be less safe than the ride from Penrith as there is no regular break down lane once you get past Katoomba. I regularly commute across the moutains and see heaps of people riding up the Great Western Highway towards Katoomba.

The problem with the Blue Mountains is that the GWH is the only "through" route - all other roads ultimately either rejoin the GWH or come to a dead-end (except for Bells Line of Road but that would not be very safe either).

Having said that I'd love to watch the u-tube of you riding down Victoria Pass in tri-colours singing the Marseillaise

Mr G - you would be more familiar than I am - but I'm pretty sure they had sign posted detours for cyclists around the roadwork sites when I went through last Saturday.

They do, but said detour route winds through a lot of backstreets down to the bottom of Valley Road and back up again for the sake of shifting a few blocks along the highway.