Cruiser End of Year Round-de-island ride- Dec 27th 2010

Cruiser,

The end of year round-de-island ride has been rescheduled for the bank holiday because of many requests from riders wanting to participate. The island ride will now be on Monday December 27 and will begin at 4:00 am at White Park Road. There will not be a group ride on Saturday, December 25.

The bike route for Saturday December 18th will start at Haggatt Hall in St. Michael. This is a flat route with inclines and is approximately 64 kilometers (39 miles) long.

We will assemble in the Standard Distributor’s car park in Haggatt Hall at 4:45 a.m. to start riding at 5:00 a.m. Please be there early so that we can start on time. Also please ensure that you have full safety gear, especially lights and a helmet.

The actual route is:

Turn left onto the ABC highway, thru the Belle, Hothersal, Warrens, Bagatelle, Arch Hall, Lancaster, Rock Dundo, Bakers and Warleigh. Turn right onto Mile and A quarter, turn left thru Rose Hill, Farrs and turn left on the Charles Duncan Oneal highway to Fairfield.

Turn right after roundabout onto Church Hill Road and thru Mount Gay. Turn right at Alexandria onto Date Tree Hill, thru Graveyard, Pie Corner and Free Hill. Turn left thru Durhams and turn left thru Pickerings. Turn left at Nesfield onto the Charles Duncan Oneal Highway and turn right thru Farrs and Rose Hill. Turn right onto Mile and A quarter and turn right (by the service station) down thru Maynards .

Turn left at retreat, onto the Speightstown Bypass Road, thru Mullins, The Garden, Weston, Porters, Holetown, Paynes Bay, Prospect, Black Rock, Eagle Hall, Bank Hall, onto Bridge Road and turn right thru Welches. Turn left onto Government Hill, Two Mile Hill into Haggatt Hall and the car park.

Call Livvy at 425-4516 or at 262-0476 or call me at 431-5691 or at 425-3387, if you have any questions or suggestions.

Take care and safe riding,

Melvin

Cruiser Bike route for December 11, 2010

Cruiser,

The annual Christmas round-de-island ride is scheduled to start at 4:00 am on Saturday 25^th December at White Park Road. The route will be along the west coast, north coast, east coast, and then the south coast.

The bike route for Saturday December 11^th will start at Charles Rowe Bridge in St. George. This route is hilly and is approximately 56 kilometers (35 miles) long.

We will assemble in the car park of the Chefette Restaurant in Charles Rowe Bridge at 4:45 a.m. to start riding at 5:00 a.m. Please be there early so that we can start on time. Also please ensure that you have full safety gear especially a helmet and lights.

The actual route is:

Exit the car park onto Church Hill road, turn right at the Glebe and thru Walkers. Turn left at Turnpike onto Old Works Hill, thru Ellerton, The Mount, Greens, Kendall and turn right thru Rosegate. Turn left at Massiah Street, thru Society and Colleton. Turn left at Gall Hill thru Poole, Four Roads, Golden Ridge and turn right thru Groves.

Turn right thru Sweet Vale, onto Parris Hill, Blackmans road, Horse Hill, Joy Road and thru Joe’s  River. Turn left onto Gaggs Hill, Cox Hill and the East Coast Road. Turn left at Belleplaine, thru Shorey, Haggatts, Bruce Vale, Boarded Hall, Springvale and Chapmans. Turn left thru Sturges, Welchman Hall, Ayshford, Bridgefield and Sharon.

Turn left at the Jackson roundabout thru Cane Wood, turn right at Bibby’s Lane and thru Jackmans. Turn left at Hothersal Turning thru Lower Estate, Parish Land into Charles Rowe Bridge and the car park.

If you have any questions or suggestions call Livvy at 425-4516 or at 262-0476 or call me at 431-5691 or at 425-3387.

Take care and ride safely,

Melvin

Roamers Saturday am ride December 11th 2010

Roamers!!

Not a lot to chat about this week so I’ll jump straight into the route for tomorrow. As mentioned last week, we’ll be starting in the east.

Assembly point: Emerald City, Six Roads, St. Philip

Assembly time: 5:30am

Roll out: 5:45am

Longer route: Exit the carpark at the southern end of the complex to head to 4 Roads, keeping left to head to the Kirtons T junction (by the gas station). Left and follow the traditional route to pass thru Rices, the Crane and take the left turn onto Union Road – WE AINT GOING BACK ON DAT BAD ROAD UP TO SAM LORD’S CASTLE. Right at the T junction and over to the Ruby junction and left to pass King George V park. Straight to pass thru Sanford en route to 3 Houses, keeping straight towards Oughterson. Right and up (our favourite) District C hill to the Stewart Hill junction. Hmmm... straight or left... left to head towards Kendal and the duck pond headed back to Drax Hall, the Mount, Ellerton and then left onto Carmichael (before reaching the Turnpike). Straight to the Brighton market junction and right onto the bumpy road (sorry but we gotta get back to St. Philip) to head to Lower Greys. Straight across to the Coral Ridge junction. Left and over to the Bayer/Searles roundabout and straight onto Lowlands Road to the ABC H’way. Left onto the h’way and to and pass the airport and the Concorde Experience to Rock Hall. Straight to pass Casa Grande to 4 Roads and then left back to base.

Shorter route: same as the longer route opting out to head back to base wherever decided.

Next week we’ll start from Super Centre, Warrens.

That’s it for now,

See you tomorrow...

Adrian

Team IronDocs @ Run Barbados 2010

Roamers!!


We didn’t take any pictures! That’s the first thing that crossed my mind when I started to think about what to tell you about the round-de-island ride and “picnic”! Cheewiz... another milestone in Roamers’ history and we don’t have pictures. But we do have memories of a fun and safe ride and a nice lime though! So that’s plenty if you ask me! :-)


It was about 4:06am when after a short prayer by Ronnie we rolled out of the Browne’s beach carp-park. It was a really nice morning and the posse was ready and set to make the trek to the north, then to the east, then to the south and then westward back to base. The round-de-islanders were Ronnie Roberts, Stephen Browne, Adrian Bayrd, Roberto Miller, Peter Browne, new-comer Joseph ?? (sorry), Lawrence Downey, Tony Brooks, Lyle Jones and yours truly. For the next 6 hours or so the crew took on the approximate 56 mile (90km) route starting with the flat west coast through St. Michael, St. James and St. Peter up to St. Lucy, before heading inland to take on the challenging hills in St. Peter, St. Andrew, St. Joseph and St. John. Of course some of the guys were a bit stronger in the hills than others but the front-runners always paused at intervals to wait for everybody to catch up. Then it was through “the desert” of St. Philip before heading back through Christ Church to base in St. Michael. We were just in time to see the groups taking part in the Independence parade marching from the Garrison to Independence Square. After that it was time to relax, recover and recount the highlights of the roam with a few snacks and drinks. Special thanks to Shane Boyce who prepared chicken and cake for the posse. Very much appreciated Shane!


Adrian Bayrd recorded the route on his Garmin GPS thingy (which measured the distance, elevations, speeds and all other kinds of cool stuff) and has shared it with us... check it out here:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/58438921
Thanks buddy :-) (I gotta get me one of those!)


All that’s left to be said is that we all had a great time and have agreed that we will try to do one of these roams every 3 months – so look out for the next one at the end of February 2011!


Tomorrow’s roam...
Assembly point: Mall Internationale, Haggatt Hall
Assembly time: 5:30am
Roll out: 5:45am
Longer route: Exit the car park and head east up Mapp Hill (it’s not too bad) to the junction with Dash Valley. Left and across Dash Valley to the Essco roundabout and left to the junction with Salters Road. Right onto Salters Road and across to Charles Rowe Bridge, keeping straight to head to Rowans, Flat Rock and the new junction at Locust Hall. Left and down the hill through Bournes Village to the Lears roundabout, keeping straight to Kelsi’s and then the Hothersal Turning roundabout. Straight across onto Waterford Bottom and straight down Station Hill to the stop lights. Left onto Bridge Road and keeping left at the Welches post office, straight up My Lords Hill and thru Licorish Village to the Norman Niles roundabout. Straight across onto Neils Plantation and back to the Essco roundabout, keeping straight to the Turnpike. You guessed it... right turn and head to the Boarded Hall 4-cross. Left and rightish at the Y to Lower Greys. Right and up to the Coral Ridge junction. Right through Edey Village towards St. Davids, taking the right to head across the Staplegrove link road to the junction just west of Watts Village. Left and back to base via South District and Mapp Hill.


Shorter route: Same as the longer route with a turnoff of your choice (there are many options) to head back to base.
Next week’s start point: Emerald City, Six Roads, St. Philip
(This will be a feature of the emails from now on, so that if the email is sent out late you will still know the start point from the previous week’s email)
Don’t forget the Run Barbados Series this weekend - it’s not too late to sign up. You can try one or more of the several runs on offer... 1 mile, 3k, 5k, 10k, half marathon (21k) or the marathon (42k) – take your pick!
http://www.runbarbados.org/


That’s it for now,
Have a great weekend...
Adrian

Cruiser bike route for Saturday December 4th

Cruiser,

The bike route for Saturday December 4^th will start at Bay Street in St. Michael. This route is flat with  some inclines and is approximately 66 Kilometers (41 miles) long.

We will assemble in the car park of the Coastal Zone Management unit on Bay Street at 4:45 a.m. to start riding at 5:00 a.m. Please be there early so that we can start on time and kindly ensure that you have full safety gear, especially a helmet and lights.

The actual route is:

Exit the car park and turn left onto Bay Street. Go across the Chamberlain Bridge, along the Wharf Road, Harbour Road and turn right onto President Kennedy Drive. Turn left thru Eagle Hall, Tudor Bridge, onto Spooners Hill, Green Hill Warrens, turn right at the Jackson Roundabout and thru Cane Wood. Turn left at Bibby’s Lane thru Exchange and turn right onto Applewaithes Road. 

Turn left at Groves thru Golden Ridge, Four Roads and Poole. Turn right at Gall Hill thru Colleton and Society. Turn left at Massiah Street onto Stewart Hill and turn right onto Thickets Road. Turn left thru Three Houses, Bayfield, Marley Vale, Wellhouse, Ruby, Beulah, Sterling and Groves. Turn left at the Six Roads roundabout, turn right at Four Roads and turn right at Mangrove onto Market Road.

Turn left at Four Square thru Woodbourne, turn left at the St. Patrick’s roundabout and turn right thru Waldrons. Turn left onto the ABC Highway and turn right at the roundabout onto Pilgrim Road. Turn left at Pilgrim Place thru Wilcox; turn right thru Ealing Grove, Hopewell, Sayers Court, Oistins, Top Rock, Worthing, Rockley, Hastings, Garrison onto Bay Street and into the car park.

The annual Christmas round-de-island ride is scheduled to start at 4:00 am on Saturday 25^th December at White Park Road. The route will be clockwise – west coast, north coast, east coast and then the south coast.

If you have any questions or suggestions call Livvy at 425-4516 or 262-0476 or call me at 425-3387 or at 431-5691.

Take care and safe riding,

Melvin

Hike # 4: Three times the intensity 3 times the distance!!

Navy SEAL Goggins Trains in Desert

IronDocs Hike #3

Roamers Saturday am ride November 27 2010

Roamers!!

Today you get two for the price of one since in addition to heading out tomorrow according to our usual schedule, we’re preparing for our round-de-island Independence roam and picnic on Tuesday. So I won’t spend too much time chit chatting... let’s talk about the routes and other details:

Tomorrow...

Assembly point: Garfield Sobers Gymnasium

Assembly time: 5:30am

Roll out: 5:45am

Longer route: Exit the carpark heading towards Sagicor and onto the ABC H’way. Just under 360 degrees around the Garfield Sobers roundabout and head towards town along Collymore Rock, all the way to the roundabout by the QEH hospital. Right to pass in front of the hospital and straight at the next roundabout to head to the Globe roundabout. Straight again to pass through Harmony Hall to the lights at Bridge Road/Station Hill/Bank Hall. Yup, straight again onto Station Hill and all the way to the Hothersal Turning roundabout via Waterford Bottom. Left onto the ABC H’way to the Warrens Motors/FCIB roundabout. Right and through Jackson to the BRC roundabout, keeping straight right (figure it out) to head through Cane Garden to the T junction by Lears playing field. Left onto Bibbys Lane and all the way to the triangle near Applewaithes. Right at the triangle but instead of going straight past Applewaithes as we usually do, take the first right turn by Applewaithes plantation to take the road back towards Locust Hall. Left at the T-ish junction and head up Market Hill to pass St. Augustine church and eventually the funny 4-cross before Groves. Straight right (again) to pass Groves agricultural station to the junction near Orchid World. Right and down Gun Hill as usual to the left turn by the St. George parish church playing field following the road to the Turnpike. Straight across to the Boarded Hall junction. Left and then right at the Y to head to Lower Greys. Right and past the Yorkshire junction to the Coral Ridge junction. Straight across (Newton Road) to the Newton/Chickmont roundabout turning right onto the ABC H’way and then left to pass through Bannantyne en route to St. Davids. Left and back to base via Kent and the gym entrance after Fort George.

Shorter route: Same as the longer route as far as the turn off by the St. George parish church playing field. Continue to Charles Rowe Bridge and left onto Salters road. Right to pass through Neils Plantation to the Norman Niles roundabout. Left onto the ABC H’way and back to base via Bussa and St. Barnabas, taking the left off the h’way by the LIME building to enter the gym complex between LIME and the blue building (I think it’s still blue).

Tuesday, November 30 for some fun on the road and then in the sun :-)...

For the roam (cyclists and support vehicle drivers):

Assembly point: Brownes beach carpark, Bay Street

Assembly time: 3:30am to 3:45am

Roll out: 4:00am (we need to make the most of the cool and the lack of traffic so please please please come on time to start at 4:00am promptly)

Bring along: In addition to the usual bike tools, spare tubes etc... a light (front and rear if you have both), water/sports drink and any other “food” you might need along the way – it’s a long ride. You might also consider wearing sun block. Feel free to wear Independence colours!

Route (in summary): Bay Street, through Bridgetown, Spring Garden H’way, H’way 1 thru Holetown and Speightstown (keeping on the bypass road), Six Mens, Moon town, Sutherland Hill, St. Lucy parish church roundabout, right to head back to and past Farley Hill, Greenland, St. Andrews parish church, Belleplaine, East Coast Road, Cattlewash, up to junction near St. Elizabeth School, keeping straight up and over to come back down near Andromeda Gardens (we are not going down into Bathsheba), Martins Bay/Newcastle, earth station, above Bath, Codrington College, left through Blades Hill, left at T near 3 Houses to Bayfield and follow the coast – Marley Vale, East Point etc. – to left turn towards Sam Lord’s Castle, Crane, Rices, Kirtons, St. Martins, Gemswick, Airport, onto H’way 7/Pilgrim Road (not ABC H’way) to Thornbury Hill, Oistins, Maxwell, St. Lawrence (main road not Gap), Worthing, Hastings and back to base at Brownes beach.

All that are capable are welcome to take part in the ride. We wouldn’t want to turn away anybody but it is a long ride and it is important that everybody be strong enough to make it.

For the picnic:

The fun spot: Brownes Beach, Bay Street

The fun starts: 9:30am

Bring along: CONKIES, sandwiches, drinks, ice etc. and of course swimwear, paddle ball sets, footballs, beach chairs etc. etc. In short, bring whatever will make it FUN for you. I'm definitely looking forward to hanging out with everybody so I hope to see you there :-)

I think that’s about it. If necessary I will send out another note with any additional details. If you need to reach me it would be better to call me at 231-5753 instead of sending an email.

That’s it for now,

See you tomorrow and then on Tuesday... if I don’t – HAPPY INDEPENDENCE!!

Adrian

Cruisers ride 27/11/2010

Cruiser,

The bike route for Saturday November 27th will start at Charles Rowe Bridge in St. George. This route is hilly and is approximately 53 kilometers (33 miles) long.

We will assemble in the car park of the Chefette Restaurant in Charles Rowe Bridge at 4:45 a.m. to start riding at 5:00 a.m. Please be there early so that we can start on time. Also please ensure that you have full safety gear especially a helmet and lights.

The actual route is:

Exit the car park and turn right onto Salters road. Turn right thru Rouens, turn right at the Norman Niles Roundabout onto the Highway and thru the Belle. Turn right at Hothersal, thru Jackmans, Bibby’s Lane, Exchange, Proute, onto Mount Wilton and Mount Wilton Long Road. Turn right at Todds Corner thru Chimborazo and Castle Grant.

Turn left at Coffee Gully onto Blackmans road, Horse Hill, Joy Road and thru Joes River. Turn right thru St. Elizabeth’s, Foster Hall and St. Margaret’s. Turn left into Martins Bay, onto Zores Hill, Newcastle Hill, and Clifton Hall. Turn left thru Gall Hill and turn left thru Glebe Land. Turn right at Coach Hill thru Sargeant Street, Sealy Hall and turn left thru Supers.

Turn right at Blades Hill, turn right at Three Houses thru Parish Land and Dodds. Turn right at Church Village, onto Cox hill and thru Cliff. Turn left at Rosegate onto Kendall Hill, thru Greens, the Mount, Ellerton and turn right at Turnpike thru Walkers. Turn left at the Glebe into Charles Rowe Bridge and the car park.

If you have any questions or suggestions call Livvy at 425-4516 or at 262-0476 or call me at 431-5691 or at 425-3387.

Ride safely,

Melvin

RUNNING CLINIC

Surfside Wellness Centre

RUNNING CLINIC

                        Learn how to Run

               Run your first Marathon before Age ???

            Saturday 27th November 4:00 to 6:00pm

 Location:  Surfside Wellness Centre    

                                      Wildey

All members and Non members Welcome

Fostering a Healthy Lifestyle

The Following is a post from Ross at rosstraining Food for thought Team!!

As a father of two, I’m amazed at how physically active children are by nature. My three year old son would play outside all day if we let him. He loves to run, jump, climb, wrestle, ride his bike, hit the bag, and throw the ball.

He often tags along at the gym and keeps himself busy by making up his own games and “moves” (as he calls them). When it is time to pack up and leave, he does his best to delay the exit. He always looks to extend the gym stay by a few more minutes.

My 15 month old daughter is following closely in his footsteps. One of the first things she wanted to do after learning to walk was put on her brother’s gloves and hit the punching bag. She was obsessed with her big brother’s gloves. My wife and I finally broke down and bought her a pair to help keep the peace.

She now brings the gloves and mitts to me. She smiles and laughs as she plays with them. And just like her big brother, she too is sad when it’s time to put them away. I’ve learned to distract her when it is time to clean up, otherwise she would keep the gloves on all day.

Lead By Example

I am not writing this entry to suggest that we push our kids to become champion athletes. If my kids want to play sports when they are older, I will support them, just as I’ll support them if they want to play the piano instead. I will never push them towards something they don’t enjoy.

Yet based on my own observations, it is clear that children imitate their parents. Their view of normalcy is based on what they encounter each day at home. I happen to be in the business of training fighters. My kids have seen fighters training here, and at the gym since day one. They are surrounded by a gym scene. It is both normal and fun to them. I first bought my son boxing gloves so he would stop taking dirty gloves out of the gym. He wanted to imitate what he saw around him. My daughter now imitates her big brother.

When my son was two, I asked him what he wanted for Christmas. He asked for a pull-up bar. Initially, I thought I misunderstood what he had said. But in fact he wanted a bar to imitate what he saw at the gym. Almost a year later, my son and daughter both pull at my leg to ask for a turn on the bar. We can’t get upstairs without one of them asking.

My kids find these physical activities enjoyable. I’ve never asked or pushed them to do anything. Kids by nature do what is fun. They will not actively do something that they do not enjoy. It is their nature to seek out and do what they find fun.

Responsibility

As a parent, it is my responsibility to prepare my children for the world around them. I don’t care whether they participate in sport or not, but it is important to foster physical, mental, and social development.

Unfortunately, many parents seem to believe their responsibility ends in the bedroom. I’ve met parents whose idea of entertaining their children is to sit them in front of the television. They don’t want to be bothered playing with their kids. They are too busy to play, yet oddly enough find time to update Facebook, track their favorite sporting teams, and keep up with their favorite television shows.

How do kids go from laughing and playing at the park to becoming sedentary, overweight teens and adults? It certainly isn’t natural. By nature, humans were born to move. Unfortunately, as children grow older, they are often encouraged to do otherwise. It’s easier to plop your kid in front of the TV as opposed to taking him outside to ride his bike or throw the ball.

Clearly, there are other causative factors, but the inactivity of our children is without question a contributor to the continuously increasing rate of adult obesity. Consider the link below for some recent statistics:

The Cost of Treating Obesity

It is sad to think that children who by their own accord would gladly run around all day will eventually become overweight adults. All too often parents look elsewhere for solutions, rather than taking a moment to ponder their own responsibilities. No one is more responsible for a child than the parents. It isn’t the responsibility of the school or government to develop a healthy child. Parents must take it upon themselves. The ability to freely move and enjoy the world around is something that all kids should enjoy. No parent should deprive their children of this simple pleasure.

We as parents need to take it upon ourselves to foster an active lifestyle for our children. Making time for active play is the most enjoyable part of my day. I wouldn’t trade those smiles for anything in the world.

I’m amazed at what many consider to be such a complex topic (ex. childhood obesity) is actually so easy to correct.  The first step is for parents to begin leading from the front.  Is that really too much to ask?  I can’t think of anything more important (to me) than my children and their health.  How could any parent think differently of their own children?

Parents need to wake up and take matters into their own hands.  They must put their children first and stop making excuses about what the world owes them.   They should instead worry about what they owe their children.

Cruisers Bike route for Saturday November 20th 2010

Cruiser,


The bike route for Saturday November 20th will start at White Park Road in Bridgetown. This route is flat with some inclines and is approximately 64 Kilometers (39 miles) long.


We will assemble in Illuminat‘s car park on White Park Road at 4:45 am to start riding at 5.00 am. Please be there early so that we can start on time. Also please ensure that you have a helmet and lights.


The actual route is:
Turn left onto White Park Road and onto Bank Hall Cross road. Turn right onto Bank Hall road, onto Bridge road and My Lords Hill. Turn left at the Norman Niles roundabout onto the ABC highway, thru the Belle, Warrens, Bagatelle, Arch Hall, Lancaster, Rock Dundo, Bakers and Warleigh.


Turn right onto Mile and A quarter and turn left thru Rose Hill and Farrs. Turn right onto the Charles Duncan O’neal Highway thru Portland, Diamond Corner and Castle. Turn left at Boscobelle thru Date Tree Hill, Graveyard, Pie Corner and Free Hill. Turn left thru Durhams and turn left thru Pickerings.


Turn left at Nesfield, thru Benthams, Colleton, Six Mens, onto the Speightstown Bypass road, thru Mullins, The Garden, Weston, Porters, Holetown, Paynes Bay, Prospect, Walmer Lodge, Black Rock and Eagle Hall. Turn right at Bank Hall onto White Park road and into the car park.


Call Livvy at 425-4516 or at 262-0476 or call me at at 425-3387 or at 233-0157 if you have any questions or suggestions.


Take care and safe riding,


Melvin

Run Barbados Series, 5 kilometer run!!!!!

Hi Team Iron Docs and future IronDocs,
Its Run Barbados Series time again, and of interest they have added a 5 kilometer run to the series so now no excuses for you runners who have been out there jogging on the road, on your treadmills and hiking. I know you were thinking the 10K is too far and the 1/2 marathon is too too long but now there is the 5 km run. This is the perfect distance for starting out and its in the morning too (0515hrs on the 5 th of December) so nice and cool without too many spectators spying on you!!


So lets take this event by storm and show Barbados we are attacking the root cause of Chronic Noncommunicable Diseases through movement, and leading by example. Contact us at Irondocs@gmail.com, our first training run is Sunday 21st November 0630hrs from Brownes beach.
All you need is a water bottle and some courage we will provide the motivation!!!!
See you there,
IronDocs Admin.

Astra's Weekly Hike report #2 !!

Astra’s hike report


Clinging to the old adage: it gets better the second time around; I arrived at our start point Bath St. John and surveyed the scene. After conquering Annette Hill last week I felt so buoyant I was ready for ANY challenge. We set off as usual at a brisk pace close to the sea shore and saw many beautiful underwater springs. It was during my admiration for the picturesque scenes that I sank ankle deep in wet mushy mud! I was unimpressed and so were my sneakers and socks however I was not the only casualty even IronDoc Charles lost a shoe to the mud temporarily. We kept on trekking thru the mud, thigh high grass and climbing over and under broken branches until we came to a clearing. I looked around took a deep breath saw what I knew would be inevitable: A HILL!


We began to climb the VERY VERY precipitous incline or should I say the group climbed and I struggled to make it to the top. Once at the top a reprieve came in the form of a water break! Bliss!


We charted a course for Newcastle Pumping Station. I should be honest here and say that I was given an escape route. The hikes are formulated so that everyone gets a challenge but not too much that they can’t complete. Apparently, these ‘escape routes’ are strategically placed to give just enough rest while the more fit press on. The other hikers had soooo much more work to do. But one day, I’ll get there.


Once at Newcastle Pumping Station we hiked through a gully and I have to say beside my tight chest, burning calves, and sweat drenched shirt it was so much Fun! For a girl who did not have much tree climbing days I was beyond excited to have to climb over all of the tree branches and other broken foliage which blocked our path. On exit of the gully we began to chart a course back to our start point. We jogged downhill and momentarily I was briefly at the top of the pack however that was short-lived. I’m constantly awed by the stamina of the more experienced hikers. While I was barely making it down the hill they had time to stop, do pushups and pose for pictures LOL. Here’s to hoping I can achieve that level of fitness with continued work.


Darkness descended and at minutes to 7 we returned to Bath. At hike # 2’s completion I’m feeling like Thomas: the little engine that could ☺.


I wonder what hikemaster IronDoc Charles is going to bring next. Whatever it is, I’ll be there and ready.

Cruisers route 13/11/2010

Cruiser,

The Cruisers’ route for Saturday November 13^th will start at Wildey in Christ Church. This route is hilly and is approximately 53 Kilometers (33miles) long.

We will assemble in the northern car park of the Sir Garfield Sobers Gymnasium at 4:45 a.m. to start riding at 5:00 a.m. Please be there early so that we can start on time. Also please ensure that you have a helmet and lights .

The actual route is:

Exit the Gymnasium, around the roundabout, thru Clapham, turn right at The Y, onto Upton, thru the Pine and Haggatt Hall. Turn right at the Norman Niles roundabout thru Rouens, turn left onto Salters road, turn left at Charles Rowe Bridge and thru Flat Rock. Turn right at Locust Hall thru St, Helens, Belair, onto Market Hill, turn left at Groves and thru Sweet Vale.

Turn left at Parris Hill, onto Airy Hill and thru Lammings. Turn right onto Braggs Hill, turn left at Castle Grant and thru Chimborazo. Turn right at Todds Corner, onto Melvin’s Hill, turn left thru Lower Parks and St. Sylvans (Dark Hole - there is road damage here but bikes can still pass). Turn left at Bruce Vale, turn right at Baxters, onto Mount All, White Hill, thru Hillaby, Farmers, Dunscombe, Porey Spring, Vaucluse, Shop Hill and Edge Hill.

Turn right at Sharon and thru Jackson. Turn left at Warrens onto the Highway thru Hothersal and the Belle. Turn left at the Bussa roundabout onto Mapp Hill, thru South District, Watts Village and Boarded Hall. Turn right at Windsor thru Lower Greys and onto Skeenes Hill. Turn right at the Ridge, thru Edey, Staple Grove, St. David’s, Kent and into the Gymnasium.

If you have any questions or suggestions call Livvy at 425-4516 or 262-0476 or call me at 431-5691 or 425-3387.

Take care and safe riding.

Melvin

Hike #2- Returning to the scene of the crime

Hi Team,
After a relatively "easy" start to the IronDocs series of Hikes; Hike #2  starts at Bath Car Park at 3:45pm sharp (returning to the scene of the crime). Lisa, Chetwyn and Astra received a special mention from the Hike master, and they are in line for one of our limited IronDocs tees presented to the most improved Hiker after 10 Hikes.


We have been receiving lots of queries with respect to the difficulty of the hikes, all we can say is that its not an ab lounge, its not a "take this pill and you will look like a fitness model in 4 weeks!" These hike challenge your body and your mind, they allow you to push yourself and feel proud when finished. No magic pills here, come stimulate your mind and your body, one thing we can assure you we wont leave you behind, start together finish together.


Safety, Safety, Safetyy-It got dark very early and everyone didn’t have flashlights! Once again bring your hydration, your flash light, a fluorescent vest if you have one. For those who don’t know the way, our Hike master Brian Charles is leaving Trimart Car Park at 3:15pm sharp Sunday November 14^th. Don’t be late.
BTW Astra we are looking forward to your commentary for hike number 2, in case you did not realise you are our official scribe, qualification; that lovely description of last weeks Hike!!