Bike the Eastern Bays Sustainable Garden Trail - Sunday Edition
Description
Sustainable gardens by sustainable transport. What could be better?
Bike Eastern Suburbs is excited to be involved with the Eastern Bays Sustainable Gardens Trail. We have organised a group ride to visit a selection of the gardens. E-bikes and analogue bikes are welcome.
We meet at Bionic Bikes (244 Orakei Rd) at 9.30am on Sunday 22nd March. If you want to hire a bike from them, they open at 9.00 (allow at least 30 minutes to get fitted and sorted). The route will be announced once the list of gardens has been confirmed but will be about 25 km. Unfortunately there are hills involved - around 350 metres of elevation and some short, steep sections. People on non-electric bikes will need a reasonable level of fitness.
It is a no-drop ride so we will wait for everyone to regroup at regular intervals. We estimate it will take around four to five hours (depending on how amazing the gardens are). If faster riders want to leave the slower ones and take in a couple more gardens, then that can be worked out on the day. After that, feel free to head home, explore more gardens on the trail or plan a route to take in the rest of the gardens.
The route is partly on road, but we have tried to keep it to the less busy ones and use cycle paths where possible. However, there are a couple of busy roads to cross. We will have a lead rider and a tail-end Charlie who will bring up the rear.
What to bring:
A bike (of course)
Money - $2.00 coin per garden
Water
Sunscreen
Food or snacks. Depending on the day, we may stop at a cafe for refreshments
Bring a sense of humour, and a willingness to go with the flow.
Important Safety Information:
This ride is free and organised by volunteers from the local community. By entering you accept that you will have a safe bike, wear a helmet and operate your bike in a safe manner. Parts of the ride are on open urban roads. Parts of the ride will be on paths of various surfaces and widths. The organisers may ask you to go on some short sections of footpath. It is recommended that you push your bike on those sections. If you do ride on the footpath, you accept any liability for doing so. You must obey all instructions from ride leaders or marshals. Stay behind the leader at all times. If you want to leave the group, notify the leader so we don't look for you. The leader will be carrying a small first aid kit.
Each garden will have safety advice such as steep steps, banks or slippery surfaces. You must listen to instructions from the garden owners and the marshals. Marshals may be assigned to watch your bike, but ultimately, you are responsible for its security. Bring a lock.
FAQs
- What if it’s raining?
It’s summer in Auckland. We get wet, then it stops raining and we get dry. If it’s forecast to be torrential rain and high winds we will cancel. If you have registered, we will email you.
Keep an eye on the Bike Eastern Suburbs Facebook page for notification in the morning.
- What about security for my bike?
You will probably be able to walk down the driveway and leave your bike off the road at most gardens. There are helpers at the gardens who will mind the bikes for us. Bring a lock if you are at all concerned.
- Can I bring my kids?
It’s about 20km and some riding on the road, so if they are small enough to carry them on your bike, that’s fine, otherwise it’s probably only suited to kids 13 and over who are experienced at riding on the road.
- I’ve never ridden in a group, what if I can’t keep up?
This is about the experience, it’s not a race. We will be riding at a slow pace and will stop frequently to make sure everyone stays together and we cross intersections safely. If you do feel unsafe or want to pull out for any reason, please tell the leader so we don’t look for you.
- What if I want to ride fast and see more gardens?
No problems, just tell the leader you are leaving the group so we don’t send out a search party, and we will let you know where we're finishing up.
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
