Preparation for the ride
Accommodation
Please organise your own accommodation. There are many options available.
Weather
According to the forecast both Thursday and Friday will be fine with a minimum of 16 deg C and a maximum of 24 deg C.
Dinner and Start times
- Dinner Wednesday evening at O'Maras
Some riders and in a few cases their non riding partners are coming up on the Wednesday are planning on dinner at O’Mara’s. We are meeting there at 6pm. I will book a table for about 10 people at 6pm. There is an event on the calendar for this dinner. If you wish to join us please register for the event, including any non riding partners - it helps me track numbers.
- Start Time (09:30hrs) – meeting at the Visitor’s Centre, 28 Leslie Parade. Stanthorpe.
Please note that we are delaying the start until 09:30hrs (09:00hrs for e-bikes) to give some riders enough time to drive up from Brisbane.
There are plenty of coffee shops around if you need a coffee before starting.
Day 1 - 61.3km ride (789m)
This ride goes out along the same route we normally take but turns right at about 3.5km out up Mt Tully Road. It is a steady climb for the next approx 6km (similar gradient to a rail trail) but it is paved. At 11km we lose the bitumen and we head mostly downhill until 34 km where we reach the viaduct across the Storm King Dam - this is where the infamous BBTA website homepage photo was taken. From there we ride in reverse direction to the way we normally come to the dam. At about 43km we turn right off Sugarloaf Road following some back roads partially following Quart Pot Creek into the back of Stanthorpe at 51km.
The next section is optional. We head west for approximately 5km arriving at the Granite Belt Brewery and imbibe on a refreshing ale, either a paddle or pint, to wash the dust out of our throats. It is then 5km back into town for a snooze before dinner.
Day 2 - 34.1km ride (289m)
This ride heads out the same way as we have done previously on Day 2 on paved roads but simply takes a shortcut via unpaved road after 11.5km turning right off Cannon Creek Road into Dunn Road. After 7km of unpaved surfaces, we get us back to the little township called “The Summit”. From there we pop under the railway bridge and follow the normal Day 2 route via the Old Warwick road back into Stanthorpe for a coffee or lunch.
You can download the rides GPS files for your Garmin from our club Ride with GPS at
Day 1
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/54262298?privacy_code=vUgGkaB6zHTWckM0sgTe3lEhjxRUgJfo
Day 2
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/54262453