Queensland's Sunshine Coast has developed a reputation as a haven for holiday makers and those wanting a sea change. The location and lifestyle are also perfect for cycling and there's a bunch ride for every day of the week. Article courtesy of Ride Magazine... Click Here for Ride Cycling Review web site Article written by Ben Johnson

WE'RE SPOILT HERE. WITH ROUGHLY 300 DAYS OF SUNSHINE A YEAR most of the riders in the Noosa bunch don't "do" rain. And if you need anything more than a set of arm warmers and a section of the local paper up the jersey to keep the winter chills off the chest, it's far too cold to go training. But one thing is for sure, with cafe culture here in abundance, every ride in Noosa is a coffee ride!


I think a simple case of Mondayitis struck the bunch in the past and Tuesday was declared the official start of the 'training' week. But a local larrikin of the Noosa peloton Peter Charman, a , - boisterous, pint-sized jester with an infectious character, is an enthusiastic coffee connoisseur and thought it a perfect oppor¬tunity to slot in what he refers to as a 'pootle' - a flat, relaxed ride in and out of the Noosa 'burbs that takes roughly an hour.

The pootle could more accurately be described as a justified excuse to enjoy a coffee, after a ride on the shores of Noosa River. It's a great way to roll the legs over after the usual long ride the day before and ease yourself into the working week with a brew, or two.

Tuesdays we're goin' roun' Sunrise. Old faithful. It's a great circuit that goes out to Cooroy, through Tewantin on Noosa-Cooroy Road, over 'The Range' and loops around the undulating and challenging Sunrise Road that some of you might recall from the Bill Lawrie Memorial Classic. Then it's back to Noosa again.

All weekday rides start at Noosa Bike Shop, which is located on the corner of Thomas and Mary Streets, Noosaville. Tuesday's Sunrise loop has been one of the favourites over the years and it usually attracts the locals, the originals, the self proclaimed residents of the peloton. Some of the hierarchy of the Noosa group will surely be there including the ever present grandfather of the bunch Ron Stamford, no doubt.

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Ron is the owner of the local cinema complex and a keen cycling enthusiast. He has been up on Queensland's Sunshine Coast for years and is an encyclopaedia of knowledge when it comes to the names and faces that visit Noosa every year.

If you do have the pleasure of meeting the icon of Noosa cycling - one of the most gentle men on the planet - your name, address and line of work will undoubtedly be noted, literally, and forever remembered. Birthdays are never missed and you'll always feel welcome in the group when Ron's around. Now enjoying retirement he is also the local benchmark.


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