I thought it was time to share another one of my favourite rides in the Canberra region. Like the Mt Majura climb I suspect this is not a well travelled route as I rarely see anyone else out there. Depending on the direction you take you will experience a completely different ride. Going in the clockwise direction will give you easier climbs with some really fast descents, namely Smith’s Gap going into Bungendore and the descent into Queanbeyan. The descent at Smith’s Gap is excellent the road is in good condition allowing for speedy descent. Without too much effort I was able to hit 82 km/hr. Obviously going the other way will lead you to having to ride up Smith’s Cap, while not in the same league as Black mountain or Mt Ainslie it is quite intense and will leave you short of breath.
As for the ride sections.
Federal Hwy – As most people in Canberra would know this is a commute in either direction. While there is a lot of high speed traffic the shoulders are wide and in good condition making it a popular ride in its own right.
Bungendore Road Bywong- An undulating section of road with no shoulder, however it’s a quite section of road so no real safety concerns.
Macs Reef Road – There is more traffic on this section but most of the traffic seemed to be heading to Canberra. the road at Smith’s Gap looks fairly new and in good condition. There is also a shoulder on this section providing space on the side of the road while ascending.
From Bungendore to Captain’s flat Road – Is flat and reasonably quite, at this time of the year an excellent section to take in the scenery.
Captain’s flat road becomes undulating again and there is more traffic on this road. Not my favourite section of road but I’ve ridden it enough times without incident. Then there is the decent into Queanbeyan to finish off with a bit of fun and the ride back into Canberra.
