On the Road
Roads / Traffic
Around the Orange region the roads are predominantly chipseal with varying degrees of smoothness. The last few wet years with have resulted in increased patching and some extra potholes.
Many of the road routes follow quieter roads, sometimes single lane, so expect little shoulder. Riding single file is highly recommended on higher traffic routes and a must if you venture on to the highways.
The majority of local drivers are courteous and will pass you with plenty of space. Please thank drivers who make an effort to pass you safely, it will be appreciated and will help improve the cycling community’s standing amongst locals.
When riding in small groups of two to four we will normally swap from two abreast to single file when a car is approaching, helped by an alert from the Garmin Radar. It is appreciated by drivers who normally reciprocate by passing with space.
Roadworks & Closures
The routes on this website cover Orange, Cabonne and Blayney Council areas. Check livetraffic.com before you set out. Orange Council also provides details of current roadworks on their website. You can view current road closures in the Blayney Shire here. Cabonne points you to livetraffic.com.
Road Gear Recommendations
Tyres 25mm+ with lower pressures, run tubeless or with supple tubes like latex. I run 25mm F / 28mm R Conti GP5000’s with latex tubes set to 63psi front / 65psi rear. On our roads a few psi can make a big difference in comfort. Both the SRAM and SILCA tyre pressure calculators are a good starting point.
Always carry food, water and spares. I use a Garmin Varia Radar and it has been invaluable, I can’t recommend it enough for use on country roads.
In the country it pays to go for visibility – daytime running lights and brighter clothing.
Wildlife
Common in forested areas. Kangaroos and the odd wombat. Be careful descending Mt Canobolas or through the pine forest descent on Back of Mine. Keep an eye out for dogs, especially in the smaller villages and on quieter back roads.
Magpies
Swooping season starts in Orange late August / early September. Birds at a lower elevation and those more dedicated to the cause start swooping earlier. I am in the process of adding locations for the worst offenders to the Ride with GPS route maps. magpiealert.com is an excellent resource for locating this years (and previous years) attacks.
For cyclists the top dog Orange magpies include Forest Reefs, Borenore and Mitchell Hwy / Harvey Norman.
What to Wear
The eternal question. I spend far too much time making this decision. Here’s a rough guide to my choices based on temperature. To help with the decision I use the app Epic Ride Weather for forecasting the weather on routes and rides. Highly recommended.
The following clothing recommendations are based on the temperature range in which most of the ride is spent.
Note: if you are heading west, the temperature will be around 5°C warmer once you drop down from the Orange plateau, possibly more in Summer.
Above 23°C – short sleeve jersey with no base layer and if it’s really hot some lightweight bibs.
18°C to 23°C – short sleeve jersey & summer base layer. Regular weight bibs.
14°C to 17°C – either short sleeve jersey + base layer + light gilet or thermal short sleeve jersey (Black Sheep SS Elements) + base layer. Regular weight bibs. Light merino socks.
10°C to 13°C – thermal short sleeve jersey + base layer + arm warmers. Gilet. Lightweight full finger gloves. Thermal short bibs (Velocio Thermal Bib Short). Light merino socks. Possible toe covers.
5°C to 9°C – as above with leg warmers, winter weight socks, a second base layer (warmer) & toe covers. Merino glove inners with lightweight gloves. Thermal headband.
Below 5°C – two base layers (summer vest under long sleeve winter weight) + long sleeve winter jersey and jacket / gilet. Bib tights. Winter socks. Neoprene booties. Winter gloves. Merino beanie.
Winter 2023 Update – when the temp is cold and staying under 8°C i’m currently wearing Pedla Core Superfleece Bib Tights, MAAP Force Pro Winter LS Jersey, and MAAP Team Base Layer under a Merino LS base layer. I recently added the Pedla MicroTech Jacket which has a snug fit, does an excellent job of keeping the cold wind out and is very breathable. Then merino beanie, light gloves with merino inners and neoprene booties.
