The Lovekin Sausage 17km – Early-Birds 2019 The course available to us in Kings Park, for some years now, is the stretch of Lovekin Drive between the Eastern and Western ends of Forrest Drive. The road is closed to motor traffic for the events and the start and finish is at the Pines Car-park about 400m from the city end of Lovekin; five clockwise laps of a 3.4km ‘sausage’ are needed. Registrations also are at the Pines and once racing begins, access needs to be by cautious use of the left-hand margin of the road. We are not permitted to ride on any of the various paths.

15.2km Climb Index: 9.8
We waited a long time to have a legitimate attempt at this course; maybe too long for some of us. And, to celebrate we produced our first profile map and offered a discounted 16km (because of the hill!). The start and finish were at the top of the hill in Forrest Drive, opposite the Pioneer Women’s Memorial. We turned left into Lovekin Drive and swooped down the long slope past the Broadwalk to turn left into Forrest and begin the climb back up to the top just as you passed the end of Park Rd and curved left; four laps of 3.8km each – no time to take it easy and enjoy the river views or wildflowers then. You can do that now on a cool down lap or two up and down Forrest Drive. Or do it on your warm-up but remember that the traffic detoured from Lovekin Drive will also be using Forrest Drive.

The B option 17.7km: used for several seasons before The Sausage became the only course available to us: assembly, start and finish, as now, was in the Pines carpark (430m west of the top end of Forrest Dve) and the Lovekin-May Dve circuit was ridden in an anti-clockwise direction; 3 laps.

Post-race coffee and cake at the Zamia is always enjoyable.

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