Noosa Classic Challenge Course

Noosa Classic route 

On 13 April, we took on the route of the former Noosa Challenge Classic, which unfortunately has not been held since 2022. With heavy rain the day and night before a number of riders pulled out at the last minute and in the end, there were only four of us – Grant, Terry and me from SCBTC and Damian from the Coolum Run Club cycling group. Miraculously the weather cleared in the early morning, and we ended up having perfect cycling conditions.

We set off from Tewantin bright and early and headed west to Gyndier Dr, a beautiful closed road with a gentle 3% gradient for 3km, and then out towards Cooroy the picturesque way via Sunrise Rd. Bypassing Cooroy, we rode on the Cooroy – Belli Creek Rd to the highest point of the ride at 246m above sea level before heading out to the lovely little town of Cooran. With half the distance and two thirds of the elevation under our belts, we pulled into the Cooran Community Store for some much-needed refreshments.

After refuelling we continued on to Kin Kin and braced ourselves for the biggest climb of the day, the former King and Queen of the Mountain up Cootharaba Rd. The 3km climb starts off fairly gentle but the gradients increase as you get closer to the top, with some short pinches of around 20%. From there on it was mainly downhill or flat. As KOM, Damian was tasked with leading into the head and crosswinds for the final 15 km back to Tewantin along McKinnon Dr, as we did our best to hang on with tired legs.

At 120km with around 1,600m it is a big day in the saddle, but with picturesque countryside and quiet roads it is well worth it and manageable for reasonably strong riders. We are planning to do it again later in the year so keep your eye out for it on the club calendar!

Ride leader: Paul McGuire 0439 757 861.