The best way to escape the heat and still have a ride is to find a tall forest, and that’s what I did this morning. The Ourimbah State Forest has been on my list for a while, so off I went despite the 35-degree forecast. Its only 75 minutes north of Sydney and I was on my bike in the cool 7:30am morning air.

Like most forests and national parks, the views consist of trees and more trees, with a couple of mountain-top lookouts.

The Forest is a major mountain bking attraction with a labyrinth of tracks but I happily stuck to the main fire-trail that took me through the Forest and back via the beautiful Yarramalong Valley.

A total of 25kms in under two hours, then back in Sydney to beat the heat before morning tea. If you love the crunch of dirt under your tyres, you’ll love Ourimbah; safe and scenic all the way.