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Great ride with a stiff little climb in the middle and a fabulous descent off the plateau.
A bit under 60km, mostly through farmland.
Head west out of town along River Street (or the parallel Kalinga street for less traffic). Turn left into Burns Point Ferry Rd and ride to the end to catch the ferry across the river. FREE for bicycles!
Off the ferry follow the river to Wardell and cross the lift bridge over the river. Turn into Byron St to access the footpath or continue to the end of River Rd and turn right onto the old Pacific Highway.
From the footpath at the northern end of the bridge turn right and loop around under the bridge, up a small rise and the tennis courts. There is a toilet here and also water. Continue following this road - Wardell Rd.
If crossing the bridge using the road, continue over the bridge and take the first left and follow this along to the intersection with Wardell Rd.
Follow Wardell Rd towards Alstonville over the motorway and up a couple of little hills and keep going until you see Marom Creek Hall on the left. Turn left here into Marom Creek Rd and then follow this to the end. There is a T intersection and you want to go right, up the hill.
This is the climb of Devil's Elbow, a little used road and the surface is a bit rough in places.
The climb winds around for about 2-3 km up into a narrow valley with a sharp turn across the creek (the "Elbow") and back around the face of the hill and out onto the top of the plateau near the hamlet of Rous Mill.
Turn left at the top of the climb and follow the road through a sharp right, then a left-tight dogleg across Dalwood Rd onto Rous Rd, then at the end left into Wardell Rd and right onto Uralba Rd and down Uralba hill dscent (Strava) to come out on the Bruxner Highway a little to the west of the Pacific Highway interchange.
Turn right onto the Bruxner Highway, pass under the Pacific Highway onto River Street and head back into Ballina along Kalinga St and the bike path over the canal.
PLEASE NOTE: While this route can be ridden in either direction, a number of riders have come to grief descending Devil's Elbow. Uralba Rd is a much more enjoyable descent.
Alternate Route: At the end of Rous Rd, turn left and follow into Alstonville. Comes into town right behind the Federal Hotel. Go right to the roundabout, straight through that to another tiny roundabout just before the Bruxner Highway. Turn left at that roundabout into Teven Rd. Stay on Teven Rd all the way to the bottom of the hill. Just before the bridge Teven Rd turns right and continues along the side of the creek to come out near the BP Service Centre at the main Ballina off-ramps on the Pacific Motorway.
There is a parallel North Teven Road with a nice climb in it. Instead of turning right before the bridge, cross that bridge and the next one and then turn right.