Cold, wet and windy Kinglake ride

Despite getting lost 3 times on the way to the Kinglake ride , I managed to get to the start on time. As I started to get ready I just hoped I had enough clothes for the conditions. It was supposed to be around 15C but at the start of the ride it was still only 6C with a light drizzle falling. I had on long thermal pants, long sleeve base layer under the “official” ride jersey. I also threw on some arm warmers and opted for the long fingered gloves. I figured  that once I started riding I would be warm enough but the chance of more rain had be a bit worried!.Unfortunately the ride started late so after standing around at the starting line for 30 mins my joints were getting stiffer and stiffer. Finally the starter’s hooter sounded and we began to shuffle forward. I soon got into a leisurely pace as we headed down a busy hwy out of town before heading into the rolling hills towards Kinglake.

Just as I began to warm up It started to rain steadily, I had to take off my sun glasses ( not that they were protecting me from the sun anyway) because I couldn’t see anything. The pace slowed down and the riders tended to bunch up and spread too wide for my liking. I felt uncomfortable sitting behind some of the groups weaving around in the wet conditions so I went around them and found a clear patch of road where I felt safer riding in the rain. At about the 40 km mark the rain eased, I was soaked through and feeling the cold, my nose was stinging. I pulled over for a quick stretch before i got to the hill climb, I refuled with a banana and a piece of fruit cake from my back pocket. Then it was on the road again in the rain to tackle the 7 km long hill, which was by far the longest I have ever attempted. To my surprise I was climbing comfortably and in a steady rhythm, I was passing far more riders than were passing me. I stayed in the large chain ring on the front and felt surprisingly strong. (I put it all down to the torturous spin classes these past couple of weeks.) As we neared the summit we were in a mist of cloud and drizzle,I looked around at the fire scared trees which served as stark reminder of the black Saturday fires that devastated the Kinglake area 2 years prior.

At the top of the hill we hit an intersection, the 70km ride option went left the 120km ride went right, with the cold rain  still falling the majority of the 120km riders seemed to be going left and heading back to the start/finish. I was here for the challenge and I figured that I couldn’t get any wetter so I turned right and kept going. Well I was wrong, the rain fell even heavier and the change of direction brought a change in wind on the exposed part of the course. It began to hail. Pea sized hail pelted my helmet and stung my face and ran down my back, on a steep ascent warning signs advising to go slow on the winding road down from the top of the hill. I didn’t need to be told twice, with my numb fingers gripping the brake levers I nursed the bike down from the hill onto the flats.

Once on the plateau the rain eased and the wind was now at our backs, with a straight even stretch of road and the feeling returning to my fingers, I upped the pace a bit more. There were less riders now so I was able to keep a safe distance from the riders in front there was no sense in drafting in these conditions. We were all enjoying the tailwind and a brief respite from the rain.

At the 88km mark I pulled over at the rest stop, the hail started again, a quick bite to eat and a top-up of the water bottles and I was off again. Coming out of the rest stop the course changed direction, the 45kmph+ wind coming at us from the left as we took on a short climb, it was a challenge to keep upright as the gusting wind conspired to push us over . My legs were getting heavy  and the cold was taking its toll on my joints, I began to regret stopping at the last rest stop.

20km to go and one last steep hill to climb, I reached for a power-gel (I not so keen on them  but all the cyclist are doing them now days!) and squeezed it into my mouth. I’m sure the effect was mostly placebo but I did seem to get a boost and made it to the top of the hill ( in the small chain ring this time!), there was even 15 minutes of sunshine before the heaviest of the hail storm hit. The hail was bouncing of my helmet and pinging against the frame of the bike, I just tried to hang on and kept going. He hail only lasted for a few minutes and was replaced by light rain. The rain finally stopped for the last  5km or so I just cruised on into town and across the finish line, all I could think off was a hot shower and sitting in front of an open fire place. I finished the ride in under 4hrs and 30 mins. I was very pleased with myself! I got home and my support crew had welcomed me home with warm hugs,  a roaring fire , a cosy  blanket and some hot soup, and that made it all worthwhile!

Check out my ride stats by clicking here 

Spin classes

I have been a bit slack with the updates of late but I have kept up the riding.  I signed up to do spin classes at a gym near my work. I thought the 45 minutes of riding a bike would be a nice supplement to my training on the days that I couldn't commute in. However after My first class I found that Spin or RPM they call it is bloody hard work!!! It is high intensity interval training with simulated hills based on resistance. The two young ladies that run the classes are super fit and look like they are ready to tackle the Tour De France. They bounce around to the frantic  music shouting out encouragement as the  doof doof beat becomes hypnotic.  Just when I think that I have the beat and can match my cadence the tempo changes " add another gear " the instructor yells as the class rises as one off their saddles and begins to climb. While I'm doing my best to keep up the pace,  the imaginary me is left languishing at the bottom of the imaginary mountain while the rest of the class is chasing the imaginary peleton over the peak of the hill. Even the imaginary down hill is no time for respite as we go into the "aero position" for an imaginary sprint to the finish line. (the longest 2 minutes ever!) After 45 minutes I'm drenched in sweat and there is a puddle of perspiration on the floor My legs feel like jelly but I think I'll do it again, but hopefully I can catch an imaginary tail wind on the imaginary mountain stage of that very real spin class!

Returning from Hong Kong

I spent the past week or so in Hong Kong on a business trip for work so there was not much riding going on! I spent a lot of time eating some awesome food ! my Hong Kong colleagues took me out for lunch for Dim Sum every day in all sorts of restaurants from  the 2 Michelin star Ming Court at the Langham Hotel  to a tiny back room in a dingy eatery in Sham Shui Po. As usual I ate way more than I should have and so my healthy eating habits went out the window for the week. I did manage 4 sessions on the hotels only exercise bike. With the local weather being 35c and 90% humidity the air-conditioning was on full blast and it was still a struggle, but with the thought of the next feast filling my head I soldiered on. Now it’s back in Melbourne and back on the bike this morning, I rode the 27k route to work this morning and got the cobwebs out , I hope to make the most of the unseasonably warm (19c) weather this week and get a few rides in. I’m conscious that the clock is ticking and the 120km ride in September and the 250km in October is fast approaching,  so I had better get cracking and rack up some serious Kms!

View from Langham Hotel looking towards the Peak (I-Phone)

Tour De France

I only managed one ride this week, travelling for work, lousey weather and staying up too late to watch the Tour de France has taken it's toll! I have managed to do a few rides on the trainer. Speaking of the tour tonight Cadel Evans is going for Yellow in the Time Trial. it's been a huge tour for him and he is well placed . GO CADEL!!!!

Kinglake 120km Ride

To see how I am going before the 250km "around the bay in a day ride" ATB,  I have decided to test myself out over half the distance just 5 weeks prior. The Kinglake ride is a 120km loop just north of Melbourne in the Kinglake area with rolling hills and at least one long climb, (so I hope to be fitter and lighter by then).  I'll be riding by myself, (unless there is anyone out there that want to join me!) Check out the ride by clicking on this link Kinglake 120km ride.

Psycho Possum

On the way home from work late last evening a near miss on Yarra Boulevard nearly spoiled my night. I was going down a slight decent at about  40 km/hr, there was no one in front of me and no one behind me. I could have been the only person on the road for miles around for all I knew. When a psycho possum choose the exact same moment I was passing by to attempt a kamikaze run across the road! In a reflex action I stood up out of the seat as if to jump and swerve at the same time. I’m sure it didn’t,  but it seemed like the possum ran between the front and back wheel!  In a split second I came back down hard on the seat and did my impression of the nutcracker! With tears welling up in my eyes I rode on, hoping that my falsetto voice would return by the time I got home! fortunately it did, and if I come across that possum with a death wish again it may just get what it is asking for!     

Chasing the fog

Each day I commute to work I keep a close eye on the weather. These past few mornings have been cold but dry with no wind, it’s been a joy riding in those conditions. Last night around 4:30pm I looked out of the window to see a huge bank of fog come rolling in from the south. It was a surreal sight with the sun going down and the fog rolling in.

Weird afternoon fog rolling in across Melbourne CBD (i-Phone)

What this meant was the temperature had dropped a long with the visibility. It made for an interesting ride home as I seemed to be chasing the fog eastward for most of the ride. Fortunately I have lots of reflective gear, three rear lights and good front lights, but it is still a little eerie riding through the fog along the bike paths. I got up this morning and found my front wheel had gone flat overnight, I must have picked up a slow puncture on the trip home. I was thankful that I didn’t have to deal with it last night!

Commuting free week

Last week I didn’t do any commuting on the bike, however I did get up early each morning and rode for about 45 minutes on the trainer before going to work. I had the weekend off from riding and caught up with friends which led to eating and drink too much of all the wrong things! All I can say was it was all worth it! sometimes you just need to take some time out to enjoy yourself once in a while otherwise all this training gets a bit boring! This morning was my first commute for at least a week so I rode in from the 28km mark. It was great to see a hot air balloon floating overhead about to land in the park on the Koonung trail between Doncaster and Bulleen Rds. The balloon was so low you could see the people in the basket taking pictures. It was a quick ride this morning and I was averaging 30km/hr for the first 15km which felt pretty good. Once I got closer to the city the pace slowed down a little as I got into the hills around the Yarra blvd, then there were more pedestrians on the path and traffic started to build up on the roads. The winter solstice is past so now I’m looking forward again to the time when I don’t have to stress if I have charged up the battery on my light long enough for the ride home!

Cycle Trainer

I dusted off an old magnetic cycle trainer and set up my bike on it. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to get on and ride for a while on the days I can’t commute to work because of meetings and whatever.  Even if it’s only for a quick 30-40 mins before I head off to work, or in the evenings, a least I’m doing something and getting my back-side used to sitting on the skinny little seat for longer periods of time!

Running out of Steam

Last week I began to get really fatigued, having ridden to work from 40km’s out a couple of times took its toll! I rode in to work one morning and by lunch time I had no energy, so I decided to leave the bike at work (in the secured bike parking facility) and took the train home. My support crew came to the rescue once again and picked me up from the train station and took me back to my car. I think it was a case of too much too soon, that and the fact that I probably wasn't drinking enough water. It’s a bit of a trap on the cold mornings, I get lulled into thinking that I don’t need to drink as much when it's cold, but despite being cold I’m still sweating a lot so I need to replace the fluids. So now that I’m re-hydrated and the bike has been resting at work, I hope to be able to ride it home again! fingers crossed!

40km commute

I increased the distance of my commute yesterday to 40km . I had to leave  about half hour earlier than  usual, it was still dark and there was thick fog but almost no traffic. It felt good to be back on my commuter bike and I made good time. I started to struggle at about the 30km mark on the way home,  I felt my hamstring getting a bit tight and stopped for a few minutes to stretch out a bit. By the time I got home I was exhausted but felt good for having done the ride, I went to bed early and slept like a log!  I’ll attempt to do the 80km return at least twice per week and see how I go!  I figure that to complete the 250km ride around the bay  it will take about 10-11hrs on the bike, so I’ll have to get used to sitting on the bike for longer periods of time. ( I just hope my butt survives!)

Bike repairs

I took a day of work to work on fixing the bikes so I would have no excuses not to ride. I cleared the bench at the back of the garage, and set up a make shift bike repair stand by putting the car towbar bike rack in the bench vice. I clamped the bike ( it has an aluminium top tube) so I could work on the bike without it falling over, I then laid out the tools , cranked up the radio and set to work.  On my commuter bike I replaced the broken front derailleur, fitted new pedals, replaced the bearing cones on the back wheel, adjusted the breaks, cleaned and lubed everything that moved, and fitted some race-blade mud guards (what an adventure that was!). The hybrid got a little less love and attention but  I managed to replace the broken spokes trued the wheel (well almost)and gave it a bit of a service. I’m now ready to hit the road! ( unless of course I can find some other excuse not to ride!)

Straying off the healthy path

This week has been a struggle to get on the bike, I  used the broken a spoke on the Hybrid as a lame excuse not to ride for a couple of days, the fact that the weather in Melbourne got colder and wetter made my decision to procrastinate easier!.  On top of that I fell of the diet wagon a few times, with celebrating my birthday during the week , going out for dinner, lunch and breakfasts , then  going to a black tie ball (with lots of good food and wine) sticking to healthy habits was definitely a challenge. I did manage to go to the gym a couple of times and get on a spin bike. On a positive note I have finally received the parts to my commuter bike. Hopefully next week will see me back on the road and on track to make it to the starting line for Around the Bay in a Day!

Return of the Cannondale Kid

Now that I have been riding more regularly I am beginning to see the same riders each morning. This morning I saw the return of the Cannondale Kid. So named because not only does he ride a very nice full carbon

Cannondale Road

bike but he is living advertisement for Cannondale. From his socks to his Helmet. He is always colour coordinated with his bike, (black and white). This morning he overtook me at Doncaster and I caught up with him at Bulleen rd, I don’t think he liked the idea of me catching up to him on my old hybrid so when the lights changed he took off as if he was in a sprint, cut the corner and jumped up the 8inch gutter on the road and back on to the bike path never to be seen again! Perhaps he was late for a Cannondale convention or something!

Broken Spokes and Bike Porn

I broke a spoke on my rear wheel on this mornings commute, I didn’t have a spare and I was still 20km from work so I just twisted it around another spoke and hoped for the best. Fortunately since the wheel has a high spoke count it stayed relatively true. So this afternoon I dropped into the closest of the city bike shops to pick up a spoke, this was not your regular chain store bike shop this store catered to the more elite cyclist, it was full of the more high end machines. It was like an exclusive designer house selling porn for cyclists! some bikes were worth more than my car! So I showed real restraint and ignored all the shiny machines and the latest bike bling and walked out with my $3 spokes. Maybe one day. . .  

Likes & dislikes about last night's ride home

• I disliked that it was sooooo cold riding home,
• I like that  it wasn’t raining,
• I disliked riding through the fog for 5 Kms,
• I liked the aroma coming from the Greek restaurants on

  Lonsdale St,
• I disliked the way those aromas made my empty stomach growl and my mouth water!
• I liked that there were no cars on Gipps St,
• I disliked riding passed all the pubs were people are sitting in front of an open fire,
• I liked that the young lady jogger chose to do stretches at the

  Hoddle St

  traffic lights,
• I disliked waiting ages for traffic to clear to get across

  Chandler Hwy,
• I liked that there were no other bikes on the path,
• I disliked the weird guy that jumped out of the bushes near Blackburn Rd (What the?),
• I liked the flashing lights on the collar of the black dog out for a walk,
• I disliked dropping my chain on that stupid little hill near Springvale Rd,
• I absolutely loved the Hot shower and awesome meal when I got home!!

Spin Bike

Too many meetings and other work commitments this week meant that I couldn't ride as much as I would of liked. I did manage to go to the gym a couple of times and get on a spin bike though!. I found doing 45 mins on the spin bike a bit of a challenge but felt better for having done it, and it might be a good alternative for those cold wet and rainy mornings! or at least until I get my commuter bike fixed (which is hopeful this week after the parts arrive from the UK)   looking forward to riding more often this week!

Warburton Rail Trail

Today was an awesome Autumn day in Melbourne, bright sunshine and a crisp 19^oC. I decided that I would ride the Warburton trail . It’s a rail trail which meanders through some beautiful countryside  East of Melbourne on the edge of the Yarra Valley wine region.  At about 9:30am ( I slept in!)  I picked up the Trail at Mount Evelyn , and headed east to towards  Warburton. My intent was to ride for about 20 km or so and turn around and come back. The trail was so inviting and the ever changing scenery made it easy to gobble up the kms and before I knew it I was 30km down the trail and almost at Warburton. So I just kept going until I hit the town centre. The town was buzzing and I discovered that I had arrived as the Warburton Nordic Festival was setting up. There was a small replica Viking village set up on the town lawn and several large men in furs and horned helmets were roaming the streets!   I found myself a seat outside of the “Three Sugars” Cafe  and had a relaxing cup of tea and read of the morning newspaper. The trail soon beckoned and I started the 33km ride back to the start. It was a great ride on a great trail , on almost the perfect riding day. I’m glad I decided to get off the couch and  do it, and I challenge you to find a trail near you and just have a go. Click here to see the route



Vinyard and turning leaves



The trail heading towards Mt Evelyn



Looking towards Warbuton



Long wooden bridge across the flood plain





Making Progress

I had a good week of riding this week managing to get on the bike  5 times for a total of 260kms! I’m feeling a little tired but not totally exhausted as I would have 2 months ago. My weight is down to 116kgs which is ahead of plan but I’m not complaining! Apart from upping the exercise I haven’t made drastic changes to my diet,  just cut back on some things, I don’t eat as much bread, I  have stopped drinking alcohol, ( which come to think of it  may have been a bit drastic!) I have  smaller portion sizes, I’ve cut back on chocolate ( which is the hardest part ) and no late night cheese platters during the movie!  and I’m  eating a few more vegies which has taken a little getting used to (being married to a vegetarian helps!). Well it’s working so far, every kilo I manage to shed before I go on the “Around the Bay in a Day” ride is a kilo less that I have to lug around for 250km, and every little bit helps!

Bike Path Karma

When out riding, if I see a cyclist on the side of the path tinkering with their bike, I always slow down and ask if they are alright or if they need help. I’d estimate that 95% would say that they’re OK and thanks for asking. However on the odd occasion they have welcomed a helping hand; I have given assistance to a few people that needed to borrow a tyre lever, puncture patch or bike pump and I have even helped change a tube for someone that had never done it before. I have also come across people that have just fallen off their bike and have need some help.

Sadly an offer for help is rarely reciprocated; for the most part, when I have had a puncture or mechanical problem people just ride past with barely a sideways glance.  However last night, just when I was beginning to think empathy and concern for fellow man was becoming extinct, two mystery riders restored my faith! . . .

On a quiet stretch of the Yarra Blvd last night, I got a small stick stuck in my spokes which made an annoying noise so I stopped to remove it and check my spokes, within seconds a rider approached, slowed down and asked if I needed help, no sooner did I say I was Ok, another rider on the opposite side of the road also stopped and asked if everything was alright. On this occasion fortunately everything was OK,  but it is heartening to know that there are still some like minded people out there that will go out of their way to help a stranger in need.

To those two gents, I thank you for taking the few seconds to ask!

Bike Friendly Workplace

I am very fortunate that I work in a bike friendly building. Our building has a basement car park and in the car park building management has fitted out a disused plant room for bike storage. The storage facility has swipe card access and is monitored by CCTV. The room has at least 50 bike racks, an air compressor for pumping up tyres, and a water cooler. Nearby there are shower and locker facilities. Without all of this infrastructure I would not be so convenient to ride to work. To get more people out of their cars an on to their bikes workplaces need to build more of the infrastructure to support their employees riding to work. In the end healthier happier employees are more productive employees!

This is the secure  bike storage room at work

Fog, Floods and Fallen trees

Last night before leaving work for my ride home, I logged on to the internet and checked the  weather radar closely. The band of heavy rain had now past the city and if I was to leave soon I would be following behind the worst of it. My clothes were still damp from the ride in but I had to suck it up and ride home anyway. The lack of any other cyclists on the way home should have been my first clue that this was not going to be a comfortable cruise home! As I leave the CBD I ride into a series of small hills, as the drizzle subsided I found myself in fog/cloud/mist, which was kind of creepy when there is no traffic, and no street lights to get your bearings, the fog didn’t last long before the rain started again. I was riding the old hybrid with a lot more tyre on the road than my commuter bike flat bar so I felt a bit more at ease with the slippery conditions. The Yarra and Koonong bike trails are prone to water pooling in places and, last night was no exception. Cruising through the drizzle I rounded a bend and lost sight of the bike path which was under about 20cm of water for at least 50 m,  I wasn’t up to attempting a cross country ride through the bushes in the dark, and since I was already soaked through, I just ploughed on through the puddle. Having got passed the water hazard I came upon tree fallen across the path. I managed to make it home tired wet, cold and miserable. My mood was lifted as I walked through the door and found that my wonderful support crew had drawn a hot bath and made me a nice cup of tea, it somehow may the ride in the rain worthwhile.   

Mid morning commute

Having broken my front derailleur last night I dug out the old hybrid from the shed. It’s a great bike for comfortable cruising, but it is sooooo heavy! This morning I had a dentist appointment so I didn’t have to leave at the usual time. Just as well since there was thick fog this morning until at least 10am. I drove to my Dad’s place which is about 20km from work and started my ride from there. By this time it was around 10:30am. It was interesting to note that the types of people using the shared bike trail at this time were completely different to those in the early morning. There were no commuters, joggers, dog walkers or kids going to school. They had all been replaced by  groups of our more senior citizens out and about along the trail, getting some exercise by walking or riding  (some doing Tai Chi). At one point I passed by a mini peloton of about 15 senior riders  of all shapes and sizes out for a leisurely morning cruise. It was great to see and very encouraging, I hope I’m as active when I get to their age!  

Broken Front Derailleur

Yesterday’s morning’s cold conditions meant there were very few cyclists or walkers out on the trails. I rode to work at a steady pace feeling rested after the weekend, which was just as well, since I was intending to ride home after my (semi) regular after work group workout session.  After work I fronted up to the park were my work colleagues are tortured by a personal trainer only to find that just two of us were brave enough to face the chilly evening air.  We did boxing training for an hour which, although exhausting, left my legs feeling OK for the ride home.

The ride home turned out to be one of my faster rides! At about the 12Km mark someone sat on my back wheel. I didn’t mind because he had a good light and it helped with my visibility on the trails. I pushed myself to go a little quicker than usual and he stuck on my tail. After about 7 km he pulled up along side asked how far I was going and offered to give me a tow!. (refer to previous post on Wheelsucker etiquette) to my surprise he was on a full suspension mountain bike with slick tyres. I was going flat out to keep up with him and managed to hang on for another 3kms until we reached a long hill, he then waved and took off disappearing into the night. I continued to go as hard as I could until just before the end of my ride disaster struck, I dropped the chain on a steep incline and my gears jammed. After fumbling around for a while I found that I had broken the front derailleur!  

Despite breaking my bike, I felt very pleased with myself having bettered my homeward commute by about 5 mins!

Cold mornings and wet rides home

Down 5 kilos since I started this challenge!!! woo hoo !  That's 5kgs less that I have to carry  for 250 km come October!  Although I don’t feel any different the commute has been a slightly easier each time. By easy I mean my recovery is marginally  faster and I don’t feel  as fatigued  until further into the ride. The pleasing thing is as long as I’m riding regularly I don’t have to be dieting hard, just eating a bit less and cutting out the late night snacks and junk food and exercising a bit more.  Keeping  up the motivation to ride as often as I can is the hard part! Last week were cold mornings and  wet rides home.  I hate riding in the rain at night but at least there are a lot less people to worry about on the bike trails!

I’ll be back on the bike tomorrow morning, I'm aiming for a 200km week.

Below are a couple of pictures from last weeks ride to work along the Yarra trail.

Fog, sun, punctures and wheelsuckers. . .

I have ridden two days in a row since returning to the Easter break. Yesterday’s ride started in a light fog, which soon lifted to a glorious Melbourne morning about 20c with no wind. Traffic was light and I didn’t see many bikes on the path until I hit the city. (Click here to see the route I ride to work).  The ride home was even quieter, hardly any bikes and very few joggers. All of the training I did eating Easter eggs paid off, because I felt pretty good for most of the way and finished the ride in 1hr 7min. Click here for the ride from work.

 This morning I started off the ride with a puncture, a bit of glass in the rear wheel was the culprit. I was only 100m from the car so I walked back and replaced the tube. (I have been carrying at least two tubes ever since I got 3 separate punctures on a 10 km ride!!). The first 10 kms were uneventful, my odometer decided to take a break 1.5 km in the ride so I couldn’t tell how fast I was going, so I sat on what I felt was a comfortable pace until I picked up a wheel-sucker!  I have no problem with someone drafting behind me (let’s face it, I can block a lot of wind!) but on narrow winding bike paths it can be dangerous, I was comfortable travelling at my speed and he/she made no effort to go around but stuck on my wheel for a good 8 km until they dropped off somewhere before the Chandler Hwy.  

At what point does ‘following behind’ become ‘drafting’? What is the drafting etiquette in such  situations, should have the drafter taken turns at the front with the leader? Should the drafter ask for permission before attempting said drafting manoeuvre? Should the drafter having drafted, acknowledge the leader with a nod, wink, wave, or simple “thanks”? should the leader attempt to blow them away on the next hill Lance Armstrong style (not an option in my case!)  perhaps I should suggest we get a tandem bike next time!!

To ring or not to ring?

I am a bell ringer. . . when riding my commuter bike on the “shared” bike path,  I’ll give one short, sharp “ding” of my bell as I approach from behind a pedestrian or really slow cyclist, just to let them know I’m there and about to pass. This has invoked many an interesting reaction from my fellow shared path users. The majority of joggers have their earphones in and music blaring so don’t notice me until I have already passed them. Then there is the seasoned bike path walking veteran that will give an acknowledging wave or the occasional “thank you” as I pass by. They are in contrast to the shared path novices that jump about a metre to the left gasp and stare disbelievingly as if they had never seen a cyclist before. Occasionally I get the romantic couple holding hands, who on upon hearing my courtesy ‘ding’ instinctively go in opposite directions at the same time (hmmm, might be saying something about the relationship!). The scarier ones are the dog walkers with those extra long leads, when the dog goes left and the owner goes right and I left with the decision to, hit the brakes, jump the lead or spend the next hour getting a Chihuahua out of my spokes. But today I had my first abusive response! Middle aged, sweatpant wearing, power walking “lady”, who upon hearing my approaching “ding” turned round and let loose a barrage of colourful language that would make a sailor blush! As I passed her and one of the many signs on the path saying “Cyclists please warn when approaching”, I cheerfully wished her a pleasant day and went on my merry bell ringing way!





Invisible Bike Shorts

If you are riding the Koonung  bike trail towards the city in the morning be on the watch for the middle age guy in the thread-bare lycra bike shorts,  I have heard of serious cyclists tying to keep the weight down to increase speed but wearing shorts that look like they were made out of fly-screen is taking things a little too far!  Lacking the necessary explosive speed to overtake him  but wanting to maintain a pace to get me to work on time I thought I was destined to have to follow behind this hairy butt crack  for the entire trip when he turned off the trail.  . . I need to develop some speed ASAP!

Riding to work

Well this week I managed my first of what will be many rides to work as I ‘train’ for the 250 ATB and I must say I was pretty happy with myself! The weather was fantastic, mid 20C’s with no wind. The morning was a bit of a struggle in with a chilli 10C. (I’m not looking forward to doing this in the winter!) Having recently moved house I now live about 45Kms from my work in Melbourne’s CBD. Since I live on the rural fringe outside the burbs there was no way I was going to ride all the way to the city, so I loaded the bike on to the car and drove about 15kms to a spot near a bike trail in Donvale and set off for the 30km trek to the office. Thankfully its downhill most of the way on a picturesque trail that eventually follows alongside the Yarra River. Getting to work was the easy part, the ride home at the end of the day was simple a long slog, my legs felt as heavy as concrete but with the consistency of jelly. I found myself glancing over my shoulder half expecting to see someone hanging on to the back of the bike slowing me down. I cursed at the hills and began to rethink the whole 250km ride, then I reached my car. After I cooled down and finished yet another water bottle, I regained enough strength to reflect back on the 60km that I had ridden that day and that’s when I thought to myself, I can do this!