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.