Melbourne: Around the Bay in a Day 2010
Well it’s that time of year again; the weather is improving, the CycloSportif’s are finishing their seasons, the criterion season is looming, and everyone is getting back out on their bikes. It’s a great time to be a cyclist. Oh, and the annual Smith Family Around the Bay in a Day ride is on in Melbourne. So like last year I jump on the plane and head east to ride around Port Phillip Bay again. It’s a big ride (210km+), but mostly flat so it’s do-able. This year though was different to last; one I was going the other way around and two, Marnie was coming with me.
So how did I go?
Not bad really, but I did get lost a few times and my Garmin ran out of power 3/4 of the way around. Oh, and the weather was sucky, and I hadn’t done nearly enough preparation as I should have. Other than that it was a great ride. I actually finished over an hour faster than last year, so that was a good achievement.
Australia’s Cycling Culture
I sit here eating my lunch looking out the window of the lunch room enjoying the beautiful vista of Perth’s Swan River. All I really want to be doing is getting out there and enjoying this wonderful winter sunshine. For me I’d chose to enjoy the sun on the back of a bike. Cycling around our wonderful city. For others they may chose to walk/jog around the river shores or perhaps just lazy in the sun with a good book. Sounds great huh?
Whilst enjoying this view and letting my thoughts wander; my eyes are draw to the mass of cars, trucks, and buses clogging up the southern freeway all clamouring to cross the Narrow’s Bridge. Do the drivers of these vehicles even notice the sunshine and river? Would they consider getting out of their steel coffins?
CycloSpotif: Swan Valley
I don’t know about everyone else, but the weekend just gone in Perth was friggin’ FREEZING cold! Ok, it wasn’t as cold as those place that regularly get snow, but for us here in the west, anything close to 0°C is too damn cold!! Other than being cold, the weather on the weekend was actually very nice; for winter. At least it wasn’t raining like last year! 
So the weekend arrives and we all gather at the shop for a Saturday morning ride. The temp is somewhere south of 0°C. Some ppl quick duck into the shop while Dave (the owner) is getting his bike ready and make some quick purchases (ie, gloves, warmers, etc…), then off we roll. I was so glad I decide to wear my shoe covers; it kept the chilly air out of my shoes and freezing my toes off. This was just a warm up to prepare us for the Swan Valley CycloSportif the next day. I think it warmed up a little by the time we got to the coffee shop at about 8am: 3°C. 
So the next day we head to the Swan Valley. As I virtually live in the Valley, some of my team decide to drop in to my place and ride to the course from there; about 10km’s away. The perfect distance for a little warm up. As we weren’t starting until about 10am, the temp was a barmy 6°C…
Cycling in the wet
Well winter is finally here. 
It’s not the cold weather or the lack of daylight hours that annoy me; it’s the darn rain! There’s one thing I really can’t bring myself to do and that’s riding out my front door when it’s raining!
I know I should just HTFU and get out there; it’s only water after all. But, I just can’t bring myself to do it. I tell myself that there’s always tomorrow…
I suppose one of the reason I give myself for nit going out un the wet is that the chances of crashing is much higher. Also, all those numpty drivers get worse when there is rain around. I mean I need to be safe right?
Oh and then there us the pain in the arse if cleaning the bike afterwards (though I bought a cheap fixie to reduce this pain). Also, the idea of dragging on cold wet clothes for the ride is not very appealing.
Does anyone else cycle to work? Do you ride in the rain?
Well I hope tomorrow is a better day. I can feel myself begining to go a little stir-crazy with being off the bike. If I don’t get out there by the end of the week I might bite someone. :s
Am I alone in this desire to get outside and do…something…, but can’t bring myself to do so because the weather isn’t so nice? Or am I just procrastinating?
The Single-speed Trainer
If you live in a modern city you’ll see these mad bike couriers zipping along on single-speed bikes. Most are converted road or track bikes and are generally of the fixed wheel variety. Those in the scene know them as: fixies!
Well, I’ve jumped onto this craze. Mad huh? 
At first glance you could say that. In fact most of my non-cycling friends and acquaintances think I’m mad for shaving may legs, squeezing into skin-tight Lycra, and choosing to ride a pedal powered vehicle to work in traffic! I digress…
So what is it about riding a single-speed bike that appeals?
Perth Drivers…Numpties!
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting Perth, Western Australia you’ll have noted a number of things:
- The weather here is beautiful! Especially in summer
- The people are generally friendly and laid back
- Public transport is a joke (unless you are near one of the train lines, in which its actually not bad)
- Shopping hours are absurd! No Sunday trading; apparently we all go to church on Sunday’s! :s
- The drivers in Perth don’t have a friggin’ clue!!!
For those who don’t live here (or don’t venture out on the road), let me explain:
As far as I know ALL modern cars (ie, post 1950) have the following items as standard features:
- Rear-view mirrors: no-one here seems to understand what these are for
- Indicators: normally used to tell other drivers what you are going to do (not what you’ve just done or what you plan to do in 20 minutes!)
- Accelerator pedals: apparently these make the car go faster?
- Lights: typically used during times of darkness or foggy/overcast days to allow other drivers to see YOU!
So why is that drivers here still don’t understand how the above items work?
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