All Clear

The doctor (GP) gave me the OK to start riding and building up the distances (very slowly) so away we go. Starting at 10 kms each day monitoring the knee for swelling and pain. But I wont be pushing it in case it plays up before we take off for Sri Lanka in January. It is going to be hard with the three of us pulling in different directions with our own expectations but we should make it through unscathed. Well here's hoping anyway.

Journey

Well, I'm off to the big smoke today for a few days via Grafton and the Central Coast.... taking the Cypress.... try to add some posts if I get rides then access and time.... later

Bike2Bruns Ride Report C-

Well what could you say? The event, to me was a quite over-rated affair.

A number of standouts being..

• Totally unco-ordinated


• Losing a bike rider less than 5kms from the start!


• No signs or signallers at critical intersections.

these were for the ride itself, which featured for me at least a couple of brushes with Eastern Brown Snakes and a 2 foot Goanna although NO Magpies! Also a long slog against an ever increasing NE headwind on the return ride (25-40 km/hr) with no shelter by anything resembling hills!

The Event, at which I lasted 10 minutes, was also, as classified by me, as...

• General feeling about the event - "A big group hug, with indifference to outsiders".


• Lacking general information for "Guests" (ie upon arrival, which was done in drips and drabs by the riders of Route #4 because of the lost rider [who was found safe and well riding with the leader], there was no marshaling areas etc)


• The person on the registration desk at the end was more interested in talking to their BUG mates than providing any pertinent information, even when queried!


• There was far too limited secure/safe parking


• Everything seemed disjointed and chaotic.


• Rider leaders etc were more interested in BUG fundraising by way of a raffel than the actual Bike2Bruns event.


• If you didn't want to join their BUG then and there you were conveyed a pleasant feeling of irrelevance with a casual air of indifference. (ie left standing there with the same "You are dismissed" feeling you get after receiving a tongue lashing from a headmaster.)

All up a nice enough very FLAT 60 kilometer ride spoilt slightly by the addition of a lot of unnecessary crap. It will be quite a while before I bother to undertake another group ride such as this.

Brunswick Social Ride - Byron Shire BUG

After doin' a Google about Bike Week NSW  I came upon only one fairly local location that seems to be doing something about it, I found nothing available in the Tweed Shire. I've read details of routes and timetable available at both www.byronbug.org.au and www.brunswickheads.org.au

I have phoned and registered myself for the "BIKES TO BRUNS" - Sunday September 28th. Just to see what an organised ride is like, Organised by BSBUG with the Brunswick Chamber of Commerce.
Planning is well advanced,  they still require more ride leaders for this fun event - please contact NickBowden on 0427 620 711 or MikeWall can be contacted for registrations and Information regarding the Billinudgel - Route (4) on 0413779223

Route #4 8:45am, Departs the Pocket via Ocean Shores (16km) but riders, I have been informed, can join at various stages along the Route, registering early will reduce unnecessary enroute delays. They invisage the ride to be SLOW paced as there will be riders of all ages and abilities! For anyone interested....

Route #4 Start -> Pocket, Billinudgel, South Golden Beach, New Brighton, Ocean Shores, Bruns; Total Distance of 16km (there is a hill! ie getting through Ocean Shores to the Brunswick River Bridge, with the Estimated Times of...

8:45am   - Junction Pocket Road & Middle Pocket Road
9:00am   - Billinudgel Shop
9:20am   - South Golden Beach Shop
9:30am   - New Brighton Shop
9:40am   - Ocean Shores Shopping Centre
10:00am - Brunswick Heads

Therefore an avg speed of ~12km/hr

You will need to make your own way home.Remembering that if you ride the Wooyung <--> Golden Beach Track you will probably have to contend with the head wind the whole way home along the Wooyung to Pottsville Coast Road! Be forewarned and take plenty of water!

I might be riding my ElwooodSE 2007 for the last time as my main bike before I get my 2009 Cypress, Hopefully!! But might consider riding the old Royce Union depends on the wind and if I feel like a low tide Beach ride on the way home. But 16kms along the beach exposed to a howling North Easterly would not be fun! Nor would it be good for the bike!

Images of What Might Be - Hell's Hole Route

Just a lot of images from Google Maps to try to Find the way

[gallery columns="1" size="thumbnail" link="file"]

Byron Ninjas

Just got back from a late job at Suffolk Park, just South of Byron Bay, and my God! the number of Ninjas riding into, around and out of the town center was astounding (maybe a little strong!) but still very surprising seeing the number of cyclists riding, mainly the bike paths, without lights and/or helmets some with a manditory slab tucked under one arm, on a Monday night!.

To add to the surprise as I was just about to reach the 80k/h zone there was a member of the local constabulary booking a Car Driver. Obviously they do not enforce the bike ridng rules as stringently in the Bay!

Mid April Musing

Just a rambling post...

Been in Sydney for a couple of days this week and on both days walked from Broadway to North Wynyard via George Street and Pitt Street. On the way I took note of all the bicycles I saw and there riders. The traffic was dense and the number of riders was in the 50's. But there was a noticeable disregard for road rules about 1 in 5 wore no helmet others rode on footpaths and on the wrong side of the road snuck through red lights rode through pedestrians etc It was a bit of an eye opener... There didn't seem to be any bike lanes or routes available.

And yet during peak hour there was a lot of riders blending into the traffic with safety and consideration... But the ones that were doing the wrong thing will be the ones remembered and talked about by car/truck drivers thus the stereotyping of bicycle commuters as arrogant law breakers... the few spoiling the whole reputation.... All I can say is I am glad I don't have to ride in the exhaust filled chaos that is the center of Sydney roads.

The rest of my time seemed to conspire against me getting a ride in every day this last two weeks but still managed to get in a fair few kilometers. But I will need to put in some extra effort this week in prep for next weekends little adventure....

Anticipating the tunnel treadly trip I sourced a site with a couple of images its Burringbar Range Tunnel to see the ride conditions.... not a problem as it would only be a couple of kilometers of pushing...

Below is a couple of images from that site.






Some of the track seems to be a bit overgrown!

Some of those contacted have shown varied degree of enthusiasm but I will go on my own if all find better things to do that day.....

Another Place - in the city

I have just returned from a trip to Sydney (by myself).... Took the treadly with me... On the rides I took, only 90k in total distance,  the experience that stood out the most was "the wave"as per my habit I would raise my hand when passing but the fellow rider reactions were quite varied. With not one of them returning a wave. After the first few passings I decided to do a bit of a study as to the reactions of the other riders. 

The most common and usual eyes not moving from their head down forward stare was the most common, it's possible they were at one of the only places they could really feel alone with so many cars and people every where all the time. They are excused and deserve my pity. Then there was the blank stare back in disbelief  at being communicated with, followed by what turned into a look of total disgust, again hard to say but on the Peninsula in Sydney with so many BMW's and Alfa's...... 

Then there was the diametrically opposite end of the spectrum. Exemplified by the shocked, surprised look of disbelief on their faces and the staggered jerk of the front wheel seeming to say  "What! you are acknowledging my presence? It can only mean that you know me but I can't seem to  place you!"  ya gotta luv the city...

The only other thing I noticed worth a mention was discovering (like the way Captain Cook discovered things that were already there) all the shared road space where bikes actually have right of way! This came as quite a shock!  Cars actually giving way to bikes! and so many 50km/hr streets made you "feel safe" even although I am sure it was a false sense of security.