Last Day of Winter

Tomorrow is the official last day of winter. The days have been starting to be really nice but now the dry strong spring winds will be getting up and then the fires start. This week, being the last before permit season, has been bad and the next few days will be much worse. Riding will start to need the increase in winds usual for this time of year and the sunscreen will need to be packed on long rides. That is if i get to do any :( bloody old age.

I have been lucky this year no bombardments. Even though there are a family of 6 magpies in the yard! Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer.

Sun-day

Rode with Mark and Peter up to the top of cudgera creek rd on Sunday arvo. It was ok the knee was ok until right on the last short rise over th turf farm hill.. but it was at times a quick ride. We returned alomg the freeway untill the Round Mt overpass and then scrambled up the real steep rocks under the overpass. glad it wasn't wet it would of been really slippery. Anyway it was good to stop thinking about the bloody election. Cudgera Creek was also not much different to the way it presented a couple of weeks ago when I rode it. Smooth with little loose gravel -- having been only re graded and rolled last month. A couple of the corners were starting to show corrigations but they were avoidable in nearly all situations.

Also rode a rough track through the Cudgera Reserve throught to creek street and around back to Round Mountain Rd on Saturday when I rode down to Bogangar Public School to cast my vote.

Have bought a new bike computer from Caba Cycles to replace the rubbish Aldi one on the Shogun commuter. I bought it for $18 last year and as it needed new batteries at $15 it didn't seem worth it as it was only really working as  a speedo with a pretty erratic accuracy the odometer was way out with it recording 99km/hr often when it picked up interference. Not that I expect much better results with the echo only costing $70.

And I have bought a set of lights from Cell online and they should turn up soon so I will be able to restart night rides again soon.

Summer winding down

I've had the shogun commuter returned via Jeff on his way home today. I've had to work back until after 1800 the last 3 nights and wanted to get at least one commute in this week. So tomorrows the day. Meant to be mild easterly in the morning and a hot tail wind for the ride home.

Each arvo this week the family including the dogs have been getting a short 4km Skateboard, ride and run to the end of the road. The only one of us to take it easy was little legged Jessie sitting in the front basket after a distance of 500 meters not bad for a 13.5 year old tubby little dog. The temps have been a pleasant 28°C and slightly cloudy to match with a weak southerly.  

The excessive heat finally starting to show signs of releasing it's grip has shown in the number of cyclists appearing on the Tweed coast cycleways. shame that most of who see fit to disregard the mandatory NSW helmet law. The police if they cared to would have a field day. I have not heard of anyone being prosecuted once, twice etc

Minyon Congestion

Saturday was a new experience riding over mainly known territory. The ride started at 6am with Mark arriving at 6:30 to pick me up on the way to Mur'bah to then pick up Rod. We were all going to attempt a Minyon Marathon (quite a stupid name, to me anyway). Mark and Rod do the 40 kilometre and I selected the 20. The starts were staggered by 5 minutes to avoid collisions between riders climbing and descending the same section of gravel road!

The 60 k started close to on time and the 40k left 5 minutes later etc. Riding from Rummery Park(300 meters) along Peates Mountain Road to about 500 meters along a loose gravel well maintained fire tail for about 3 kilometres then everyone turned down a side "track" to descend Plot Fire Road, through various undulations, to about 200 meters over 5 kilometers then circled around and climbed back to the top of Perlite Road about 450 meters  and 4 kilometres and back to the start/finish line. As I cruised through the first place getters of the 20 kilometre "race" were finishing, I'd ridden 16ks and still had a climb to go and they had finished their 20. The route was then to take a slightly technical "single track" but this was cancelled at the last minute instead the main track to the crossing of Minyon Falls was used including cars!

All riders continued up, to 375 meters, towards Telephone Road for 2 kilometres. Just before the summit the 40-60 riders split toward Boundary Road which Mark and Rod took, I continued back the finish line at Rummery Park. taking by my trip-meter 1hr 42mins but it mustn't read time below about 2 kilometres-an-hour because my time was 2 hours+, finishing just before the first 40k rider finished a good1/2 hour ahead of all his competitors.

I only got off the bike for about 100 meters of my last climb up out from Minyon Creek, not the steepest gradient but the climb with the longest steep gradient (hard to explain but I know what I mean), all that training on Jim's driveway helped but not enough. It was not that getting off would have slowed me down as many riders who elected to walk and push their bikes up the hills were actually travelling at close, within a k/h to the same speed as myself riding(?) and probably using less energy.

The knees held up and there was only one period of about 15 minutes, during the second climb, when I felt as though the boiler was going to overheat and explode still I kept chugging focused on not exerting the knees. During this climb a group of about 5 had decided to drop in behind me to let me set their pace, most of who I would not see again after the descent and start of the next climb they dropped me out the back on Minyon Fire Brk, thanks. Total climb 750 meters total descent 750 meters. (Mark did 1450 meters of up down)

As an experience it was fine, the lunch provided was good. Although the noise of a power generator as I waited for the others to finish was, after a short while, annoying. To the point of having to go for walk to get away from it.

I'm not sure if all the commotion and masses of people are required to make a ride enjoyable. This is, I have managed to undertake the same riding through the same areas without the added noise and congestion and, I think, more pleasurable! Your opinion may vary. You may prefer to ride with 270 others through the NSW's North Coast forest trails and tracks or maybe you prefer the solitude and associated tranquillity of riding in a much smaller group... different strokes for different folks.

If I do decide to go again next year I wouldn't change anything, I don't think I could!

I've finally decided that I am a

"cruiser by choice"

I don't think I could ride "Dirt Jumping", "Downhill", "Cross-country (XC) cycling" or "BMX". Come to think of it I don't think I could even ride "Mountain Biking".
It comes as no surprise that I am also not a "Roadie". So what am I when it comes to bicycle riding? Nothing really!

I enjoy doing things which have me...

... acquaint, appreciate, comprehend, deduce,
detect, determine, differentiate, discern, distinguish,
enlighten, experience, explore, extract, familiarise,
fathom, gather, grasp, glimpse, hear, learn, locate,
notice, observe, perceive, recognise, reveal, sense, ...

So just getting on a bike and riding a road (bitumen or gravel), track  or trail (well worn or overgrown)  will satisfy me. I can think of many reasons for covering the same stretches of the local journeys I go on and I can also think of more, possibly, reasons to turn down a different route the next time I come past.
I can not think of putting all my eggs in one basket and trying to excel in a style of riding that will see me miss out on any opportunities to go through my list. Maybe I am missing other experiences but life is too short to try to fit everything in, god I am sounding old but if, as our dopey Deputy Mayor says

"if the shoe fits..."

A Family Day Out

Lots of short rides this last week, a few rides up to the water tower in cabba on the youcan, waddle up to Cabba Cycles along the back track, a few dawdles down the track taking the dogs for a run. A trip to do some fishing down the creek, and one loop on the cypress etc

But today didn't involve riding. I took the family, including grubs boyfriend, to Chowan waterhole for a bit of a swim but there was someone there meditating, camping by the look of it, (who didn't even bother doing anything other than turning their head slightly to acknowledge our presence, quite creepy and eerie) so we went off to Hell Holes. The walk down along Middle Ridge Road was pleasant and the return walk took only 3/4 of an hour!

We made it the end without too much difficulty. There we had our lunch and a swim even though there was only a trickle in the creek. The shrubs along the banks are showing a lot of drought stress, if they don't get a few downpours soon they will mostly be dead! Hope a fire doesn't get started there! At 3:30 we began the walk back to the car.

We returned via the old Uncle Toms Pies servo on a now freeway bypassed section of the Pacific Highway consuming a milkshake and quite a lousy pie, wont be doing that again.

A pleasant day all up.

Next Sunday Gravel

Hope to get the chance on sunday to ride this gravel with Mark and a couple of other riders. MapMyRide Here is a possible ride... Only 32kms return trip but about 700 meters of climbing over gravel roads.... we will see!

The "I" Post

I've been following  OzCableGuy's progress for quite a while now.

I am not one to have planned exercise in any organised way at any time during my life, no training, no workouts, no sessions etc. Not that I did no exercise to the contrary I saw SURFING and WORK as exercise, move this here, carry this, dig this etc. Growing older has seen a slow down and change in work patterns, brain rather than brawn. Now sees me at a stage of life where I am neither fit nor healthy as a result! and never will be young again so it is unlikely that I will be able to change these things quickly nor practically. It took time to get to where I am now and it will take more time to get where I would like to (should?) be, not just effort.

I still, through stupidity, smoke cigarettes. Stress and weakness come to mind as feeble excuses? But I have found one way to drop a few kilos and increase my fitness over the last few years... although it might not be possible to follow this path for very much longer...

Riding too much with an "old" unfit body gave me a forced opportunity to stop, I got lumbered with an allergic reaction to the Sun ( I've never really liked the intensive itching of hives), whilst riding, cruising really, around 250-300kms per week ( Although I still think it was triggered from a massive day of using "Round-Up" a couple of Springs ago). During all that time of intense? exercise I couldn't see any weight loss just a continual bouncing up and down on the scales although I could notice physical changes. When I was then forced to get out of the sun for three months and only ride at night, and occasional very short trips during the day, It was revelled to me that after a long period of exercise  pulling around a heavy(fat) body built up big muscle, then doing no exercise and still watching what I eat saw the weight drop dramatically! I must of being eating my excess muscle! Anyway this sun trouble passed over winter and let me begin excessive riding again... To my astonishment I saw that even though I was now getting fitter, (If one can whilst still smoking cigarettes), my weight was now lower and stable.

Another forced break has seen the same transition. My knee problems saw me slow my riding to a crawl and this had seen my weight again drop. But slowly as the duration of the hiatus lengthens the old ways are coming back.... the weight is still off but I have not got to my goal weight still 8 kilograms to GOOooo....

The long and short of it for ME is "it seems that continuous intensive exercise is not a good way for me to lose weight".

An extended cyclic period of excessive exercise and then complete breaks from exercise has seen me lose the most weight. Yet, too long of a period of no exercise will leave the door open to an insidious albeit slow weight gain.

Not a good vision for my future . One where periods of intense exercise must in all inevitability become much more difficult to implement as the body wears slowly? as it gets older! How morose!

Anyway I am thinking of joining a MTB rainbow ride through Minion Falls but may only be able to finish the 20 kilometre route as there is a 22% climb for approximately one kilometre in the middle from the bottom of Minion Falls. The knees might just hate me after that climb!

Just noticed that "I" has been written 16 times in this post.

Fixed Cyclopress Stats page

I've just updated and repaired the Cyclopress Riding Stats page.... might even make some more entries, if and when! Anyway at least its there for me to see in b/w just how little riding I get to do, with these shitty knees.

Who wants to trade?

Shark Hunt?

Why are "they" discussing the hunting of a shark which killed a swimmer in WA but not car drivers who kill cyclists in Victoria???? Have been off the bike for anything more than 10 km rides since my trip away, the left knee begins to ache sharply after this distance.... I'll take it easy until I feel the ability to go longer distances without the pain... But have taken to the crappy surf with 2 x daily paddles with the grub for exercise.

Bower Bird

OK! Mark what was it you were collecting on the side of the freeway on Tuesday Morning?

Just Wet

I have been slowly unwinding after the express trip for lunch on Saturday with Mum in Sydney for her 90th birthday next week. Quite exhausting the drive, flight, train, bus, taxi, walk and talk repeated in reverse on Sunday.... anyway as I was feeling lazy I waded through all the past Yehuda Moon and the Kickstand comic strips but noticed there was no full view images of Yehuda on his bike in any of the past strips and thought I would muck around with Paint.NET and cut and paste one here are the results... feeble though they might be...

Me Doing a Yehuda or is that Yehuda doing a me!

[caption id="attachment_301" align="alignnone" width="160" caption="Long Ride yehuda -slowing down"][/caption]

Enjoy... I might even get on the bike this afternoon if the weather holds clear for a bit!

Thinking of the Whole Forest

RANT RANT RANT

After reading through the comments on Yehuda Moon and the Kickstand Cyclery today. It becomes pretty obvious that the whole Cycling community is split over what is Best Policy, and it seems to depend upon the "Self", that is, Promoting the idea that will give the best outcome for themselves... The idea's are always set as the best from and for that individuals perspective. I think I find it difficult to describe what I am saying but thinking is that it really comes right down to selfishness, the same thing that is behind the so called bad attitudes of all road users, cycles, cars, taxi's, trucks and buses etc... The real situation is not going to simplified by saying "this is what I reckon ... the rest of the available ideas are just rubbish because....".

In a utopian reality, one in which the big picture were to be taken into consideration, that is, a long term world view rather than a selfish narrow minded view promoting only a short term gain for the individual, what does it matter what methods are implemented to get bums on seats as the norm for the general population of the oil fueled transportation obsessed western cultures.

With a dramatic climate change forcasted to be just around the corner and no foreseeable successful attempts to impliment any policy at all that might see it's impact diminished.

It's always the same thing. Points of view that diverge on how to achieve the consensually agreed outcome. The circular argument over the detail then begins. Why can't all the protagonists keep seeing the forest not begin focusing on just the tree in front of them!

Any action must be better than none at all! Inaction, for what ever the reason, is going to have nothing but a told you so effect on the situation in the future. Consensus is rubbish. With everyone agreeing that something needs to be done sometime. But it must only be imlimented by having the smallest proportion of any sacrifice going to themselves, don't you agree? 

BUT the present and past generations have already taken all the benefits long before they NEEDED TO BE PAID FOR, we and our kids have got to pay for them, now it is the time to pay up! Not unlike free primary and secondary public education you are "given" long before you are required to start paying for it with your taxes! It's not free, just bought on credit! There is no such thing as a free lunch!

Anything is better than nothing, if you have nothing to start with!  Why don't more people get started making a noise, any noise will do just so long as it is not in argument for pedantic selfish causes!

Human nature will continue to move along the same path it usually takes, with the same eventual outcome for everybody as it has always been for all previous generations. The individual will end up dead! 

The present generation of individuals will continue to look at decision making by what it considers the best option for themselves as an individual with little thought for it's consequences in the future, Why are so many overweight people? It tastes good so eat it, now!

As for complaining about taxation. Taxes are only required if society openly recognises that it's members are incapable of sharing without being told they have to and that they need to be penalised if they don't! Every society views greed as good and hoarding as one of the pinnacles of success (well not every society, but at least the modern western one does)... Take the lane and "F" everyone else! Slip past where there is no room and "F" the other person! Get out of MY way!  I'ts my space! Share, Why? Whose going to stop ME taking what I can? I'm here now I don't care about those that come after me I'll just chuck this here! I'ts not in my way or messing my car up now! 

 

WHOA! WOAH! enough already!!!!!! END RANT RANT RANT

 

PS I must of had too much coffee today!

At last some precipitation!

Tonight saw the beginning of this years Early Summer storms. Even though there was no lightning and thunder, locally, the build-up was there and the rain has begun. Hopefully the tank will get a fresh supply if we get at least 25mm plus, that is. I have noticed the water carter about over the last week or so. Now also the mangoe tree will not set fruit for another year with the full tree of flowers getting wet! Also the possibility of a bush fire has been put on hold for another couple of weeks...

It looked like rain all day but we only had a light isolated shower last night showing on the roads during this mornings 50km ride. I have managed to sift one of the eight truckloads of Terranora soil for the NEW raised Vegie garden, so that only took me 4 days, lets see that's another 28 days left to go! and the dumped loads are only going to getting further and further away from where I want the soil to be so more and more wheelbarrow work to come as time goes by... I was desperatly in need of some upper-body workout so it's convenient really??? All up I rode about 65kms today riding to Hastings twice and Cabarita once to get some replacement tubes after todays puncture.

One thing I didn't say about this mornings ride2work was that during the 52k trip I saw only one other rider!

It's Here

Today, after I finished welding the Sieve {900 x 1.8 weldmesh} I will be using to remove the rocks from the 8 truckloads of TerranoraVolcanic Soil over the summer for a vegie garden, my new Giant Cypress arrived at Cabarita Beach Cycles. Excellent!

I got a lift down with Joyann taking the helmet and a full water bottle... anticipation....

Gee it looked nice and clean, well lets put paid to that! So after quickly finalising the fit it's on the bike... rode along Clothiers Creek Road to the freeway to take a flat smooth 15kms to check out the feel... I was suprised at the speed and power that was available from the 24 gears with the front suspension locked out, but I must try out the handling on the dirt with it unlocked... so onto Cudgera Creek Road and off the tar onto the gravel of Reserve Creek Road and then further onto Round Mountain gravel so about 15kms of loose dusty gravel... not so clean now! The hill climbing was surprisingly easy but there was still no need to use the granny gear! I'll have to try somewhere else for this experience, maybe Cudgera Creek Road tomorrow?

Handling was throughly enjoyable with no nasty surprises! There was still some time left before sunset, ( I haven't added any lights yet! and I must remember to take a pump next time just in case that is) so rode off along Kanes Road through to Pottsville and rode over the forge hill at a speed I have never achieved before! the bike seemed to maintain it's momentum easily ah beautiful! Then it was a bit of a windout along the Coast Road at a high cadence with the wind finally on my back to be amazed that I will need to find more energy to get the ride into top ring and attain the highest speed possible on this bike. I was still able to peddle riding down some hills that i know top out on the old Elwood as soon as your speed reached 40kms/hr. Wow! I might be able to increase my long term average speed above 19kms/hr on this bike! 

Ah the pleasure of taking the first run on a new ride!

I'll post some more later about the second hand commuter with drop bars I have also just bought, but I don't want to lose the feeling of breaking in a new steed just yet!

I will need to readjust the front derailleur before tomorrow's ride it seemed a little askew and shifts between the three front rings was quite hit and miss during todays ride!

 



 

All in all I felt like an 8 year old on Christmas day!

[caption id="attachment_281" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="The new all purpose ride bought in October 2008"][/caption]

Interested in Yehuda Moon?

Yehuda Moon Comics at the Kickstand

There is a podcast available of a radio interview with the Creator/Writer/Cartoonist Rick Smith. If you are interested the URL is http://kxno.com/podcast/kimwest.xml from "the kim west radio cycling show"

rick smith...yehuda moon...joe...fred...thistle...fizz...the shakers...the bike ninjas...the grail...and all the readers. sunday, september 21, 600 to 700pm, central daylight time.

Cheers

Update: the download is 52mb be forewarned!
Dont have Podcast Software? Try podcast software link at http://www.sitecreations.com/podcast-software-list.html 

If you are interested I use Juice for my Podcast needs, getting ABC etc downloads automatically to listen to/watch at my leisure, derrr!

NSW Bike Week 2008

Just a reminder that next week is Bike Week in NSW

[caption id="attachment_269" align="aligncenter" width="250" caption="Bike Week 2008"][/caption]

ie 20th - 28th September

Parking Drama

Well today sees the first block to commuting, lack of bicycle storage facilities at the workplace. Out of a staff of approx. 60, there are only 3-4 bicycle commuters (none of these ride everyday). There is a semi-secure car-park provided for those who wish to drive, many car-pool, but only outside bike racks open to the general population of the school for those that wish to ride to and from work.

That location is open to easy abuse. The work location is inside a "fairly tough" high school where some students would enjoy using any easy anonymous opportunity to upset a staff member, through any combination of misplaced humour, malice, spite or more likely just some thoughtless prank such as letting down tyres (which often happens to the few students who brave riding to school).

Up until today 2 staff members, including myself when I am called in, have been using a small lockable store room to park the bikes out of harms way. But today a fellow non-riding, and has said never would, staff member made a complaint at the location. In their favour it IS an OH&S issue in that location we have been sort of (un)officialy allowed to use for the past term. As with any group the decision of an alternative location was not successfully determined. I also don't have any sway in the decision, but one of the locations offered was an abandoned lockable Male Staff Toilet. Which, as I understand it, will be soon pressed into active service. I could see that it would once again soon become another contentious location, not to say insecure with the door being left unlocked Accidentally and the entrance completely hidden from any easy casual observation.

Another offered location seems to be Nearly Perfect, to me anyway, with the space to hang 10 or more bicycles with locker space, access to a male shower. This location is only accessed by one other person in the school and that is only occasionally. But this was argued to be too far to walk in bike gear in public by the majority vote user? I could not understand why? The area allows changing into work clothing, isolated storage of summers sweaty riding kit, showering, overnight storage if required and even a ramp for access!

At this time it looks as though it will become one of those situations where workplace politics will cause angst, division and ultimately become the reason to stop all work commuting by this little black duck.

 At this time I will try to take up the second offer, that is if I can get access to the storage area (if I am the only rider it might be overruled) but even if I do I am unsure about whether it is worth the effort to put in a hanging rack and locker, screen the barred windows for both Security and Vanity reasons, if it is just a short term solution.

Don't I just love workplace politics! I do understand the workplace is for students first and foremost, but I see the simple example of someone commuting by bicycle for no other reason than they enjoy it to be a good one for the whole student population and should be supported!

Strange Light

During yesterday's ride ChrisL and myself were chatting about Wireless Computers and how sometimes they go wacko for no apparent reason. We decided it must be some form of interference. Last night in the early twilight I was traveling on a quiet country gravel road and decided to turn on the strobe of the LED headlight. There being enough light and time to ponder, I noticed the speed indicator start to jump around rising up to 35 kms/hr and at the time I knew I was riding at about 9 kms/hr.

So lets do a test. Switch the light off and the speed goes back to normal. Turn the light on solid and there is no change. Switch to strobe and the speed goes wacko again.

I Repeated the test numerous times with the same results every-time. So if you want to cheat on your stats to yourself just switch on the strobe during a ride. Your average speed will be amazing and the distance you ride will be phenomenal.

A wedding and so much more

September round up.

Possible trip to Hell's Hole on the 7th or 14th, yet to be confirmed and finalised.

Disbandment of the hopeful ride to Grafton for Fathers Day 2008.

Jeff from Cabarita Cycles is sick with the flu again, as is one of my both riding partners Mark and Mark.

I should be picking up my newly ordered black Giant Cypress (19" frame 2009 model)  Hybrid, from Cabarita bike shop in three weeks when they are going to be released by Giant in Australia.  A good bit of luck that I didn't win the bid I made on the 2008 Elwood SE, for only $200 more I'm getting a much better bike with all the services of a local bike shop, and no dodgy history tied to it.

Aside: Jeff and Lyndall are getting married on Sunday at the Hastings Point Headland. Should be good weather but maybe a little windy!

And hopefully complete the restore of the old steel frame dropbar road bike for commuting.

Anyway I'll get on my bike and cruise to work now, as this morning the NSW Teachers Federation is having a 2 hour stop work meeting so I can arrive a little later than usual this morning, yeah.