Great Vic... A bike ride. Part II

A few details about the Great Victorian Bike Ride 2014

(ha ha... blogging this was a good idea, now at least I'm bothering to read some of the details on the Bicycle Network website)

Where:      Albury to Lilydale
Duration:   9 days including two rest days (I'll only be riding 5 days... day one is a rest day... cool!)
Dates:        29 November 2014 - 7 December 2014
Distance:   520km (I'll do 334km Albury to Mansfield)

Towns the ride will pass through, Albury, Yackandandah, Bright, Myrtleford, Moyhu, Mansfield... There's more but I'm not going there so who cares! (Or check the route out HERE)

Terrain: A bit of unsealed road to negotiate and.... whoah! Holy crap! What the?! Hills! Bloody big ones! Oh yeh... 'The High Country'! Right, hills... We don't do hills here in Darwin. The elevation profile looks like I imagine my electrocardiogram will look when they've revived me after my first attempt to climb one!

This is an image of an ECG, it's not the actual Elevation map if you want that click HERE

I saw something in the email they sent me today about preparation, better go back and find out what I'm supposed to be doing.

OK there's a video and some basic advise HERE, on 'Final preparation tips'. (Final? Oh... whateva!) I'll summarize:

• Something about next few weeks of training (too late mate, I only have one week!)... 
• Ride multiple days in a row = Check! 
• Don't have to ride long distances = Check! (top points on that one!)
• More than three days per week / commute = Check!
• Get used to being on the bike for several hours at a time. = (Well... Nahhh)
• Get some experience in windy, rainy weather. = Huh? (We aint got none of that here yet.)
• Wet weather gear.... = (in Darwin that means take your T-Shirt off and enjoy a warm shower... what's this joker talking about?)
• Raincoat = (Is this guy a bit of a sook or what? Raincoat? What for?!)
• Prepare for cold = (Huh?)
• Nutrition, experiment with foods, energy etc.. = Check! Check! Double Check! (You got it brother! I'll get onto that right away... you can never be too prepared!)
• Hone your descending skills = (descending? Oh yeh hills... Oh crap I'm going to need to fix my brakes!) 
• Get your bike serviced before riding or make sure you check the cassette, chain, brakes, bottom bracket, tyres... = bla, blah blah blah... (OK, OK, I get it, I'll check my brakes, sheesh! bit fussy if you ask me!)

Damn it's past midnight! I thought this was going to be fun but it's shaping up to be a bunch of humbug!

Catch ya tomorrow, when I've had a chance to find out where they're hiding the fun on this little adventure.





    

Balancing the message

Have you heard of the Ginger Ninjas?
If you search them online you'll find a few staggered blog posts, a pretty cool website, maybe some photos of their South American human powered musical tour on bicycles with some pretty radical bikes (Xtracycles, they're awesome!) and you should be able to find a variety of doco style short videos.

I followed their progress through US and Mexico but there were many breaks in transmission... and I thought they'd given up but actually it turns out they were just absorbed in the actual experience of doing it and... well succeeded in unplugging from the virtual world for a while.

Anyway they're trying to release a video of their 2007 tour, which I think will be pretty awesome to watch because they are a band who carry all their gear on bicycles and uses their bikes to generate power for amps electronic instruments etc... and they Ride Xtracycles... and they're just doing it!
Apparently the mad idea to 'Ride to Belize' came up when someone misinterpreted the words of one of their songs! Someone shouted it out and all of a sudden they're packing their gear and cycling away from California on a wild adventure across Mexico headed through some pretty rough and hilly terrain for Belize!

You gotta see it.

I have to thank Adrienne from 'Change your life Ride a bike' for posting on this one first Here. I've subscribed to the Ginger Ninjas blog for ages but their posts are so irregular that I kept thinking they may have come to grief out on the Big broad Highway of life. Nahh They're just out there somewhere doing what the rest of us only dare to read about.






I hope they are able to complete this film, I'm sure there will be plenty of drama to keep us enthralled but honestly I'd watch it just to see them dragging all that gear through the mountains on their bikes!

Long bike out of action

Time to give the trusty Xtra-long treadly a spell.
After 2 years and 10 months of daily commuting and general getting about, The Xtracycle is officially off the road!

It's been my main mode of transport for nearly 3 years but is now in desperate need of an overhaul.

List of stuff that is somewhat broken or just doesn't work any more....

- Saddle (vinyl split and cushion exposed)
- Brake pads (warn out)
- Brake cables (stiffening)
- Snap Deck (Laminated sheets separating, timber veneer splitting)
- Rear gear (shifter just won't grip the cable any more)
- Bottom Bracket (warn out, bearing case rusted and busted. Axel...)

 

 (What's left of axle and bearings... There were insects (cicadas) in there!)

 

 

 (Brakes, saddle, gear selector. Stuff that isn't cutting it)

I had intended to fix most of those bits and pieces that should be considered general maintenance but could never find a spare moment... The final straw came when I was slightly unwell one day and found myself grinding away in a bad gear, the chain ring moving in a sideways motion and too much friction radiating from the center bracket. I stopped the bike looked down at the play in the chain ring and found myself unable to continue at even a moderate pace. I limped the bike home and dreaded riding it again! (I rode it one more time when I went looking for Rosellas but found it was no longer fun!)

Now that my favorite machine is off the road I am alternating between two other bikes.

1. The Train-bike - An old Beach Cruise with an alleycat extension and a Weerider for taking the kids out and about.

2. The Pink Wonder - My old Shogun Katana road bike, for commuting and longer tours.

I have to say I am really enjoying being back on the road bike. It's a bike that fit's me perfectly and, (when I can stop the rear wheel from rubbing on the left chain stay!)it gets me to work 10 minutes quicker with energy to spare.

Lately this is the bike I've been taking out for morning rides. The speed allows me to get further and see more before having to turn back home in time for the family breakfast routine.

The morning rides are like a return to some kind of sanity... problem is that they make the other things I do... like work, seem somewhat less sane.

This morning I had the alarm set for 4:30am but was too tired to get up, but woke again at 5:15am, which is slightly too late for me to get as far as I would prefer, but I decided to ride anyway.

The moon had almost set and unfortunately the batteries on my headlight were waning, I was really struggling to stay on the path, it became really difficult with all the bicycle traffic coming the other way shining extremely bright lights in my eyes. I reckon there were about 30 bikes on the path between Karama and Palmerston this morning. The air was so fresh, but the conditions were perfect for riding fast, no sweat... (well not much sweat anyway).

By the time I reached the Palmerston bicycle overpass the sky was beginning to lighten up so I decided that would be far enough. It's not a bad spot to turn around, so I rolled back down the hill to the Robertson Baracks junction and sat for a while watching the sky change color as more and more bicycles rolled on past.

5 minutes of bliss before shooting off home as the sun began it's trajectory... (well the earth actually but you know what I mean)

Mandorah ride in a nutshell

On Saturday 10th November in temperatures exceeding 36 degrees Celsius our group of 5 determined cyclists succeeded in an ambitious plan to cycle around Darwin Harbor.
We were hoping for cloud cover and more showers as were prevalent earlier in the week but a clear sky and lack of shade provided far from favorable conditions.

The early morning start made our first leg quite comfortable and we arrived at Berry Springs in pretty good shape. A lovely swim at Berry Springs reserve had the group in high spirits and ready to complete our journey on the Cox Peninsular Rd.

Unfortunately when we returned to the road heat and fatigue begun to take their toll. The temperature began to soar and our gear became hot to the touch. My panniers were close to melting! Thirsty and tired we tried to keep a reasonable pace.

We peddled on regardless of our discomfort but the pace slowed and many rest stops were required. We clocked up far more road hours than we ever intended but eventually reached our destination! Mandorah Hotel! Exhausted but relieved our celebration was subdued to a grateful swilling of multiple jugs of iced water and heads bowed in exhaustion!

I hope all the participants are rested and re-hydrated by now. Risk of dehydration was a real problem on the ride and we found ourselves needing more water than we/I'd prepared for.

Congratulations to you all! Completing this trip was an exceptional and heroic feet of endurance!

Congratulation:




Patricia ~ You stuck with what must have felt like an impossible journey!
You managed to persist regardless of your physical exhaustion and the
unfortunate encounter with some rather unpleasant wildlife. You could have
quit but you persisted despite the pain


Chris on a road bike slightly smaller than required

Chris ~ What can I say. Chris you are a mad man! Taking that mountain bike
on such a long journey with a bunch of road bikes. Well done mate! I doubt
I could have managed to push that thing so far! And you said you'd do it
again!

Sue ~ On an oversized bike that you'd never ridden before was quite a feat!
But as I later found out you did it all in one gear! you are amazing! You
are the toughest grittiest rider I have met! Then to top it off after more
than 12 hours on the road Martin tells me you had a blow-out on the way
home from Cullen Bay! You could have got a lift home but you were
determined to make it under your own steam and pushed your bike the
remainder of the way! You are a bicycling legend!

Martin ~ Well done! This ride took it's toll on us all. Your energy is
astounding! Volunteering to ride the mountain bike probably allowed Chris
just enough energy to get over the line. Thanks for keeping the pace and
sticking with us all the way.


Grateful view of Mandorah from the Seacat voyage home!


Thanks to you all for coming!

A ride around Darwin Harbor

Finally it's time to get out on the road for a big ride. The Darwin Harbor Cruise!

This Saturday a small group of local cyclists, well actually me and a couple of others will ride from the Northern Suburbs of Darwin around Darwin Harbor, hopefully all the way to Mandorah. Then, if all goes well we'll chuck the bikes on the ferry and enjoy a ride back across the harbor to Cullen Bay and the final leg home.




View Larger Map
This rough map shows our planned rout.

Below is a link to the Google Map pedometer showing the distance of this trip
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1439378

OzByBike

Well that intrepid, wacky adventurer Anthony Mann is wrapping up his bicycle tour of Australia. According to his most recent generic email to a long list of friends and supporters he has visited Uluru, I presume he didn't climb. (If you go there please DON'T CLIMB THE ROCK!) He is about to leave Alice headed back to Tassie. Check out his diary on the website and add a comment to his guest book if you're interested.

Anthony Mann OzByBike reaches Uluru and the center
(photo by: Anthony Mann)

"The 12 month anniversary has come and gone, and I've racked up over 22,000 kms. I'm in Alice Springs at the moment – which means I've nearly reached number 6 of my 7 goals, the Lambert Centre of Australia, with only the lowest point (Lake Eyre, SA) to go after that before I complete the '7 extremes'." Anthony Mann (email)

If you're interested in long distance cycling this is for you. But even if you're not, have a read and a laugh while Anthony shares his outback and city adventures, some funny some harrowing but all extremely entertaining and written in Anthony's very own style click on a link and have a look at OzByBike
Extreme heat, little water, the dust the flies, thrills and spills...! (How did he ever make it this far?)

Anthony, possibly after a meal of sticky flies
(photo by: Anthony Mann)

On a more serious note, the ride does have a purpose. Anthony hopes to encourage people to consider environmentally sustainable transport options. By cycling around the whole country he challenges us all to consider if we really need the car to make those less distant journeys, like going to the corner shop to work or school. It is possible to cycle vast distances on a bicycle and once you're in the habit it can prove a more practical, healthy, enjoyable and social way of getting around your own neighborhood.

Anyway if you do nothing else please checkout OzByBike and have a look at Anthony's video at the Media center page Here it's well worth the effort of clicking on a link. :)

Cyclists Special - parts one & two

pt 1

pt 2

A fine cycling life.
I discovered these videos on the blog Planetary Gears.
This reminds me so much of the old cycling books I've been collecting, Thanks to my mother- in-law down in Geelong.

I find the style of these books quite exciting, they offer conventional suggestions for the choice and maintenance of bicycles and emphasize cooperation with other road users. Standards of roadmanship, are also promoted in the books, which at the time must have been universally granted and expected. It's like, functioning as part of a cooperative group or a contributing member of one’s society was the keystone to the individual’s capacity for joy or fulfillment. There is also a considerable amount of space given to road rules and codes of conduct.
The authors make a lot of personal statements and judgments that imply a formula for successful enjoyment of cycling, whether alone or in a group, I can’t help thinking that we could use a little of this kind of guidance today.
Although I do remembering a time, back when I rode a motorbike. I’d gone on a ride with the Harley owners group and found all their rules and structured rides particularly overbearing. After about an hour of chugging along in formation on a ridiculously straight and very boring road, I couldn’t stand the monotony and decided to go for a blast breaking the club rule ‘Thou shalt not pass the Road Captain’.
This was not appreciated and I soon found myself back in the place I am most comfortable; riding solo on the back roads and bush tracks that may or may not bring me to where I think I’m heading.

But I digress….

My cycling books

• Bicycling / by Ruth and Raymond Benedict (New York, A.S. Barnes, 1944)
• Bikes and Riders / James Wagenvoord (New York, Van Nostrand, 1972.)
• Cycling book of maintenance (London, Temple Press, 1954)
• Let’s go cycling / Reginald C. Shaw (London, Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1960.)

Online source of older reading material

• Check out the following link at Manybooks.net
• 'Around the world on a bicycle, Volume 1'

Here’s an example of the writing style in Let’s go cycling:

Chapter VIII Roadmanship

“Seamanship is the quality of a good skipper at sea, and roadmanship is the quality of a good skipper on land. The skippers on land are those who drive and steer vehicles, including cycles, that travel along our roads. Cyclists are indeed skippers; their cycles are their craft, the little ships of the roads, as dainty as yachts.”… (p.132)

Now here’s the bit that I really dig.

From the same chapter:

“Helping one another is in fact the idea behind the rules of the road, just as it is the foundation of the rules of the sea. Road users are not individuals competing one against the other, but members of a team –a gigantic team—that can only work well if everybody keeps to the rules.” (p.136)

What's the big deal about Roadmanship?

The comparison between maritime law and the rules of the road was very interesting but somehow I feel the mutual respect part has long since vanished from our roads. On the sea amongst most seafarers there is an understanding which compels human beings to cooperate with each other for the greater good. There are codes of etiquette that should be understood by all, many of which are enforceable under the ancient codes of Maritime law. Good sailors are respected for their 'Seamanship' as there are times when it can prevent the needless death of others.
When I typed the word ‘Roadmanship’ in MS Word I got a red squiggly line under it and I could not find it in my Oxford dictionary either. It seems the word has been lost to time an extinct relic of a concept never truly adopted or understood. (At least by the broad majority of road users.)
It seems on many Australian roads today there exists only the conflicting forces of the law and an overwhelming presence of unenlightened self-interest. Stress and agro. However there are places where there are obvious exceptions to this theory. If you are lucky enough to travel in Outback Australia one of the first things that may surprise you is the sense of camaraderie between travelers.