Adventures in April

I am pleased to be able to say that I've put a further 700 odd kilometres through the pedals during the month, thus extending my run of 150KM per week rides another month. Some of it ridden at a leisurely pace, enabling me to admire the scenery and enjoy the weather, whilst at other times it has been with higher intensity with the aim of giving me a bit of a cardio workout and / or an opportunity to burn off a bit of excess energy. Now in saying this, I should also add that I try to give both bikes an equal workout.... 

I have to confess however, that I regrettably haven't ridden more. I sometimes find it difficult to find the motivation to get out there and ride, despite knowing the physical & mental benefits that will ensue.... 

Let's just put it this way, riding on one's own, unless it's with a specific aim or to say get from Point A to Point B gets a bit boring, lonely and tiresome at times. Then there is the 'safety' aspect which comes with riding in a peleton / with colleagues. 

This is a situation of course, that's not helped by the fact that I am a night owl, despite years trying to break the habit which consequently means it's somewhat difficult to join club or shop rides as part of a group, given they typically hit the road at six o'clock in the morning or thereabouts which doesn't take into consideration of course, the fact it's necessary to depart one's home at least thirty minutes earlier in order to get to the agreed starting point. Me, waking at five in the morning! There's a snowballs chance.....

Sure I managed to do so intermittently with Team Flexorcranks when doing the MRR circuit and when I was riding with the Lead Out Crew, but life was somewhat different back then....

So where does that leave me:

• Setting & challenging myself to complete certain set goals. IE: Distance / Week;
• Endeavouring to improve on my own Strava records on certain rides;
• Exploring new areas, bike paths, etc;
• Maintaining my fitness with one eye on my goal of touring through Europe

One much loved / repeated trip, I do, at a leisurely pace, is on the bike path alongside the Yarra River.

Whilst I was admiring the Melbourne Skyline & Yarra River

The Troll was admiring a potential bridge to hide under!

Soapbox Rant - Cyclists Lives Matter

The recent death of world renowned endurance / global touring cyclist, Mike Hall, has highlighted just how dangerous riding in Australia is considered to be by cyclists from abroad, if blog & forum sites are anything to go by!

Whilst most local cyclists have acknowledged the risks involved and accept them as an inherent risk in doing something they love, they're often unaware of the behaviour that motorists abroad, and particularly in Europe, have towards other road users....

What's particularly worrying however when incidents such as this occur, is the deafening silence, coming from organisations such as:

• Amy Gillett Foundation - "Making Bike Riding in Australia Safe"
• Bicycle Network - "More People Cycling More Often" 
• Cycling Australia - "To be the World's Leading Cycling Nation"

The implication seemingly being a tacit acceptance that the government / statutory authorities have got the rules right, that the issue of changing motoring behaviour is too big / hard to change or that the death of an average of 37* cyclists nationally and the injury or hospitalisation of how many others, annually, is an acceptable number. 

With a cyclist being killed nearly every week and sure some death's resulting in a protest ride being organised, by friends of the deceased, event organisers or occasionally by one the above groups, themselves, garnering all of five seconds of media coverage, it's time for change. Whilst I don't know what the solution is, surely:

These cycling organisations realise

That unless there is change, riding a bike is still going to be considered a dangerous activity by many in the community, which in turn inhibits the sport's ability to grow to it's full potential and that ultimately they're not living up to their own mission statements.

The State & Federal Governments realise

There's an economic impact as well as a human / societal one. 

• Lost productivity within the work place; 
• Further cost pressures on the medical system both in dealing with the victims of road accidents, and from an obesity crisis that continues to swell, as a potential exercise route, is "closed" to some who have weight control issues;
• The adventure tourism sector being unable to grow to it's full potential because of the real / perceived risks involved in taking to Australian roads, by an international clientele 

Now whilst I'd like to think that there was likely at some point in the near future for there to be a change in attitudes, such that cyclists & motorists had more respect for one another (I acknowledge it is a two-way street), that motorists realised that the odds and therefore the onus is more heavily weighted on them to ensure that we all get home to our families / friends safe & well, and that government's realised that it was up to them to push this message through, I can't see it changing anytime soon. 

As a result it's just another thing that adds to the impetus for my looking at the idea of moving abroad. Cycling has become such an integral part of my life, I need to feel that I can do so safely without the constant fear of not knowing whether I'll make it to my destination or not.....

* Australian Government - Dept of Infrastructure & Regional Development - Aust Road Deaths Database

Vale - Mike Hall

Whilst I never had the pleasure of meeting the endurance & ultra distance cyclist, Mike Hall having been glued to my computer monitor for the last couple of weeks, watching a couple of friends compete in the inaugural Indian Pacific Wheel Race I quickly became aware of what an inspirational and friendly guy he was. 

The IPWR is a self-supported bike race from Perth,West Australia to Sydney, New South Wales, being a distance of 5,500KM from end to end, over a defined route.  

It would seem that Mike was someone who thrived on such challenges, having:

• Broke the World circumnavigation record during the 2012 World Cycle Race;
• Set the record in the inaugural Trans AM Bike Race in 2014
• Broke the record for the Tour Divide in 2016;

Unfortunately, however he passed away on Friday morning, having been involved in an accident on the outskirts of Canberra

Mike's untimely passing has had a significant impact on me and I would suggest the vast majority of cyclists here and abroad.

Surly Troll 26" Mountain Bike

Whilst I may potentially be doing my trip through Europe on another bike, given that I do like the look and have heard good stories about the Surly Long Haul Trucker, I have to weigh the costs involved in purchasing one, as opposed to utilising my Surly Troll.... 

I mean I purchased the Troll, being a Hard Tail Mountain Bike with 26" wheels, primarily for The Andes Trail, and as a consequence, it's wheel dimensions may not be entirely appropriate / necessary for a trip through Europe, though it does do the job.... It's just a little slower / harder work, than when dealing with a bike with 'standard" road size wheels. 

That said, I thought I would take the opportunity to show you what the Troll currently looks like, though it would possibly have a few modifications, such as adding mudguards, swapping the front forks to fixed so that I can add panniers, etc.....

A great bike that's given me an appreciation of what riding a Mountain Bike is all about.

The handlebars as seen from when in the saddle.

The Go Pro Hero 3+ Camera on the front which I have used to record certain "rides", etc.

The Cycliq Fly6 Rear Light Camera under the saddle

Being able to shift cameras between bikes is fairly easy, with the rear Fly6 Camera simply requiring me to undo / reattach the velcro strap on the seat post, whilst the Go Pro camera on the front isn't all that much harder. 

I do have to change things around as far as the Go Pro camera set up is concerned if I want to utilise my Ortlieb Handlebar Bag, something which was very handy on the Andes Trail but hasn't seen a great deal of use here in OZ.

Finally in closing, I just thought I'd give you a bit of an update as to the number of kilometres ridden during March (900 kilometres) and the total achieved (1950 kilometres) in the year to date, which gives me an average of 150 per week, since the beginning of the year, something which pleases me no end.