Thursday 23 November 2017

Cancelled

..... I've had to pull out & cancel my entry in the GVBR. The wife has suffered a fall & broken her arm. A spiral fracture of the left humerus.

She's going to be out of commission for up to 6 weeks.

Time to repay all the nursing she has done for me over the years......


All things aside, the good crew at GVBR have transferred my entry to next years ride...fully paid & ready to go!  Nice



Now!
What to do in the interim 365 days?





Wednesday 22 November 2017

Pre GVBR ride..

The other weekend I decided to go out & at least try & see if I am still capable of putting 100km in the legs...& not pass out in the attempt.🚀

After all, 100km in a 33kg Rotovelo is probably equivalent to 400km on an 8kg road bike....

I make it that...4 times the weight means 4 times the effort required to cover the same distance. 😎



Judging by the Strava record of the ride...yep!  I can still manage a metric Century. 


100+ km travelled  &  over 1km climbing...
I'm ready for the GVBR..


So to all the roadies out there... "av a go!"
Don't complain.  🚲🚲

Get an RV & hop in "the hurt box"

😜👍


Thursday 9 November 2017

Next Legacy Fundraiser.... please sponsor me

I'll be riding in the 2017 Great Victorian Bike Ride (GVBR) in November & I'll again be raising funds for Legacy



This year it is covering approximately 600km.



The Great Vic Ride has been on my bucket list since 1995. The ride itself has been run every year for a good 30 years, visiting a different part of Victoria....
This year the stars have finally aligned...& another tick on the list .....we ride through the Gippsland Region of Victoria.

GMK Logistics are again transporting the Rotovelo to Melbourne for me "at the right price", so I don't have to deal with the airlines or finding another means of moving it interstate.

Many thanks GMK!!


The plan ...

Fly to Melbourne,  ✈
Pick up Rotovelo,  🚀
Motel for a night or 2 to sort things out. 🏨

Transport has been arranged with GVBR to get us both to the start at Tidal River. 🚌


Do some riding.....



Please donate to Legacy ... click on the Legacy badge on the right side of this page.  👍





Monday 6 November 2017

Does it float?

I've often been asked as a matter of course....

is it a boat?
does it float?


Here in Sydney, we have the M7 shared path. It runs along side the M7 motorway, for a distance of 40km.  It is one of the better pieces of cycling infrastructure.

Apart from a small 50 meter length (when it rains), the whole pathway is excellent to ride on.  There's quite a few hills to test out the heart & lungs...  & plenty of ares to stretch the legs & get some decent speed up...some sections can be cruised at a good 40km/h for quite a distance...

The pathway cuts back & forth under the motorway for its entire length. Most annoying when you're trying to do well on STRAVA.  LOL.  having to dump speed for the hairpin turns, then trying to accelerate up to speed on the exit....there's often a bit of hill to negotiate after a lot of these bends, so getting back up to speed is...meh!!

I just cruise at a comfortable pace & enjoy the ride.


AND when it rains..... they close the path for that small 50 meter section, previously mentioned....sometimes I beat them to the gate....usually to find....




looks damp...





closer inspection...





slow 'n steady!


Having had previous experience hitting puddles at speed, if they're deeper than you expect, those foot holes are very efficient "water scoops"!!  😲 😝

'nuff said!  😏

So, in the interest of Health & Safety, the M7 workers shut the gates on this section....& the alternative???

exiting onto a busy road at the motorway off ramp & roundabout...then having to deal with many cars, very large trucks, (it's an industrial area) & often with impatient drivers.... they either want to get on the motorway & do 100km/h....or they've just got off the motorway & aren't ready to slow for cyclists.


Just about ALL cyclists would rather take their chances with the flooding, rather than tackle traffic!

Sheesh!!



No, It doesn't float....

it's been quiet......has he been abducted by Aliens?.....

Or was I?...

Well, there went the end of 2015....






Then came 2016.....


Life continued,


plenty of riding, mostly just daily jaunts on the weekends....no major tours ....or upheavals for that matter, which was good.


So, this is Sydney....


navigating Sydney Cycling infrastructure in a velomobile can be somewhat depressing....

(Canterbury Road Underpass)

  

The "share path" here is just on 400mm (14") wide....there's barely enough room to walk through, let alone try & ride a regular bike.  The "ceiling" height is just under 180cm (6')  as well...its a tight fit.

In order to get the RV through I have to stand in front, lift it up onto its rear wheel & try and balance the weight as I walk backwards, minding not to belt my head on the "ceiling"... I stand at 186cm.



The alternative, at the moment, is to cross a very busy road,.....




BUT there's building works going on....the ramp is 500mm wide......urgh!   The RV is 800mm wide..
So, the underpass it is.