Links

Audax Australia
This is the umbrella organisation running long distance cycling events in Australia Their website includes a calendar of events.

Bikejournal
A place where cyclist can keep track of their mileage and any number of other statistics, as well as an attached forum.

Bikeforums
A set of discussion forums covering almost every conceivable cycling related topic.

Cycling Adventurer
The Cycling Adventurer has tossed in the structured life of an urbanite to explore the world by bicycle. A well-written site detailing how he came to cycling, and what he learned along the way.

Crazy Guy on a Bike

Bicycle touring journals from all over the world, including a couple of my own.

Johns Cycles

This is my LBS on the Gold Coast. While they cater more to the racing market, their service, advice and workmanship is the best on the coast.

St Kilda Cycles

Importers of all manner of things hard to find in Australia, including the legendary Schmidt hub dynamo & E6 lights.

Blogs

Bicycle-eye
Wonderings and wanderings out and about in Portland, Oregon, US

The Journey
The journey begins in Perth, Western Australia.

Lance Notstrong
The "other" Lance!

Ms Mittens
The Wired Cat on-line

Iron Gambit
.

Aussie Writer and Cycletourist
A blog chronicling the writing and cycling of a seaside baby boomer.

Up in Alaska
Jill's subarctic journal about ice, bears and distant dreams of the midnight sun.

The Kin Chronicles
Taking mediocrity to a new level of ordinary.

Allez
Riding and running with a vengeance.

London Cycling Diary
Pedalling across the capital since August 2005.

CouchPilot-2-BikePilot (Zin's cycling blog)
Living an adventurous life with Type-2-Diabetes.

The adventures of Crazy Biker Chick
... Including cycling, adventuring, cooking, knitting and ranting.

Redneck Espanol
The two wheeled Spanish redneck.

Treadly and me
"Work is something I do between riding my bicycle".

Crowlie
Womanist philosophy and theology. Cycling, climbing, art, single-motherhood and fire-twirling.

Adrian Fitch's random rambling.
A bit about cycling, a bit about genealogy, a bit about radio but mostly a lot about nothing at all.

Geo's big adventure
The life and times of Geo.

It's about the bike
Musings on the cycling life.

Spinopsys
Various cycling tidbits.

Industry Outsider
A blog about bikes and stuff.

Tweed Coast Treadly
An old man's bicycle riding diary.

A cyclist's life in Tenerife
(Canary Islands).

Bike to work to live to bike
It's never too late to get back on the bike

Stupid Hurts
Just the random scribblings of a guy with a bicycle

I'm not drunk enough for this
Really, I'm not.

BikeHacks
What can I say? Just read it.

Mozam's cycling adventures
A random collection of the things I like to do most, and mostly that is to ride my bikes, bicycles that is... My musings from competitive riding, long distance endurance to puttering around the neighborhood..

More cycling blogs

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Tuesday, January 18, 2005

Conservatives, cowards and canetoads

Three things that are not my favourite in this world, but I digress. The first lot had their say mid-morning. I had to go and see a client today -- a five minute walk from my office, so I walked. I returned after the appointment to find the (not totally unexpected) "get a taxi" e-mail in my inbox. This does, of course, follow on from this issue from last month. I'm not expecting to hear any more about this one, but quite frankly, I'm getting a little tired of the attitude that people in this part of the world have to the fact that I use a bike for transport.

I've made a choice that is quite legitimate in the eyes of the law, extremely economical and certainly more efficient if my travel times are any indication. Yet it seems that in this most conservative of Australian cities that anything which even suggests in the most vague manner that there are other alternatives to the motor car are somehow seen as taboo. For God's Sake people, it's a bicycle, why is this a f*cking problem? As I said when the issue arose, there's something I'm not being told here, but to be honest that isn't my concern. However, if this continues to be an issue, I will walk. I think the Manic Street Preachers best summed it up with these people: "So lazy, lazy, lazy, chuck down all the pills; Needing to remember, how and why to live."

The second was more amusing than anything else -- the number of people in the aforementioned motor cars who also have problems with bicycles, but also lack the guts to specify their problem to my face. Like the jerk in Southport who yelled out some unintelligible gibberish out his window as he "sped" off. Of course, when I caught and passed him and his mate in the gridlock a few minutes later (something I did effortlessly, despite the headwind), they were strangely silent.

Didn't stop the next moron, however. A surfie kid leaning out the car window, this time I was able to make out what he said, just as he was able to make-out the shape of my middle finger*. Then, of course, he started screaming even more, pounding the car door, and generally making a spectacle of himself. Just when I needed a good laugh. The really funny part was that he kept it up for the 2km or so that I managed to keep him in sight. Again, lacking the balls to say it to my face, but from the protection of a big car, with plenty of side-streets he can accelerate down if I get too close (not that I bothered). Still, if morons can make me laugh like this, I mightn't move away after all.

It was after work that I encountered the canetoads, but this was part of something positive for a change. Martin and I headed to The Spit for a couple of laps of night-time singletrack heaven, with a couple of detours out along the breakwall with waves crashing around us -- and plenty of ocean spray in the air. Now this was pleasant, and surprisingly taxing in that headwind. The wind had deposited a lot of sand on the track, which made for a few interesting moments (and filled my shoes). Indeed, I managed to pull off one or two dramatic saves out there. A great night all in all.

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