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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Thursday, December 29, 2005

Why do we love climbing?



This was a question someone asked over on bikejournal yesterday as a few of us (and yes, I was guilty) were setting climbing challenges for 2006. On the surface it seems quite a valid point -- after all, I live in a rather flat city. There really is no need, nor any reason for me to willingly or otherwise inflict pain upon myself by riding against gravity. There is certainly no reason for me to travel to the opposite end of the country to ride up hill (as in the origins of the above picture). So why do I do it?

For me I climb first and foremost for the scenery. Riding through the mountains offers wonders that just don't exist in open, flat areas. It's not only the views accessible from the mountains, but there are other things. Often it's the chance to watch clouds forming or breaking up from close quarters, perhaps riding through the remnants of a storm (I've done that a few times). It's also the business end of a lot of water systems, and there's nothing that quite matches the sound of rushing water when you're pushing your way toward the summit of the climb -- Curtis falls on Mt Tamborine comes to mind here.

Let's also not forget the physical release that comes from cycling up hill. There really is nothing quite like it. Pedalling up a long, steep climb is such an all-consuming activity that anything on your mind causing stress at a particular time is bound to be shoved aside, at least temporarily. I know that this has allowed me to perceive many situations differently in the past, and solve many other problems that I would not have solved otherwise. It's also a feeling of satisfaction about taking on a mountain and winning, although that's a minor benefit.

In the end, pain is only temporary (and not really all that bad to begin with), but the things I see as a result of cycling up hill often stay with me for much longer, forever in some cases.

2 Comments:

Blogger Jill Homer said...

Wow. That last picture must be an incredible climb.

9:29 am  
Blogger Chris L said...

Oh it is, don't worry about that.

5:56 pm  

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