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, March 24, 2011

The ultimate Mudgeeraba ride



This was from quite a while ago, but still worth a mention. At the time I was recovering from the nasty illness I had that wiped out most of January's riding. On this particular day I recall that I still wasn't feeling quite right, but decided that there was no conceivable consequence of doing this ride that was any worse than the known consequence of not doing it. I started out by heading down into the deepest, darkest rainforest on Austinville, before swinging around and riding through the gorge to Little Nerang Dam. I've often combined these rides, but today there was going to be a difference.





It was only after returning to the "main" road, that I embarked on the steep climb of Mt Nimmel. It's worth recalling that on this day I was using the heavy MTB because my main bike was off the road waiting for some part to fix some mechanical problem to be ordered. The extra weight of the heavy bike suddenly becomes an issue on the 20% grades of Mt Nimmel. However, the great thing about gradients of that steepness is that they never really last very long. It wasn't long before I reached the summit, with more time to drink in some spectacular views.



Of course, by now I had another plan. Not satisfied with simply returning home, I wanted to embark on another climb, known only as "The Panorama" and spoken of only in hushed terms. I had discovered some information suggesting that the Eastern approach was a 300 metre climb over 5 kilometres. How hard could that be? I was about to find out just how hard it could be, or more specifically, that the bulk of the 300 metre gain happens in the space of 1.5km in the middle, and I had just ridden up Mt Nimmel. Suddenly, I realised this could be a very difficult climb on a hot day when one is out of condition.



Still, having started the climb and having already put some of the height in the bank, I wasn't about to quit now. I pressed on, reaching a point where the gradient eased -- and a good job, too. By now my legs were so shot that even the easier gradient felt hard. Eventually I reached the summit, with some relief, although the views to the west of the range were virtually non-existent, but the coast was easy to spot. I could have descended the alternative side, back to Gilston Road, but frankly, the gradient there was too scary, even for disc brakes. I returned to where I'd climbed, and was shocked at how quickly I descended - despite being on the brakes all the way.



Previously, Mudgeeraba has been thought of nothing more than a 'departure point' for a climb of Springbrook. However, I have since discovered many other charms in this area, and the little spoken of Mt Kimmel offers even more possibilities. In time I will discover all of them, but for now, this was the ultimate Mudgeeraba ride.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

The question

What do you get if you combine glow worms, crabs, frogs, canetoads, bats, a possum, a moon-rise and some mist forming over some of the flat stretches in the moonlight, then subtract about 2kg of weight in sweat because it was very, very hot?

You get tonight's very beautiful 60km in Tallebudgera Valley. There are few things more beautiful than watching glow worm light reflecting off the shimmering water of Tallebudgera Creek, and there are few things more surprising than the sudden "cold" snap that hit the air to the west of the old Ingleside State School, which mercifully took about 5 degrees C of the temperature. I can think of few better ways to spend a Tuesday night.

Just a short note to those who are waiting for updates -- they're coming. There are several rides from the last couple of months that I want to write about, but I've been a little side-tracked lately.