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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Monday, February 14, 2011

The Garden of Eden



On Saturday I proved once and for all that the Garden of Eden is actually a real place, and that it exists on the Tomewin Range, behind the Gold Coast. After the previous weekend's diabolical effort, I wanted to make amends on that mountain in dramatic fashion. Saturday decided to oblige by offering cooler temperatures and lower humidity, it was time to go.



Virtually every southern ride these days starts with the rainforest of Urliup. To hear the early morning bird calls here, taking in the cool rainforest air and gliding across the dirt is one of life's great pleasures. On this particular day, I decided to remove my sunglasses while passing through the rainforest section. This is nothing unusual of course, as the light here is kind, but putting them back on revealed that the summer sweat had corroded one of the joints, causing them to fall apart. It's probably a good thing I don't buy expensive sunglasses.



Now it was time for revenge on the climb. This time I wasn't prepared to let up at all, I refrained from attacking early, knowing that I could do more damage on the steep section immediately following "Les's Place". I did the damage alright, but without the need for launching an attack, it almost felt easy without the bombardment of heat and humidity that usually accompanies this time of year, perhaps they should leave it this way. At the summit I turned west across the ridgetop, taking in the spectacular views over Mt Warning, along the famous Garden of Eden road. This road passes through stunning rainforest as well, before the road peters out near the rough walk to Mt Cougal. Today, however, there was an apple tree at the end of Garden of Eden Road, with one of the reddest apples ever seen. Humanity will be relieved to know that I refrained from the temptation to eat it.



Instead, I headed back, following the Eastern spur of the range on Glengarrie road. This track gets rough in places, but the scenery certainly compensated. Today, the banksias were blooming all the way, adding some colour to the normally dark rainforest. I have seen banksias up here before, but never this many. The continuing thought was that this really is a special place, and one that I don't visit nearly often enough. I continued along the rocky track to the summit, pausing for a moment to take in the sweeping views up the coast to where I would ultimately finish the ride. Some days, however, I'm just glad to be here, and happy to be alive.