oliver - mr switzerland

we have a friend - oliver - who has visited Australia on a number of occasions. he has a new mountain bike. you need one in the mountains.

Here is his new bike



she is lighter and faster, but as oliver suggested she still needs to be pedalled.

this is the Swiss guy who used to pass road bike riders on his mountain bike wearing shorts and thongs going along the mitchell freeway bike path on his way to uni.

you can be assured this bike goes up hills/mountains ok

there is a new god in the house - God Cadel

so few have the stamina and the mental capacity to wear Yellow in the tour de france. tonight yet another in a very small group of Australians since 1900 (5) has put that jersey on his shoulders.

Cadel Evans - my vote already for Australian of the Year 2008.

He arrived at the top, not a stage winner, but in a gruelling stage he managed his main rivals pretty much without support from his team in the high mountains.

Tomorrow he will rest and then hopefully his mates will get together and work with him to see him over the line on the Champs Elysee in 2 weeks time.

If this doesnt happen, for whatever reason, you will have earned the right to be considered God of Australia for today.

Best wishes and good luck for the balance of the tour.

short and sharp

on my bike again today but only for a quick lap of the river. I felt much better than yesterday. I did 27km in just over 1 hour. The weather was overcast and cool but i did not get rained on.

I went from home around to burswood then down to the narrows bridge, UWA, Subiaco and finished at Cranked in Leederville.

Had a great coffee and then rode home - 2.5km. So all up i did 29.5km and I have now completed 3065km



I knew there was a reason to have the Caffeine and the paper proved it today talking about this research paper. Caffeine with carbohydrates improves the amount of glycogen which gets back into the muscles

slugging it out

went out for a ride again today in mid-afternoon, but my heart and legs were really not in it so i had to slug it out. in the end i clocked up 52.5km but i was a fair bit slower overall so the ride took me 20 mins longer (go figure). I have now completed 3036 km (not bad for 1/2 a year plus eight days i suppose).

I did the same ride as yesterday and the weather conditions were pretty much the same although it might have been slightly warmer and the breeze slightly stronger.

the river was fantastic - showing a different face near the base of kings park on the way around to UWA. there was a bit of cloud cover so the water was inky black and because this bit of the river was getting some shelter from the wind it was almost dead calm.



Brickbats and Bouquets

Firstly the bouquets - someone has spent some money upgrading a small section of the freeway bikepath (pity they didnt do the whole lot) but whoever did this work needs to be congratulated. It certainly enhances the riding experience.

Second - a brickbat for my fellow cyclists. Come on guys take your rubbish home. I counted 5-6 gel packs (and probably a few drink bottles)on the freeway bikepath which had a 99% chance of coming from a bike rider. there is really no excuse for this, it spoils the amenity of the ride and it brings us all into disrepute. it came out of your pocket, so why not put the rubbish back in there when you are finished PLEASE.

paradise in the middle of winter if you are a bike rider

God i love this place. I went for a ride today and the weather was fantastic (if a bit fresh and breezy) for the middle of winter. Managed to ride 52km around my favourite ride (shelley loop). My bike fitness is way off. My heart rate average was 160 and it topped out at 189 when i was trying to catch some guys down the freeway into the breeze. I managed to get around at 26km/h average which wasnt too bad and get a top speed of 52km down hill and with the wind behind me.

Here is the watch as i rode around the shelley loop



I did the shelley loop, down the freeway to the narrows and then to UWA and through Subiaco before stopping in Leederville at Cranked for a coffee. This coffee house brews a really good coffee and it is worth a stop. It is also next to the Riders Choice Leederville bikeshop so if you have any problems with your bike you can get them looked at while you get a drink.

the river was gleaming - we are so lucky to have such a beautiful river running right through our city and to be able to ride near it almost its entire length.



this is the bike parked at Cranked



I have now knocked off 2984km

another ride today in paradise

after dropping sue at work early, having some breakfast on the way home and then re-cleaning some windows I had attempted to clean yesterday I went for another ride today.

While the heart rate monitor did not work properly (i was officially dead) i did manage to get a cadence and Km readout. I clocked up 37.5km riding from home down the freeway to Mt Henry Bridge and back and then to UWA through Subiaco and home.

It was another gentle ride for me, but the weather was perfect (until the clouds came in) and there werent many people on the bike paths (some of which have been resurfaced since i last rode that way - much quicker and smoother).

The camera was still sans-batteries so no photos but there were a couple of interesting sights (other than my big fat a,,,) riding about.

I got passed by a motor cyclist (i kid you not) coming the other way on the fwy bikepath doing 60-70 km/h with a rider and pillion (no helmets). While this was interesting it is a recipe for disaster and they complain about cyclists!!!

I also could not catch and pass anyone myself, but i did manage to get caught by a bunch of older riders (probably the rich and retired) who had done 95km when the caught me. the lead rider about 60ish (at a guess) rides up next to me and taps me on the shoulder and says "havent you got any clothes". After taking my ipod earphones out I said to him i was trying to get a tan (in the middle of winter). When i thought about what he had said it sunk in. Here i was riding in short knicks and a short sleeve top and he and all his mates were in full winter gear - leg warmers, arm warmers etc. Really it was that cold (18-20 degrees) but i had only been riding for 45 mins and they had been out for at least 2 1/2 to 3 hours before catching. we rode together for a k or 2 and then they turned off.

So with today's 37.5km ish i have officially closing in on the 3000km barrier. 2932km down. Only another 7000 odd km to go this year. I need to win lotto to get anywhere close to this, but i might get half way there

first ride for ages

the last time i rode i think was May 6. I have my excuses for about 1 month of this time, but the rest was just pure laziness (well sort of). I find i need to make riding a habit, rather than a past-time. If i dont do this i lose my motivation as well as my fitness.

I "forced" myself to go for a nice gentle ride around the river from Burswood to UWA and then went to Brewha for lunch. I have no proof as my heart rate monitor did not work and the camera's batteries were flat so you will just have to take my word for it.

I was averaging about 26km/h and i rode for 1hr getting to the cafe and then 15 mins to get home so i am crediting myself with 30km

When i last rode i had covered 2865km so I am now 2895km towards my, increasingly unattainable, target of 10000km this year. I might just have to reset my target to something like 7500-8000 or just accept "failure" if i dont reach 10000km.

Oh by the way, the weather here today was simply perfect - about 19 degrees and sunny - for a mid Winter day. The forecast is for rain later this week and then clearing up again next week.

see you around on the great bike path of life