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Cycle Blog 2010

Cycle Blog 2009

Cycle Blog 2008

I am still riding and will continue to do so even after my fall / slide this morning. I ride from Padbury to Perth and back at least once a week and have never fallen of or had any major problems (touch wood) but this morning on my turn from the bike path beside the freeway onto Loftus street (sharp left hand turn) I managed to loose the front wheel when I went through the sand. I don’t have too much damage thanks to gloves and luck. The guy that was riding behind me stopped and asked me if I was alright and offered to walk the rest of the way to town, I don’t know who you are but Thank you very much, I really appreciated the moral support at the time.
So please all keep an eye out for loose sand when turning and storm drains!
thanks
Dennis D - Dept of Water - Padbury to Perth.
Dennis wins a cycle instead prize.

Was good to get into the saddle again now the warmer & drier weather is here. Am definitely not a wet weather rider.

A thank you to the guys at Main Roads for sorting out the uneven surface on the PSP just north of Cedric St. My coccyx certainly appreciates it (and so does the bike!).


Pieter C - Good in Lycra - Intecsea - Duncraig to Perth CBD.
Pieter wins a cycle instead prize.

I was at a meeting at work, at which one of the visiting participants was blind. We were chatting at tea break, and I suggested that a good way to do some local tourism while she was here would be to go out by tandem! We both thought this a fantastic idea. That evening the trusty tandem, last used to take children to school, was dusted down, the chain re-lubricated and the bike made ready. The following morning, I cycled to work on my own by tandem, and we met up for a ride at lunchtime. The early morning rains had dissipated and we had a warm and sunny ride around Bibra Lake. The joy was there to be shared around the senses.
The feeling of the wind in your hair.
A chance to work your muscles hard, and to meditate through the rhythmic cadence of pedalling.
The sounds of birds in the trees, of traffic passing by.
The alteration in soundscape that manifests close to a large body of water.
The laughing of children out in the playground during school lunchtime.
The changing surfaces of the road and track, transmitted by tyre and saddle.
The forces or cornering and braking, of speeding and slowing.
The sound of your own breathing, and the beating of your heart.

Not always noticed or appreciated by me as the tandem pilot, but certainly noticed and embraced by my new-found 'stoker' on the back. We stopped to walk up the jetty. The gentle splashing of swans paddling, or the sudden small 'plop' and bubbling of cormorants diving, and of course the croaking of frogs, unseen by either of us, in the wetlands. Cheery greetings to and from other riders and dog walkers as we continued on our way. The predictable "Oi mate, she's not pedalling on the back!' prompted by the novelty of a tandem making its way along the path. It was so very precious to be able to share the joys of cycling, and to learn new ways of appreciating a bike ride, from someone who rides far less than I do. This evening she is hitching a ride with me on the tandem taxi to commute back to the hotel by the freeway bike path. Tomorrow morning, before she flies out, we have planned an early ride around King's Park, perhaps to hear the birds, the wind rattling the leaves, the sounds of the city softened into melody by distance. I am sure my new riding friend will draw my attention to many other new perspectives as we cycle around. Maybe on the next visit we’ll get the track tandem out and hurtle around the 43 degree banking of the wooden boards at the Midvale velodrome.

Thank you so very much for riding with me, Megan, and showing me how to enjoy cycling even more.
Phil N - Murdoch University - Fremantle to Murdoch.
Phil wins a cycle instead prize.

I only joined the bike to work challenge in the last week,and managed to clock up 120km! I had previously been a keen commuter cyclist, but with a new job in the city had been put off by the distance (and my absolutely horrid sense of direction). But with much persistent (nag, I mean encouragement) by my partner and a much too honest set of bathroom scales... I finally made the journey into work and managed three trips in the one week!

Other than the obvious health advantages, cycling saves me almost $40 a week in train fares and as a bonus I get a great nights sleep.
Happy Cycling!
Kristen R - SKM - Duncraig to Perth.
Kristen wins a cycle instead prize.

Yes, I had a bike accident on my return trip home from the Bike to Breakfast Wednesday.
I realised I was cut pretty bad when I started painting the sidewalk after the mishap, you can tell by the glove how much blood I was losing. (It was the same finger I attacked with a chain sawing the same time last year and had stitches!)

What a way to end your day; in hospital getting stitches again and partially passing out while watching the young doctor pull the laceration closed with a curved needle; they threw me on a gurney as I became disorientated, apparently I turned white as a ghost, they laughed afterward at how I was getting my colour back as I began to see daylight..

How it happened... the backpack that was on my rear bike rack caught the orange bollard as I cycled past and through me into the bollard, the brakes got depressed against the bollard and my finger found its way between and got chomped as it closed like a guillotine, or it was the pressure of the brake lever and the wall with my finger between (I'm assuming this, can't explain any other way I could have done it) then I slid off a bonnet of a ute and ended up in front of it. (Fortunately it was stationary) Because my peddle straps (older bike) were locked against the bollard and I couldn't get my shoe out, so basically keeled over as one.

The ute driver pointed as his fender and I said alls good and he drove off......don't worry about me!

There was no other route at the time, if it was legal... even the foot path was too narrow with the installed construction fences. I had a word to the guys in safety jackets the next morning to advise them of my accident with their temporary walls and suggested they have a return inwards (like the ones in the foreground) so one doesn’t get a nasty surprise like I did.
On returning that afternoon they used my advice No damage to the bike, just my pride.
Cheers
Steven E - Chevron - Gosnells to Perth.
Steven wins a cycle instead prize.

After living in Sydney for 26 years and moving to Perth for work. I found riding around in Perth is such an enjoyable experience. Everyone is bike friendly, the tracks are well laid out, there is no crazy traffic, and you can't go wrong with riding along a scenic river every morning!
As well as saving money on transport, I've been able to keep fit, and ultimately go down a belt size!
Kes Y - Chevron - East Victoria Park to Perth City.
Kes wins a cycle instead prize.

Well, this has been my 21st year riding to work.
I ride an average of 3 days per week year round. Love it and would recommend it to everyone. Even got my daughter to start riding into work now she left uni and started contributing to consolidated revenue. I did have to buy the bike for her though. Money well spent in my opinion and when she told me she was ready for the shoes with cleats, I knew there was another convert.
Peter V - Chevron - Trigg to Perth.
Peter wins a cycle instead prize.

After copping a fair bit of 'encouragement' from passengers in cars, or the offside front wing of those cars turning right directly in front of me, I now run as fast as possible to the safety of the bike path.
NOT TODAY!!!
Kim F - Dept of Environment & Conservation - North Beach to Kensington.
Kim wins a cycle instead prize.

What a fantastic 6 weeks. I managed to crack the magic 1,500 km and got myself to all the way to Bordertown.

This was my second year doing the ride to work challenge and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks to everyone involved for their participation, encouragement and support. I look forward to participating again in 2012 and hope to get a few more people on board.
Tim N - Landgate - North Perth to Floreat.

Well, after far too much time off from surgery, the Challenge has been a great re-entry into cycling. The only regret I have is that the challenge is not a day longer. 900km would have such a nice ring to it and I can't see me approaching it ever again.

It has been such an awesome six weeks that i have not even bothered to check out last years numbers. I know that i have comfortably passed it. With so much rest I entered the challenge with very few injuries. Hips were great. Knees were great. Feet were great.

Now the weather is getting warmer and that is the time I work the best. I did a long ride to Morley this morning to fulfill a commitment. And then rode back to Perth through Mt Lawley and Northbridge. And everywhere on the way. Warm. and comfortably sweaty. Many many more kms on the log and I still have tomorrow!

I trust that many many others have found the challenge as invigorating as I have. I will now continue to crank up the distance before I pack up the beast, head over to Mauritius and check out the paths and roads there. I hope that you all keep your bikes out of the shed and find new challenges too.

(900km. So near and yet so far. sob. )
Colin C - Persistent Peddlers - Dept of Housing - Bateman to East Perth.

Thanks Bike to Work Challenge! Otherwise, my new bike would still be sitting in my trophy room, where I admired it regularly. I was thinking about framing and mounting it on my wall, but now I've finally learnt what it's for!

Ok so I never actually managed to officially commute during this event, but I did pluck up the courage to do a trial run on the previous weekend. 39.5 unprecedented km! wow. Tour-de-France. Paris-Dakar. I'm ready!

Mind you, I didn't actually make it home. After marvelling at how easy it was to get to work, I just kept going, and landed at a mate's place to show off my new (4 month old but never ridden) beast.

Come evening, it was decided that i better make tracks. It was around that time that my body wasn't so confident, so I made a detour around the broken glass and pheromones of Northbridge.

That detour landed me at a girl's night that my babe was attending, promptly followed by begging for a lift home in the car.

So what took me so long to straddle the saddle? Well, conditions never seemed right. Too much wind. Too much rain. Too much sunshine. Extreme UV count. Extreme pollen count. Thunderstorm. Thunderstorm in my bowel. Tarot card warning. The list goes on!

But that's over now, my fears have passed. And I survived! Sure, I was a little tender the following day, but I think $1.50 at the petrol station was more painful.

I don't actually have a photo yet, so here's a pic of Captain Redbeard, who kindly laid me an egg to munch on before my maiden voyage.
Johan H - Dept of Mines & Petroleum - North Beach to East Perth.
Johan wins a cycle instead prize.

I moved back to Osborne Park work location after a stint back in East Perth where I was in a good cycling routine of 3 days per week. The challenge was that last time I was in Osborne Park I was able to come up with plenty of excuses not to ride. However after establishing a good regime when working in East Perth I now found that the reasons to ride far outweighed the reasons not to ride (most of these were lame anyway)

Given I am not a huge fan of cycling on standard roads and dual carriage ways. Seeking out cycle paths is always high priority but given where I live sometimes has to be compromised. Straight down Reid Hwy and then onto the paths alongside the freeway have been the best bet although roadworks on Reid Hwy have signs discouraging cyclists from using it. That will soon be complete and a more direct cycling route is in sight.

Coming into summer if we get a standard weather pattern this year (unlike last year) then hopefully I will get blow to work with the easterly and blow home with the sea breeze. If not, I will just have to work a bit harder!
Frank P - Dept of Health - Ballajura to Perth.
Frank wins a cycle instead prize.

I used to think that cyclists were simply mad - out in the dark with the rain and the wind, the uncomfortable saddles and the maniac drivers!
So recently I bought a bike, I've been up at 5, out with my headlight flashing, hoping my reflective strips are er, reflective, enduring the wind breaking off the river and the tree roots pushing through the cycle paths. Suddenly discovered that hills are much hillier when you're on wheels.
And now I know that cyclists are indeed mad. But it's all worth it for the coffee and the muffin at the end!!!
Christopher S - RAC - Canning Vale to Perth.
Christopher wins a cycle instead prize.

My cycling story started with the spring bike to work challenge 2010 I have been cycling to work ever since. It's rare for me to stick to an exercise plan for this long and I think I know why. Not only does it get me to work, which enforces the regularity, but it's like being paid to go to the gym! I save $20 a week on train fares ($1000 a year), and get ten 30 minute work outs! and in fresh air to boot. I'm still working on the helmet hair issues but otherwise the cycle commute comes highly recommended !
Caroline M - Department of Water - Carlisle to Perth CBD.
Caroline wins a cycle instead prize.

What a fantastic couple of weeks of cycling - apart from all the lovely sunshine and light mornings there a few other key reasons:

1. I've cycled 1000km!!! No I don't mean all during the cycle to work challenge, that would be really hardcore, but since I purchased my little bike computer. But before I tell you how long I have owned my bike computer I should point out a few important facts:
- I didn’t cycle for about 20 months due to being pregnant and all that follows on from that
- I now only work two days a week which means only two days for cycling
- I used to cycle my 26km round trip most days and before I moved to Perth I cycled to work each day in London, I just never got round to acquiring an odometer.
OK enough excuses - I've cycled 1000km in 2 years. But I'm still excited about it.

2. I've worked a few extra shifts at work which means extra cycling. You see I'm a very dedicated cyclist but it's only when free from the restraints of a toddler that I'm able to cycle i.e. work days. Yes I know I could get one of those kiddy seats, but where would I put all the nappies, snacks, water bottles, wipes blah blah blah. Or maybe I'm just not quite that dedicated......

3. Stoke City drew against Man U. Not directly related to cycling but our cycle to work team captain is a Man U fan so it's definitely worth a mention.

4. Stoke City also won in their European match. Again not directly related to cycling but contributes to my overall good humour which makes the cycling all that more enjoyable. And it also means they're top of the group now.

5. I achieved my fastest cycling time to date for my 13km trip to work - 35mins and 35 seconds. I always seem to be quicker in the morning and I haven't quite figured out whether it's more uphill going home, more windy or I'm just more fatigued. And on the subject of wind, my husband refuses to believe that Perth is one of the windiest cities in the world, yet he's the sandgroper and I'm the POM, so I consulted my good friend google, and here's what I found, along with a little rhyme (in the spirit of an earlier blog of mine).....

There was a young man called Russell
Who found cycling a bit of a struggle
He tried and he tried
But he couldn’t think why
Then his wife said, maybe it's because of..........

THE WIND!! You see Perth is the third windiest city in the world, behind Chicago and Auckland, although other sources have revealed it to be only the seventh or tenth windiest city in the world with Wellington coming in tops, but there are further discussions on the windiest capital cities in the world where Perth ranks first, second and third depending on who you ask, so I think it is fair to say that Perth is one of the top ten windiest cities in the world, which should satisfy even the most insistent of sceptics. So there.

So next time you find yourself struggling on your bike more than usual, having your umbrella blown inside out, having a particularly bad hair day, or worse, your hair keeps blowing on to your freshly applied lip gloss creating a nice furry look, rest assured it's not entirely your fault, and you're certainly not alone. And besides, cycling uphill would be no fun without a decent gust of wind

A footnote about the photo - totally posed I admit but I'm not having my helmet hair displayed online for all the world to see.
Sarah H - Pill Poppers - Pharmacy Department, Royal Perth Hospital - Scarborough to Perth.
Sarah wins a cycle instead prize.

Cycle instead is a great opportunity for me to get out of my car and back on my bike! Its good for me and the environment
Jess - Woodvale Wobblers Dept Environment & Conservation

Riding a looong way uphill and into the easterly in the morning to get to work, and a short and brutish uphill again and into the sea breeze in the afternoon to get home. I think this entitles me to double my kilometre tally! (just joking)

I wouldn’t change my cycle commute for quids. The days I cycle I know I’m going to be more productive, centred and creative. So worth the effort!!
Leah K - Murdoch University - Hamilton Hill to Murdoch University.
Leah wins a cycle instead prize.

Fantastic fun having the kids home from school. Racked up quite a few extra k's. Absolutely gorgeous riding weather - no excuses!!

Enjoy your last week everyone.
Kathy S - Woodvale Wobblers - Dept Conservation & Environment - Beldon to Woodvale.
Kathy wins a cycle instead prize.

Frustration to joy! I had a hernia op middle of August which has kept me off the bike until about 2 weeks ago. As a daily rider this has been very frustrating. I'm really enjoying getting back into the saddle a bit now and will hopefully be a daily rider again come next week. CIIS kms are well down this year but at least I'm able to register some, I'm happy about that.
Mark S - PT Avengers - Cannington to Perth.
Mark wins a cycle instead prize.

Enjoying the additional training that Cycle Instead in Spring has enabled me to put in. The feeling at the end of the day having cycles to work and home sure beats the feeling of getting out of the car.
Evan W - Enigma - Bicton to Willetton.
Evan wins a cycle instead prize.

Got up at 9am, ate breakfast, then rode to Mullaloo. Had a swim in the ice-cold water and then rode to Hillarys. Got off bike and ran 3km then ate brunch. Rode to Beldon, grabbed dusty and Claire and went to the dog beach and park! Then went back to Beldon and relaxed.

Cycle instead has been a great opportunity for me to get outside and ride my bike. It's great for keeping up my fitness now that soccer is over! Cycling beats sitting on the couch and watching TV any day.

Jayden L - Woodvale Wobblers - Beldon to Hillarys.
Jayden wins a cycle instead prize.

Twice now in the Cycle instead in Spring challenge I've been fortunate to spot dolphins along the foreshore. On both occasions the sun was out (yes the sun does shine in Perth but it has been a wet start for Spring - good for the dams though), and the dolphins were having fun catching fish. It is these treats that you won't see in a car or if you do, you won't be able to stop and enjoy the view.



Thanks for once again organising Cycle instead in Spring. Cycling numbers are increasing so this must be assisting in reducing traffic congestion and freeing up seats on public transport for those who can't or fail to appreciate the benefits' to riding to work.

Roland P - LandCorp - Duncraig to Perth.
Roland wins a cycle instead prize.

There has been a request for something inspirational from the dry(ish) inlanders to the south-western brethren. I don't usually say much about my riding - it's just something I do - but since David asked nicely here's a little something.

I'm not going to say much about the weather, because as a confirmed left-minded cyclist - I'll ride pretty much regardless of weather. What I am going to tell you about is my ride to work.

I live in a regional “city” which means that I don't have to ride all that far to get to work. I have three fairly direct options to get there which are all around the 8 km mark; the Short Way, the Simple Way, or the Quiet Way.

The Short Way starts like this: Round-about, round-about, traffic lights, railway bridge, round-about, free intersection, traffic lights. After that things settle down a bit and there's only 2 round-abouts[1], 2 traffic lights and 3 stop signs to go. It is also one of the most heavily trafficked roads in town. Not enough to jam, but enough that there's usually something going past your elbow.

The Simple Way by contrast has 1 round-about, and 2 stop signs. That's it. But you must be willing to go out and play with road trains. Road trains, for those who don't know, are like tall buildings that have fallen over and been put on wheels. In my neck of the woods these grow to a length of 1 semi and four trailers. Our northern brethren will regard this as short. Generally these are driven by people who are aware of the edges of their vehicles and will give you a bit of space - but it takes a lot of trust.

The Quiet Way was, many years back, a main link between the two ends of town. It presents 4 round-abouts, 3 give ways, 3 stop signs and a short stretch of footpath, but there's only about 4 blocks where you can expect a high traffic density. The trade-off here is that the middle section of this route has an appalling road surface. You would need to be way out of the metro area to find anything like it (or go out mountain biking).

Now, I'm not writing for this to be a whinge. I want it to be a comparison, because I remember riding in Perth. I remember networks of roads that, while sometimes difficult to follow, took me to useful places. I remember the joys of bicycle lanes. Where there was busy roads, there was bitumen shared-paths. I remember cycling facilities that were useful.

So what I want to say is, get out there. Use your cycling facilities.[2] If you're in the metro area get out, ride, and show Mr Buswell that the cycling facilities are useful, used, and in need of that yet-to-be-implemented review. If you're not metro, then bums on bikes is an excellent way of showing where they are needed.

So, get out there and ride. Find your health, find some fitness, and use some facilities.
Ramon A - one of the dry(ish) inlanders - Piccadilly to South Boulder.
Ramon wins a cycle instead prize.

Footnotes: [1] There is a theory that round-abouts are some sort of concrete parasite that infect roads after spending time in their secondary host, road designers.
[2] If you, like me, don't have bike lanes or paths heading toward your workplace, remember roads are bicycling facilities.

Summary: Generally the the riding's pretty good in Kalgoorlie, if you don't mind being in the traffic - or on ageing footpaths and once you have calthrop strategies in place. We've been getting the winds that are with the fronts, just not too much of the rain. Anyone that was out this afternoon/evening probably got pretty wet.

Since taking up the Cycle Instead challenge last year (2010), I have been riding my bike more and more often. What started as a simple way to commute to work (and save money and save time and feel better!) has become my primary mode of transport. These days I ride more often than not, whenever it's feasible: to the shops, to the pub, to friends' places, to the footy, the list goes on!

Similarly, on the weekend just passed, I planned to ride to my parents' house for a visit. I dithered about the trip - the weather forecast advised definite showers and a chance of a thunderstorm and the ride to my parents' is twice the distance of my usual commute.

In the end, I decided to take my chances and ride, not least to get my kilometres up for the Cycle Instead challenge!

I am supremely glad that I decided to ride. I didn't get stormed on, though there was a ferocious headwind on the trip home. This didn't bother me much. Unlike cycling to work, I didn't have to arrive at home by any particular time, so I was happy to take it slow into the wind and enjoy the scenery.

As I cycled through the nature reserve nearby my parents', I noticed a small turtle caught between the road and the cycle patch. The poor guy was also being harassed by magpies; they were standing all around and swooping at him every now and again, forcing him to pull his head in each time.

I leapt off my bike, made rude gestures at the magpies and chaperoned the turtle across the bike path and back toward the nearby river. Although powering away, and pretty fast for a turtle, the trip back to the river took about 20 minutes. The little guy kept stopping (maybe to catch his breath) for a little while before powering off again and although the magpies kept their distance while I was there, they never quite went away either, and continued to make some half-hearted swoops. I didn't leave until the turtle had disappeared into the long grass near the water.

It was a remarkable experience and really made my day. Not only did I get a nice ride, some exercise, stress relief and kept money in my pocket, I managed to help out a poor guy who was being bullied far from home. Heck, I would have enjoyed just spotting the turtle in the grass. Helping him scramble back to the river was a step above! And I never would have noticed the turtle at all had I driven past the park.

It was a nice reminder that sometimes it's better to take things slow and easy and enjoy the experience fully, rather than rush from place to place all the time.
Matthew R - Dept Premier & Cabinet - Como to Perth.
Matthew wins a cycle instead prize.

Hi guys, yesterday on my work commute I had an unfortunate accident. As I was coming into a roundabout, a driver failed to give way to me and hit me. I was flung up onto the bonnet of his car and when he stopped, I flew off the front into the road. I ended up with only minor cuts and bruises and a sprain in my shoulder and leg. It could have been a lot worse!

Everywhere we go, cyclists make a more conscious effort of their surroundings. I am a very safe, non-aggressive cyclist and this still happened because of somebody not paying attention to the road. Please be careful people!
Kristen T - S-orebodies - BHP Billiton - Thornlie to Belmont.
Kristen wins a cycle instead prize.

Yes, roundabouts are one of the most dangerous places for bikes even when cyclists take extra care. - Ed.

Is the faded text on my bicycle bell.
This bell I need regularly to warn pedestrians I am approaching when I cycle along the ocean. It's an old fashioned one with a loud recognisable sound.
I am a commuter, using my bicycle to go from A to B. While there is a car on our driveway it is hardly used as it's much quicker, healthier and more sustainable to take one of the bicycles. The one with the bags on the back or the one with the basket when I go to the market, the library or my friends. Or the mountain bike for a leisure cycle around the river or along the beach. The longest distance I commute is once or twice a week to Curtin University, a 36km return, that's also the only time I wear my padded bicycle shorts. All other times I wear my normal clothes, which people here seem to find funny, as they apparently expect you to be clad in lycra when cycling.
A dress is the best cycle gear as it's easy, airy and looks great for a girl!

And after eight years in Australia I am getting used to the helmet, I don't make a big fuzz of my hairstyle so there is nothing to worry about. Besides, it protects my head from the broody magpies along the railway in spring... But secretly I must admit that I long to the time that the helmet will be dismissed, like in my birth country, The Netherlands, where everyone cycles and the roads are dominated by cyclists, nobody is wearing a helmet only the sport cyclists, clad in lycra racing the roads in the weekends.

It would be so much nicer, me in my summer dress on my bike with my long hair blowing in the wind...
Wilma V - Curtin University Cyclists - Swanbourne to Bentley.
Wilma wins a cycle instead prize pack.

I moved to Perth from the UK 2 ½ years ago, I have always had problems with my weight and was never keen on exercise which is odd because in my youth I had always very active. Anyway a visit to the doctors last February set the alarm bells ringing I weighed in at 120kg I had high blood pressure, Cholesterol wasn’t too good and I was getting dangerously close to type 2 diabetes, I decided that enough was enough that was all the encouragement I needed to do something about it. I started cycling to work and back a few days a week and only 5k each way, after a while I include a few weekend excursions cycling up to 50km in two hours. I soon found that I needed to extend the ride to work and deliberately sought a route that would provide a bit more of a challenge in both distance and terrain. I now cycle 12km each way over a route that has a couple of what I consider to be nasty climbs and hey my weight has dropped down to 89kg, I still have a few more kilo’s to lose but I have never felt better.

In addition to the cycling, I now also include a run or two in my weekly exercise routine and this year I took part in the Perth City to Surf 12km run and raised over $700 for charity in the process....
Colin P - City of Swan - Swan View to Midland.
Colin wins a cycle instead prize.

I often find myself riding home in the dark. I don’t mind – my commute is mostly on bike paths, and I actually enjoy trying to work out what people are having for dinner as I wheel my way through suburbia, picking up kitchen aromas on the way.

But I’ve nearly ridden into enough walkers, runners and unlit cyclists on the cycle path to appreciate the value of being seen on dark nights.

A few months ago I purchased a flashing light that straps onto the top of my helmet. The front flashes white and the rear, red; it doesn’t help me see any better on the road, but it definitely makes it easier for others to see me.

Alas, few of my non-cycling friends share my love of this light. They laugh at it (or more accurately, at me) and can’t understand why I think it is necessary to hold my own personal disco on top of my head.

But it’s reassuring to see the reflective road signs flash as I ride past, and to know that when I do have to ride on the road, there’s a flashing light closer to drivers’ eye level than the one on my bike to alert them to my presence.

So I'm sticking with the light, no matter how daft it might look!
Val M - Tour de Murdoch - Murdoch Uni - East Perth to Murdoch.
Val wins a cycle instead prize.

Like many other Australians I was glued to my TV during July watching Cadel Evans success in the 2011 Tour de France. Truly a monumental and magnificent achievement!

Starting immediately after the conclusion of the Tour I decided to cycle to work for 101 days to cover the same distance as ridden in the Tour de France in honour of Cadel Evans' victory.

My distance between my home and work is 34km return, so allowing for the odd day back in Head Office (only 24km return) I should cover the 3430km by Christmas.

Currently I have finished the equivalent of Stage 7, which puts me at Chateauroux! If only there was a team car or neutral service vehicle to keep the bike in tip top condition!
Tim T - Cadel Evans' Awesome - GHD - Mnt Claremont to Belmont.
Tim wins a cycle instead prize.

It has been a bad year with more time off recovering from two bouts of surgery.

But with the blessing of my orthopaedic surgeon I am now back. And as chance has it I have been cranking up the kms in the last two weeks - just timed it well for the Challenge.

While I am still wearing a sling as a comfort blanket, I am hoping to at least come close to whatever I managed last year.

I am heading over to Mauritius for three weeks at the years end. I am taking the rusty iron steed and some extra conditioning form this Challenge should make the rides there so much easier. Anyone wanna join me?

If you are passing me on the paths (EVERYONE does!), break my focussing on the sad state of my aching butt and shout out to me. I am easy to spot.

Good luck to us all.
Colin C - Dept of Housing - Bateman to East Perth.
Colin wins a cycle instead pack.

I decided to start riding to and from work in July 2010. My ride to work is just under 12 km one way and usually takes me a little less than 30 minutes. Riding to work is great. During peak hours it only takes about 5 minutes longer than driving to travel the distance. However, I do it with a lot less stress, at lower cost, and I feel a lot better because of the health benefits.

Since July last year I have ridden almost 11,500 km (I also ride somewhere most weekends up to 50 km) and when the weather and time permits I often ride the "long way" home from work and travel up to 25 km. I have only driven to work a couple of times. Rain doesn't worry me too much as I can have a shower as soon as I get to work. With a half hour ride I don't really have time to get too uncomfortable.

When I started riding to work regularly I used an old mountain bike. However,as my fitness and strength improved I hardly ever got out of the top 2 or three gears and quickly wore out the cogs. I upgraded to a flat bar road bike (a Giant Cross City 2) that was more suited to commuting. It has narrower tyres, better gear ratios and a lower frame weight. It is much easier to ride and a fair bit quicker than the mountain bike.

My next challenge will be the 106 km section of the Santos Great Bike Ride for charity in November so I will be doing a few longer rides in the coming weeks to prepare.

Tim N - Landgate - North Perth to Floreat.
Tim wins a cycle instead pack.

One sure way to ruin your ride is having your back wheel blow a spoke or two. Luckily I hung onto my old bike to keep me going till I get chance to have this fixed.

Nigel B - HBF - Mount Lawley to Perth.
Nigel wins a cycle instead prize.

Coming from the famous region of the Black Forest, I've joined Royal Perth Hospital in June 2011 and have commuted to work by bike ever since no matter what the wheather is like. As European, it really strikes me that it doesn't seem to be common to commute to work by bike at all. It seems to be close to impossible for Australians to ride a bike in everyday clothes although the average population seems to be quite sporty. However, the biker's community is great and I now look forward to getting my shipment from Europe as my racing bike is included in it. I can't wait to explore the hills I see in Perth's distance!

Christina S - RDL -RPH - Shenton Park to Royal Perth Hospital.
Christina wins a cycle instead prize.

After riding through the winter months in the cold, dark and wet how pleasant this last week has been. Still need my lights for the first half of my ride to work but another week and the lights and the mudguard can come off. That should ensure we get a little more rain.

Glenn S - Stirling Street Steelers - Telstra - Booragoon to Perth.
Glenn & child win a cycle instead pack.

I started cycling to work in 2005, at first very inconsistently, and then more regularly until I got hooked about a year later. After that I cycled just about every day to work until Baby No. 1 arrived. During that first year I suffered from cycling withdrawal and was relieved when my baby turned one. I bought a trailer and cycled to the shop, playgroup, the library and the beach (basically anywhere less than 10km round trip). Cycling was again reduced to very little during the next couple of years because of a difficult pregnancy and the arrival of Baby No. 2.

My older daughter started pre-kindy this year and I went back s a consequence I was suddenly spending much more time on the road and I didn't enjoy it. Cycling was out of the question with 2 kids and a 50km daily round trip, so I had to think of another solution. I eventually thought of an electric bike. After some research I found a small local company that converts normal bikes into ebikes. My ebike now allows me to ride my 1.5 year old daughter to day care (1km), my 3.5 year old daughter to pre-kindy (15km) followed by a 10km ride to work. Most of the trip is done on cycle paths with short sections on wide low traffic roads. Commuting has now become the very best part of the day!

Having an ebike allows me to cycle with 2 kids and over longer distances. It also allows me to cycle even if I feel lazy (pedalling optional) and if I don't want to arrive all sweaty at the destination (handy when going shopping in summer). I get to do plenty of physical exercise (or not) without spending much additional time on top of my busy work and family life. It also solves the babysitting problem while trying to keep fit.

Now and then I'm being told that using an ebike is cheating. Well, I'm not competing in the Tour de France, I'm simply greatly contributing to my health and happiness while saving money and reducing carbon emissions. What's wrong with that? Using an ebike is still way better than driving a car and may mean for many people who live far from work, are not fit, are lazy, don't have the time, have kids, or don't want to sweat, etc... being able to cycle instead!

Regards,
Elizabeth M - ecological cycles - URS - Mount Claremont to Perth.
Elizabeth & kids win a cycle instead pack.