Didn't quite gallop to gunning

I had a crack at the Gunning Gallop yesterday, a 400km Audax event run locally. Just Richard and me turned up and I'm sorry to say that I bailed with leg cramps 140km into the ride.

Plenty of excuses to justify pulling out, lousy preparation for starters but I am very disappointed now and wish I could have continued. I've never really had cramps before and even now my thighs are tight and uncomfortable. I probably need to get back into yoga or look at some sodium replacement strategies. Its all part of the process. I also got very cold riding on the Hume Hwy passed Mittagong which I think contributed to the cramping. Just couldn't get warm. By the time I got home I felt exhausted so wonder if I would have got all that much further if I had pressed on. I will never know. I do know I will have to do a lot more riding before doing anything much over 200km, partly to give me the confidence that I can make the distance, but also to get the body working better.

I did get to give the new lights a workout and found them to be very satisfactory. The Apollogy did great, everything worked (except me). ONe interesting point for fans of civil engineer - they number drains! Can't think why.

Cafe Ride washout

It has rained a lot in the last couple of weeks and a lot of folks are talking about fenders. Back in my all weather commuting days I loved my mudguards, they kept my feet and back dry and held most of the crud at bay.

I haven't arranged fenders for the Apollogy as yet, largely because (and CTA notes) they're not easy to come by and I was reminded this morning as I rode out to Dapto for the start of the cancelled Cafe Ride what a great thing they are. I only ever regret not getting on the bike and I love riding in the rain, even though its cold and slippery.

With the ride canned, I took the long way home under drizzly skies but enjoyed the relative solitude of a saturday morning with only the hardy cyclists out and about.





Kind of makes me think about how lucky I am to be able to ride in such a great place that has good facilities for bikes (relatively).

In other news, the North American Handmade Bicycle Show is on this weekend in Portland "Bike City USA". There are some photos already appearing on flickr . Some beautiful things to see.

Registration fees

Ok, so its one thing to have a politician prattle on that bikes should be registered to pay for cycling infrastructure , we've all heard it before, but when the CEO of the peak cycling body in NSW agree's with him, that's getting pretty disappointing.

Says Alex:

"Bicycle NSW said it supported initiatives that seek to legitimise cycling. "A form of bike registration or levy may help achieve this," said its chief executive, Alex Unwin."

That is such a lame response.

As the CPF points out, nowhere in the world is bicycle registration a serious option and the splendour of bike routes in Amsterdam is funded by a committed community who can see the immediate benefits of improved cycling infrastructure.

In the subsequent poll on 79% of people thought registration was a dumb idea, so that at least gives some hope. But jeez, Bicycle NSW membership just started to look pretty embarrassing.

Vale Sheldon Brown

I am sad this morning to hear on the lists that Sheldon Brown has died overnight. He was 64. There is some more information at http://bikeportland.org/2008/02/04/sheldon-brown-rip-1944-2008/ .

Sheldon Brown's encyclopedic website on bicycles and maintenance was my primary reference tool for the Apollogy project and my burgeoning fixie consciousness amongst many other things. It was also often very funny.

My thoughts go to his friends and family at this sad time.