Self Righteous Cyclist

Apologies this week to Bob Dylan, it was so windy it blew the froth off my post ride coffee! Ever since I was a kid riding a mile (1.6km) to school, the wind has been my nemesis.  I'm almost paranoid to the point I swear it's been following me around all these years.  From post ride coffee, to campfires, to bike rides, rattling bedroom windows and swirling around high rise office blocks, it's almost always there.  Our family home was north of the school so in the summer mornings we would usually get a light push to school and a howling furnace like blast to ride home into.   Beach Road, Melbourne's most popular cycling destination is a classic example, where riders starting from the CBD cruising down thinking how fast am I and cursing all the way back. Or occasionally you get hit with a wind change which rarely goes your way. We've all been there, heading out on a ride into a light breeze only to find ourselves having to push home into a horrendous ...

Apologies to Frankie Valli and his Four Seasons and Neil Finn from Crowded House.  Early summer in Melbourne can throw up some pretty variable weather as the climate changes more quickly than a newly elected politician's mind. Having just been to one of my sons' school for an open morning where I was under firm instructions to not wear my riding gear.  Yes it seems even 9 year old boys are lycra conscious these days and they're not even wearing it.  Dressed in my work attire and ready to cruise on my mountain bike across town to the office, it began to rain.  What's worse when it begins to rain is that you're poorly attired for riding in the clothes you're planning to wear for the rest of the day, no rain jacket, no shelter and feeling hung out to dry in the middle of one of Melbourne's busiest thoroughfares.  The high and dry motorists could be forgiven for feeling smug about being warm and dry in the comfort of their cars while watching the cyclists s...