Self Righteous Cyclist

Cycling during Covid, like everything else in life required a major shift from the way I usually rode, which was mainly outdoors.  Health administrators around the world decreed that people should isolate, maintain a safe distance and wear a mask, none of these recommendations supported large groups of cyclists riding together.  In my home state of Victoria, most of the lockdowns required people to only allowed to exercise within 5km of home and with one other person.   Virtual cycling platforms such as TrainerRoad, Zwift, FulGaz and Rouvy saw their subscriber numbers swell.  Home trainers and training platforms like TACX, Wahoo and Peloton became highly sought after as their inventories dipped and prices went up.  The manufacturing and shipping crises which were downstream impacts of the pandemic hit retailers hard.  Meanwhile the price of second hand bikes and equipment went up.  At least people were thinking about staying active. For as long as I've ridden seriously, I've ow

While we emerge from our Covid spring after 18 months of rolling lockdowns sometime in the future I am going to look back and ask myself what happened during covid in 2020 and 2021.   How did my family and I get through living in Melbourne, one of the world’s most locked down cities (263 days) over that 18-month period from March 2020 to October 2021?   In recent times I’ve started to look at this blog differently.   I haven’t kept a journal since my mid-twenties, so if my children want to know more about what I thought about something or my lived experience, here it is, just in case they forgot to ask.   Living through covid was a remarkable experience from a multitude of perspectives as a partner, a parent, a son, a friend, a manager and a cyclist, well this is a cycling blog after all.   More about cycling in part 2 of the Covid Cycle.   The storm was brewing from afar in China and the USA in January 2020, where deaths were being attributed to a novel corona virus. Whilst we

Gravel Balwyn to Bright The idea came from a mate of my youngest. He set off early Jan on a solo venture from Sydney to Byron of self-discovery. He had done no training (aside from some social drinking and smoking) and had a hybrid! So, what was holding me back? With a barely used gravel bike, no job to get in the way and a weekend in Bright already planned, I decided I would set off the week before. As hard core as that sounds, one thing was very clear in my mind; it was credit card camping - no lugging a tent, sleeping bag or stove. If I was to be sweating it out during the day, I would be kicking back at night - shower, nice food and a real bed! Pleased with myself for coming up with the idea, I proceeded to do no planning. How hard could it be right? A week before departure, I realised some planning might be wise. How do I plan a course that keeps me off main roads? What is realistic distance for each day? Will I be ok on my own? While I wouldn’t need camping stuff, what would I

December 13/14, 2021 Melbourne – Yea (over Toolangi and Murrindindi) – Melbourne (over Kinglake West)   Introduction After a long couple of years living in “the most locked down city in the world” I wanted to try something to really clear the head, something adventurous and a mental reset. Whilst in the future I’d definitely opt for one or multiple companions, this time I wanted to go solo. I figured bike-packing would offer all of this. I already owned a gravel bike, so I decided to do a Bike-pack “light” version to minimise cost and effort to see if I like it. This meant carrying all my gear but opting for hotel accommodation.   Set-up My set-up was very simple to minimise outlay and hassle • An Aluminium frame Ridley X-ride I’d bought second hand a few years prior • Lowest gear ratio was 34 * 28 • Running clincher and tube 700c x 38mm • A 10L Topeak backloader saddle bag to carry my stuff (multi-tool, pump, 2x spare tubes, patch kit, overnight clothes, basic toil