Weekend Ride

Went out cycling yet again on Saturday as I continue to wait patiently for the best time to go hiking. The good news is Wilsons Prom has just been reopened to Day Visitors, with the longer walking tracks to be reopened shortly after. The fire threat has diminished to more sensible levels and the recent rain hopefully have re-filled the major water collection points along popular walking trails in Victoria.

Did the usual bike ride from home to Nunawading/Ringwood and back. Unfortunately, when I was riding back at a moderate speed of 25km/h, the bike chain snapped and literally flew off the bike into the bush. Somehow, my good luck didn't seem like ending. I didn't lose control or worse fall off the bike and crash into a tree. Unfortunately, it was a pretty sunny day and poor Tom walked all the way back to Kew from Nunawading (20km). * Sigh *, a 2 hour bike ride turned into a 4 hour trip, mostly walking in the sun pushing a bike...

Got the bike fixed 2 hours after in a bike shop and rode again on Sunday morning. I can't wait till the first hiking trip which is tentatively scheduled to take place this Easter. There's no better way of starting this year's hiking trips than visiting the highest peaks in Australia --- Kosciuszko National Park!

Night Ride

I had a really busy day at work today, started work at 7:00 and finished at 19:30. With travel time included, 15 hours in total. I was fairly disappointed to have missed my weekly indoor rock climbing session at Hardrock.

Instead of watching TV as planned, I arrived home at 20:30 and decided to put on my helmet, brought out the camera and tripod and went for a night ride around home. I have discovered that riding at night is very different from doing it in the day. There's hardly anyone around on the bike trails except for one or two people walking their dogs. Yet, because of the darkness, it is impossible to ride fast as visibility is nowhere as good as it is during the day. Every corner and every stretch of path without street lights require the most careful and delicate manoeuvring. On the other hand, the other senses are greatly heightened: I can smell the freshly mowed lawn (and what my friendly neighbours are having for dinner!), hear the water running down the tiny streams and feel the most gentle of breeze in the air.

I took the above photograph on the Belford Street Bridge over the Eastern Freeway. 6s exposure.

Cycling - Making it Interesting

It has been nearly two months since I started cycling regularly to improve my fitness. Lately, I haven't been able to do much hiking due to the bushfires, the extreme temperatures in Victoria and just too many things to ponder. In fact, I haven't hiked since my trip to New Zealand late last year.

So cycling has become the next activity on the list. I've set myself a very modest target of roughly 50-60km a week which I have been able to meet and exceed every week. I still don't understand how my friends can ride 210km in one day around the Bay! I keep my riding interesting by listening to classical music, taking rest stops and doing photography as well as geocaching. I personally think there's nothing more relaxing than riding with the breeze, taking in the different fragrances of the surrounding gardens, saying hello to the fellow users of the bike trails (4 legged ones included!) and listening to my favourite tunes. Reminds me of the tragically beautiful scene in the movie City of Angels when Meg Ryan's character was riding her bike, eyes closed, hands off the handlebars... (and no, I don't intend to repeat the next bit in the movie!) If you regularly use the exercise bike in a gym, you don't know what you're missing!

The dream of Alpamayo is still alive. Someday, someday when I'm ready.

0.5km/h short

Today' s 50km training ride was a long-ish trip by my crappy standards. Unlike my friends who can easily ride 100km within the same time, this is probably the furthest I can manage at this stage. The ride was from Kew to Ringwood (return) along the Eastern Freeway and Eastlink Bike Trails.














The max speed recorded for today's training session summarised my only disappointment. I've missed 50km/h by just 0.5km/h!!!! I was sprinting downhill on high gear, peddling as quickly as I could while keeping a constant watch for the path in front of me. 30, 40, 45, 46, 48, 49....just a bit more..... Crap! Oh well, maybe next time. :)
Looking at the bike trails on Google Earth, the next target will be from Melbourne CBD to Frankston (one way) via the Yarra, Eastern Freeway and Eastlink Trails. Not fit enough to do it yet but hopefully will be able to do it in a month.

Lindt Dark Chocolate with 85% cocoa and half strength Gatorade are the essential fuel for my long bike rides or difficult hiking trips. I don't normally eat chocolate (not really a dessert person) except when I need to "re-fuel" on hikes or rides. It's the fastest and most concentrated form of energy that I know of. Most of my friends hate the bitter taste of 85% but I like it because it's not too sweet. I still can't find the 99% version though.... Let me know if you know where to get it.

Cycling Training Saturday 31 Jan 09

The welcoming cool change finally came on Saturday after three successive days of over 40 degrees in Melbourne. It was a milder 24 degrees at 6pm so I decided to ride on the Eastern Freeway Bike Trail from Chandler Highway all the way to Springvale Road. The trip there took 65 minutes and I had a small break at Springvale Road. The GPS was telling me the sun will be setting soon so I raced all the way back home, shaving 5 minutes off the trip! The total distance for the day was 40km, top speed 48.5km/h. I felt a lot stronger than last week doing the same trip. Hopefully this is a sign that I'm improving my fitness!