|
#1
|
|||
|
|||
today's ride
As I said elsethread, I had a good ride in.
If a wet one. The hills are getting easier, or else I'm better at not noticing, not sure which it is! I push hard against the seat back and go up as hard as I can looking for 75-80 RPM. Which works well until the legs give out! Got a number of smiles from peds today, mostly workmen hiding out from the weather and watching the world and me go by. Also got two "that looks odd, is it comfortable?" from people at lights, one of whom went on to say she'd thought about riding to work. Odd thought to have in this weather I thought but didn't say.... Got waved through a roundabout by a 4WD, and up the observatory hill rd by a taxi. Must have taken pity on a very drowned looking rider! Nearly buzzsawed a rider on the bridge, who was head down and drifting well over to my side. She woke up at my "look where you are going!" yell and said a sheepish "sorry". She looked tired, I wonder where she had ridden from? Or maybe just getting rain in the face and hating it. A ped waved me through the wider bit between the trees on the footpath after the tunnel under the train, yeah riding o the path is naughty, but riding up the road in that bit is more than I can feel comfortable doing right now as buses, taxis, sudden swerving "must be in that lane" and tired legs don't mix.. I slowed and almost stopped and went quite wide of her, and she stopped and waved me through with a smile. I thanked her and we both headed in our respective directions. Got further up Walker St, probably because of the wait at the lights, and walked up Miller and dripped my way into the lift. Amazingly no one said I was silly riding in the wet, I get more hassle about that on the motorcycle on a wet day! On the whole, a good ride. A little less puffed, a little less intimidated, and still heaps of fun despite the wet. I didn't mind the rain. Not cold enough to be cold, not heavy enough to be painful. Sure has cut the number of peds and cyclists though! Pyrmont bridge was relatively clear of both, and so was the Harbour Bridge. note to self... keep dry tights and shirt at work! Undressing was icky, re-dressing will be worse! especially the socks. Zebee |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
today's ride
Zebee Johnstone wrote:
A ped waved me through the wider bit between the trees on the footpath after the tunnel under the train, yeah riding o the path is naughty, but riding up the road in that bit is more than I can feel comfortable doing right now as buses, taxis, sudden swerving "must be in that lane" and tired legs don't mix.. I slowed and almost stopped and went quite wide of her, and she stopped and waved me through with a smile. I thanked her and we both headed in our respective directions. I often ride on that footpath, going up, for the same reasons as you. And coming back down, I _always_ use it. There aren't really many alternatives for a cyclist, if you want to go back through that tunnel. On the whole, a good ride. A little less puffed, a little less intimidated, and still heaps of fun despite the wet. I didn't mind the rain. Not cold enough to be cold, not heavy enough to be painful. Sure has cut the number of peds and cyclists though! Pyrmont bridge was relatively clear of both, and so was the Harbour Bridge. I learned a lesson this morning, the hard way. On Pyrmont Bridge, keep *well* clear of the monorail when it's raining and a train is coming. The train sprays a lot of water on anyone unlucky enough to be underneath or just off to one side. -- beerwolf (remove numbers from email address) |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
today's ride
In aus.bicycle on Fri, 12 May 2006 23:43:28 +1000
beerwolf wrote: I learned a lesson this morning, the hard way. On Pyrmont Bridge, keep *well* clear of the monorail when it's raining and a train is coming. The train sprays a lot of water on anyone unlucky enough to be underneath or just off to one side. Ouch! GOod to know, never would have occurred to me. I suppose it is just an elevated bus.... Zebee |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
today's ride
On Fri, 12 May 2006 23:43:28 +1000, beerwolf wrote:
I often ride on that footpath, going up, for the same reasons as you. And coming back down, I _always_ use it. There aren't really many alternatives for a cyclist, if you want to go back through that tunnel. If you're coming off thinks Miller? St - anyway, the one that's just up the hill from the station - you can head down towards Blues Pt, then cut through a little park. This leads you though back streets to the other side of the tunnel, and is legal. Coming back that way doesn't work because it's too narrow to reasonably go the wrong way on a one way street after the tunnel, which is why the bike lane ends there. [1] The highway isn't too bad, though you get the odd dickhead. I suppose you could go through the back of Milsons Pt, but it'd be fairly blah. The footpath seems to be pretty accepted as a cycleway, so it might even be worth lobbying for it to be formally declared. My preferred option city bound was to head down the hill toward Blues Pt then turn at the lights, which comes out at the roundabout in Milsons Pt. But only because I liked to go close to the speed limit. [1] For those who don't know this area, it's a one way street with a bike lane going in the opposite direction. So yes, we bloody bike riders are going the wrong way, but we're allowed to. -- Dave Hughes | Oh, loneliness and cheeseburgers are a dangerous mix. - Comic Book Guy |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
today's ride
In aus.bicycle on Sat, 13 May 2006 10:13:15 +1000
Random Data wrote: On Fri, 12 May 2006 23:43:28 +1000, beerwolf wrote: I often ride on that footpath, going up, for the same reasons as you. And coming back down, I _always_ use it. There aren't really many alternatives for a cyclist, if you want to go back through that tunnel. If you're coming off thinks Miller? St - anyway, the one that's just up the hill from the station - you can head down towards Blues Pt, then cut through a little park. This leads you though back streets to the other side of the tunnel, and is legal. No, it's going the other way. Off the bridge, go left so you can go right on the street, up the hill, through the roundabout, up the bicycle lane that is there so you can go the wrong way up a one way street, right into the tunnel under the railway. Now you have the choice to go on the road and brave buses, taxis, and swerving cars wanting to turn left into the road the station's on, or use the footpath. be fairly blah. The footpath seems to be pretty accepted as a cycleway, so it might even be worth lobbying for it to be formally declared. An interesting idea.... I wonder what North Sydney council would say... It's not too bad at the tunnel end, but there would need to be some clear traffic management at the Walker St lights - quite a few peds come out of the station and use those lights. Zebee |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
today's ride
be fairly blah. The footpath seems to be pretty accepted as a cycleway,
so it might even be worth lobbying for it to be formally declared. An interesting idea.... I wonder what North Sydney council would say... It's not too bad at the tunnel end, but there would need to be some clear traffic management at the Walker St lights - quite a few peds come out of the station and use those lights. Zebee I thought it was a shared path. Arent there some of those little signs up? Maybe not, according to the North Sydney Bike Plan map at http://www.northsydney.nsw.gov.au/re...y_Bikeplan.pdf fb |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
today's ride
Zebee Johnstone writes:
Got waved through a roundabout by a 4WD, What did the driver think about his vehicle taking such liberties? I think I also got waved by a considerate driver the other day. Well, it was more of a jab than a wave, but I'm sure the sentiment was there! Concerned with my safety, I expect. ;-) There I was minding my own business on the Princes Highway about two thirds of the way through my 27km commute. Stopped at traffic lights, first in the queue, and positioned at the centre of the left hand lane, as I always am at traffic lights. There were two lanes going forward, mine and the one to my right (which is also a right hand turn lane). The lane to my left is a left hand turn lane, so visually speaking, it looks like I'm situated in the middle of the road. So far so good. Lights turn green, we all set off calmly and peacefully, and at or near the far side of the intersection I shift over to the left to let some cars through (which I can see in my rear vision mirror), as there was ample room. Still good, and cars begin to pass me at a safe distance but within the same lane. Just prior to this I heard a couple of stifled beeps come from somewhere behind and to the right, but with a road full of cars, who could know who did the beeping and for what purpose? Anyway, moments afterwards I see a Mitsubishi Starwagon-type van pull past in the right hand lane, and over the roof of a passing car I happen to notice a man leaning backwards, looking out of his left hand windows (I'm not talking about the front passenger window) in my general direction, and madly gesticulating towards the left (while not watching where he was driving). Now, I suppose the sign language was probably directed towards me (why I suppose that I don't know), and I further suppose that he must have been urgently suggesting I take the left hand turn for some reason I couldn't fathom. Actually, it is more likely that (b) get off the road or (c) keep to the left, is the correct answer. But who can know what these silly mime games actually mean? When you stop to think about it, you see how pathetic it is that, locked in a moving cage of metal, a fellow with obviously some urgent and important message to communicate, couldn't simply pause and exchange thoughts with another person, but could only be pathetically borne away towards another day of wage slavery. To those who ask why I ride to wage slavery (almost said 'work') instead of drive, I might simply ask, "How many people did you say good morning to on the way to work?" Three or four is a nice average for me. David -- David Trudgett http://www.zeta.org.au/~wpower/ To benefit by others' killing and delude oneself into the belief that one is being very religious and non-violent is sheer self-deception. -- Mohandas Gandhi, "Non-Violence in Peace and War", Navajivan Publishing, 1948, II-68, cited in Merton, Thomas, "Gandhi on Non-Violence", New Directions, 1964, p.58. |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
today's ride
In aus.bicycle on Sat, 13 May 2006 18:25:00 +1000
David Trudgett wrote: Zebee Johnstone writes: Got waved through a roundabout by a 4WD, What did the driver think about his vehicle taking such liberties? Well, you know what the reports say when one crashes, the driver's never involved... To those who ask why I ride to wage slavery (almost said 'work') instead of drive, I might simply ask, "How many people did you say good morning to on the way to work?" Three or four is a nice average for me. I do it for the exercise and the pleasure. The smiles and hellos and chats at the lights are a bonus. Mostly with pedestrians though... other cyclists tend to just ride on by. Probably because we are going in the same direction, plenty of smiles and greetings on the cycle paths from those going the other way. Zebee |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Cheat Mountain Challenge Ride Report (2005/09/25) | Chris BeHanna | Rides | 0 | September 30th 05 05:19 AM |
Ride Report: Tour of the Litchfield Hills | Pete Salomone | Rides | 10 | August 14th 05 02:56 PM |
19 Days to go: NBG Mayors' Ride Excitement #5 | Cycle America | General | 0 | March 30th 05 07:34 PM |
TIMES UP BICYCLE RIDE (NYC) AND COMMUNITY GARDENING BASH!!! | *Because **NYC** Could Be BETTER!! | Recumbent Biking | 0 | July 7th 04 02:12 PM |
Hollywood, Music, Record Holders Gun for Chicago | Cycle America/Nat. Bicycle Greenway | Recumbent Biking | 0 | January 26th 04 04:11 PM |