Some people just talk about getting site-based merch. And timidly just get their site name embroidered on a bag they occasionally wear while riding.
Others just jump right into it. This is going to be amazing.
UPDATE: It is gorgeous.
Today’s bonus cycling content: me blathering on, terrifically earnest, about a bikeway or somesuch. Oh, and the acting Premier Andrew Fraser, and BCC councillor Julian Simmonds have a go too. But you’re clicking to see me, right?
Almost everyone I know pays me out for liking the Indigo Girls. That’s OK, because of course I am undeterred. In a self-induced bad mood yesterday afternoon/evening, it was Emily Saliers who lifted me out of it, and launched me instead into a tiny bit of retro-reflectivity.
By which I mean looking back at 2011. Although the word’s correct meaning is useful in cycling terms as well.
So where has briztreadley.com taken me this year? Has it been just another year, history repeating itself, same-old, same-old? Or has this blog been reincarnated, as Emily would prefer?
Well, both off-road and on-road there’s been a bit of a surge in the frequency and quantity of posts. I can’t judge the quality myself.
I’ve posted 92 times in 2011, about once every four days. And it seems that I’m still slightly more of a roadie than a mountain-biker. Roadie was the top category, with 34 posts, compared to 24 for mountain biking. Cyclocross makes a bit of a surge, with 12 posts. C’mon ‘cross! Hoping for even more growth in that category next year.
My favourite category for posts (OK, its actually the default): Whatever. Dude.
Mid-year, briztreadley took a strange turn, when there was a burst of posts about womens AFL. I can’t explain everything that happens. This is the best I can do.
How good is this: Super Mario power-ups painted on the bikeway. Nice work, nerd graffitist.
But at the end of the year, I’m pretty happy with what I’ve posted here, and how it looks, and the conversations it has helped start. It’s a blog about people (friends, really) and cycling.
So, dearest reader, my earnest wish for you is that you have a little bit of time to yourself over Christmas.
And that in the other times, that you get out on your treadley, day-time or night-time, on-road or off-road. And I hope you give me a call before you head out, cos I would love to ride with you. See you at the trailhead/meeting place.
And a final Indigo Girls bonus for today. See if you can listen to this without smiling. I can’t.
First “proper” mtb ride this morning since I got thrown.
And it was a good one to be at. The annual post-ride BBQ at Max’s Christmas Daisy Hill Wednesday morning crew event ride thing.
Above is the morning’s crew (from left): Becca, Jody, Max, Michael, Gordo, Sparky, Gaz, Geoff, Neil, Floody, and a dude whose name I don’t know (sorry!).
At breakfast but not on the ride were Dean0 and Aaron (Jaman).
Missing from the regulars are Flyboy Dave, Chris, Rich and no doubt others who I will kick myself for forgetting. (expect this sentence to be updated!)
Flyboy had a post on his blog recently about what he sees as a resurgence in the one-off big rides organised by forum members on MTB Dirt. It’s a good thing, and part of what makes the mtb community quite a lot of fun, I find.
I am very thankful that early on in my mtb riding ‘career’ that I found the Wednesday morning crew. It has always had riders faster than me, which is good becos you can measure yourself against them. It has always had a friendly & welcoming vibe … anyone can join in any week.
And it has always had a solid core of riders who are looking to improve. Whether that means getting faster or mastering more technical trails, or whatever it means for different people.
So although I have got towards the end of a year in which my performances in races and other big rides has fallen away a bit, I’m not at all disheartened. I think I have improved in skills and knowledge quite a lot this year. And there’s always another ride coming up, another challenge to prepare for. G2I. LunarC. Bring it on.
Question: can you do more chin-ups than a pro cyclist?
Answer: quite possibly.
Heading off today to Gladstone and Rocky for some bicycle-related business, with Bob Dylan in my head.
I’ve spent a little bit of time lately looking at mountain bike trails. And I have just realised that I have neglected to mention here that the new (fourth) edition of Where To Mountain Bike in South-East Queensland is now available at all good bike shops, and from Bicycle Queensland as well.
WTMBISEQ is the long-term labour of love of Gillian Duncan. This time round Gillian has teamed up with a cartographer, Mark Roberts, and the result is nothing short of sensational. So good that Sunshine Coast Regional Council has done a deal with the pair and reproduced all the Sunshine Coast area maps on the Council’s website.
Gillian was nice enough to give me a signed copy of the new edition. Which I will both treasure, and use. But much more gratitude is owed by me and every other trail rider in SEQ to Gillian.
I almost described Gillian as indefatigable because of her long, long involvement in mountain bike advocacy, trail care and mapping, even helping to run mountain bike races for several years, but on reflection that’s not correct. Gillian has had her ups and downs over the past couple of years, and at one point told me she was burnt-out on mountain biking.
The fact that Gillian was so ‘fatigued’ but has come back with such an amazing resource for mountain bikers in SEQ, once again shows her strength. There’s still plenty more to be done in trail access for mountain biking, but right now there are three major SEQ regional councils (Sunshine Coast, Redlands, Logan) that are doing amazing stuff in co-operation with mountain bikers. And the impetus for all this started with Gillian.
As promised.
I really do have the best job. This morning’s invite was from Redlands Council to join in with the group of Council staff and local mountain bikers looking at the concept plans for the Cleveland Track Park. That is what’s happening in the pic above … we’ve jumped off the bikes for a second to look at a creek crossing, and there’s discussion about the best route for the trail on the far side of the water.
Cleveland Track Park will be in bushland that is right in the middle of suburban Cleveland and Alexandra Hills. The trails are not especially technical, but the setting is so very sweet … wallabies on the side of the track, lush Australian bush, even though we’ve had a pretty dry year.
And what gave me a boost was the massive enthusiasm of the Cleveland folks to make this happen and improve access to the bushland for all users: walkers, cyclists, old young.
And if the very best I could manage this morning was to lever myself out of bed at 4.45 am to get ready and down to Cleveland in time for a 6 am ride start, then fortunately that was good enough.
Can I do it again tomorrow morning for a South Bank ride? I’m optimistic.
The big fish eat the little ones, the big fish eat the little ones, not my problem, give me some.
This is kinda fun. A big media company uses free bikes as a marketing promotion.
BQ staff ride to Sandgate via Gateway Bridge today. Woohoo! Some pix …
As some people know, I’m on a Radiohead kick at the moment. After my feeble attempts at riding with the bunch this morning, this one’s appropriate.
Hoping to get to ‘Optimistic’ later in the week.
Still struggling with getting over a cold which went all chesty (like lots of other folks), and a stiff-sore sore-stiff left shoulder. And even though I had a blast at the Night Rider + Poker Cat, perhaps getting up for the Donuts ride the next morning, and then going for a river ride on the way home that afternoon was a bit much.
And in this imperfect world, it’s good to see CityCycle slowly gaining traction. The helmets that are going missing are a tiny price to pay, in my opinion. But I did say to the CityCycle folks that the helmets that are with the bikes should have massive CityCycle branding on them. That way if they are nicked, the thief is riding around advertising CityCycle. Win-win!
Update: I may or may not be saying some of the above on Nine, Seven or Ten news tonight. Depends on how slow a news day it really was.
