Mutual appreciation brings benefits

I saw the early morning train from Echuca approach a crossing near Epsom recently. It gave a couple of toots, then a series of urgent toots. I could see a car approaching at a speed that suggested the driver wasn’t aware of the train. The train driver was obviously very worried about the driver’s intentions.

Luckily the train passed through safely, but it got me thinking about the way motorists and cyclists can sometimes worry each other. What do motorists and cyclists appreciate that makes coexisting easier?

Strap in well for a safe ride

Next time you turn on the television to check how the Tour de France is going, take a look at the way professional riders wear their helmets. It might not be something you usually notice, but it’s worth the exercise. Then try yours on and see if it sits the same way.

If it’s to do its job properly, your helmet must fit properly. Notice how the pro riders wear their helmets square, with the rim on their forehead just above their eyebrows. If your helmet is tilted towards the back of your head it will not protect you properly. It should be firm enough that you can’t move it easily forwards, backwards or sideways. Some helmets come with extra foam to help make them fit more snugly.

Slowing down in a hurry

I was on a training ride with friends recently when we had to stop suddenly at a roundabout. One of my companions skidded to a halt beside me complaining about the flat spots I’d just put in her new tyres.

She may have been joking, but her emergency braking skills are no joke. An experienced cyclist, she probably didn’t even think about what she had to do – something all cyclists should aspire to. It just takes lots of practice.

Diabetes no barrier to a determined cyclist

Monique Hanley relishes a challenge. She’s just ridden across America in the world’s toughest endurance race. If that wasn’t enough, Monique and the Type 1 team faced an extra challenge. They all have type one diabetes.

Type one diabetes is caused by your body’s inability to manufacture insulin and can be triggered at any age. Insulin is essential to regulate the take-up of glucose into your blood stream. With exercise, this process becomes more efficient – it takes less insulin to perform. It’s also usually automatic.

Athletes with type one diabetes must learn how to monitor their blood glucose in order to adjust insulin uptake manually. And that’s the biggest challenge. Get it wrong and your body starts to shut down. In rare cases it ends in convulsions.

In 2002, Monique cycled solo across Canada: 7,800 km in 66 days. It took her four days to get her regime right.

“For every diabetic it’s a massive fear to do something that you don’t do normally,” says Monique. “You know you need to be a bit fitter, but the whole barrier of the impact that exercise has on your diabetes management is so great that many diabetics find it too difficult to overcome.”

The one by one plan to sort bike troubles

Your training plan for the big ride in a couple of months is going really well, but some small things are starting to niggle.

You’re probably spending more time in the saddle than you have before. Things that aren’t quite right with your gear or nutrition might start telling. Now’s the time to sort them out. The important thing is to handle them one at a time and in small increments.

Many rides make light work

If you’ve ever thought you’d like to take on one of the big rides later in the year, now is the time to start work. The Fruit Loop Ride, Round the Bay in a Day and the Great Vic Bike Ride seem to be scheduled in September, October and November simply to give us the perfect incentive to keep training during winter.