Cycling vision

Bunch of cyclists reflected in a car side mirror. Photo: Eddie Barkla

Wednesday was National Ride to Work Day an annual event, a continuing commitment of Bicycle Victoria’s vision and motto of “More People Cycling More Often”.  The City of Greater Bendigo hosted a breakfast in the Civic Gardens as their contribution and encouragement for Bendigo commuting cyclists.

For some it may well has been a part of the normal riding experience. For others it can be new step onto endless horizons of future experiences and the joys of being a commuter, recreational cyclist. Some have learnt to dream and see visions of the future potential of being a cyclists and the other open and ready to try.

I have a dream and vision for this great cycling region some of which I can share. Can you imagine a community that has adopted cycling as part of its culture of health and well being? It well recognised and documented that cycling is beneficial in reducing obesity and the risk of diabetes for all age groups.

There is a huge push to encourage parents to get their children on bike to ride to school, and Bicycle Victoria have a wonderful program Ride2School offering teaching for cycling skills to assist in this being fulfilled.

Cycling is also a great way of dealing with depression particularly for men as they can be around other men in close camaraderie. Part of the vision and dream contains the following changes of thinking for all stakeholders.

Can we foresee the day when all new buildings having provision for bike parking, locker and shower facilities part of building regulations? Wouldn’t it be great if all the new school buildings could embrace a cycling culture in their infra structure for teachers and students alike having adequate storage facilities for bikes and helmets?

Will there come a time when bike lanes and path infrastructure would no longer be a need for consideration that cycling is an accepted practice and mode of transport and the road is shared accordingly? Instead of the infra structure there could be an emphasis on skills training for people encouraging their cycling confidence.  Employers could recognise the overall health and well being for employees and reduction absenteeism and give support to get more people commuting more often. The return in healthier employees could promote incentives such as memberships to clubs or organisations that give insurance coverage that is sadly lacking for cyclist.

Bike shops showing their appreciation of sales increase by conducting bike related activities as part of their overall service in a more formal role than exists now. Basic maintenance, tyre changing and safety checks and skills training all part of the service offered.

Local government having a cultural approach to being the cycling capital of Australia not because of events but the cyclists per capita being greater than any other City or region.  The region becomes a cycling destination that is inviting all comers to experience all aspects of cycling disciplines being normal life and not just grandstand events that have only a day or two impact.

Already Bendigo is being used as a cycling training destination.  Wineries food and culture are all here ready to be tapped into. Can you image if all clubs were united in their vision of sharing resources such as rosters for Marshalling being reciprocal allowing all club members to be able to participate in their own club events? Clubs could send their Marshalls to support other clubs for the good of the sport and encouragement of growth.

Building sporting venues to be cycling friendly such as perimeter criterium track using existing road way infrastructure, saves on road permits and makes a safe friendly venue for all ages to enjoy and bike parking for venue users.

Most of what has been shared above has potential to come to reality as there are glimpses of all these things happening in isolation.  The hope of the dream and vision is that with co-operation and commitment to a cycling culture, barriers and boundaries can be reduced across Road, Track, Veterans, Triathletes, BMX and recreational and commuter disciplines.

Cycling can well be a family affair a business incentive and a schools program with the whole community benefiting.

‘Vision, like courage and discipline, is a trait that can be developed by anyone willing to work hard at making it part of their everyday life.’ The poet wrote: ‘Two men looked through prison bars; one saw mud, the other stars.’

We must energise our vision through faith and give it momentum through hard work!  Even if these don’t come to fruition there is nothing wrong with dreaming of good to come from being a united community of cyclists.

See you on the road soon God willing.

Sharing your air space

Aerial attack: magpies are only aggressive for about six weeks of the year

As cyclists we place a high priority on sharing the road in a safe manner and respecting others with the hope of gaining respect back. There is one shared road space user that we have trouble with every year around this season on gaining a reciprocal response on our road usage in a safe manner.

Magpies are no sharers of respect when it comes to cyclists and from the reading that was undertaken for this weeks message it seems that single cyclist could well be a main antagoniser of our feathered friends.

The inevitable fall

“There are too many factors you have to take into account that you have no control over…The most important factor you can keep in your own hands is yourself. I always placed the greatest emphasis on that.” Eddy Merkx

A cracked helmet and torn jersey from Eddie's recent fall.

One of the realities of being a bike rider is the risk/chance of having a fall off the bike whether we are a commuter, recreational or competitive cyclist, falling off the trusty stead will happen, we can be rest assured.  Cycling is reputed to be a “low impact sport” likened to swimming with this one small point of difference, swimmers don’t fall off.

The Ride of Silence will not be quiet

150 cycilsts took part in Bendigo's 2009 Ride of Silence. Photo: Eddie Barkla

On May 20, 2009, at 7:00 PM, the Ride of Silence began in North America to roll across the globe. In 2003, Chris Phelan organized the first Ride Of Silence in Dallas after endurance cyclist Larry Schwartz was hit by the mirror of a passing bus and was killed. There is no brochure, no sponsors and no registration fees. The ride is a chance to show respect:

• To HONOR those who have been injured or killed
• To RAISE AWARENESS that we are here
• To ask that we all SHARE THE ROAD

Light up and be seen

Be seen: decent lights don't need to cost a lot of money. Photo courtesty Bicyle Victoria

Daylight savings is now weeks behind us and the morning light is fading and the evening light even faster for cyclists that either commute or train whether it be for recreational or racing purposes. Being seen is not only important for your personal safety but for the peace of mind of other shared road users.

National traffic regulations require a flashing or steady white light (front) and red light (rear) that is clearly visible for at least 200m from the bicycle. A red reflector is also required on the rear of the bike.

Bicycle Victoria recently released the Bicycle Network tests revealing the most effective bike lights on the market that require disposable batteries.

Keep roads cycling safe and beautiful

Road-side debris like this steel rod can damage bikes and injure cyclists. (Photo Dr Aaron Anderson)

Some of us may remember a national campaign to “keep Australia beautiful” and not to spread our rubbish around.  It may well be worth re-visiting this as cyclist we are at risk to debris rubbish that finds its way onto the road verge.

The obvious is the broken glass that will pierce a tyre and tube very quickly to the bricks and large articles that if struck by a cyclist is likely to make the front wheel come out from under the rider and subsequently end up off the bike on the road.

Eye care not just a fashion statement

Think cycling eyewear, think ‘cool’ and ‘style’. It’s easy to presume they’re simply a fashion-driven accessory. Not so. Cycling, like any extensive outdoor activity, subjects participants to high UV (ultra-violet) levels, even on cloudy days. Prolonged UV exposure can make eyes red and glare-sensitive, at worst it can lead to cataract and macular degeneration. The modern ‘wrap-around’ eyewear style closely associated with cycling – as well as other outdoor sports such as cricket and boating – is as functional as it is fashionable. The key is all-round eye protection. Not only does the design offer a 100-percent UV barrier and glare filtration, but the lenses offer a shape and strength to effectively deflect stones, dust and even insects. More recently eyewear manufacturers have acknowledged the growing need for spectacle prescriptions to be incorporated into cycling glasses. For those with focusing disorders such as myopia (short-sightedness), a prescription can be made into interchangeable-style wrap lenses in all of the usual tint varieties. For higher prescriptions, the frames can accommodate a lightweight ‘insert’ which carries the prescription behind the main lens. Gone are the days of bending conventional glasses under helmets or clip-on sunglasses. Modern cycling eyewear is now a huge investment for the big brand names. So it’s no surprise, then, that new technologies emerge from extensive research and development programs. Cheaper brands can only attempt to replicate the technology and will often be a poor substitute for the real thing. As the old adage goes, you get what you pay for.

Cycling Lanes for co-existence of shared road users

Photo by Vanessa Barkla

Bike lanes are a great place for cyclists to make safe passage with other shared road users. Or are they? It would seem there is a large proportion of the general public have the view that cyclists should keep to the bike lane as this is a designated area allocated for their sharing of the road.  What happens when the bike lane dissolves and suddenly riders and other shared road users are in the same space? What about when riders chose to ride on a road where there is no designated bike lane or a marked road verge that allows for cyclists to have a small part of the road or even a centre line marked to show what space is to be shared? Is this wrong that riders should use this road?
These are all factors that have for’s and against and there is no right or wrong answer but the desire to co-exist as legal entities on the road space.  There are a number of other issues that cyclist’s face that can frustrate motorists as to why some cyclists find it difficult to keep in a bike lane.

“Look left, look right, look bike” for safe entry into merging traffic

Look left look righ look bike

No matter how brightly you dress use lights of the highest brightness if you are not in the line of vision and the thinking of the approaching motorist  we are vulnerable as cyclists. Being predictable certainly helps being seen along with wearing bright clothing as well as the lights that shine brightly and flash in a manner to draw attention of other shared road users all make for a high priority . Being predictable in where we place ourselves on the road surface so that we can be readily seen and see others ourselves allows for taking care and attention of the detail of approaching road user’s speed and their mannerisms’ to detect whether they are being cautious or lack thereof.

Appropriate use of lights helping to keep cycling a non contact recreational sport

Effective lighting on bikes is essential for safe riding and there is a lot of different styles and brands on the market to make a choice from.  The current road rules state the minimum requirement is for the front and rear light to be visible at 200 metres. The brightness of most lights would meet this requirement when the lens is clean and the light is fitted with fully charged batteries.  The continued effectiveness of the lights brightness and power is relative to the batteries power outputs. Keeping this in check is important for your own safety and visibility. Ask other riders how bright the light looks or hold your hand in front of the light to see how much reflection you are getting.

Not all lights however make for safe riding as they don’t necessarily throw a beam onto the road surface but can be seen clearly by other shared road users. Some lights are dependant on the LED (Light Emitting Diodes) and the quality of the lens used but don’t throw a beam. While other lights have employed the use of either a magnifier or a reflector to increase the intensity of the light they omit in conjunction with a lens.