Back in 2006 I 'printed out' a flyer for a bike ride called Melburn Roobaix. I stuck it up will blu-tak on the walls of any cafe and bike shop that would let me and of course, I pasted it here.
Word spread, and the night before the ride, some bloke from a radio station I'd never heard of wanted to interview me about the ride. I can remember standing outside gazing at the stars as they asked me questions about the ride, and the last question they asked was how many people would turn up. I replied with 50? Maybe 100 if we are lucky.
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241km in adult talk.
Day two of my ride to (R)Adelaide from Apollo Bay to Hamilton. Featuring an all-star cast of Austrlian flora and fauna.
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It generally takes me longer to write and recollect these days than it does to turn the pedals. Much like the road itself my mind considers what line to take, where to deviate, what to ignore and what to focus on.
One detour I will mention briefly is the inspiring ride by Jesse Carlsson to Adelaide. JC read my previous ride to Adelaide story and thought it sounded like his kind of holiday. JC rode the same route as I did but managed to cover the 900km in a brief 38 hours. This in turn became inspiration for me which I'll get to later. Did I mention he completed it on a single 75" gear?
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A younger me would have...
If you haven't already heard the urban legend you might as well here it first hand.
In 2003 here in Melburn, 3 people rode track bikes on the street. Myself, Gonz and Ronasaur.
I had only the one bike and rode it everywhere, including the Hell Ride which to this day is a feat that wisely hasn't been repeated - definitely not brakeless.
I'd returned home from 2 years in London working as a bike courier. Figuring Melburn was too small a city to enjoy working as a bike courier I got an office job, in a call centre for a bicycle company. Turns out Shifter Dan and I went for the same job, but he wisely chose to not even attend the interview. It took me two months to figure out it wasn't for me and ended up back on the road.
In my first week on the road I was riding to work with my then girlfriend.
In the bike lane on Brunswick st we were getting honked at by a white 5 series BMW. It shouldn't matter what car it was, but the media use descriptors and imagery as such to imply something of the owner, and so am I.
Said girlfriend, who was also a track rider was giving full lip in retort to the driver. He pulled over in front of us, got out of his vehicle and started to threaten us. I told him to get back in the car and continue and after an exchange of threatening words, he did.
The girlfriend turned left and I continued along Brunswick st (north) only to find my new friend had something else to tell me. The driver was swerving into me with his BMW, with window down threatening to run me off the road and I kept mentioning what a 'tough guy' he was using 1000kg against 10. Eventually he sped off into the distance and got the red light at Victoria Parade.
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The end of the week is time to ride for most.
FYXO just so happens to be next door to the World's Best Bicycle shop - Shifterbikes.
JO's Eddy Merckx Corsa 01 just one of many fine rides to roll out the Shifterbikes roller door of late. Classic frame, modern groupset, assembled with precision.
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New gear is coming and should be available to order Feb 10. A variety of jersey offerings and even more robust bib design are on their way just in case you punch out 1000km over a long weekend. FYXO2012 is ready for it.
It was secretly road tested at the TDU and is more than capable of carrying moscato, M&Ms, and mobile phones in one swift manouvre.
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For we are many.
I'd said this would be the first image I'd post back from the TDU - and I'm keeping my word.
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If you can't wait for the post ride report, follow the FYXO TDU on twitter or Instagram.
I've finally succembed to peer pressure and will be taking a support vehicle for the ride this year. I plan to raise funds to bring the broadcast of future Tour Down Under back to SBS, or at a minimum commentators that know how to correctly pronounce the surname of the greatest cyclist of all time.
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