Hellbound And Pedalling
A new addition to the B’n’C stable. It’s mean and it green, just like Kermit the Frog. Baptism of dirt this saturday. Clint, Grundalingus and I will be hitting some new (recently dug) trails in the arvo.. If anyone would like to join us, well shoot us a post on the B’n’C Facebook page and I’ll sort it. Anyway, wanna know how it rolls? Sweeeeet.
Reckon we can get the new premier to rock a BnC patch in parliament? With the number of back room deals the Tasmanian government participates in, I’m sure he’s happy to smash down a few scotches before jumping on the bike.
For those who may be near-by:
During the Ride of Silence, cyclists will take to the roads in a silent procession to honor their fellow riders, it is not a bunch ride nor a critical mass, it is a solemn occasion for riders to contemplate sharing the road with all road users and to remember those riders who are no longer able to enjoy riding though serious injury or fatality.
Every rider has their own story; many ride for personal reasons, to remember a friend, family member or colleague. Other cyclists take part to show respect and to show they still love cycling after injury or road incident.
Posted on forums.farkin.net earlier today (emphasis mine):
Fuck them. (The motorists that is.) They’ll hate you because you’re a cyclist in front of them, no matter what. Whether you’re a reflective-vest-commuter-noob, lycra-clad-Dura-Ace-racer, an average joe on a mountain bike or a hardened-streetwise-courier.
It MAKES NO DIFFERENCE.
Follow the rules. They hate you for slowing them down.
Break the rules. They hate you because you get to your destination faster than them.
Ride on the road. They hate you because “you don’t pay rego”.
Ride fast. They hate you because you’re constantly in front of them or passing them.Basically, your average motorist has made up their mind a long time ago if they’re sympathetic to cyclists or not.
A sympathetic one will see a noob trying to make a difference, doing the right thing while out of their comfort zone. The vest will only reinforce this.
An unsympathetic one… well… nothing will ever convince them that a bike should be on the road, no matter what the skill level or experience.Bottom line: Don’t worry about what the motorists think of cyclists. It won’t change things or their mind. Certainly not a full-on-flouro-vest-commuter, anyway. Support your own kind. Support other cyclists.
The Hobart papers have been filled with articles regarding the danger on our roads for truck drivers, cyclists and scooter riders. The common factor? Cars. It seems that far too much effort is put into regulating other forms of transport when the most common problem is the average moron who gets behind a wheel and thinks he/she has a god-given right to be on the road. If we don’t start seeing serious penalties for drivers who use their vehicles as weapons, things are going to get nasty.
A recent letter to the editor in The Mercury talked of trendy cyclists with their “trendy flashing lights” and how they become just another set of lights on the road. It seems that some drivers don’t believe their use of the road includes using their eyes to watch for other road users. Perhaps a helmet with a police-style flashing light and a loud, continuous siren would be the appropriate way to inform drivers that there’s a cyclist in the area. Maybe the best thing to do would be to cover cars in padding and limit their maximum speed to 10kp/h, that way drivers won’t have to take any responsibility for their actions and can bump into anything they damn well please.
Quiet times at BnC HQ. Winter’s just around the corner and it seems to be scratching quite loudly at the door. The thermometer says 3 degrees celcius tonight, which made for an icy ride home at 9pm. Leg warmers are in full effect, as is the windstopper. Winter gloves are on the shelves at the moment and I’m sure it won’t be so long before they’re on hands as well. Not to mention ear warmers, neck warmers, thermals and all other assorted goodies
(I wish). The great thing about winter is that it makes for sweat-free riding. Good layering and good clothing can make for some damn enjoyable rides despite the cold. Early dark means night time trail riding becomes inevitable, which turns all your old favourites into fresh new tracks. Just make sure your lights are fully charged or you’ll end up bleeding on the whole walk home.
Friday night Silo Runs are happening again fairly regularly. We’re meeting on the lawns at Salamanca in Hobart, opposite Knoppies. Usually at about 5:30pm. The rides are casual and not super fast paced. Usually followed by (or involving)
food and some beers at the end of it all. Come along and stretch your legs before the weekend.
Ben’s building his SS mountain bike, while I’ve been taking the opposite direction and riding full carbon XC race machines. The future of the ol’ aluminium hardtail is looking grim indeed, as is the insides of my wallet. Love or lust? Either works for me.
Jerseys are in the works as well, but looking to be somewhat expensive due to our lust for rankings not earned (BnC WCS). Stay tuned ’cause we’ll be looking for feedback shortly.
Plans are happening for skid crits, alleycats, hipster street fixie builds, and plenty of other antics. Keep in touch and let us know what you’re doing over winter. If you want to ride, you know where to find us!
Yo suckers, we’re meeting tonight to get the BnC Silo Runs happening again. All your winter riding and Friday boozing needs wrapped up into one messy package. Bring ya bike and come for a fairly short ride to somewhere, before returning to the city and drinking some beer. Bring a friend.
Meet at Salamanca Lawns (opposite Knopwoods) at 5:30pm. Bring a bike, some lights and a lock. All welcome!
After spending five days riding sweet ACT singletrack I decided that a move to the nations Capital perhaps wouldn’t be as bad as I first thought. Upon my return to work this week, I got pro-active and followed up a few employment leads. My fishing paid off as second cast a big fish bit and I’ve been offered a desk jockeys job. Nothing’s set in stone just yet.. negotiations are being made and we’re also waiting to hear if Mishmash has scored a job in Hobart.. (if she lands that one, we’re staying put!) ..but it looks as though Beans could be a Canberraboy within two weeks!
If the move north eventuates it’ll mean a third Bottles and Chains Chapter… Will a grass skid comp on Parliament House will be the first B’n’C event to be held in the nations capital? I wait with baited breath…
In the aftermath of the 2008 Australian Singlespeed Nationals in Hobart last weekend the BnC gang have hit the road..
Clint and Grundalingus are rockin’ some singletrack somewhere around Winchelsea in Vicco. It’s big Matty’s birthday this weekend so I can imagine the boys arvo will adhere to the beer n bike mantra BnC roll to.
Mishmash and I are rollin’ in the countries capital this weekend.. Took on the Canberra Off Road Cyclists ‘Anzac Day’ short track dirt crits @ Mt Stromlo this morning. Hooked up with fellow Taswegian BnC bandit Jimmy to take on the might of the ACT’s xc set.. …in C grade.
Ran into a few Singlespeeders from the ASSN’s ..big Michael Davidson who was riding the Haro 29’er was there as was Simon the Dane who was again smashing out super quick laps.. I left before the A grade final but going by all the previous heats it’s safe to say the Dane cleaned up.. Bloody quick rider that boy (He needs to drink waaaaaay more beer!)
Jimmy and I didn’t do particularly well but we didn’t disgrace overselves either.. The 4 lap short track didn’t really suit either of us and we both kinda messed up the 4x track hill climb.. the real hero of the day was Mishmash.. Mash lined up in her punk rock t-shirt and jean shorts amoungst a heap of lycra clad ladies for the 5 lap short track and then again for the 4x track hill climb and at the days end she ended up 5th on the leaderboard! Fkn awesome work Mash! Photo’s of the event can be found here: http://picasaweb.google.com.au/lematelot56/corcanzacdaycrits25apr08 and if ya keen to read how badly we went, well the results are here: http://www.corc.asn.au/news/index.asp#1004
Canberra is really the home of the city cyclist.. Buses come equipped with bike racks and cycle lanes run EVERYWHERE! Awesome! and best of all is the singletrack.. Shit, I have NEVER seen this much singletrack! We hit the Majura Pines singletrack last this arvo and were blown away by the quality of the trails.. Freakin’ amazing!
