Rode every day for another week. Once again, I deprived Connex, who run the train system here in Melbourne, of $27.00. Coming home last night though, my front light became increasingly feeble, so down to the supermarket for a set of rechargable AAA batteries - $21.95. A small cash net profit for the week then. Of course the benefits are not only financial -
I'm feeling a bit fitter and enjoying life more, which of course is priceless.
I've found a slightly shorter route for part of the trip, - a bit more on road but a bit faster too - so the total for this week 295 kilometres. Added to last week's 318, I've ridden near the equivalent of Paris to Brest. Took me two weeks to do it though. How people do it in 25 hours straight or less, I have no idea.
Had another incident with a car not giving way at a roundabout - from which I've come to suspect that maybe there is a visibility issue. From behind, car headlights pick out all the reflective bits and pieces on coat, bike, ankles, shoes, bag etc. At a roundabout, the headlights aren't actually pointing at you, so maybe they just don't see us?
Whatever, I've adopted a philosophy of better dorky than dead - so I've got a light cable tied to my helmet, and a sort of reflective, flashing sash thing that I was given as a gift and had never used before. I figured it wasn't much use sitting in a box so now I ride along emitting an errie green light. Hopefully the car drivers are too busy laughing to run me over.
Tally for the week Monday to Friday:
Distance: 295 kilometres
Rained on: not at all - absolutely beautiful weather, a bit nippy in the mornings but.
Near miss with car: one - another roundabout. hmmm.
Near miss with another bicycle: some guy heading towards me decided to pass another cyclist on the yarra trail on the narrow ramp leading down to the pontoon as I was heading up it. Scared the heck out of me - don't know what he thought about it.
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2 comments:
Yep, it's always better to be a dork and alive than cool and dead. Yay for the reflective sash!
I've had a few close calls on the Yarra Trail ramps--usually the straight ones at Burnley Harbour. I've got good at seeing trouble before it arrives and avoiding it.
Thanks Tread. Indeed, the Yarra trail can be an exciting experience, especially if you are going in the opposite direction to the peak hour rush, which as I'm heading through the city to Hawthorn in the mornings and back again in the afternoons, I always am. I take it a lot easier along there now - better to hang back and let the on coming pack pass the joggers and walkers than head on regardless. There are a couple of bends there where I know the boy racers are going to swing wide so I make sure I'm not in that place when they are. It seems to be getting busier now the weather is getting nicer as well.
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