Brother Number Two

I encountered, a couple of times, the bastard version of the BCL again recently, and while I did set the record straight, I'm quite bemused has to how it morphed from one ride to something quite different running in the oppposite direction. But it did get me thinking, that it's about time that I organised an official outing and roll around the genuine article for old times sake.

This time last year, I organised a ride around it, but after getting waylaid the night before due to a winning streak at poker, imbibing more than my fair share of christmas cheer and then wandering home without sleeping in anyone's front yard to get two hours sleep before Mikeal and Doris arrived to find me still in my cups, I was useless. Suffice to say, I missed the ride, which was by all accounts a very good ride, and I was shamed.

To that end, I wish to make amends and run the ride again, on Sunday 12 December, meeting at 7:30am at the corner of Dominion Road and Balmoral Roads, all are welcome, this time, I've checked my social calender, and made sure that I will be ethanol free the night before.

And no cards either...

Here's some good reading from someone, Gayle Brownlee, who actually races her bike, instead of daydreams about it like me.

A live donkey is better than a dead lion, isn't it?

The title is a quote from Ernest Shackleton in his letters to his wife, referring to his failure to reach a particular goal in polar exploration. To a lesser degree it's also an apt title for cycling as a recreational activity.

The recent death on Tamaki Drive has prompted a degree of irrational debate and provocation from all sides that appears to be achieving very little apart from making various tub thumpers feel vindicated.

I have resisted putting fingers to keyboard on this issue this week, especially in light of recent editorial and journalistic opinion in the NZ Herald, which has been one dimensional in it's treatment of a very complex issue. Unfortunately this one-dimensional view seems to be present across the spectrum on this issue. Few commentators appear to want to engage in the deeper thought process required to offer useful suggestions.

Lance Wiggs' Ten Ways to stop killing cyclists is one of the few that is a little more pragmatic and reasoned. You need not necessarily agree with all he argues, but it is thought provoking, without being antagonistic.

CAA's suggestions have been at best knee-jerk, and at worst the same message that they have been preaching for years. CAA have had a number of successes in the Auckland region, with huge input and lobbying in the creation of cycleways, and safer roading, but their profile is low, and muddied by other groups. They also tend to alienate many regular cyclists with their slightly zealous nature.

CAA are hosting a memorial ride tonight, along Tamaki Drive, I only heard about it by chance and what this will achieve I'm unsure, and without any decent public awareness of the event, I'm uncertain as to it's impact.

Then we have Facebook...I saw a group calling themselves "Respect for NZ cyclists, we are drivers to" (sic), quickly, where are they driving to? Seriously, how can one expect to be taken as credible with that sort of knee-jerk posting/title? It all starts to remind me of Monty Python and The Life of Brian - People's front of Judea vs The Judean People's Front.

At the present time BikeNZ have been notably absent from the debate, and to my thinking, this would be an ideal opportunity for them to raise their profile and step out of their apparently moribund state. I believe they should be at the front of this debate and campaign, not leaving it to small factions to squabble and the likes of yours truly to poke holes.

Anyway, now something trifle, but interesting. Just in case any of you are creationists, flat earthers, or otherwise occupying the lunatic fringe of thinking. The irrefutable proof of us, Homo sapiens, having a common ancestor with higher primates lies in this compelling piece of evidence - we can't synthesise vitamin C, neither can chimps. From Sciblogs and Brendan Moyle:-

One of the most compelling pieces of evidence is the vitamin C pseudogene [2] Chimps and humans have one extraordinary thing in common. Neither of these two species can synthesise vitamin C. That’s why we (& chimps) need to eat fruit and vegetables to get vitamin C in our diet. Otherwise we get scurvy and die. The curious fact is that this is caused by both chimps and humans having the same broken gene. This mutation occurred about 6mya. We are in effect, the only species to have this exact, same, broken gene. (Guinea pigs also can’t synthesis vitamin C but that’s caused by a different mutation).

To quote Eddie Izzard - Monkey, monkey, monkey...you!

Far Too Many

Some of you have already had my angry ramblings this morning, but for those of you who haven't, here we go!

This last week has been a terrible week for cyclists of the New Zealand Roads, with five killed in five days. There is nothing that will bring those people back, restore their families and erase the grief. My heart goes out to them all.

I'm not going to get into the whole road user/road safety debate. Not because I'm a chicken, or afraid, but because I've already written about it, here Last October

What I am concerned about is, that yet again, we will have an emotional, media fuelled argument, populated with misinformation, and anecdotal evidence that will do little to better the cause of road safety in New Zealand.

The NZ Herald this morning, have in their usual way, already started with misinformation around cycling crash and injury rates. In the online edition they have stated "Last night's accident was between the Kitemoana St and Atkin Ave intersections with Tamaki Drive, which were last year identified as black spots for cycling crashes in Auckland.In 2008 and 2009, there were 24 crashes in that stretch near Bastion Pt involving cyclists, including six that caused serious injuries"

However according to the Maxx (ARTA) crash analysis map which derives it's data from the 200 most recent cycle vs motor vehicle crashes in the central Auckland region as extracted from the MOT's Crash Analysis System in February 2010, there have been four minor injury accidents on that stretch of road (three 2009, one 2008).

The mapsets are a useful resource and can be found here -

Auckland Crash Map (Central)

Auckland Crash Map (West)

Auckland Crash Map (East)

Auckland Crash Map (North)

Auckland Crash Map (South)

A variation of the truth, methinks NZ Herald, this is not good for the cause of cycling, or road safety as a whole.

What concerns me is that this debate, which at the moment has the media on the side of the cyclists, could easily go the other way, and then we will have the sharp end of the pointy stick. Example, would anyone be happy having to ride on the current bike path on Tamaki Drive? I think not, but I'll wager very good money that before the week is out, someone will have made that suggestion in earnest, and that there will be a hue and cry about cyclists riding on the road instead of a congested footpath/cyclepath.

Remember, and it is cold comfort, statistically cycling in NZ is as safe as it's ever been, plan your route well, think defensively. And while these terrible tragedies are a timely reminder, riding on the road was no more dangerous last week, or last year. Don't let this stop you riding, it's your presence and visibility, along with obeying the road rules and riding responsibly and sharing the road that will help with the cause of improving road safety.

I don't go by what he says

On Saturday we had the first committee ride of the Auckland Central Cycling Club. It was in very pleasant conditions and a good bunch of bunch of folk that made for a fun ride. I did get handed my backside up Carter Road by Richard Justice. I was hanging onto his wheel for grim death as he made it look all too easy. I knew my heartrate was a little high. Then I made the fatal error of looking at it. Like vertigo, it made me wobble and was sufficient, along with one of the little gradient changes, to snap my rubber band and cast me adrift.

Here's the great blog that I found the video that I featured in my last post, North Of Ten. This chap is pretty representative of what's going on with BMX at the moment, and really tickles my fancy. My Loinfruit is an even greater fan. What's not to like about fun, passion and the odd blow to the happysack?

Heart of it all

Knickers! Isn't that just a great word?

Anyhow, was cruising through Zombie BMX this morning with the Village Idiot and found this little clip. If it doesn't make you smile you are already dead!

Also expand it up to full screen, it's been filmed in HD and is as sharp as an old wive's tongue.

Erik Elstran's Dragon Shredit (internet edition) from North of Ten on Vimeo.

Making a liar of Orpheus

There are certain procedures that every rider should engage in post race or event. They range from the obvious, to the arcane, and I'm not going to lay them out in another lengthy ramble. But there is on procedure that should always be followed, and that is to remove the sticker with your race number from your helmet.

On Sunday just been, a rider who may care to remain nameless, fronted up to the ride with his K2 race number still firmly attached to his helmet. Thankfully Mikeal the Onastic pointed out the heinous crime and the offending item was removed from the nameless rider's helmet, thereby saving both him and the rest of us the stigma of a Fred.

Violence may be offered

K2, it's passed for another year, this time with me as a spectator. I'd argue that the conditions this year were the worst that event has been run in, and made for an additional few challenges.

My plan was to go down, watch the bunches cross over the Kereta Hill after the start, zip through the windy 309 Road, watch the misery on Pumpkin Hill, add support and then nip back through The 309 Road and up Whangapoua Hill to watch the final misery.

It started well, and the conditions atop Kereta weren't too bad. The bunches came through in a steady procession, Tristan and The Croc safely tucked in their group, large smiles. Serge wasn't in his group, he was adrift, obviously the lurg that he had been fighting had got the better of him on the day.

After they had passed through I drove the, initially dusty, 309 Road. Close to the summit it went from dust to heavy rain and gusty wind. That weather persisted right through to the main road. By the time I got to the top of Pumpkin Hill, there wasn't rain, but it was windy and less than tropical, I could see rain around me and back up towards Hikuai. It was at this point that any pangs of jealousy about riding the event disappeared and I was quite happy to be on the side of the road.

The bunches came through, and again The Croc and Tristan were neatly tucked in their bunch, although the face of Tristan was less than a picture of happiness. I had calculated that I needed to be off Pumpkin Hill by 12:00 at the absolute latest if I wanted to see them crest Whangapoua. I also wanted to see Serge come over Pumpkin and provide a bit of support.

He scraped through at 11:58, with a face like stone and a few gestures, it wasn't a happy day to be Serge's body. He resisted the offer of a dry motor vehicle interior and carried on riding.

I raced back to the top of Whangapoua, and there met windy and moist conditions. Thankfully my wait wasn't too long, with first The Croc and then Tristan appearing. Both of them looked relieved that the suffering was at an end. After they had gone over the top, I didn't muck around and drove back down to the finish. On the way down I followed a very nervous descender, the road was greasy, but this chap was more than a little nervous. On the approach into one 25kph corner he grabbed a bit more than a handful of brake, wheels let go, he then let the brakes go, then went all the way across the road, ending up on the wrong side of the road, just short of the barrier. Thankfully he stayed upright and there wasn't a car coming the other way. I grabbed the camera and squirted off a quick shot as evidence of this tale. I won't post the pic here as the kit is distinctive and I'm not so sure this Hamilton based rider would want his moment of shame shared.

The Croc and Tristan both finished in the top 20 and a time of under 5:40, Serge soldiered on and finished an hour later. Well done to all of them for completing a tough ride on a very hard day.

Next year I will return to the start line, on Saturday there was a village missing it's idiot.