Number 45 Tenth AnniYersary Issue $3.00 ,1 ',. I ,· ; ; For those who enjoy adventure ~.~Pf.~ d the great outdoors, Repco -~~]s an;_AII Terrain bike that WIi i .; , · -:~•, take you there. Choose one. from -~.. ..•.. ,, .., • .. if/:,.' ·· Repco's extensive rarige··- ,:and i•! ... - . · ·. experience the freedom that · .. ;..·- ,/ifonly th'ese rugged and ,J; dependable ATB:s can'. offer'.- esigned to1 tne senous olt· 1oade1, tne new eignteen Ds~d Hig\1 Sie!TO'S on'¥ nrnttotion is tne tide! .111e tiarne, tot\<., stern and 11andle-bOI a1e made ot p1erniurn c\110-rnolY, a petted oa1ance ot lig\"l~eig\"lt and du1abili'V, Add to tnis components sucn as Snirnano oeoie SIS inde)(ing system, Snirnano Sio-Pace c1an1<. set NOVO a\\OY nrns wit\1 QR sealed oeatin9 nubs and you n0'/0 an A1S tna1 will tal<.e you anywne1e you want to go, and bQCI<., REPCOCYC 25 HAMILTON 5~$ HUNTINGDALE, 3166 Available from leading Repco Cycle dealers. wheelin9 Number 45 October/December 1987 Tenth Anniversary Issue Contents Australian outback feature 66 TOUR DE FARCE Columns 22 THE GREATEST Hitting the trail on 5 WARREN SALOMON OVERLANDER dragsters 5 DON HATCHER The life and times of 13 JOHN DRUMMOND Francis Birtles 8ic1Jcle facilities and 16 PRO DEALERS 31 VANISHING POINT safetlJ 21 PHIL SOMERVILLE Cycling the Tanami 70 BICYCLE ADVOCACY: 101 CLASSIFIEDS Desert THE DECADE OF 100 CALENDAR PROGRESS 8ic1Jcle travel special A review of the decade 35 BICYCLE TRAVEL IN OZ 73 ENCOURAGING BICYCLE The best places to tour USE IN AUSTRALIA Free~h eelin g is published six times a vear 1n the months of January. March. \1a,. Jui). September and Novemher. ISS N No : 0156 4579. 39 ADVENTURES OF A The lessons of the past Editorial a~d Advertising Offices: Room 57Trades Hall. cnr Dixon & Goulburn Sts .. Sydney NSW Australia. Add ress all correspondence PEDALLING PALATE ten years to : Freewheeling PO Bo, K2o. Haymarket NSW 2111111 Australia. Telephone (112) 16-18544. Gourmet louring in Publi sher/ Editor: Warren Salomon. Administration and circulation : Marilvn Sti1c1. Larnut and asse mbli : Brett Cheshire . Victoria 8ic1Jcle sport and Triathlon National Advertisi~g Sal es :' David Turner Telephone (112) 913 1266 or (112) 16-1854.\. 43 CYCLING THE VALLEY OF 81 RUSSELL MOCKRIDGE li pese tting: Pa'llion Prrn Set (112) 11111252. E1emizeT1peart Services (112) 451 2579 . Printing: Offset Alpine Pt) Ltd Derbv & LAGOONS A tribute to an Aussie Wetherill St1. S1her11ater NSW Ph (112) 6.\7 1000. Distribution­ Newsagents: Gordon & Gotch Pt, Ltd (112) 667 ll.\66or office, 111 vou r North Queensland cycling giant stale. Subscriptions and bicycle dealer di stribution: Freewheel111g Au1traha Puhhcat1on1 (112) 16-1 854.\. delights 94 WINTER SOLDIERS­ Ma1crial rn thi~ publication may not he stored or reproduced in an~ form\\ 1th out permission Reque~ts for permi~sion should be 46 THE MYSTERY OF THE SUMMER ACHIEVERS directed to the Pubhsher. Editonal contnbutions including black and \\h1te print, or c~)lour 1ransparcnc1c-., on all a\pecb of cycling are CYCLING HOLIDAY A fabulous year for our \\ClcomeJ Send an enquir} or\\ rite for gu idelines. Free\\heeling can not accept rnatenal prev1ou~l) publi,hed in other journals. Letter\ Tales of Somerville's triathletes from reader, for the Wril e On column are alway'i \\elrnmed CopJright ©1987 Fre<" heeling Au,tralia Puhlicat1011s imagination 55 THE BOGONG HIGH HIS special issue commemorates the completion Mountain bikin9 of our tenth year of publication. Issue number PLAINS 89 AFAT-TYRE FUTURE Tone hit the streets in late November 1977 . Our sincere thanks to all of the people who have Touring Victoria's high helped produce the forty five issues to ~ate. We_ thank Where is the sport all of the writers. researchers. layout artists. designers, country illustrators. typesetters, cartoonists , typists , editors, heading? sub editors, printers, mail-out workers and the many 60 IN SEARCH OF THE others who have helped. Our next regular issue (November/ December) will PERFECT HAYSTACK see the return of all our regular columns, reviews and features. Lithgow to the Murray Cover design by Andy Doyle. via a blizzard If it had one more gear, it could climb trees. The Ricardo Ridge Rider 15 speed. The bike that can take you almost anywhere, on road or off. SIS!~ The Ridge Rider is a real adverturer's bike. Its CroMo lugged frame Compatible gives you the strength and lightness to take the rough with the smooth. Add concave Alloy Wienman buckle resistant rims and thorn resistant tubes and you've got a bike that can handle just about any terrain . Take a closer look at the Ridge Rider and the all purpose city bikes like the Bush Bike, Easi.§.treet and the Beach Bike, at your local IUSTllAUAN MAD£ Ricardo Mastercare dealer. Austrahan frames If you want a bike that can match your sense of adventure, you'd made by Australian cra ft smen better ride a Ricardo. It'll take you to new heights of achievement. 4 Freewheeling HA8711 8 Warren Salomon Ten years in an amazing century. ELCOME to o ur a ll -Austra l­ always seen by our readers and advertis­ T hese days mo untain bikes a nd ia n tent h a nnive rsa ry iss ue; ers as a touring magazine but as the cycl­ triathl o ns are a ll the rage but just b e­ W our tri bute to a centu ry of cycl­ ing scene has grown we have attempted cause we provide coverage of this aspect in g in t hi s country. At the completi on of to develop t o e mbrace this growth and of the broad cycling scene doesn't m ean our firs t decade of co ntinuo us publica­ address ourselves to o ur many new read­ th at w e have aba ndo ned o ur o ri gin al tion thi s issue of Freewheeling looks a t ers. to uring s uppo rte rs. In this issue, at the past, present and th e fut ure. We re­ least, the bulk of our content is slanted member two of A ust ra li a's cycling towards t he bicycl e travell e r. We s till gia nts : star r acer, Russe ll Mockridge enj oy touring but we happen t o like fa t and outback adventurer Francis Bi rtles. ty res too. The Birtles piece, by hi storian , Jim Our fa t-tyre section this iss ue takes a Fi tzpatrick , has appeared before in issue look at two recent to uring events a nd num ber 20 a nd has been o ut of print future directi ons fo r the sport. Sales of sin ce its publi catio n. Its o ne of my per­ mo unta in bikes a re booming in the sonal favo urites and tell s t he tale of an majo r eastern sta'tes and this s umme r Austra li a lo ng si nce disappeared be­ looks like being a mo untai n bike sell ­ neath the weight of modern society. out. But is the sport able to draw in the In contrast we give our touring a nd new riders it needs to see it develop into non-competitive readers a treat with .a a mature activity? It's earl y days yet but big round up of the touring scene across indicati ons are that, given the ri ght fo rm the coun try. In the earl y days we we re of promo tio n and suitable events, the Freewheeling 5 How Kryptonite•earned the admiration ofthe Old Saybrook Police Dept. And the wrath oftheir Selectwoman. Officer Rick Swan is a Police dispatcher usually reserved for such tasks as cut­ replace a rescue tool ... ;' he continues. "So, and a Fire Dept. training officer in the small ting through cars, trucks and highway whoever designed that lock better not town of Old Saybrook, Connecticut. guard-rails. come to Old Saybrook, because I have To the young woman who misplaced On his first valiant attempt, the one angry Selectwoman that would the keys to her Kryptonite lock, he's a knight in Kryptonite lock jammed the powerful love to get her hands on his neck I" shining armor But to Selectwoman Barbara Jaws that exert 32,000 pounds per But, what about the bike, we Maynard, his armor is somewhat tarnished. square-inch of pressure. On the second wondered. Well, according to Offi­ It all started when the key/ess damse/-in­ and final attempt, as he puts it, " the cer Swan, they finally did get past distress came to Officer Swan for his assistance tool's hardened steel cutting edges the lock-after four drill bits and in freeing her captive bicycle. He naively grabbed crumbled to pieces'.' three and one half hours of sweat. a pair of four-foot bolt cutters and headed for "You should've seen us trying to "LOCK IT RIGHT WITH the locked bike. But, as he writes, he could do explain to our Selectwoman that we KRYPTON/TE!", Officer Swan now little more than " ... break through the plastic need an extra urges anyone who owns a bicycle or motorcycle. coating ... " $2,000 ... to Selectwoman Maynard urges anyone who "NO DAMN LOCK IS GOING TO GET THE does to keep track of their keys when they come to BEST OF MEI", was his battle cry as he headed Old Saybrook. for the town's rescue truck and broke out the hydraulic rescue tool commonly known as "The Jaws of Life'.' This tool is KRVPTONITE® THE TOUGHEST LOCK ON THE STREET Kr 1 1tto11it•*c ho1011 It )' Tha M-.....,o,ModefflAn ,,.,"'__.