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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.

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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.

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6 Freewhee/ing Allan Parker our Cyclist of the Decade. Illust­ ration by Andrew Benthe.

I //

Cyclist or the decade VER the years I have always tried to present to my readers a sport can look forward to a fab ulous fu­ improvement in individual perfor­ 0 carefull y researched and ba­ ture. mance. lanced view of the world. Sure I have my Australian triathletes are also proving bias; but I can't spend my life sitting on a to the world that they are up there with I hope you will enjoy our tenth an­ fence . Often it is important to make a the best. John Drummond and photo­ niversary issue. It's not been easy for us stand. So naturally over the years grapher, Frank Walsh , present a colour­ over the years but we have worked hard Freewheeling has published influential ful look at this young sport where win­ at it and completed our first ten years in articles on cycling affairs which have, in ning is often not as important than an excellent shape for the years ahead. their way, altered the direction of SPOKES CYCLES 89 Railway St, CORRIMAL, N.S.W. (042) 84 3434

Freewheeling 7 thought and action in this country at It's is no coincidence that Alan was person in the Victorian Public Service least. asked to write our very first feature arti­ who would ca re to share a lunch table with Alan in the hope of a pleasant chat. I see it as an educational process. cle examining the future direction of His aggressive and energetic style has When the first Freewheeling was pub­ cycling in Oz. In those days I was, like also produced difficulties for him within lished only a handful of people in Aus­ everyone else, new to the field. So like the bicycle advocacy scene and groups tralia took cycling seriously and the the many others seeking knowledge on such as the Bicycle Federation, the state views they held then are now considered the subject I contacted Alan for his Bicycle Institutes and other major bicy­ a hindrance to the safety and future de­ help . Though there are many people cle clubs have often struggled to keep velopment of bicycle use. Since 1978 who have gathered huge amounts of de­ pace with him when he launches into when the Geelong Bikeplan was re­ tailed knowledge on urban planning for action. Earli er this year he resigned leased there has been an explosion in bicycles and bicycle safety issues I still from the Bicycle Institute of Victoria knowledge on cycling matters. Govern­ believe that Alan is still streets ahead of and the State Bicycle Committee but ments have entered the field and are the rest. still persists with his ultimate aim to devoting their considerable resources to He is with out a doubt Australia's make cycling a fully integrated part of improving conditions for the country's cycle planning expert. And what makes modern Australian society. large number of bicycle users. him shine where others only glow is that Our governments, however, are not he has first and foremost the interests of great innovators or initiators and getting the average cyclist at heart. So, in spite of his long and productive them to move on any new project takes Alan has been at it now for much commitment to the bicycle scene, there a lot of pushing and shoving. But once longer than anyone else and through have bee few displays of appreciation. they get moving they usually develop a those long years he emerged as the His study at home is crammed with tech­ momentum of their own. greatest single influence on the direction nical reports, charts and books but Considering that the current involve­ of cycling in this country. Yet he has awards, trophies and letters of thanks ment in cycling by governments in most received very little public recognition take up very little space. parts of the country (the Federal, for his untiring efforts. He has given twelve years of his life to Queensland, Tasmanian and Northern The reason for this disappointing fact see a better tomorrow for many many Territory governments are still dragging is , I belie ve, because Alan wont lie Australians and there is no doubt in my their feet) is substantial the question down ; wont give up; and wont shut up. mind that more in years to come will arises: who got it all going? Once he launches into a political cam­ benefit from his work. But as he says in The short answer is: a few very dedi­ paign he gets involved in a ' boots and the headline to his latest Freewheeling cated people throughout the country. all ' way that has not only won him many feature article: " Its been a decade of And among that 'few' the one name admirers but has created just as many progress - but we've only just begun. which commands the most attention, enemies. Yes , there is still much to do and I respect, fear and loathing is Alan Bureaucrats have often been the wish him well - our cyclist of the de­ Parker. target of his attacks and there is hardly a cade . Where would we be without him ?

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8 Freewheeling Freewhee/ing 9

..

John Drummond Winds of change

Parallels with the past

H EN our Editor suggested I conducted at gala s porting carnivals With the winds of change blowing a join the Freewheeling celebra­ throughout the states of the young na­ gale through the corridors of cycli ng W tion with a retrospective of the tion, with both professional and power by the e nd of th e second World sporting side of cycling I found the pros­ amateur racers contesting cycling events War came a lteration to rul es, which all pect daunting considering the sport ac­ on a varied sporting programme to went wrong for Australian cyclin g a nd tually started with a bicycle race back in which the people flocked in their we evolved two a mateur o ri entated sys­ 1869 on bicycles made of wood and cast thousands. Gradually betting developed tems. iron. It was bit like being asked to write and amateur riders demanded separate The effects of the fa ilure of Australian the Bible on the back of a postage events under their own control. cycle racing administrators, both profes­ stamp. Nevertheless on reflection I In deference to popular demand the sional and amateur, to a dapt to c hange fou nd plenty of parall els between then. international controlling body for cycl- has cost Australian cycle racing dearly. and now, that are of interest to bicycle We have no true professional class and buffs. our leadin g professional riders have to Most of today's " new" ideas had been reside in Europe if they wish to earn a thought of first by the turn of the cen­ li ving a t their sport. Amateur cycling tury, for the invention of the motor vehi­ has become a paradox. The public has cle and the motor bike were still a few an im age problem and the media is con­ years away and the best engineers were fu sed. engaged in the bicycle industry. Most of Young cyclists now see themselves as the early era racing was conducted on sportsmen and women who have taken hi gh wheel m achines, but bicycle racing up cycling just as they mi ght have taken really got goi ng with the introduction of up swimming, athl eti cs or football. the safety bicycle and the invention of They tend to stay in the sport for a the pneumatic tyre on basically the same shorter time than their predecessors type of machine we know today. which is o ne reason why the racing clubs To control and guide the haphazard are experienci ng only margin al in­ development of bicycle racing through­ creases in membership, despite the in­ out the civilised world an organi sation creased popularity of cycling. known as the International Cycli st As­ A clue to where all the cycl ists are sociation was set up in London in 1882. goin g can be fo und in the various s tate As a consequence of an ordered raci ng backed bike rides which attract system professionalism came into being. thousands. Although some a re a ttracted By the end of the century, and ri ght to the competitive sid e, many more just through the 1920's, cycle raci ng was the want to ride o ut into the bush for pl ea­ dominant sport and professional riders sure , stopping a t a pub en-route , very strode the scene like colossuses. much as their forbears did. In Australia, with no railway system Under the impact of television sport is of any note yet in place, the bicycle tending toward an "elite". This trend opened up a new way of life, cycling combined with a reduced intake makes clubs were fo rmed to accommodate a the present Australian position untena­ pastime. Social activity and organised The magnificent four: Michael G re nda , ble. It is difficult to visualise the long Turtur weekend rides into the countryside were Kevin Nichols, Dean Woods and Mike term survival of cycle racing under the who returned Australia to Olympic gold after the main objectives. The competitive cture. Common sense de­ a lapse of 28 years. present stru urge came to the fo re a nd partici pants mands the type of unity we see in raced to be first at destinations. Gradu­ Europe. all y racing became a part of the scene ing, now known as the Union Cycli ste M. Michael Jekiel, Secretary General reaching proportions demanding separa­ Internationale (U. C. I.) granted of U.C.I. indicated that hi s committee tion from establi shed clubs. amateurs full autonomy, with links recogni sed this truth back in 1971 when · The first racing clubs were all being retained through separate profes­ he wrote to the President of the A ustral­ amateur, but with promotion came pro­ sional and amateur controlling bodies. ian Professional Cycling Council , a nd fess ionalism and control. That system worked and cycl ing the Austra li an Amateur Cycl ing Federa­ So was born the beginnings of the flourished. It still does in Europe to thii tion stating that he had been directed to Austra li an Cycling system. Racin g was day. re-familiarise himself with Austra li an

Freewheeling /J cycling, with a view to setting up a si ngle control system . The outcome of a subsequent meeting with M. Jekiel saw a National Co-Or­ dinating Committee appointed. Over a period of four years twelve meetings were held, unity was established and many important decisions were made, including the approval of Pro-Am racing and the acceptance of a draft constitu­ tion. The constitution was subsequently adopted and both the A.PC.C. and the A .A.CF. agreed to establish an Austral­ ian Cycling Council, which was to be an umbrella under which an Australian Federation was to advance our sport under a single control. Just like the great Federations of France, Italy and Europe where amateurs ride side by side with professionals. That all happened at a meeting of 17 national and state executive officers from both professional and amateur or­ trenched for a common approach to The South Australian team of "Charlie's ganisations in Brisbane in 1982. But changed structures, and the Australian Angels", Pat Marucci, Steve Wigzell, Wayne despite two years of supposed opera­ Cycling Federation, the preferred con­ Mccarney and Olympic gold medalist Mike tion, and enquiries from U.C.I. Secret­ trol body of U.C.I. , was dissolved by Turtur, who won the Teams Pursuit on Tas­ ary General Jekiel, no decisions of any delegates of both professional and mania's magnificent indoor velodrome in consequence were ever made, or even amateur administration at a special con­ 1985. seriously considered. Mistaken attitudes gress in Melbourne in September, 1985 on professionalism and amateurism in by a unanimous bar one vote. The Australian Cycling Federation Australian cycling, and the reluctance of That was the worst decision ever was never permitted to function. Imped­ U.C .I. to intervene, were fa r too en- taken in Australian cycle racing history. iments in the constitution preventing a CALYPSO C V C L E S takes you and your dollar further

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/4 Freewheeling smooth transition to a true professional class could have been easily made. Aus­ tralian cyclists can thank the top level politics of cycling control for the back­ ward step that was taken. The real reason was the result of wrong directions taken in the past. With the re laxation of amateur rules permit­ ting racing for cash, clashing with pro­ fessional cycling tenets based on money alone, rather than payment on ability, a nd with both groups possess ing anac­ hronistic administration systems the two could not agree to arrangements that would eventually benefit both. · As a result of the debacle professional cycling's fight to survive under changed conditions and amateur cycling is a paradox. Never have amateur clubs been so weak numerically, considering the growth in bicycle use, while the com­ petition so strong at the top. Whilst the public and the media con­ tinue to regard professionali sm as the top level of competition in all sports, then cycling across the board will suffer a decline, or even a fall in class by the professionals. That is the dilemma for all cycling administrators. Meanwhile while the ghosts of yester­ day continue to haunt our sport there have been some outstanding successes at world level over the past decade. The greatest of these is the establishment of an Australian International Tour. The Commonwealth Bank Cycle Classic, first conducted from Brisbane to Sydney in 1982 has grown in stature and is now known and respected throughout the cycling world. Prior to the Bank race Australian cycl­ ing lacked a major World classic. Now that has changed and up to 40 odd top rated International amateur cyclists travel to Australia to contest the race. It at the World Championships in Zurich Opening prologue winner in the 1986 Com­ generates enormous media and public 1983. Dean Woods established hi s class monwealth Bank Cycle Classic was Tom from Jack Swart of New interest and is programmed toward that by winning th e Junior World Individual Cordes of Holland Stephen Hodge of Australia. e Junior World Titles in New Zealand and end. Pursuit at th Photo: Frank Walsh. The 1987 race is scheduled to finish in Zealand in 1984. Australi a achi eved a Albury on 29 October after starting on to ta l compre hensive cycl in g s uccess tion should be re-constituted and made the Gold Coast 12 days earlier. The 1988 from the 1986 Edinburgh Common­ workable as a sin gle control vehicle im­ race is an official Bicentennial event and wealth Games in track racing. mediately. will conclude on the streets of Mel­ Martin Yinnecombe won a bronze The admi tta nce of cycling as the bourne on the 29th October, 1988 . medal at the World Champio nships of fourth decent ra li sed sport and th e four­ Australian Amateur Cycling emerged 1985 a nd followed it up with a silver teenth reside nti al sporting programme as the most successful sport from the medal a t the Wo rld's in 1986 in track of the Australian Institute of Sport was a 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games. time trialling topping it off with the gold major plus for cycling, and will do much Just missing a clean sweep of the track meda l in th e 1987 Worlds champion­ to close the gap with competit o r na­ events by one event, in which we came ships. tions. second. That success spawned the mag­ Australi an cycling and sport generall y T he winds of change are inexorable. nificent performance of Dean Woods, scored with the opening of the Tasma­ Unless we adapt to th e new racing a nd Kevin Nichols , Michael Turtur and nian Internati o nal multi-sports velod­ administrative structures cycle racing in Michael Grenda in returning Australian rome a t Launceston in 1985. It gave cycl­ Australia will ultimately be diminished. cycling to the Olympic podium after a in g it's first indoor faci li ty a nd is All sportsmen a nd women have the lapse of 28 years. After six days of Los acclaimed by the world's top riders who right to become professionals in the true Angeles Olympic competition in vary­ have competed on the track , as unequal­ sense of the word, only a single control ing sports our cyclists struck gold in the led anywhere. can ensure that right in Austra li a . presti gious teams pursuit. But a ll these great achievements Liaison is necessary by direct acti o n Steele Bishop emulated the legendary would pale into insignificance compared between A.A.P.C. a nd the A.A.C.F. Sid Patterson by winning the Profes­ with the benefits unity would give to our with out the cost and humbug of a paper sional Individual Pursuit Championship sport. The Australi an Cycling Federa- ti ge r.

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Hillman Cycles Fre.ewheelintJ PRO DEALERS is a new is Australia's mountain bike SPORTS CENTRE BIKE SPEC. IN BICYCLE SPORTS & BOCCE section that highlights the goods centre • FERRARI • BIANCHI We have a huge range of bikes and • BORSARI • PUCH and services of Australia's leading accessories plus the knowledge to PROFESSIONALS IN bicycle retailers. Bike shop pro­ back it up. SALES - SERVICE - PARTS Custom building and hire are our SPECIALIST IN fessionals who want to get their specialities l 'WEIGHT -TRIATHLON our 15 000 COMMUTING BICYCLES message across to HIiiman Cyclas NEW & USED - BU Y SEL L readers should contact our Adver­ 44-48 Grantham St EXCHANGE Wast Brunswick VIC BORSARI CYCLES tising Director David Turner on (03) 380 9885 INC MI( SPQA1S IMPORTS ~;11,!I.VH DISCOUNT 347 4100 ESHBLISI-IEO •e YR$ (02) 913 1266 and find out about 193 LYGON ST. CARLTON our favourable rates.

Freewheeling 17 NEW GENERATION AIBs. ARE YOU READY? Innovative design, top quality componentry and precision engineering make Malvern Star's new generation A.T.Bs. nothing short of powerhouses on wheels. If you're ready for the total cycling experience, see these magnificent Malvern Star machines at any of the specialist bicycle dealers listed opposite soon.

TRAIL RIDER -12Speed Frame, Triple butted chrome moly, forged dropoots, brazed--0n fittings Fork, Un~rown high tensile Handlebar, Steel M.T.B. style Handlebar Stem, Stee M.T.B. style Crankset, S.R . SAC-310, alkly cranks 40/52T Pedals, M.T.B. moulded two piece, wrth chrome moly axles Seat Pilar, Alloy Rear Sprockets, Shimano l 3-30T 6 speed Derailleur>i6ear1: Shimano 'Z' series with thumb control Brakes, Shimano alloy cantilever, alkly levers Hubs, Alkly sealed small flange Rims l Tyre~ Sumo IX alkly rims 26", 1.75" with 26", 2" 1),es Frame Sizes, 53cm, 58cm Colou/1, flame Red/Polar White forks

BUSH­ RANGER -18Speed Frame, Triple butted chrome moly, forged drol)OUts. bra1ed--0n fittings Forte Un~rown chrome moly Handlebar, Chrome moly M.T.B. style Handlebar Stem, Chrome moly M.T.8. style Crankset, Shimano B~pace alloy 48138128T Pedals, M.T.B. type with chrome moly axles Seat Pillar, Alloy Rear Sl)t'ockets, Shimano 14-32T 6 speed Derailleurs/Gears, Shimano Oeore S.I.S. wilh thumb control levers Brakes, Shimano front alloy cantilever, rear 'U' brake Hubs, Alloy sealed small flange Rims l Tyre~ Alaya RM20 rims alloy 26" x l.95" 26" x2" tyres Frame Sizes, 53cm, 58cm Colours, Polar Whrte YOUR MALVERN STAR SPIRIT OF FREEDOM DEALER NEW SOUTH WALES: ADAMSTOWN HADLEY CYCLES 52 5959 BALLINA SEASIDE MDTO CYCLES 86 3022, PLEASURE CYCLES 86 6212 BATEMANS BAY BATEMAN S BAY SPORTSCENE 72 5053 BAULKHAM HILLS UNIVERSE CYCLES 639 4964 BELCONNEN BIG B BICYCLES 251 4260 BELROSE WOODIES WHEELS 452 5105 BLAXLAND BLAXLAND WH EELS &H OBBIES 39 5427 BOWRAL BONG BONG BICYCLES 861 14 19 CAMDEN JACK BUTLER 666 8155, CAMDEN DI SCOUNT CYCLES 666 7662 CAMPBELLTOWN CAMPBELLTOWN BICYCLES 25 7700 CASINO CASINO CYCLES 62 3441 CONCORD CONCORD CYCLES 747 2020 CONDOBOLIN CONDOBOLIN SPORTS 95 2014 CDROWA COROWAAUTOEL ECTR ICS 33 1157 CORRIMAL BILL REYNOLDS SPORTS 84 4040 CRONULLA CRONULLA CYCLE & SURF523 5675, CRONULLA TOYWORLD 523 5828 DAPTO DAPTO CYCLE & SPORT 61 2017 DEE WHY DEE WHY BEACH CYCLE STOP 98 7659 DENILIQUIN ROC KETS SPORTS STORE 81 1515, HUDDLES SPORTS STORE 81 1891 DICKSON CANBERRA BICYC LES 48861 DRUMMOYNE TRY CYCLE WAYS 81 1846 DUBBO THE BI KE SHOPPE 81 8755 FAIRFIELD BAG LEE CYCLES 72 1389 FORBES BREADONS 52 2209 GATESHEAD CYCLES 43 7233 GOSFORD PARSONS WOR LD OF WHEELS 25 1834, ROD MARTIN CYCLES 24 3388 GOULBURN TUR NER S CYCLES 21 2388 GRAFTON SCHAFERS CYCLE WORKS 42 2106 GRANVILLE SHOWCASE DISTR IBUTORS 6821171 GRIFFITH GR IFFITH MOTO R CYCLE CENTRE 62 4677 HAMILTON DICK TR ES IDDER CYCLES 61 5075 HORNSBY HORNSBY CYCLES 477 3738 INGLEBURN ING LEBURN CYCLE60 5 5823 INVERELLJACK GRIFFIN CYCLES 32 1948 JU NEE BARRETTS SPORTS 24 1304 KATOOMBA NIAGARA PHARMACY 82 2800 KILL.ARNEY HEIGHTS ALSTAR CYCLES 451 6342 KILL.ARNEY VALE CENTRAL COAST CYCLES 32 9759 KINGSWOOO PANTHER CYCLES 31 5911 KIRRAWEE MICKS BIKES 521 7998 LISMORE HARRI S CYC LE CO. 21 4152 LISMORE SOUTH BOB FALLS 21 2662 LITHGOW WESTERN AUTOQUIP 52 1696 LIVERPOOL EVERYTHI NG CYC LES 602 7528 LYNHAM CYC LE CITY 49 1806 MACQUARIE FIELDS MACARTHU R BICYCLES 618 3686 MAITLAND JC. CAMERON 33 5155 MARKETOWN MARKETOWN CYC LES 23932 MAROUBRA JUNCTION MAROUBRA CYCLES 349 2154 MAYFIELD HAPL EY CYC LE S 67 4600 MERRYLANDS DEVESON WHITE SPORTS 637 1033 MONA VALE MONA VALE CYC LES 997 5967 MOREE A.R. KEMPE 52 1337 MOSMAN SPIT JUN CTION CYCLE S 969 3254 NEWCASTLE WEST TAYLORS MOWERS AND CYCLES 23458 NORTH NARRABEEN NORTH NARRABEEN CYC LE SHOP 913 8106 NOWRA MANN'S SPORTS 21 0962 O'CONNOR SPOKESMAN CYCLES 57 2993 ORANGE ORANGE CITY CYC LE S 62 0477, RON BOULTON MARINE 62 3670 PARRAMATTA BIKE BARN 683 5969, UNIVERSE CYCLES 630 1491 PENRITH ROSS CYCLES 31 3522 PHILLIP CYCLE INN 81 5538 PORT MACQUARIE PORT PU SH BI KES 83 4540 PUNCHBOWL JACK WALSH 70 2502 RANDWICK AUSTRALIAN CYCLE CO. 399 3475 ST. MARYS CHAMPION CYCLES 623 1157 SCONE SAKEY'S CYCLES 45 2348 SEVEN HILLS PETER STERLI NG SPORTS 55 5329 SINGLETON NORM LAMBERT CYCLES 72 2213 STANMORE STANMORE CYCLES 560 5842 SYDNEY CLARENCE STREET CYCLERY 29 4962 TAMWORTH SMITHS CYCLES 66 2825 TAREE BOURKE'S BICYCLE CENTRE 52 1251 TOORMINA RAI NBOW CYCLES 53 3692 TORONTO MASONS SPORTS STORE 59 1146 TOUKLEY THE BIKE SHOP96 5096 TURRAMURRA TURRAMURRA CYCLES 44 1479 ULLADULLA ULLAD ULLA CYC LE S 55 5329 WAGGA WAGGA SCHIPPS SPORTS STORE 21 3962 WANNIASEA TUGG ERANONG CYCLES 31 0176 WENTWORTHVILLE UNIVERSE CYCLES 631 0770 WEST RYDE UNIVERSEC YCLES 85 5836 WINDSOR WINDSOR CYCLES 77 3209 WOLLONGONG WOLLONGONG DISCOUNT CYCLES 28 7366 WOO NONA LOTAP CYC LES 279 6042 VICTORIA: BAIRNSDALE WARREN MEADE CYCLES (051) 52 5665 BALLARAT NAVAJO CYCLES (053) 31 3185 BENALLA SQUIRES SPORTS STO RE(057) 62 2519 BENDIGO ROSS HARDINGS BICYCLE CENTRE (054) 43 2224, MORONI SPORTS & CYCLES (054) 43 3069 BENTLEIGH EAST CENTURION BI CYC LE CENTRE 579 4115 BO RO NIA BORONIA CYCLES & FISHING 762 1528 BOX HILL ACTION CYCLES 890 1977 CAULFIELD SOUTH GRAND PRI X CYCLE S 523 5590 CHELTENHAM N. & M. DU GG AN 583 2854 CLIFTON HILL MELBOURNE BICYCLE CENTRE 489 5569 COBRAM ARTAVILLA EMPOR IU M (058) 72 1726 COBURG SPURWAY CYC LES 386 2930 CROYDON SOUTH GO LDCROSS CYCLES 723 2427 DANOENONG IAN BROWN CYCLES 791 3439, BICYC LE SUPERSTORE 794 6588 DONCASTER EAST TOP GEAR CYCLE S 848 9295 ECHUCA IVO R LAWTON CYCLES (054) 82 3597 EPPING THE BICYCLE DEPOT 401 3938 FERNTREE GULLY FERNTREE GULLY CYCLES 758 7514 FOREST HILL RAYS BICYC LE CENTRE 877 23 11 FOOTSCRAY RAYS BICYC LECENTRE 68 1385 FRANKSTON PEDAL POWER 783 4787 GEELONG NORTH BIKE POWER (052) 77 0870 GLEN WAVERLEY GLEN WAVER LEY CYCLES 560 2178 GREENSBOROUGH DIAMOND VALLEY CYCLES 435 1158 HASTINGS PEDAL POWER (059) 79 1776 HAWTHORN LAWRENCIA CYCLES 818 2850 HAWTHORN EAST JUNCTION CYCLES 882 4985 HIGHITT TERRY HAM MOND BI CYC LES 555 8263 IVANHOE IVANHOECY CLE WO RKS 49 5209 KEILOR EAST CENTREWAY CYCLES 336 2239 KERANG BLACKMORE & WOOD (054) 52 1316 KNOX CITY THE CYC LE CENTRE LAVERTON WESTGATE SPORTS 369 1298 MAFFRA ALEXANDER CYCLES & SPORTS (051) 47 2442 MALVERN EAST ACTION CYCLES 572 1306 MIDDLE BRIGHTON BRIGHTON CYCLES 592 5454 MILDURA SUE & PETER HODGSON CYCLES (050) 23 6041 MOE VALLEY TOY HOUSE (051) 27 2797 MOUNT WAVERLEY WILFS CYCLERY 543 3293 MYRTLEFORD SAM 'S SPORTIN GCENTRE (057) 52 1023 PRAHRAN MELBOURNE BICYCLECENTRE 529 3752 PRESTON RAYS BI CYCLE CENTRE 478 2064 RINGWOOD THE BICYCLE WORKSHOP 879 2883 SALE SALE CYCLECE NTR E (051) 44 1477 SEYMOUR SEYMOUR SPORTS (057) 92 3699 SHEPPARTON MIKERON SPORTS (058) 21 2934 SUNBURY SUN BUR Y CAR SHOP 744 2598 SWAN HILL LES O'HALLORAN SPORTS (050) 32 3042 TOOTGAROOK FREEWHEELING CYC LES (059) 85 3232 TRARALGON KE NNED YS HARDWARE (051) 74 2233, SPIKES BIKES (051) 7 41997 WANGARATTA WOODS CYCLE CENTRE (057) 21 5299 WARRAGUL ACTIVE OUTDOOR SPORTS (051) 23 1944 WARRNAMBOOL DEGRANDl'S SPORTSGOODS {055) 62 2325 WERRIBEE SPORTSGALORE 741 6841 WODONGA JA MATTHEWS (060) 24 1257 YARRAWONGA YARRAWONGA SPORTS (057) 44 1951 QUEENSLAND: ALSTONVILLE CYCLES 28 5345 ANNERLEY BURTS CYCLE SERVICE 391 2474 AYR CUTTER SPO RTS DEPOT 83 2239 BEENLEIGH BEEN LEIGH CYC LES 287 3588 BLACKWATER THREE JAYS SPORTS 82 5054 BOOVAL BOOVAL TOYWORLD 82 4066 BRISBANE LIFECYC LE 262 6888 BUNDABERG SWIFTS CYCLES 71 4111 BURANDA QUALITY CYCLES 393 1342 BURLEIGH HEADS BURLEIGH BICYC LE WOR LD 35 6518 CAIRNS TRINITY CYCLES 51 6380, MANUNDA CYC LE S 53 4894 CALOUNDRA SUNSHI NE COAST CYCLES 91 614 1 CHERMSIDE BER RETTO BICYCLES 359 4923 CLONTARF LEADER CYCLE S 284 1333 COOPAROO CAVES OFCOOP AR OO 397 2941 ENOGGERA A CYCLE INN 355 4536 GLADSTONE SN EDDS CYCLES 57 7926 GORDONVALE PYRAMID CYCLES 56 1070 GYMPIE OLYMPIA CYCLES 82 1895 INDOOROOPILLY THE BICYCLE SPEC IALI STS 378 4887 INGHAM WONDER LAND TOYS 76 1888 INNISFAIL INNI SFAIL CYCLE & SPORTS 61 1416 IPSWICH JOHNSON CYCLES 202 4208 KAWANA WATERS KAWANA CYCLES 44 3433 LUTWYCHE TOM WALLACECYC LES 857 1685 MACKAY MACKAY TOYWORLD 57 5178 MAREEBA EDDLESTON MOTORS 92 1517 MAROOCHYDORE MULGA BILl'.S CYCLES 43 3184 MARYBOROUGH TARRANTS PTY LTD. 22 2999 MIAMI MIKES BIKES 35 8799 MOUNT ISA CURLY DANN SPORTS 43 3691 MURWILLUMBAH MURWILLUMBAH CYCLEWORKS 72 1368 NAMBOUR NAMB OUR FUNTASTIC 41 1669, TURN BULLS SPORTS 41 2013 NERANG NERANG BI CYCLE WOR LD 96 3432 OXLEY OXLEY CYCLES 379 8862 PALM BEACH PA LM BEACH CYC LES 34 3172 REDCLIFFE RED CLIFFE CYCLE S 203 4851 ROCKHAMPTON ALLEN STOWN CYCLES 27 1249, THOMMO'S BIKES 28 5342, WH ITE'S TOY LAND 27 5033 SOUTHPORT CYC LE & SURF INN 32 2874, BURLEIGH BICYCLE S 32 98 11 STRATHPINE STRATH PINE CYCLES 205 2447 TOOWOOMBA BRIAN PAGE CYCLES 38 2242, KEV OLSEN CYCLES 32 2942 TOWNSVILLE CYC LE CITY 71 5800, TOYWORLD TOWNSVILLE79 0277 UNDERWOOD THE BIG BIKE SHOP 341 7444 WOODRIDGE THEBICYC LE SPECIALISTS 209 5488 WYNUMM BAYS I DECYC LES 393 5107. GLENN'S CYC LES 396 1594 WESTERN AUSTRALIA: ALBANY YOUR BIKE & MOPED DEALER 41 6844 ARMADALE ARMADALECYCL EWOR LD 399 3370 BALCATTA BALCATTA BIKES 344 1656 BELMONT BELVI DERE CYCLES 277 3677. THE BICYCLE ENTREPRENEUR 277 9181 BUNBURY FITZROYS BUNBURY 21 8600 BUSSELTON BUSSELTON AlJTO PARTS 52 2887 CANNINGTON OLIVERS CYCLELAND 458 7716, SWAN CYCLE MART 458 8302 CLAREMONT AVOCET CYCLES 384 8365 COMO BI CYC LE WORLD 445 3443 EAST FREMANTLE OLI VERS CYCLELA ND 3391415, THE CYCLEMAN 339 1520 FREMANTLE MERCER CYC LES 335 9536 GERALDTON ELMACCYC LES 21 3279 GOSNELL JET CYC LE S 398 2359 INGLEWOOD STIRLI NG CYCLES 271 5394 INNALOO MORR IS BIKES AND SPORTS 446 4446 KALAMUNOA KA LAMUNDA CYCLE S 293 2115 KALGOORLIE HANN AN STREET CYC LE S 21 2467, JOHNSTON CYCLES 21 1157 MANDURAH CYCLES MANDU RAH 35 6490, PUSH 'N' PEDAL 35 5662 MAYLANDS SPEEDLITE CYC LES 271 1493 MIRRABOOKA CRYSTAL CYCLES 349 4777 MORLEY WARD CYCLES 276 5181 MUNDARING CYCLE CARE 295 2042 MYAREE NORTHLAKE BIKE & SPORTS 330 6628 NEWMAN RONS BIKE SHOP 75 2008 NOLL.AMARA GEORGES BIKES 344 2393 NORTHAM NORTHAM CYC LES 622 2005 NORTH PERTH NORTH PERTH CYCLEM ART 444 3483, PAL CYC LES 328 7253 PADBURY PADBURY BIKE SHOP 401 6877 PARABURDOO ASHBURTON INDUSTRIES 89 5226 PORT HEDLAND HED LANO CYCLES 73 1304 ROCKINGHAM AN DYS BIKE & SPORTS CENTRE 27 4060, ROCKINGHAM CYCLES 27 4457 SAFETY BAY SA FETY BAY BIKE & BOAT SHOP 27 4846 VICTORIA PARK THE PA RK CYCLE SHOP 361 4172 WANGARA JOHNS BIKE SHOP 409 8224 WEMBLEY CAMBRIDGE CYCLES 387 3708 WII.JITTON BURRE NDAH BIKES 332 3698, WI LLEHON CYCLECITY 57 7614 SOUTH AUSTRALIA: ADELAIDE SUPER ELLIOTS 223 3946, STANDISH CYCLES 212 3363 BRIGHTON KE LLERS CYC LES 296 8861 BROADVIEW BROADVIEW CYC LE S 261 2222 CLEARVIEW CYCLELAND 262 4288 COLONNADES STANDISH CYCLES 384 4704 DERNANCOURT DERNANCOURT CYCLES 336 7806 GLENELG HOLDFAST CYCLES 294 4537 INGLEFARM TRAK CYCLES 265 0357 KILBURN JI CYCLES 260 6678 KILKENNY JI CYCLES 268 6404 KLEMZIG STANDISH CYCLES 261 1696 MOUNT BARKER ALDGATE CYCLES MOUNT GAMBIER BRUCE DOWDELLS CYCLES 25 2953 MILE END STANDISH CYCLES 43 5435 OAKLANDS PARK STANDISH CYC LES 296 2376 POORAKA DI SCOUNT CYCLES 260 4365 PORT PIRIE WELLINGTON CYCLES 32 1219 PROSPECT ADELAID ECYC LERY 344 6353 ST. AGNES ST AGNES CYCLES 264 7888 SALISBURY J.T. CYCLES 250 7100, J.T. CYCLES 258 4074 STIRLING ALDGATE CYCLES 339 5954 TEA TREE PLAZA TRAK CYC LE S 264 6001 TOORAK GARDENS BURN SIDE CYC LES 31 0313 TORRENSVILLE J.T. CYCLES 43 9914 LINLEY STANDISH CYCLES 271 9733 WARRADALE BERNI EJO NES CYC LE S 296 9652 WESTLAKES STAND ISH CYCLES 356 5492 WOODVILLE JI CYCLES 268 2019 WHYALLA U PEDAL CYCLES 45 8476 TASMANIA: DEVONPORT NOEL VON BIBRA (004) 24 7778 LAUNCESTON KEVIN McBAIN CYCLES (003) 31 9414 NORTHERN TERRITORY: DARWIN ROSSETTOS SPORTS CENTRE 81 4436 CASUARINA SPORTSMART 27 5518

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20 Freewheeling Our cartoonist, Phil Somerville, casts a glass eye over the entrails in his tea cup and divines a few impressions of 10 YEARS

(:

The Federal Government grants $3 million towards After a misunderstanding over spli tting a restaurant lunch bill, lim ited nuclear war- 1988 Bicentennial bikepath projects. A total of 4 kilometres is 198. . 9. breaks out between Russia and the United States . During the two day ex­ completed while the remaining funds are spent on two thousand change Australia is hit by a single-warhead Soviet missile. Nobody is killed but all 4 billboard-sized signs saying 'Another Bicentennial bikepath'. ki lometres of Bicentennial bikepath are destroyed. ;:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::=.--.---_ -_..J-~=:::::::::::::::::::::::::,- ., r-_- _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--=---- _- _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- _-_-_--~ ll :, s '

Th e country's eastern coast suffers a Tandem bicycles are prohibited in Bicycle helmets are made compulsory but only 1991 large earthquake which fractures the 1992 Queensland as constituting an 1990 amongst drunk car drivers to prevent the con­ National Highway in several hundred places as unlawful procession of people . Spoke nipples cussion they might otherwise suffer after hitting a solid well as causing massive buckling . No-one are banned as part of a general crackdown on metal bicycle. notices any difference in the driving surface. pornography .

Increasingly strict emission controls on cars and industry result in the complete 1993 elimination of air pollution in the major cities. It subsequently becomes apparent that many people have become physically addicted to bad air quality . An illicit trade in The UN declares 1994 International Y ear of the Bicycle. smog springs up . High grade hydrocarbons are smuggled in from Asia via the 'Brown 1994 As a result all existing bike facilities are removed, bikes are Triangle '. The government legalises special medical use by heavy users such as cyclists, banned on trains , bike lanes are torn up and , in some states , cyclists joggers and toll collectors. are actively shot by council-hired bounty hunters.

' I , -1)0- -~, I

0 •OD

During a Rock Address to the Nation, Prime Minister Garrett The Japanese market the first After the development of 1995 announces the compulsory registration and insurance of 1996 solar-powered bicycle, gaining 1997 special space technology, sup­ bicycles. This follows shortly after legislation making compulsory the record sales world-wide. Later the novel­ port from Community Aid Abroad and wearing of gaudily coloured lycra shorts while riding a bike . This in turn ty wears off when Japanese property three years of intensive medical follows legislation making mandatory the carrying of a special Midnight developers buy the sun and force con­ research , an issue of Freewheeling Oil I.D . record album to facili tate all financial transactions. sumers to pay a monthly levy . Magazine comes out on time . Francis E. Birtles from a picture in the Mitchell Library Sydney. The photo was ostensibly taken in I 912, however the relatively youthful appearance of Birtles suggests that it was in fact taken earlier when he was first embarking on his overland cycling efforts.

22 Freewhee/ing The life of Francis Birtles THE GREATEST OVERLAND ER

The historlJ of C1Jclin9

by JIM FITZPATRICK

RANCIS BIRTLES sometime conquers-nature' attitude of his popular hero in Australia for three writing and endeavours. F decades, took advantage of - and, e was born in Fitzroy, Victoria eq ually, was the product of - that era in 1881. After attending a to when adventure and minor fame were state school he joined the ever quicker H be found in accomplishing merchant navy as an apprentice at the on and more daring outback journeys age of fifteen. Three years later, in and in that evolving both the bicycle 189~9, his ship pulled into Cape Town car. device , the motor soon after the outbreak of the Boer a publicity seeker, Unquestionably War. Birtles jumped ship and attemp­ and personal reasons , both for financial ted to join the Australian military, life and motives are unclear, his private but ended up serving 2 ½ years in a and the subject of much dis­ fascinating troop of irregular mounted infantry. controversy among those cussion and His brief writings on his war ex­ met and studied him . who have periences tell little. However, they do ·H e was an itinerant pedallist provide a sample of his descriptions of and motorist extraordinaire. strange places and events. He cycled across the Nullar­ vultures, gorged to capacity, flop­ bor several times, pedalled halfway /lopped and rose heavily O{l lazily around the continent once, around it beating wings against the yellow completely another time, and wrote dawn. The air that we breathed as we numerous books and articles of his rode on, mile after mile, was polluted journeys. In addition, he was involved with the odour of week-old, jackal­ in one of the earliest cinematographic torn carcasses of horses which had expeditions in Northern Australia (ac­ met with cruel lingering deaths in a complished by bicycle) and pioneered disastrous running skirmish of several the outback travel-adventure film. days before. Some of their former Retiring from cycling, he turned to veldt riders were now sleeping the motor car. Among numerous peacefully beneath scattered earth motoring journeys (he claimed to mounds. Later, he referred to a clash have made over seventy transcon­ with Boers .... near to where we lay tinental crossings by 1928) were the in the hollow, all was quiet. first west-to-east Nullarbor crossing, Cautiously I peered. What was the use the crossing of the Stony Desert, Dar­ of shooting when I could see no living win-Sydney and Darwin-Melbourne target! A man about twenty yards records, and a survey of a proposed away from me started to play about. central Australian railway line (later He rolled over on his back, doubled completed by aeroplane). In 1928 he up his knees and, like a kitten, pawed expanded his horizons and completed with two grabbing hands at his haver­ the first London-Melbourne drive sack, which, in the scramble, had part of it solo. ' slipped around and was now packed He took many photographs on his on his stomach. He rolled over again , trips and published a number of ar­ and then lay still. ticles over the years. His book, Battle In mid-1902 he briefly returned to Fronts of Outback (1935), summariz­ Australia. However, he was shortly ed his travels and adventures; the title back to South Africa, where he served suggests something of the 'man- two years as a mounted police officer,

Freewheeling 23 in the Transvaal. Writing of those ex­ assess where essay leaves off and suggest it was as a result of contract periences some thirty years later, he embellishment begins. ing blackwater fever. Birtles indicated recounted that - I have arrested a An edge of racism runs through his that he simply quit when his contract black man in the morning for owning writing as well. He referred to the expired; he had no desire 'to make more wives that he'd paid for; a Black African miners on the Rand as police duty my life's profession'. In yellow man qt noon, for deserting 'country-bred niggers', and com­ any case, in his years in South Africa from th e mines; and a white man at mented on 'a great problem . . . the he gained experiences and developed night, for preaching sedition . . . I black risings' . He noted that - For interests that profoundly influenced have gone out to arrest a rebel Dutch every native rising that the world the remaining course of his life. For man . . . We found the nest, scat­ hears of, a dozen occur, though the one thing he had acquired extensive tered it, captured the ringleader, and Press make light of them or suppress bush survival skills. For another he dug up a buried cannon and am­ news of them altogether. The black had undertaken some cycling excur­ munition. problem is one of the questions of the sions that had demonstrated the value Unfortunately, Francis Birtles was age , and its solution is uncertain; But of the bicycle for travel in harsh, arid prone to exaggerate. In analyzing later he offered one piece of advice: . . . if environments. As well, he ex­ events which can be cross-checked the white rulers govern the black peo­ perimented with photography and with newspaper, archival and other ple with a slack hand, big trouble will achieved a degree of expertise. It 'oc­ accounts, it is obvious that facts are certainly come. curred to me that my own country of­ forgotten and mis-ordered, if not Birtles eventually left the South fered opportunities for hard living and made up. In essence, it is hard to African police force. Some accounts

JM c5pof iliai- /tdio I August 8, 1911* ,,,... - When a Cover is btanded- Camped on Katherine River. Crocodile crawled out on to a sandbank in the middle of the stream; big barramundi in his jaws. Fired a bullet at him; he DUN LOP TYR f dropped the fish and dived into the water. I swam across, towed l OU Know - Every (ydi:it Know.s - my future meal to the camp; that it i5 the be.st that money grilled about eight pounds of it for tea, salted the rest. Sweet can maKe or buy- and that dreams. it has no equal for Wear. Quality. ~ Reliability. ,.

adventurous exploits'. Consequently, he returned to Australia to combine photography, cycling, motor cars, and bush travel in a series of journeys that occupied him for the next thirty years. Birtles disembarked at Fremantle. On Boxing Day, 1905, he pedalled out of Perth for the eastern states. He in­ tended to ride northeast from the goldfields via Alice Springs, but in­ tense heat and scarcity of water turn­ ed him back. Instead, he headed south and then east across the Nullarbor. However, he was not the first to do the trip on bicycle, for men had been riding the route for a decade; one had in fact averged 103 miles per day bet­ ween Perth and Adelaide in 1898. or the next six years Birtles rode his bicycle about the continent, F photographed its wonders - and himself standing among them - and wrote about his adventures. His first book, Lonely Lands (1909) , re­ This Dunlop advertisement was inspired by Birtle; rides. It is a classic of Australiana and uses one of Birtles photos taken in I 910 at the rabbit fence border between Queensland and the Northern Territory. counted his exploits on a trip around

24 Freewheeling the eastern half of Australia. Its 224 included scenes of emus, crocodile n 1912 he took up motoring and pages included 85 photographs and set hunting, sugar cane growing, Thurs­ travelled about the bush making the pattern for his later writings - day Island pearling, and shark fishing. I three more films in the next eight plenty of pictures of strange things It was put on in conjunction with a years. The first, Into Australia's and isolated places, together with a children's essay competition. Con­ Unknown, was begun with Frank liberal tale of the difficulties and bat­ temporary accounts lauded the film Hurley. However, Frank left to ac­ tles he had in completing the journey. 'showing places never before seen by ~ company Shackleton on an Antarctic Sydney audience'; it played to a 'large expedition and Birtles finished it audience which thronged the alone. It was released in January 1915. Lyceum'. In July it ran in Melbourne The following year another film and Adelaide. Across Australia in the Track of Burke However, Birtles' film debut was in and Wills, re-traced the ill-fated ex­ fact three months earlier. He was pedition's route. photographed arriving in Sydney on 1 After Sir Ross and Sir Keith Smith August 16, 1911 * February, 1912, on his last overland co~pleted their England-Australia Riding fast along a cattle track cycling ride. Fittingly, it was capped flight in 1919, Francis Birtles travell­ overtook wild bull going down by a Fremantle-Sydney record; he had ed their Darwin-Sydney leg by motor­ to water. He kept running covered 3 175 miles in 31 days. Two car. The film of the journey, Through ahead. I could not get past. _Sud­ days later his finish was shown as part Australian Wilds and Across the denly he stopped short, dropped of a Gaumont gazette film. Track of Ross Smith, was released in his head and charged. I sprinted off the track, got past onto my course. Did not have time to look behind. I beat him easily on the 'straight'.

He stated that he cycled across the continent seven times and around it twice. The records are not clear, but in any case he became the most peripatetic overlander in Australian cycling history. The travels are remarkable for the sheer physical ef­ fort and mental determination involv­ ed in pedalling so many tens of thousands of miles of bush. He wrote several articles for a variety of magazines between 1910 and 1912, with such titles as Through the Unknown Territory and Across Australia by Camel Pad and Cattle Track. The money from these helped \ finance his travels. As well, an agree­ ment with Anthony Hordern and Sons proved mutually beneficial; they pro­ vided a 'Universal' bicycle in ex­ change for him endorsing the machine. A sketch of Birtles riding it was included in their catalogue. During his cycling era, Birtles helped pioneer the outback adventure film. The Gaumont Company sent a photographer, Richard Primmer, to travel with him between Sydney and Darwin in 1911. It was an epic trip in terms of logistics alone. Besides food, water and personal and camping gear, they carried still, steroscopic and cinematographic cameras, plates and film, and developing tanks and fluids. A contemporary observer estimated that between them the men carried about 250 pounds of gear. Above: This photo taken over two decades after Birtles began touring about Australia, shows a ·1eather­ skinned man, tough, wiry, and much worn, in contrast to early cycle-trip photos. Below: This photo of The film was released in Sydney, the Brush car was made during the first west-east motor crossing of the Nullarbor, in 1912. The effort to under the title Across Australia, in show the harshness of some of the travelling conditions was a hallmark of his travel pictures. May 1912. It was 3 000 feet long and

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AUSTRALIAN MADE Because it is important that a helmet be correctly fitted, ATOM is available only through bicycle shops and sports stores. Enquiries to: ATOM, 75a Burrows Road, Alexandria NSW 2015. (02) 550 1655 various capital cities between July tremely isolated areas and through area they returned to Melbourne. For 1919 and February 1920, to little suc­ some harsh conditions. Some of them a man who had spent 16 years pedall­ cess. Birtles was trying to scoop his were for the express purpose of mak­ ing and driving about the bush, the former colleague, Frank Hurley, who ing films, others for whatever trip was a thrill. His account of it had flown with the Smiths from Dar­ pleasures, panacea or results he represents some of his most eloquent win to Sydney, but had not yet releas­ wanted. He was accompanied by - and relatively unembellished - ed a film of it. The reviews of Birtles' various companions, and carried his writing: 'I saw Melbourne mistily film were unenthusiastic. The at­ bicycle as 'a lifeboat'. dissolving into a series of dull col­ tempt to tie his earth-bound adven­ oured squares, all held together by lit­ His experiences and publicity ture travels to the aura of the great air tle streaks of streets, and railway resulted in a commission in 1921 to journey simply did not come off well. lines'. He concluded with the simple survey an overland railway route bet­ Birtles had taken up motoring in and powerful observation that they ween Adelaide and Darwin for the 1912 with the same penchant as he had reached Melbourne 'from the far Prime Minister's Department. With had with bicycles - he headed for the distant heart of Australia in fifteen Ray Fry he reached the Katherine rail outback and records. His first car was hours flying lime'. head after three months. With 80 a 10 horsepower, single-cylinder By 1924 Birtles made another film, gallons of petrol aboard they turned Brush. With Syd Ferguson accompa­ Australia's Lonely Lands. It was back south. Near Elsey Station the nying him, he made the first west­ longer than several of the previous car virtually exploded. The car, east crossing of the continent. An films, and Birtles appeared in person cameras, plates, cine-film, posses­ Australasian writer observed that: at its showings. However, it received sions, and survey. notes had been only a lukewarm reception. The aud­ destroyed, and Birtles and Fry were iences were cooling to the straight burnt. They were taken to the Inland adventure-travel films, partly from Mission hospital at Maranbay tin­ the number having been shown over fields. Several months later they the past 12 years, and partly because returned south by steamer. increasingly sophisticated film-goers Birtles completed the survey by air. desired more plot. August 29, 1911 * He flew in a De Haviland biplane, Subsequently Birtles began work on Crossed the WA border. Met a piloted by Frank Briggs, with George his last film, Coorab. Although mob of cattle out 'storm hun­ Bailey as mechanic. In his inimitable released in 1929, there is some doubt ting'. They were led by an old writing style, he described his 'com­ as to exactly when it was filmed. Ina bull; behind him they stretched panionship with a new tribe of Bertrand, Australian film historian, out in single column, head to youthful, capable men, strapped in suggests that it was possibly a com­ tail, for a distance of about five and controlling a balanced and roaring position of extracts from his earlier miles. The dust which drifted to dragon of the air'. They left films and unused footage. There is no leeward gave the appearance of a Melbourne and, via Adelaide, reached clear record of him having made a large grass fire approaching. Alice Springs. After two weeks in the separate trip to film it, and numerous The beasts seemed to be very thirsty and tired, with nostrils almost touching the ground. They determinedly kept to the track, which would lead them to the high tablelands 50 miles away where rain had most like­ ly fallen. The old bull-leaders instinct would not fail.

The car and its contents presented a strange appearance on the road. The body of the vehicle was almost hidden under nearly half of a ton of outfit, in­ cluding tent, sandmats, shovels, food­ boxes, water-bags, guns, a cinematograph camera, and Birtles' bicycle. Upon arrival from Perth there was a mantle of dust 'over the car, baggage and motorists'. They reached Sydney, via Broken Hill, in 28 days, 1 hour and 52 minutes. However, it was only three days faster than he had pedalled across, six months before; and the cycle ride had involved longer route, via Adelaide and Melbourne. This picture was taken near the end of Birtles' cycling career, when he was using an Anthony Hordern He made innumerable motor 'Universal'. The heavily laden machine and weatherbeaten appearance of the man represented the re­ journeys about Australia, into ex- quirements, and effects, of a round-Australia effort. The dog accompanied him.

Freewheeling 17 hour, to a standstill; in southeast Asia best. And all the while I am planning he spent days winching the car up and to go back But he never did, in the down hills and mountain-sides as he same way as before. His caravan manoeuvred along muddy animal journeys were but a pale reflection of tracks through the tropical forests. He the difficulties and achievements of August 29, 1911 * finally reached Melbourne in his earlier travels. And the material Still travelling along the freshly mid-1928, the first man to make the goods, 'of the best', were neither the made cattle track, which would journey (he had a companion for part objective nor essence of his life. take me down to the Kimberley of it)- The 'Sundowner' was given to foothills. Track very dusty and the Federal Government, where it is His unceasing travels suggest that worn down to foot deep chan­ still held, awaiting the time when it he had a fundamental need to be on nel. Run over a small spinifex can be displayed in a national the move, that he was possessed of an snake, which bit me on the museum. itch that required continual scrat­ front of the right leg. Pinched He was also a pioneer of a minor ching. In the process he b9th recorded the flesh, cut piece out. Leg puf­ facet of Australian culture - the and contributed to the change and fy and blue; not hurting much; wearing of shorts by men. The earliest ethos of an era. As he recognised in let blood run freely; feel very photographs of him, both his own and 1935, the outback was a different thirsty. those appearing in newspapers and place from when he first pedalled magazines, showed him in them, a about it, thirty years before. The practice he apparently brought back motor car had brought 'better chances from his service in South Africa. It in case of sickness' and had widened was some decades before the concept the bush residents' mental and scenes from Coorab fit those describ­ caught on among other Australian physical horizons. The pedal wireless ed from his earlier films. The difficul­ workers and bush travellers. For Fran­ enabled quick communication and ty in resolving the matter lies in the cis Birtles, it was a then-eccentric the airplane brought medical fact that Coorab is the only Birtles touch that graced the illustrations of assistance. For those not part of the film for which a copy has survived. his adventures. bush, Birtles could take pride in the Like so many early Australian films, fact that his 'expeditions with pen prints and negatives seemed to quick­ rancis Birtles was an Aus­ and camera had helped to make the ly disappear. tralian classic. As he said, interior a reality to the general con­ F 'I had an outback Australian's sciousness'. belief in my ability to meet whatever is motoring continued un­ contingencies might arise' . But like Francis Birtles died of heart disease abated. In 1926 he drove his so many kindred spirits, Birtles did in New South Wales in July 1941. H Bean car, named the 'Sun­ not await contingencies, he created Within seven months such hitherto­ downer', to yet more records, in­ them_ He established several legacies, exotic Australian names as Darwin, cluding Darwin-Sydney in only seven but few common reminders of them Broome, Derby and Wyndham would days. He financed his travels partly now exist. Of his five films, a print re­ be swept into national and interna­ through his writings, films and sales mains only of the last. Of his two tional consciousness along with those of photographs. He also obtained sup­ books, copies are scarce. His dozen or of Pearl Harbour, Bataan, and port from various companies, which so articles lie entombed in now­ Singapore. The passing of Francis he assiduously pursued by keeping a defunct magazines stored in libraries. Birtles marked not only that of a man high public profile. He effectively and And his name triggers memories only but of an era. continually utilised the combination in the minds of those now-elderly of publicity, daring and accomplish­ Australians who once followed his ment to finance the next effort. The adventures through his writings, technique had its risks, however: 'All films, personal appearances and my life I'd been a battler . . . strok­ newspaper accounts. chin over the problem By 1935, when his second book, ing a reflecting * of how to pay my way. I'd been broke Battle Fronts of Outback, was September 6, 1911 a dozen times'. published, he had discovered and sold Blowing roaring gale from west. Nonetheless, he set his sights a gold mine, retired to a life of finan­ Torrents of dust in a blinding, abroad and sought support for a drive cial security, and had recently mar­ choking, yellow stream. At­ from London to Melbourne. Shell, ried Nea McCutcheon. At the conclus­ mosphere like a furnace. Camp Dunlop and others contributed to the ion of his book he wrote: . . that is at foot of some basalt cliffs. journey. After an abortive initial ef­ my story. Like most yarns it has a Plenty of "organ grinding" fort, he finally left London in postscript. I am now enjoying being a lizards about. Little fellows September 1927, in the 'Sundowner'. man of means and of leisure. I've got which run about in a great Both his personal and newspaper ac­ some of the things I've always wanted hurry, stop suddenly, and then counts suggest that it was indeed an - the sort of things a man of my work one arm violently around exciting and difficult trip; he was tastes dreams of owning when he and around - procedure hospitalised in India, and threatened hasn't a cracker. There 's a motor repeated indefinitely. by bandits, among other things. His caravan that has cost me as much as I observation of people in Baghdad is could have lived on for five or six pure Birtles: A swarm of guides and years in the old days. And there's a lit­ medicants surrounded the car. I tle fleet of sporty two-seater models recognised them as the descendants of fitted with every possible refinement. -the Forty Thieves, but they had I've go t a photographic and cinema­ multiplied exceedingly! photographic outfit that couldn't be "Quotes are from Birtles' diary of his final His rate of travel ranged from the improved upon. It includes overland cycle journey published in the 'certified top speed' of 80 miles per everything, and everything is of the magazine The Lone Hand June 1912.

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30 Freewheeling WHERE THE ROAD AHEAD JOINS THE DESERT SKY VANISHING POINT 8ic1Jcle tourin9

A solo cycUst in the Tanami Desert

by PREDCA HIR

Freewheeling JI HREE years ago I cycled across the barest of concessio ns to white cul­ th e Null arbor Plain in a fit of ture. KNOW WHAT'S T youthful naivety. A long the way I "Midnight Oil", a widely acclaimed met an e lderly gentle man who was rock-music band , gave a me morable spending his autumn years travelling the pe rforma nce before a n e nthusiastic BEHIND YOU empty spaces of Australia. He spoke to crowd of people, aided at times by Char­ me about a desert I'd never heard of lie ' Hook' McMa ho n (a o ne armed ye t before - the Tana mi Desert. A cyclin g ski ll ed didgeridoo player) who sum­ jaunt through that desert appealed to moned a ha unting sound o ut of hi s ho l­ with my sense of adventure; or was it rugged low log. The unlikely duet was a stun­ romanticism, (at the time I couldn't tell ningly successful combina ti o n of the the whi ch). modern and ancient sounds. T he bottom line of my dreams e n­ Yu e ndumu, I di scovered is one over tailed travelling to A li ce Springs. From 300 a boriginal communities throughout Alice I cycled North on the Stuart High­ Australia refe rred to as 'Out Stations'. way to a turn-off heading due West. This The aim of these o ut stati ons are to re­ marks the beginnin g of the Tana mi road establish aborigin al communities under thirde~e whi ch stretches across 11 00 kilometres traditional lead e rship in a way which of desert terrain, uninterrupted by giv es the abori ginal peopl e thei r own HELMET MIRRO human habitation , bar two locations - culture, their own di gnity and the fl exi­ Yuend umu and Rabbit Flat . Under­ bility to accept some e le me nts of the standably the area lends itself to a sense white man's world on their own terms. of isolation and adventure on a solo In the mo rning li ght , the contrast be­ bicycle. tween the 'old ways' and the 'new ways' Pushes up between Less than 200 ki lometres of the road stood o ut like a red bull in a lush green polystyrene & shell was sealed. the remainder bein g for the paddock. The concrete basketball courts most part, not even graded. and modern supe rma rket a ppeared in­ It was no Sunday afternoon wa ltz into congruous with the bark humpies scat­ the bush. I had made some careful calcu­ tered about. U pon reflection , though , lations in regards to water. food, permits there is nothing surprisin g about desir­ to enter Aboriginal land and the condi­ ing a sli ce of two worlds. · tions of t he road. Headwinds were The track North was re m arkably something I had not counted on , but at smooth a nd quick so I moved on in the Pushes over J least the scenery was stunning e no ugh to afternoon's cool. The variety of fa una the outside take the edge off the monotony of cycl­ was exte nsive in this a rea, especiall y of the shell ing . Emerald green s hoots o.f new from the va ntage point of a slow sil e nt growth speckled ochre-red plains with push-bike . Dingoes skirted across my the nut-brown McDonnell ranges as a path as did a few ruffled emu's. fitting backdrop to this rustic landscape. Birdlife was noticeably prolific: box Upon reaching Yuendumu, a ll my pre­ kites; soarin g wedge-ta il ed eagles; fa l­ co nceived ideas about t he aborigin al cons; pink cockatoos in their thousands; com munity came to nought. I e ncoun­ wrens; honeyeate rs; butcher birds; mi s­ tered brick ve nee r buildings, street tl etoe; fin ches a nd the extremely rare lights and li ve rock music performances; wild turkey bustard. Today the Tanami whereas. my perceptions had bee n more desert wildlife sanctuary, which was re­ along the lin es of traditional li ving with turned to the a boriginal peopl e in the I980's, preserves this dry spinifex terrain which suppo rts numerous desert birds a nd some marsupi al species extinct in othe r areas. The countryside after the rain was in * Quick and easy to fit onto all a n exceptionall y good state. Everything helmets or glasses arm. was gree n , bright a nd at its best. July seems to have been a good time to travel * Multi position adjustment. in this a rea, unlike the summer months * Always in focus regardless of whe n the temperatures soar regul arly your riding position. into fifty degrees heat. Testimony of the desert's da ngerous qualities a re the re­ * Rigid, vibration-free mounting. ce nt tragic deaths of two you ng jac­ keroos, who mi stakenl y turned off the Mirror is high-tensile nylon. * Ta nami road and pe ri shed at the height Therefore will not shatter and F R A M E W O R K of summer. is also much lighter than glass. Two Engli sh cyclists narrowly escaped * Distortion-free flat mirror. for custom frame a simil a r fa te several years ago, whe n informati o n they became distressed and disoriented several days travel from the nearest li v­ write to------ing soul. Distributed by: 233 ~JO IIN SON S'l' The re are well timbered a reas of de­ ATOM IMPORTS l\NNl\NDl\LE 2038 sert gums, bloodwood a nd Stuart bean Ph : (02) 550- 1655 _( 0 2 ) 5 5_2 1 6 0 6 tree but the huge expanses of land were predominately covered by the straggly

32 Freewheeling a nd ba re lookin g scrub wattl e whi ch gives o ne a n impressio n of dryness. C reamy trunks a nd limbs of ghost gums in dry c reek b eds stood out glea ming he re a nd there. C urious bush he rbs, creepe rs a nd grasses sprawl alo ng th e ground a mo ngst clumps o f j a undiced spinifex and patches of luxuriant bunch grass. Scatte re d d e nse p a tches o f mulga. a lso occasio na l be lts o f she oak (casuarina), are inte rwoven b y a n eye­ catching feature o f the landscape;- te r­ mite mo unds . Billio ns o f them , grotes­ quely shaped and ri sing to two metres in height. Afte r three d ays of trave l the road became increasingly treacherous . Bulldust , ( a build up o f f ine red dust so metimes three feet in depth) was he ll to cycl e on, even with the a id of fift een gears and wide tyres. ~ I walked he ft y di stances in dry cl ear m (/) heat cursin g my romanticized visions o f --i a desert. m The ni ghts were perfect however, still ., :0z and cool. Stars shone with a wonderful brillia ncy, as a mys terio us fl o urish o f )> anima l activity in pitch black bush C.j TANAMI (/) i'\ spooke d m e whilst I te nded m y -, I \ :lJ I •• TENNANT campfires fi ery red coals. I •., CREEK The now aba ndo ned Ta na mi ho me ­ )>r, I stead w as the hi ghli ght o f m y tre k. HIGHWAY )> : I Tanami was 'di scovered' by Alan D avid­ I I son , the leader of. a prospecting e xpedi­ DESERT 10 ti on in August, 1900. The pl ace was af­ 'C terwa rds vi sited a t differe nt times by ~tI 'm I 'm severa l prospecting p arties who we re 'z forced t o retreat n orthward when water I (/) 'r gave o ut o r h eat and sickness became I )> d I p un beara ble. Oddly e nough the wo rd I I 'z Ta nami is unde rstood to mean ' wa te r I 'o neve r dies' . In the midst of the 1930's G)~ depressio n, a group of miners a re repu­ to I ALICE SPRINGS ted to have survived lean times by eating ~ 4-,.._._b rats! A thirty minute walk the fo ll owing <: : CJ I mo rning took me through patches o f rr, I SIMPSON DESERT spinifex looking remarkabl y like waving (./) I rr, I oat fi elds. This lead t o Granite Hill , a lJ l fantasti c jumble of large granite tors and ..., ~------·------__ ,_ ·---- piled up any old how; most of boulders '1 them with sharp angles and looking li ke SOUTH AUSTRALIA a load o f Brobdingnagian bricks w hi ch had tumbled d own from the sky. R a bbit Flat , the most i solated fu e l dows), numerous latches, a gun be hind o utle t in Australia was a s urprise; a n th e ba r (which has seen u se) a nd as­ enigma of the Austra li an o utback . It is sorted locks . Aside from it's odi ous for­ CYCLE frontie r land - it's not a happy picture. tress-like displ ay, it is a typical o f out­ TRJ-J I LE.PS! Raci al te nsion runs hi gh h e re, the s hot­ back pubs. J ack Absalo m prints ha ng gun sca rs o n the g um trees shading the here and there. tasteless souve nirs a nd building bear truth to this fa ct. Nobody th e indestructible-type furni shings wanders th rough the general store b uy­ (whi ch gua ra ntee minima l m a te ri a l ing goods at their leisure . Instead , you damage in the event of bra wl s). speak through an iron mesh screen t o a "The track up North is rough as guts··. Heli.ott.e face less shop assistant, who in my case two prospectors g rimly told me. It may happe ne d t o be the s to re o wne r's te n we ll have been ' rough as guts· in the ir ios) !f280I o year old son. cl a pped out o ld Ford , but o n a 1/-lf FndeYick St: Later that evening I pulled up a c hair pushbike. it was in a word : arse busting! Mctl lcl'ncls SA 50b'I in wh at is e ffecti vely a ' whites onl y' bar, The c orrugations we re eve ry cyclists fortifi ed b y s teel-plated walls ( no win- ni ghtmare, and the powdery sand drifts

Free wheeling JJ that sucked m e up like so much by the a lm ost perfect symmet ry of the quicksand were an extension of that crater rim. ni ghtmare. The fun and adventure of my The last leg of my bicycle journey was journey waned. as the effort needed to acco mpa ni ed by s ub-tropical c lo uds: cycle o n such a torturous track sapped black a nd pregnant with storm . A Luna my morale and precious water supplies Park ride ensued over a jumble of ro ll e r to a low ebb. coaster hills situated at the foot of the BUNYIP At o ne dessicated river bed. I dug into Kimberley mountain range . hot soft sand in several spots o n the off Nightfall, like a starters gun signa ll ed PANNIERS chance of finding water. I held o ut little a downpour of rain. Rain fell unabated hope but walke d o n rega rdless. To m y for the e ntirety of the evening . Squat­ delight (a n d surprise) I di scove red ting next to my hard won fire whi ch hi s­ human footprints. which remarkably led sed complainingly at me, it became pain­ to a deepish ho le with cool water in it fully obvious th at: I. the wate r level that rivalled th e finest French cham­ would soon subme rge m y camp: and 2, AUSTRALIES pagne. I left the ri ver bed and continued th e track wo uld fast become a sea of o n my trek. feeling s li ghtly e nvious a nd impa~sable mud. decidedly curi ous about the kind of per­ Grudgingly, I packed my soppin g wet TOUGHEST son that wa lks barefoot and a lo ne in a belongings onto the bike and fumbl ed harsh terrain. my way throug h t o t he s lushy track. I On this e xpedition . the re was the ex­ cycled a ll that ni ght , b lindly pedalling in citing prospect of seeing first hand the the darkness, thigh-deep across swoll e n Designed for ultra long distance Wolf C ree k m e teo rite crater: fo urth river to rre nts. Quite terrifying at times. largest crater of me teorite o ri gin to be I passed two stranded trucks up to travel tested around the world di scovered o n the Earth's surface. Some their wheel arches in mud. sil ently yie ld­ time during the last million years a huge ing to the unrepentant rain . I was damn Write now for free m eteorite hurtled to plane t Eart h , scared that I too would become isolated, cyc led o nwa rd to "Hi ghway O ne·, mail order brochure to: 23 Lambert St penetrated far into the ground and then so I exploded. throwing out debris and leav­ which I knew to be not far away. A bitu­ Campberdown, NSW. 2050. ing a c ircular ho le some 850 me tres ac­ men surface never felt so good' ross and 6 1 me tres dee p that looks as­ Looking like a n ungodly m ess. I Trade enquiries tel: 517 2057 or 519 1084 to undingly like a 111 00 11 crater. The s heer proudly roll ed into Halls C reek. Home face of the c rater wa ll s peppe red with in windswept Warrnambool was mine to yell ow and red wild flowers was astonish­ dream. A 6.000 kilometre trip via bus, in gly beautiful and was complimented hitching a nd trai n catapulted me there.

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34 Freewheeling BICYCLE TRAVEL IN OZ

BictJcle tourin9 feature

The best places to ride your bicycle in Australia.

by WARRENSALOMON

H E huge Australian landmass of­ preparing a guide book for the Southern f ers bicycle riders every kind of Cross Bi cycle Ro ute linking Sydney to T touring location from forested Me lbourne vi a the Snowy Mountains coastal ranges to th e dry flat interior. (summer altern ative). Since orga nised bicycle touring began in Excellent year-round to uring is avai l­ the late seventies there have been many a ble in the fa r n orth coastal regions and local guide books written to help two­ Border Ranges. Freewheeling has pub­ wheeled tra vellers find the right path. li shed many articl es describing the re­ Over th e past ten years Freewheeling has commended ro utes in this a rea. These published many articles and guides de­ have been li sted at the e nd of this sec­ tailing to uring routes throughout th e tion. country. In this special roundup of tour­ In the south the Snowy Mountains ing in A ustralia our publisher/editor area gives cycli sts a n ex hil arating s um­ looks at th e information available to help mer altern ati ve to the heat of the coast you plan your next trip. and the inte ri o r. The recommended cir­ cuit via Cooma , Thredbo, Kha ncoban New South Wales and the Australian and Ki andra is accessible from Tumut, Capital Territory NE Victoria and Canbe rra. Low gears are advisable as some of the continent's The best year-round touring areas in the lo ngest c lim bs (and descents) are lo­ state are tlie coastal regions surrounding cated in this area. January and February the capital Sydney, and the north coast are the best months. and border ranges areas. Australia's first ever long dista nce bicycle route links The Canberra region and the adjacent Sydney to Brisbane a nd can be comfort­ Southern Highl a nds a rc good for to ur­ ably travelled in two to three weeks. The in g in a ll but the coldest winter months. sealed Pacific Coast Cycle Route uses scenic There is a n abundance of quiet eating back roads and is sealed for almost all of roads, accommoda ti o n and its 1100 km. A detailed guidebook de­ houses. scribing the route has been published b y Guide books its sponsor the touring organisation Cycling Around Sydney published by Bicycle Australia. This group is a lso de­ the Bi cycle Institute of NSW,Syd­ veloping other long-dist a nce routes ney, 1984. Available from the lnstitutc's throughout the country and is currently mail o rder service or Sydney region bi cy-

Freewheeling JS cle shops. 22 tours described. Published Salomon, 35: 18 Th e Border Ranges War­ bookl et describes four to urs in this cen­ jointly with the NSW D e pa rtment of ren Salomon, 2:20 Big rivers and border tral highlands shire. E nvironme nt and Planning. $5.85 ranges, Warren Salomon, 6: 15 Mountain Melbourne Bike Paths Book pub­ Th e Blue Mountains: A Guide for magic;Warre n Salomo n , 7:27 Crossing li shed by the State Bicycle Committee in Bicyclists by Jim Smith. This delightful th e bo rder on th e Lio ns road, Wa rre n 1986 this book offers access to a ll of the book covers the Blue Mountains region Salomon, 35:26 m ajor bike pa ths in Me lbo urne's sub­ a nd is a lso suitable for mountain bike Western and Central West: Plain sail­ urbs. $4.95 from book shops, bike shops trail riding. Published by the author in ing, Fiona Kennedy, 34:39 Murray River and speciali st mail order. 1980 . 27 tours no maps (use C MA Blue encyclitis Ray Peace, 38:70 Keeping up Bicycle touring maps. This set of six Mountains Tourist map. $2.50 with th e Joneses , Neil and Janette Jones, maps uses motor club maps as a basis for A Guide to Cycle Touring in the South­ 13:20 Bush bashing, Ian Taylor and Phil a regional a pproach to touring in a ll ern Highlands and Adjacent Coastal Ire la nd , 16:33 Onward to Cowra, Ia n regions of Victoria. They may be hard to Area of NSW by R.D. Kende rdine . As Taylo r and Phil Ireland, 9:32 In which read but they are free! The map titles the name s uggests this gu ide covers the three of us make a find, Janet Scrivener, a re : Central Highlands, North-Eastern excell e nt touring region between Can­ 3:28 Climbing th e crook ed mountains, Victoria , Bairnsdale to Pakenham be rra a nd Sydney. 1985. Available from Wayne Kotzur, 11 :26 Another View of (Gippsland), Geelong to Warmambool, book shops, M /O or R .D. Ke nderdine the Warrumbungles, Jim Scarsbrook , Great Ocean Road, Grand Ridge Road (048)91-1151 ). 24 suggested tours, $5.85 II :31 & Wilsons Promontory National Park. Touring Guide to th e Mid-North .Coast Southern Highlands: Southern Cross Articles published in Freewheeling (Macksvill e to Wingham) this guide also Cycle Trail, Michae l Burlace , 14 :25 A North East and Gippsland: Mel­ by R . D . Kende rdine ,P&S((048)91 - fun-po isoning weekend in Australia , bourne to Sydney via th e coast , Viola l 151) , Ri chard Kenderdine is a n e xcel­ Frosty Wooldridge, 35 :32 Wiedmann, 26:47 Th e Grand Ridge le nt companion to the Bicycle Australi a Sydney region and the Blue Moun­ Road , Peter Sigorini , 5:35 Pacific Bicycle Routeguide book. Pub­ tains: Forbidden fruits, Jim Smith, 6:34 Western and South Coast: Great li shed in 1986 and available from boo k Following the railway to Newnes, Jim ocean road, David Martin , 11 :11 Ocean shops or the a uthor. 25 tours described , Smith, 7:32 Return to Newnes-afat-tyre road odyssey, Gaye Sprenglewski, 24,29 $7 .85 adventure, Warren Salomon, 32:21 The Geelong-Otway Century, Ray Th e Pa cific Bicycle Route by Heather Mid North Coast, New England and Peace , 21 :43 A great ocean road, Ray Nes bitt. Warre n Salomon a nd David the Hunter Valley: Pacific Cycle Trail 3, Peace, 21 :36 Wratha ll, 1986. Describes the route in Michael Bur lace, 10 : 17 A wet tour of th e Central and Melbourne district: 20 sections with full colour pull out map Watagan m ountains , Jim Scarsbrook, Rushworth again , Ray Peace, 18:39 Mel­ section . Avai lable from bicycle s hops 15 :28 Sydney and th e Bush , Warren Salo­ bourne to Beech worth , Michael Bur­ and BA mail order. $ 15.00 mon, 4: 19 Beyond th e Black Stump , lace, 12 : 17 Melville Caves, Ray Peace, Discovering NSW Rainforests by Jeff Ni gel Je nkins, 18: 31 Myall lakes tour, 17 :47 Cyclin g through Vi ctoria , John Ange l. Angela Raymond and Raymond Jim Scarsbrook , 28:29 Beyond th e ' Pub Pilgrim and Jane Quin, 13:36 Ritchie . Though this book is principally With No Beer, Joss Dav ies a nd J ami e about NSW rainforests it offers a Benyei , 8:28 Armidale to Urunga , South Australia numbe r of bicycle tours in the more ac­ Da ni el McNamara, 2:28 Cycli sts have been very active in the cessible locations. 1986. Av ailable from past few years and with government sup­ book shops. Published by Total Environ­ \'irtoria port have almost completed an ambiti­ ment Centre and Rainforest Publishing. A lmost a ll of this s tate is good touring o us project to produce coloured touring $!0.95 country throughout the yea r. The most maps of the s tate by region. The ma ps Canberra Cycleways This coloure d interesting areas are the Central High­ are based o n the I :50,000 topographic map is the official guide to Canberra's la nds a rea, Gippsland, the south west seri es (2 cm = I km) and even have con­ extensive netwo rk of cycleways. It is coast, the North East and in summer the to ured e levation m a rkings . A ll maps available free from most Canberra bike hi gh pl ains a rea around the s ki resort of offer a numbe r of suggested to urs and shops and tourist centres. Published by Fall s Creek. have trip notes printed on the back. It the Na tional Capital Development Guides may not rai n ve ry ofte n in SA but if you Commission, ACT, 1985. Geelong-Otway Bike Tours published are caught with these maps you need not Fort y Bike Rides Around Canberra by the Geelong Bike Plan , 198 1. This worry as th ey are printed o n plastic. and Southern NSW by Pe dal Powe r. excell ent coll ection of tours is now hard Titles in the series are : Barossa Va ll ey; ACT. A good guide book to the touring to come by as it was di stribute d free Fleurieu Pe nins ul a r ; the South East ; regions s urrounding the nation's capital. and. to our knowledge, never r eprinted Riverla nd ; Yorke Pe nins ul a r ; Lowe r Availa bl e from bike shops a nd some for sale . Bicyc le Victoria has a copy in Mid North ; a nd Ka ngaroo Isla nd . All book shops in the region. $5 .90 their library for photocopying. ma ps cost $7.30 and are ava il able from Articles published in Freewheeling Peaceful Cycle Tours of Victoria a nd SA Government Map Centres. The issue a nd page references a re More Peace/ul Tours of Victoria both by The South Australian Tourists Associ­ given at the e nd of each li sting with the Ray Peace describe a number of popul ar a ti o n a lso produces a ha ndy g uide to issue serial number first. tours (34 in total) throughout the state. to uring in the state. It li sts impo rtant Canberra: Canberra's cycle paths Max The books are available through some resources and local custo ms. The Cyc­ Nanke rvi s, 19: 15 shops in Me lbo urne a nd through lists Han dbook of South A ustralia by Snowy Mountains: Biking up th e speciali st mail o rde r. Both books cost Eve lyn Gray, Margare t H eal and Barry Wa y Doree n and Peter Moore , $7 .40 each. Michael D o ube for the South Australia, 36:42 Th e Alpine Wa y D avid Martin , Melbourne Bike Tours published by 1987. $4 .80. 12: 12 To the top of Australia, Chris Be l­ the State Bicycle Committee of Victoria. Over the past d ecade a number of lamy, 12: 15 Touring Australia's high 20 to urs througho ut the g reater Me l­ local to uring leafl ets have been produc­ country, Wa rren Salomon, 33:21 bourne region . $6 .40 fro m bike sho ps, ed in So uth Australia. They mostl y de­ Border Ranges and North Coast: book shops and specia li st m ail o rder. scribe s hort t o ur routes in and around Days and nights in th e rainforest Warren Golden Triangle Bicycle Rides pub­ A de la ide a nd its s uburbs and s ma ll Salomon, 35:23 The valleys of th e Scenic li shed by the Shire of Bet Bet. Published towns adj acent. Here's a selecti o n from Rim and th e Border Ranges , Warre n this year and sell ing for o ne dollar this o ur files : Enjoy Adelaide by bike, Life

36 Freewheeling 'i I THE FAR NORTH

I. 'I . . I I. . I P·--·-·-·.L·-·1

\ I ._,_ ___ . r ·-.__...... ,m ,rJer I •~ ges

I ENGLff11/£ ,

Barossa L_ V:alley I ...... ADELAIDE ""\, f ·v• .

Tourjng jn the land of Oz

Much of the continent of Australia is desert. The greener areas on the map indicate the wetter, cooler regions best for bicycle touring. The major national highway (number 1) circles the continent following close to the coast. It is an all-weather road with a sealed surface and is not recommended near heavily populated areas where usually a good alternative route is available. The eastern coastal regions and the South West of WA offer the best touring conditions throughout the year. Tasmania, the Snowy Moun­ tains and the High Plains areas of NSW and Victoria are best in the hot summer months while Queensland is fantastic during winter. Warren Salomon , 38 :44 Tropic table­ lands, Warren Salomon, 1 :21 Over the top , R . Hume , 20:49 The last road north , Pamela Newport, 25:25 Riding a road not long for this world, Melissa Johnson, 39:22 South East and Darling Downs: All in a days ride , Warren Salomon, 29:27 Bris­ boys to Binna Burra, Julian Barry, 8:27 Centra l and Burnett: Bicycling the Burnett - an alternative to the Big Bad Bruce, Kathi Beck, 30:53

West Australia The populated south west corner of this state is best for touring and offers tall eucalypt forests and unspoilt beaches B~ In It '. Adelaide city. Unfortunately Riders enjoy the rolling countryside of Gipps­ and the beautiful city of Perth. Most of this one 1s out of print but you may be land during the 1987 Caltex Bike Ride. the northern areas are sparsely popu­ lucky to pick up a copy in a tourist lated and have an extreme climate. The. centre in town; Historic Gaw/er de­ ~lanagan and Ian Grayson, central and south east are desert. scribes a bicycle tour around this ch~rm­ Richard 32:71 Riding to the Red Centre, Melissa A rticles published in Freewheeling i ng country town ; Bike about Noar­ Johnson, 38:19 The South West: Through the South lunga, tours in the outer Adelaide sub­ West , Neil and Janette Jones, 17:54 urbs; Unley H eritage Bicycle Route, Queensland T~e North: Two wheels across the top , Unley is an older suburb of Adelaide. Half of this state li es north of the Tropic Denis Montalbetti, 4:44 Bull-dust in the Articles published in Freewheeling Kimberleys, Neil and Janette Jones The Murray: Tracing the Murray and of Capricorn and is un suitable for sum­ mer riding. Most coastal areas are good 19 :58 Through th e Pilbara , Neil and travelling light, Ken Dyer, 33:65 Janette Jones, 18:39 for touring but the lack of quiet sealed The Nullarbor: Diet, drivers and de­ The N ullarbor: A Nullarboring Ride, roads is a problem. North of Roc­ sert, Neil Jones, 5:20 Nullarbor revi­ Ron Shepherd, 29 :21 Unicycling the Nul­ khampton there is no alternative route sited, Neil and Janette Jones, 16:26 Nul­ larbor, Greg Thayne, 14,33 larbor crossing, Denis Montalbetti , 3: 17 to the busy Bruce Highway. Articles published in Freewheeling The North and the Northern Territ­ Tasmania ory: Cycling the Oodnadatta Track, Far North: A tropical bicycle holiday, Because of its cold climate touring in Tassie is not advisable during the winter months. However, its mild summer cli­ mate makes it one of the most popular touring destinations for mainland Aus­ tralians and international visitors. The East Coast road should not be missed. A Tasmanian touring guide book was published in the early 1980's but is no longer avail able . E lsewhere you may find the odd guide leaflet on selected individual routes and localities. Articles published in Freewheeling General: Taking Tassie solo, Greg Bousfield, 5:28 Touring Tassie , Carmel Rider, 40:65 The East Coast: Riding Tasmania 's East Coast, a ten page guide by Warren Salomon, 8:15 A Tasmanian Tale , Frank Let Richards, 33:70 Christie Cycles Bicycle A ustralia plans to eventually put you in the publish guides to all of its routes span­ ning the country. Write to them for pre­ picture liminary details. I Before you set out on your next bicycle adventure talk to Ian or Richard I the touring and tandem experts at Christie Cycles. With over 25 years I Specialist mail order suppliers I cumulative bicycle touring experience I Bicycle Institute of NSW: 802 George St. Sydney NSW 2000. Phone: (02) 212 I ~:;•::r--::~~~~~~;:~;~: GI HIIS 111 1 5628. Write to them for their free stock I lifetime. So come in and experience I and price list. I the friendly helpful service that only a THE TOURING AND TANDEM EXPERTS I Bicycle Australia: PO Box K499 I recognised export in the field can 85 Burwood Rd Hawthorn VIC 3122 Haymarket NSW 2000:- Send two dol­ deliver. Phone (03) 818 4011 I lars for catalogue (this is refunded on first order). JB·------· Freewheeling ADVENTURES OFA PEDALLING PALATE Bic1Jcle travel

A gourmet's tour of north eastern Victoria. by WARREN SALOMON Morning, and two members of the Bogong Jack group climb the gentle hill out of the NE Victorian town of Yackandandah.

Freewheeling J9 Gourmet touring in NE Victoria. Clockwise from the top: Riders enjoy the superb views and fresh autumn air before plunging down into the Indigo valley on their way to Chilton. Yackandandah is a beautiful town and its streets are planted with avenues of deciduous trees. In Autumn the town is ablaze with colour and is one of' the stops on Bogong Jack's other longer tours called aptly: The Golden North East. The last evening of our tour was spent in this historic hotel in Rutherglen. Cyclists travel on their stomachs and picnic lunches were always a treat pro­ vided for us by our hosts Andrew and Carol Stenhouse. Wayne and Kim are the lucky ones tucking into the food. Photos by the au­ thor.

40 Freewheeling T was mi d a ft e rnoon as we e me rged Late r that evening o ur group reassem­ trave l busi ness Bogong J ac k Ad ve n­ fro m the fo rest a t th e top o f the b le d in the fro nt ha r o f the ho te l a nd tures. T he busin ess is owned and o r c r­ I Baranduda Ra nge above the hi storic fro m the re we wa lke d up the de serte d a tc d b y A ndre w a nd Carol Stc nho usc town of Yac ka nda nda h . In fro nt o f u s ma in street t o the C a fc Yacka nda nda h. from the ir cottage in O xley a s mall vil ­ the road sloped ge ntly downwards to the The re we were met by o ur hosts Fay a nd lage o n the o utskirts o fWangaratta . town . Furthe r o n , across the vall ey, the G reg Love w ho ha d m oved up from I a rri ved in ' Wa ng' o n a cloudy Mon­ fo rest clad hump of Mt Big Ben m arked Me lbo urne some mo nths ago. G reg is a d ay m o rning in May to mee t m y four the beginning o f a s uccessio n of mo un­ chef by professio n a nd so the Cafc Yack' touring compa nions. Our tour was the ta in ranges tha t rose highe r a nd hi ghe r is the realisation o f an o ld dream . last cycle trip of the season so the g roup to· eventua ll y b ecome the Vi cto ri a n Our to ur of the North East w as billed was s mall : two couples , Michael and A lps. as a Gourme t Bi cycle Tc, ur. We we re no t Shirlee fro m N e w Z eala nd , Wayne a nd I h a d p assed this way six years ago disappo inted a nd that night , in tiny Yac­ Kim fro m S ydney; Andrew Stcnhousc a nd as we roll e d down through the av­ ka nda nda h , I was de li ghted t o discover a nd myself. e nue o f E uropean trees o n High Street a tha t even fin e food can b e fo und in a n On the first day o ut Andre w set the fl ood of me mo ri es spille d into my con­ O z country town . (The re's ho pe yet for routin e fo r the rest o f the trip. Our scio usness . I sho uldn't t e ll you this but Ke mpsey, I tho ught). mo rnings wo uld sta rt with a look a l the Yack' (as the locals ca ll it) is my favour­ For m a in course I o rde red t rout. The maps a nd a brief description of the ride . ite A ustrali a n small country town . I'm a North East is re nowned fo r its trout and The n w e wo uld se t o ut to o ur agn:c·d city boy at h eart but if I e ver m oved t o mine cam e to the table immacul a te ly meeting po int w ith Andre w foll owing the country to li ve it would have to be presente d a nd cooke d in a bl a nke t o f along somewhe re in the background . Yack . pastry. The acco mpa nying vegetables Our first d ay o n the road w as to be a n The High Stree t i s lined with modest we re a lso do ne to perfecti o n. e asy wa rm-up o f 34 km consisting of a brick buildings , no thing too fl a m­ By the e nd o f a magnificent dinner I loo p o ut to Mil awa a nd back . By mid boyant , and all with wide awnings push­ was read y to ta ke up reside nce in Yac­ mo rning a ft e r a n easy ride we a rrived at ing o ut to wa rds the pla ne trees which ka nda nda h but to m o rrow we we re the Brown Brothe rs wine ry in the tiny line the main sho pping block . Opposite promised even be tter visua l a nd culinary setilc me nt o f Milawa. We we re me t b y the 1861 brick P ost Office is the Me mo­ treats. "Andre w, can it get b e tte r !" By o ne o f the Brown Brothe rs' sales sta ff ri al Garde ns w he re I h a d lunched wi th the next eve ning the a nswe r t o my ques­ who a lso ha ppe ne d t o be o ne of the ir fri e nds o n the we ll ke pt lawns d uring my ti o n w o uld be a resounding yes but by small -farm supplie rs. ori gin al ride through the a rea. the n o ur to ur would be a lmost a t a n Fo ll owing a to ur o f the winc ry we T he town ha d c ha nge d little s ince e nd. Pe rhaps I sho uld reall y start at the we re s hown into a priva te tasting roo m the n . Some o f the buildings ha d b een beginning. a nd give n a taste to ur o f the ir range o f re novated and give n a coat of paint and fin e wines. THE GRAND BICYCLE TOUR OF N.E. VICTORIA (A) S d• ys/4 nights the main street h ad recently been r esur­ Join in Wongorolta our mos! pooulor tovr. a charming mi.xh ire of history, Now I d o n't regard myse lf as a wine scenelden.. monThs. w a ttles D10om1ng 1n spung11me & The d a nda h ( the bo tto m pub) a nd we re C>rllliant calOufs al autUTln IOf whleh !he areo IS IQn"\OJS VISII Wongarollo swill to be drunk fro m h o rrible plasti c MyrtlelOfd , Yockondandoh. BeechwQflh & l?ulherglen shown t o o ur rooms by o ur Bogong Jack S374 - 21 Sep . 50cl , lQ87 S4 11 -18APf . 2 Mav, lQ Seo 3 Ocl . 1988 imitati o n wine glasses. guide A nd rew Ste nho use. The hote l had 5452 - 10 24 April. 1 Moy, 1989 T he Brown Bros to ur came as a s ur­ CYCLE NED KELLY COUNTRY (BI 7 days/6 nights a frie ndl y re laxed f eel t o it typical of In 1880 Austroll<'.n mos! nolOftOvs t>ushlonge, Ned l(ehv was caoiured at prise. I even f e lt afte rwa rds tha t I had Glerwawon He & hts gong roamed thts scenic counir..- on hOfseoack we many o f the timbe r country pubs which , rediscover l r.etr haunts ov b1cvcle aeporhng Wango,ana ana v1s 111ng learned a g reat d eal abo ut wine Glervawan. Gie to. Poreoonkoh. Mt Buflolo plQ!eau B11gn1. Towongo . So by fo rtuna te ly, have no t b een ravaged by Yockondondoh & BeechwOfl h th 5490 - 5 0ct . 2 Nov. 1987 e time we se ttl e d d o wn to the ba r­ march o f twentieth century progress. 5520 - 18 Apt~ 2 M o y, 3, 31 Oct .. 1988 5562 - 13 Ma, . 3 ADI . 22 Mov. 1989 becue lunch pre pa red fo r us in the picnic ALPINE PANORAMA (8) 7 days/6 nights B y now it was 4 pm and the rest o f the We dnve 10 Folts C,eek to commence on e xhlloro11ng 230 km circU1t al Bogorg a rea by Andre w I could te ll the diffe r­ Nal!QnOI Paik on rn()\J)I01n bikes Soectocular views rushc conlemen·s huts. group ha d l e ft to e xplo re the town . I SU"l"lmel Wlk::l flOwers & the mogrv1tCent sllerce al camotng out n Viclor10 s e nce in taste be tween Chc nin Blanc a nd hghesl alpine country. Los t r.ghl ~ xur101e tn me OUldOOr soa. pQOI & wel· fo ll owed , but my interest that afte rnoon OP(X)lnled occorrvncx:JallQn ,n Ml Beo.Jtv. It-en drrve lo Waf'QOfo!la to Cha rdo nn ay. conclude Visit Fels Creek. Oneo. [)mer Plain. Haltom & Ml Beauty was pho togra phic. Ma ny of the la rger 5504 - 1. '}Q Feb 21 Mor . 1Q88 5155 - 6. 27 Feo lQ69 O ne o f the m c>S t de lici o us privil eges stree t trees were a t their colo urful best OVENS VALLEY MEANDER (A) S daysJ4 nights o f o ur private tasting was to be a bl e to One way c ycle to The loolhtUs of the Alos. line views tram s1or1 to llnosh Lodge a nd in fa ding golde n sunlight I m oved & pUb occommodoton. 11onsoortolt0n OOCk to Wongarona V1s1 1 Mvrtlelord. compa re the thic k h o neyed t aste o f a PorepUnkOh. B11ghl, Word~tgOng. Hofllelv~le q ui ckl y to capture o n fi lm the be st o f 5374 - 260cl . 23 Nov . 1967 S411 - \4 Mor . 25 API . 23 Mcv 2.4 Oct 21 Nov 12 limited r e lease C ha rdo nnay, which h ad Dec . 1Q88 S452 - 13 Mor .. 17 AD' 15 Mov. 1Q8Q

Yacka ndandah's a utumn. RUTHERGLEN WINERIES WEEKEND (A) 2 days/2 nights bee n m a ture d in Ge rm a n oak casks , Yack was never a large town (it's cur­ Two days o l tun sampling line wines (tne orea D'Oduces some 01 Auslroho's with its counte rpart mature d in Fre nch ~~m~~t ~~~J! .~lv ~;i.. ~h:~~~~~,°:~ v~,~~~~~ 1~~~~ s~ re nt po pulati o n is 800) and it is re ma rka­ oak. T ho ug h th e Brow n Bros winc ry ~i::!tW ~~: ~7~,:r'{d7~r~t •~~~:~slcw,c sen,ng of b le tha t a lmost a ll of its ha lf dozen S1 68 - 2. 23 Oct . 6. 20 Nov . 4 Dec . 1987 seeme d t o be a ve ry professio na ll y run S180- d, 18 fvk>r . 8. 2QApt . 13,27Moy 23 .JOSepl . 210cl . 11 25Nov . 2 Dec IQ68 streets have been pla nte d with ave nues S195 - 20 Jon, 3. 31 ~r . 21 AD' . 5 1Q Mov. IQ89 esta blishme nt I got the impression th at of m agnifice nt d eciduo us trees . H o w MILA WA WINERIES WEEKEND (A) 2daysl 1 night the Bogong Jack groups are g ive n extra Our easiest iltnerorv. 10 am sto,t So lu,aov ,n Wongoror1a lunch 01 the Old could this have come a bo ut? Plough Inn. To rro w 1r,gee, v1s1t c rort gallery lour 8, toshno;;i 0 1 1he lornous Brown red-carpe t treatme nt. Needless to say Bi as Wtnery, before o swim & soo or our overnight mote! Dnc on 1,r;e 5,.,.,,s s I A t d us k I fo und a cafe in the CUISll'le al the Old Emu !M (cos I nol included) On Sllndov v•s1t o mus lard !arm. Hig h poll8fy goterv & ~• w1ne1ies at Oxley conckJd1ng o le1suie1v weekena nv 4 have since spe nt time searching the ho t­ S tree t w hi ch a lso served as the local pm tn Wongoialto (Oohonol Ffid Accornrn S70) SI05 - 1Q Sept 17 Oct . 14 Nov . 5 Dec 1987 ti e s ho ps o f Sydney looking fo r the now S11 5 -16Jon, 26Mor . 16APl . 7 21Mov 15 ?QOct 5 to Nov )l)E.>c" IQP.R to urist info centre . There , over a reason­ SIJO - 14 Jon 18 Ma, . 8 15. '1Q ADI . 13 Mov IQ89 fa mili a r B rown's la be l. It just goes to ably good cup of coffee, I discove red a show; if you m ake high qualit y p roducts leafl e t whi ch p rovide d m e with the a ns­ O GONG J ack's five-d ay Grand a nd yo u d o n't treat your custo me rs like wer. It see ms tha t the o ri ginal d esigne r Bicycl e Tour o f Victoria's North cretins t hey will support you in the e nd . of Me lbourne 's Bo ta ni c Garde ns ha d B East was o ri g in a ll y d u bbed the We re turn e d t o o ur mo te l in Wa n­ influe ntial re lati ves in the town and was Gourmet's To ur of the N E by its particip­ garatta o n dus k . I r e alised tha t a ft e r­ respo nsible fo r the pla ntings . I coul d a nts o f some years ago. T he To ur is o ne noon that o ne o f the majo r b e nefits o f think of no better gift to the future than of a numbe r o f o ne -day, weeke nd a nd hav in g A ndrew shadow us in his 4-whccl Dr van Mulle r's magnificent trees. week-lo ng to urs run by the a d venture drive suppo rt ve hicle was tha t i didn't

Freewheeling 4/ o ur group members often the o nl y oc­ cupants of sleepy dining rooms. We had a morning to spend exploring Beechworth before Andrew joined us fo r lunch in Victoria Park so Kim , Wayne and I set off on a cycle ride along the Gorge road. There is a lo t t o see in Beechworth and o n this trip l realised fully how little I had seen during my last visit. Victori a Park in the centre of town is a wonderful place for a picnic lunch and this fact was not missed by th e many bus tour operators who visit the town. Con­ sequently we shared the park with a half dozen bus loads of tourists. We kept to a far corner and basked like seals in the warm sunshine while Andrew served up fresh quiches , G reek salad and ho me made cake washed down with tea and coffee from a t hermos. The road to Yackandandah was not difficult (its mostly down hill) a nd by mid afternoon we were settling into our hotel in the main street of this sleepy as being a trifle o bsessiv e have to limit my fine wine purchases to regarded little town. n my bike. about the low daily distances. what I could safely carry o Day fo ur began with a s low climb we dined well at Peter's Incidentally, Bogong Jack's seven-day That evening back up the range in bright autumn sun­ in Wang. Bogo ng Bushranger Cycle Tour better caters fo r Cellar 47 restaurant shin e. O n t op we pa used for a drink usually given the fitness ori ented rider with dai ly dis­ Jack tour participants are break (lemon barley water drink was the consists tances of between 50 a nd 80 km. The a special menu which generally favo urite of the tour) before setting off e of each of the trip covers more of the beautiful North of selection from thre down a deserted bitumen road into the we had the full East too. courses. In sqme cases picturesque Indigo valley. As we headed always the stan­ We a rrived in Beechworth and were menu to chose from and further to the north the countryside . take n t o o ur rooms in Tanswell's Com­ dards were high broadened out and we had left the hills comparing this tour mercial H otel in the main street of this I couldn't help and mountain ranges well behind by the I h ad done in North­ National Trust preserved town. After I with a similar trip time we reached our lunch stop at Chil ­ r. I had had changed out of my riding clothes I ern Queensland the previous yea ton. look­ set off around town to see as much of its coin bed the Atherton Tablelands Here we had lunch by a National Trust nable' coffee sho p . I beautifully preserved buildings as I ing for a ' reaso ho use (origin all y the residence of the Sydney it is not could before dark . I h ad been in didn't find one. Even in novelist Henry H a nde l Ri cha rdson) deep north; im­ Beechworth during the Easter holiday an easy task but in the whi ch overlooked an artificial lake near ng J ack break six years ago and at that time of possible . Though our Bogo th e centre of the town. The main street the best eating the year the town was crawling with vis­ itinerary took us to of Chilton basked in the hot midday sun cafes along the itors. This time of the year the o nl y houses even the loca l and seemed to us like the set of a turn­ a nd ca­ crowds o n Ford Street and Albert Road way were more cosmopolitan of-the-century movie as we cycled a better way that were the hoards of Stackhatted kids tered for travellers in through bound for o ur evening s top s of the cycling home from school. those in the so-call ed tourist trap over at Ruthergle n. deep north. After my tour of inspection I fo und a The next morning found us out on the coffee shop a nd sat in the fading sun­ T'S almost sunset now and as I sit on open road unde r a n immaculate blue li ght by a window writing postcards to the top balcony of the impressive autumn sky cycling towards the old gold fri e nds a nd drinking e ndless cappuc­ I Victoria Hotel in Rutherglen the sky mining town of Beechworth. By lunch ci nos. Ah, bliss! to the east is changing colour from pink time we had begun to tackl e the foothills Evening and the dining room of the down to a powder blue. l can just see of the range which sheltered the historic Commercial brought more blissful mo­ the dark blue bulk of the Baranduda town and Andrew decided it was time to me nts. The pi ece de resistance of my Range rearing up from fl at plain like a pause for a break. evening was the desert: a bombe consist­ sleepin g giant and somewhere beyond I will never forget that lunch . There ing of va nill a ice cream (with a choco­ that the township of Yackandandah is we we re sitting on o ur fold-up stools late centre), covered in cake crumbs and bedding down for the ni ght. under a giant gum tree with the wh ole of smothered in a rich butterscotch sauce. Tomorrow is a n easy (and flat) ride the Ovens River valley spread out at our By this stage we were well educated in back to Wang via more winerys and feet as we tucked into home made cream the art of fine wine selectio n a nd this quiet back roads . We visited a s mall of celery soup and wholemeal sand­ meal, as with a ll other dinners during Rutherglen winery on the way into -town wiches filled with interesting things such the trip, was accompani ed by a bottle or today. By this stage of the trip our group as: tomato and mint; avocado and chic­ two of the North East's fin est. was showing signs of 'winery overload'. ken ; and curried egg and sprouts. Breakfasts usuall y consisted of cereal T here's a limit to every thing, I thought. I was beginning to think that the re­ followed by bacon and eggs and the like . Soon it will be time to leave fo r dinner maining 12 km to Beechwo rth would Food in good quantities was a lw ays at the Shamrock restaurant, a short walk not be e nough to work off the food I had avail able but, compared to o ur sumptu­ down the main street. Andrew says it 's bee n consuming. Nobody e lse seemed o us dinners a nd delightful picnic one of the best eating houses in the state to mind and as I was the only o ne who lunches out on the road, our pub break­ and after the experi ence of the past four cycled on a daily basis I was probably fas ts were always low-key affairs with days who could doubt him. O

42 Freewheeling CYCLING THE VALLEY OF LAGOONS 8ic1Jcfe tourin9

Great touring in northern Queensland by STEPHEN HUNT HEN German naturalist and The unsurpassed Valley of Lagoons famed explorer Ludwig Leich­ selections (1270 square miles) were held W hardt discovered the headwat­ in partnership until 1864 by District ers of the Burdekin River in 1844 he Commissioner. George Elphinestone called it "The Valley of Lagoons" . Leic­ Dalrymple. Then under Walter and Ar­ hhardt, who vanished on his subsequent thur Scott , the lease was stocked and expedition , was moved to write of this developed at the cost of great financial valley, "is beautifully grassed, of great and physical hardship. In the 1870's they extent, and well provided with water. " were forced to sell off large portions of Such favourable description eventu­ land in an ultimately vain attempt to ally led, in 1861 , to the declaration of the recoup debt. Such a parcel , " Gun­ district of Ke nnedy, the entire catch­ nawarra" (Aboriginal for iittle house), ment of the Burdekin River being avail­ was taken up by James Atkinson. able to squatters for the selection of It had been my burning desire to leases. explore the Valley of Lagoons by bicy-

Freewheeling 43 cle. and in April this year I managed to route we dropped in at Minnamoolk a some ri o to usly good sto ri es until it hurt talk my wife. Susan. and our friend Bob Station. which overlooks a vast swamp too much to la ugh. Pohlmann into joining me. teeming with bird life . To o ur surprise the nex t morning greeted us with de nse fog which hung Little more than a day's drive took us to over the landscape. Thick dew lay on the and our bicycles the fifteen hundred wcck later Sue and I re turned valley by grass and soaked th e sa ndy surfaces kilometres from Bundabc rg to Gun­ cover the rest of the r which were more easily negoti ated now. nawarra Station . . After a pampered A bicycle . Having driven ove s, Six ho urs late r we reached o ur car in the overnight stay in the century old ho me­ three hundred kilo me tres from Cairn on mid aft e rnoon heat. The cool waters of stead . we set off on our loaded ··trcad­ camp was made beside the Burdekin ob­ Reedy Brook gave instant re li ef. That li cs·· (as Bob. who bad no cycle touring Reedy Brook Station (permission afte rnoon we drove back to Ravenshoe experience. put it) . ta in ed). to do some cycling o n the Atherton Our hosts. Delphic Atkinson and he r Under the full moon the la ndscape TablGlands. son Bim. were much less skcptical of our was mysterio us ly illumina ted and ap­ the com­ plans than I ha d expected. a nd said peared as it must h ave before -\cress to Gunnanarra and The \'alley of ing of white man. No artificial feature o r other cyclists had passed this way Lagoons through to the coastal town of Cardwell. light could be seen beyond our own Along this route Blcncoc Creek drops camp. We a rri ved at Gunnawarra by car, but it brought us 400 metres into the Herbert River Cycling next morning soon is within a day"s cycling dista nce from e Gorge. to a large la ke . with black swans. On th the railhea d at R avens hoe (85 s Rather than do this. we took a turn other side was the Valley of Lagoon kilometres away). The railmotor leaves pite o ur off heading south through the heart of Homestead complex. D es Cairns on weekdays at 9 .;1 m a nd travels to intrude a nd the Valley of Lagoons. This road was curios ity we chose not via Kuranda and Atherton. The tra in designated as the National Horse Trail. pus he d on over a bit o f range quite carries bicycles. Accommodation is For Sue and I it was our first experie nce ava ilable a t Raven shoe a nd there is of cycle touring Oil natura l road sur­ good food at the "Popular Cafe". faces . in re mote areas with very little Follow the Ke nnedy Highway to Mt traffic .... only a few cars per day. All my Garnet township, detouring to see the expectations were exceeded. the Mills tream Fall s. Gunnawarra road weather was pleasantly overcast. turns off 4 kilometres west of Garnet. We made good time o n sometimes Food and accommodation is avail able a t corrugated roads and found o ther road Mt Garnet a nd lnnot Hot Springs e n­ users (none of them tourists) fri e ndly route. Lakeside camping is avail able by and helpful. Above a ll else the attrac­ prior a rrangeme nt at Gunnawarra. tion is the natural e nvironment . which Alternatively, Bim Atkinson will pick appears not to have changed much de­ up homestead guests fro m as fa r away as spite a century of cattle grazing. For a Cairns o r Townsvill e . This is expe nsive lover of cucalypts it is heaven . and I but inclusive of food a nd alcohol, etc. apprecia ted the beauty of open g um Finally, the twice weekly bus service forest as I have neve r before. Mono tony from Cairns to Croydo n passes through did not arise as the forest offered a con­ Mt Garnet and Mt Surprise. tinual variety depe nding on soil and the Gunnawarra to Ingham via the Valley abunda nce of water. of Lagoons is a pproxima te ly 250 A iming for Waltcr·s Plains Lake. be­ kilometres. Only the last 50 kil o metres side which I had once spent a me mora­ from Mt Fox (an extinct volcano) is sea­ ble night camped. we were disappointed led . This includes a very lo ng winding to find it now dry. We were forced to a nd s tee p d escent o f th e precipito us continue to Wairuna Homestead on the Seaview Ra nge. An alte rnative , longer Burde kin Rive r to obtain water. Wear­ route from Mt Fox via Wall aman Fa ll s is rived a t dusk. after cycling the last few unsealed, less steep , and passes through kilometres downhill throug h glorious thickly forested with ta ll ironbarks. At dense rainforest. Wall a man is Australia's forest in top gear. The homestead. situ­ the turnoff to Wairuna we came across a largest a nd most beautiful waterfall. ated on a knoll. is surrounded by la­ road grading team who had drive n from Ingh a m is I 10 kil o me tres no rth of goons: a breathtaking positio n . We ob­ Charters Towers th a t mo rning (four Townsville o n the Bruce Highway a nd taine d permission to camp and then hours) . It was nice to know there was rail line . All facilities a re available, ex­ 1 cooked dinner. After dinner we star­ someone e lse o ut in the wi lderness a nd cept a specia li st bicycle shop gazed before re tiring to sleep soundly after a chat o ur e nthusiasm was re­ Gunnawarra to Cardwe ll via the Her­ aft e r the days 86 kilometre ride. newed. bert Ri ve r crossin g a nd Ble ncoe Falls On waking. the la ndscape was ablaze The afternoon sun was beginning to (good camping s pots) is 155 kil o metres with early morning sun. The black swans tell before we re ache d th e Burdck in mostly unsealed . Gradients are gentle . and reflections o n the la goo n were Pl a ins . Betwee n beautiful sta nds of Cardwe ll has most facilities and is a de­ magic. A small he licopter used for mus­ Moreto n Bay Ash and Bluegum coursed part ure point fo r r eef a nd isla nd trips. terin g li fted off. several channels. We s topped on a log The regio nal office o f th e National We could now sec two options. eithe r bridge to dangle ou r feet in the deep Parks a nd Wildlife Service sho uld not be to return to Gunnawarra . or head cool water. Other channels were dry or missed. further down the va ll ey to the road junc­ a lm ost dry and unbridged. We were Owing to remoteness a nd harsh road tion . turn cast and trave l t o In gha m . forced to walk our bikes through the soft conditio ns o nl y experie nced cycli sts on Bob was complaining of a sore bu~. our sa nd . durable touring or m ountain bikes, with suppli es of food were low. and we were Soo n we reached Wa iruna. Thee l­ a ppropria te spa res . should a tte mpt e booked on a rafting trip in two days. So de rl y care ta ker in vited us to dinner and these routes. May to September a re th s we returned to Gunnawarra rather tha n ia te r two me n. contract bull catchers. best mo nths, bearing in mind the ni ght attempt 170 kilometres to In gham . E n- dropped in for a yarn. We li stened to are cold in June and July.

44 Freewheeling Above: Setting up camp at dusk in the Valley of Lagoons. Below: Cooling off in the Her­ bert river. Opposite: the spectacular Blencoe creek falls which drop into the gorge formed by the Herbert river. Previous page: Some of the good earth formation roads used by the author and his friends during their tour of the Valley of Lagoons area. Photos by the author.

~ iI5 CJ 0 ~ ~ !:!; CJ if ..

Valley of Lagoons Reedy Brook Stn-:-\ Mt Fox (Extinct Volcano) :' ,-;.

Freewheeling 4S "Holy grit," thought Georgie as she Jay hidden by the roadside in a modest blouse, watching the whirring machinery. "What are they doing to the road?" THE MILDLY RECOGNIZABLE FOUR IN THE MYSTERY OF THE CYCLING HOLIDAY A crackin9 900d holidalJ adf/enture by Phil Somerville

46 Freewheeling , , W HY is it all red, Sparky?" ous adventures. You'll be swell!" "Heck, Sparky enunciated the route casually Sparky Ovaltines's clean, thanks Sparkers." with a deftly moving finger upon the manicured fingers held Georgina was the only daughter of unfurled map. down the yellow curling edges of the civilised English parents. Her father was "Looks spiffo! " whooped Tubby," But Robinson's map of Australia as the three Nigel Swaithwaite-Hyphen , the re­ do they have mayonnaise in the North­ young people huddled about the kitchen nowned Sussex earthworm magnate. He ern Territory?" tabletop studying it with excited eyes. had brought his family out to the anti­ Georgie interrupted. "Spider wants to Known as 'Sparky' because of his podes ten years ago and with a modest come." passionate interest in science and an stipend purchased 5 ,000 acres in the Spider was a dark horse to the others. intuitive gift for invention he was usu­ area which he eventually built up into a He was tall and gangly with deep set ally the object of his friends' continuous successful worm stud. eyes and spiky hair upon which small inquiries. His hungry mind was part of Georgie had grown up on the prop­ birds occasionally impaled themselves. his inheritance. His father was Sir Nip­ erty with the bracing health and unpre­ He spoke in short words, grunts and per Ovaltine, respected founder of tentious handwriting that only life in the wheezes. He had been abandoned by his Oval tine Techno-Biotronics, the well rural outdoors can offer. parents who, shortly after his birth, had liked chemical conglomerate and ham­ She was trim and boyish of frame , their door locks changed. He was later burger chain. From as early as the age of with close cropped black curls and an warded to a State orphanage where he six Sparky had been initiated by his dad unpainted , fresh face . She was jolly and lived for twelve years until it mysteri­ into the magical world of smelting and energetic. All of which, in fact , main- ously burned to the ground. vivisection. Mr and Mrs Swaithwaite-Hyphen adopted the misbegotten youngster. "That means it is part of the British Soon he and Georgie became close pals Empire. This map's a trice old but essen­ and looked out for each other. tially good enough for our purpose here, " ls he sure he wants to come on the "Sparky explained. ride , Georgie?" "Gosh!" rejoined Tubby, "Do you re­ "Yes, Tubby. He's been in the dol­ ally think we can bicycle right around drums ever since his Shetland pony mys­ Australia over the summer hols? I've teriously burned to the ground last heard it is full of long distances .... " month. This sounds just the tonic for "A few Tubby. However, much of it is him! " "Fine," rounded Sparky. "Then exaggerated by a well meaning but un­ it's set. Now there's plenty for us to get fortunately corrupt press. Certainly we ready before we leave tomorrow - pan­ can do it. We're young and most of us niers, tool kits, food and maps, full den­ can read." tal check-up and lots of hot baths and Tubby Grimes' face was covered by a brisk toweling! " And , before anyone comforted smile followed closely by sev­ suspected, it was dawn the next morn­ eral avocado and mayonnaise sand­ ing. The four gathered at the cattle grid wiches, an endless supply of which near Mill Pond crossroads. ushered from one of the fathomless "Grand to see you Spider," Sparky pockets circumscribing the baggy khaki expostulated hoping to put the pale shorts he wore everywhere. youth at ease. The two lads had been chums since "Shnorph!" came the answer. early schooldays at Clearasil High "Tubby, have you got the compass?" School where Tubby, slightly fitter then, "Right here." had played scrum for the year seven pie "Great! I've got regional maps of our eating team. Though occasionally sepa­ route which I surveyed, drafted and rated by flatulence the boys had shared Tubby fet'erlsh/y tore open his mail hand printed last night after cricket many adventures ever since. while Sparky stood back with correct practice." He pointed his well scrubbed Bicycling was their binding passion . posture. "It's mayonnaise!" he arm north. They had seen many parts of the district "Off we go then!" on their faithful machines , enjoyed whooped. many challenges together and not in­ HEY mounted their two frequently aided the local constabulary wheeled vehicles and pushed off in the fight against crime by picking up a tained for the two lads the comforting T with powerful strokes, their col­ thick brown envelope from the racet­ illusion that she was a boy. It was only lective polished white teeth glinting off rack each Sunday evening for their good the sun's strengthening rays. Spider's friend Sergeant O'MacRafferty. one of these straight- talking sallies that jolted them from the fantasy. one tooth reflected what it could. "Well , l'm glad you're both so confi­ "Don't forget," she reminded,"We've In what seemed like only one parag­ raph the quartet of chums arrived on the dent," interjected Georgina, "But what all got to be back in March to commence about me? I'm a girl. What if my hor­ invaluable tertiary education. And , southern perimeter of a great met­ mones muck up or something during the Sparky, you've got to return in time to ropolis. ride?" take over the laser and surgical "So , this is Sydney! " chimed Georgie. Tubby flushed scarlet. He had never appliances division of your Dad's com­ She glanced at a newspaper hoarding quite gotten used to the raw, open talk pany. Remember, punctuality pays! " slanted against a shop front nearby of contemporary young women and usu­ "Two weeks will be plenty of time," as­ FOUR MORE JUDGES ally felt awkward and annoyed. Tim re­ sured Sparky. "I've worked out a route scued his chum from the jaws of the un­ schedule on this laptop computer I built CAUGHT IN MEDI-REAL comfortable pause with a quick re­ yesterday before breakfast. Barring any ESTATE CHILD PORN sponse. punctures, rest days or unnecessary RING! "No need to worry, Georgie. You've toilet stops, I calculate we can do it with always managed the pace on our previ- 14 hours to spare." Weather: Fine to mild, Max: 32, Smog: Low

Freewheeling 47 " Right. We've got t o catch a train to greys. Soon they a li ghted and s ki pped ness," exto ll ed Sparky before disappear­ get through Sydney. Let's make it to the excitedl y to the baggage counter t o re­ ing into hi s tent . nea rest stat io n . " ex ho rted Spa rk y. claim the ir b icycles. T he a ttendant During the velvet black ni ght the four "A nd be ca reful of the s mog." wheeled o ut fo ur twisted tangles of ham­ youths s lept tranquill y. Georgie turned severa l times at some unknown ho ur, Switching o n the ir f ront la mps a nd mered m etal tubing a nd fu sed spokes. vague ly awa re in the mo me ntary half tappin g the paveme nt ahead with sti cks " What in heaven's name happened?" sleep of cl inking me tallic sounds a nd t hey wa lked the ir b ikes o nwa rd until blasphemed Tubby. guttural whi rrings of something mechan­ eventua ll y they reached a ra il way. lted a b it going " Must have been jo ica I. She placed it in the d o ma in of t he un­ ''I'll purchase the ti ckets," chirruped round the c urves ." offered dreaming a nd dozed calml y. the redoub table Tubby. H e lo pe d off groomed e mployee. "Sorry, but it ain't The new d ay d awned salmon and let a across the concourse. o ur responsibility. Yo u sho ul d have gold . T he me rry pals arose to see it , e tyres." "Where to, kid?" spat the ungroomed little a ir out of th breakfasted h eartily o n p orridge, tea, vendor behind the grill. Not wi shing to e mbarrass the unfo rtu­ toast and jam , then p acked up their be­ a n with cross words, the youths "Four adults a nd fo ur bicycl es please, nate m longings neatl y and moved off. salvaged their possessions a nd left. sir. We wa nt to get well o ut of the Syd­ "Say, that's funny," o bserved G eor­ ney district going north ." Sp a rky repaired m atters with a fe w gie. "Thi s road seemed pretty keen yes­ ll s , accurate ly reciting terday but now it feels a lot rougher." " Ri ght , that's fo ur to Brisbane then." quick pho ne ca hi s Maste rRace credit " Yes, there certainly a re a good d eal .. No," explained Tubby," We wa nt to the numbe r o n . Within ho urs re pl aceme nt bikes mo re potho les a ll of a s udden ," concur­ see some of the country on our bikes." ca rd a rrived b y s urf rescue he li copter and , red Sparky. " We sha ll have to keep the Ma itl a nd. T ha t'll be "Fin e. Try spirits re ple nished , the gay fo u rsome speed down to s ixty I'm afraid ." By the way, you can't t ake that $483.40. span north along the snug sealed road. T he morning calm ly segued t o noon pet o n board ," the ti cke t sell er ad­ he as the fo ursome effortlessly shi fted their m o nis hed poi nt ing across the way in T ha t evening, hudd led around t neat fi re that lit their fi rst pitched camp, gears. Spider's directi o n. ea n ?" asked Tubby surveyed the day's progress. " Wha t does segue m ''Oh no, sir, you're mistaken. He's my Tubby cocking a q ui zzical look in the about 320 kil o metres, thi s chum. T he fo ur of us a re cycling around " We did writer's directi on. afternoon. I can't beli eve it." Austra li a ." " It doesn't rea ll y ma tte r because '·No ki dd in g? I d id that m yself last " I know," perked Sparky," But it will there's Brisbane up ahead ," Sparky as­ East e r h o lidays . Hope the weathe r's take a fe w days to fin d o ur fi tness. T hen serted in dominating b ut approacha ble good. Here's your ti ckets." we can look forwa rd to some headway." to nes. 'And this is o ur first scheduled E nsconced in the No Smo king car­ T he joll y crew turned in earl y. mail drop. riage they wa tched the scenery sweep b y " Don't fo rget t o fl oss after brushing, Let's check the c ity post offi ce." Skill­ in a blur of changing brown, blacks and. people. Oral hygiene is everyone's busi- full y usin g sexta nt and s li de rule they

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48 Freewheelin'g made th eir way through th e labyrinth of ing th e direction of the d isturbance. She T was 6.45 and an unflinching dawn freeways and feeder roads occasio nall y e dged a lo ng the roadside a nd a round was ro lling o ut blue to a ll corne rs of taking time to a dmire the still beaut y of the first curve, co ming upo n some low I the sky before the boys were up and massive concre te pylons a nd rusting brush . A s he r eyes fo und the ir ni ght o rga ni sin g breakfast. Spide r w as th e abandoned ca r chassis. vi sion she could make o ut two or three first to make the di scovery. G eorgie bo unded into the o ld colo­ large vehicles with hydra ulic machinery " G eorgie ! Georgie , gone , urpfllt ni al sto ne Post Office while the othe rs attached . There were several dozen men brzzp . . .. " he e xpostul a te d , waving a waited outside patiently. Tubby absently also . They seemed t o be diggin g a t the wiry arm at th e o pen fl aps o f G eorgie's studied the local newspaper's fin ancial road , doin g some thing fevered ye t puce a nd cya n te nt. The o the rs darted pages for flu ctuations in his avocado methodical. in side. sha res while Spa rky rebuilt both hi s " Great J ove , the re's not a trace of wheels. "Holy grit! They appear t o be ... " But her," yelped Tubby. " So me things up . Its just no Soon she e me rged clutching a s mall before s he could fini sh he r th ought an t like Georgie to completely va ni sh int cache o f mail to her unassuming bosom. unseen furti ve arm swung be hind he r. o thin air in th e dead of ni ght without te The re were lette rs from home for both The bl ack ink o f unconscio usness lling us she a nd Sparky. Tubby tore open a small drenched her young body. first," ve xed Spark y. " Yo u're ri ght. He's in real tro stapled jiffy bag to reveal a fresh jar of uble ' " "She. C'mo n! Le t's check the ro mayo nnaise. Spider p erused a postcard ad for clues." which he had written and posted to him­ self in Maitland. " Shnorph!" it said on the back . A loud percussive thud behind broke the ir a tte ntion . A l a rge stee l ball o n a cable a rced gracefull y into the s ide wall a nd bull nose roof of the Post Office. Sto ne fragme nts s plinte red p ast the ir ALLEN FOLDING UNIVERSAL BIKE RACK heads. BY GRAECROSS "Oi! " yell ed a masculine voice from a crane's cockpit," Out of the way, you kids. We're knocking this pl ace down for a new freeway toll booth. Now, bowl ya hoops!" " Hurry, we mustn't provo ke progress," Sparky a dvised judiciously. "Let's continue our journey inl and. "

In a short time, after a balanced lunch a nd a brisk t owe ling, the test y teens Folded Size we re pedalling e ffici ently along o pe n 460 mm x 665 mm x 100 mm. plains and over forested ranges alike. At twilight they pitched their tents a midst the s teamy sentine ls of a tropical rain­ • Carries multi pi e bicycles. forest. • Fits any car. station w agon, van or utility of Australian or foreign make. Dusk lowered and presently the co n­ • Comes completely assembled ­ tented smacking sounds of youngs te rs folds flat for easy storage. e nj oyin g scrumptious servings of • Goes on and off the car in seconds. rp ayo nn a ise fritte rs e choed a bo ut th e • Four large-area, flat rubber feet to forest's loins. protect your car. "This trip ma kes me reali se wh a t a • Protected bicycle suppQrt fn1me swe ll la nd we've got for ourselves ," holds bicycles away from the car waxed Tubby in mell ow voice. and hot exhaust. " Ye p , it's a heck of a neat place ," • Exclusive design allows mounting Sparky harmoni sed . "Fields a nd vall eys, on tailgate of utility truck, on cars forests a nd ri vers, freeways and a con­ with spoilers, or on vehicles with scie ntious national postal system! " He externally mounted spare tyres. wiped a wayward tear from the corner of • Extra long carry arms. hi s eye. "C'mon, you scallywags , time to • Extra long bicycle support frame for large framed bicycles. hit the hay. We've got a big day to mor­ • Constructed from galvanized steel row if we're goin g to make D a rwin . tubing with vinyl covering on Good ni ght." carrying members. "Night ," ca me the sleepy chorus. A s s he lay snug in he r sleeping bag drifting towards sleep's a rms Georgie's head j ockeyed with events o f that d ay. She sank back into her n o n-all ergeni c pillow. At some unspecific mo me nt in Made in Australia under Licence to U.S .A . Pat. No. 451808. by Graecross. Australian Pat. Pend. N.Z. Pat. Pend . the ni ght she could hear the crane in her dreams. She a wo ke . The low muffle d Available from your Bicycle Specialist Store sound of machinery continued. Trade enquiries to Graecross Industries (Aust.) Pty. Ltd. Finding s ome sensibie shoes a nd a modest blouse she left her tent, fo ll ow-

Freewheeling 49 The aroused lads scoured the area of in holes, cracks and chasms so as to jus­ is over," s napped Sparky, judicio usly th e road. tify its own existence and to g uarantee trimming the last of hi s toenails, " Yo u "Hey, this road sure is in bad shape. its f uture s urvival. It's how a ll the state two villains are going to be put away Look at those potholes a nd a ll tha t- " road departments o perate . W e work where there's cold bricks a nd very little "Wait! I've fo und something, " inte r­ with each othe r. In fact you caught o ur sunlight for a long time.,. rupted Sparky. " It's a piece of dental people doing a little dishevelling for the " If you think yo u're sending us to floss . It's Gcorgic's, I know her brand." Queensland MRD." Melbourne you·ve got a nother think "Yo u unh ygien ic fi e nds! " Georgie coming,· kid . Yo u' ll have to kill us!" A ''And look over here, Sparky'" gasped stormecl."You'II never get away with it. creak of the door signalled the entrance Tubby clutching a large brass j agged­ The public will revolt. " of a new playe r to the scene. A pukka toothed pinion cog with a two me tre '' Not while th e re's televisio n quiz voice broke the tension. drive shaft attached. Sparky surveyed it shows. A nyway, th at's why we can't risk " Or pe rh a ps you four busy bodies carefull y. le tting you r each your next birthday." s ha ll have to s huffle off this mo rta l Gcorgie's. " We ll . this certainly isn"t He turned on hi s heel casting a sideways coil! " Sparky's tanned head turned, His H e r 's is iron . Wa it . here's a n address glance at hi s lackey. mouth froze in shock. stamped on th e fl a nge . 163 Capricorn · "Do your un savoury work, Carson ," " I'm truly sorry it had to be you who st clue. Hurry, St, Darwin. Ri ght. o ur fir he cackled evill y. fo und us out, son. I sha ll always gri eve fellows . We've got to get to Darwin be­ as much ," said Sir Nipper Ovaltine·. fore the next sente nce! " ''Dad! But why are you here?" * * :;: * " Someone ha d to mastermind this " He's kind of pretty. e h. boss?" ope ra ti o n. I set this up years ago with "She. you fool. Yes - pretty and med­ the various roads departments. A little dlesome!" "Look, I think she's coming hard se ll here, a little money the re and around.·· everyone was agreeable. It's goqd fpr Georgie regain ed consciousness as if the m a nd it's better for me . Most of slowly ho istin g herself from a deep pit. Ovaltine Techno-Biotronics' income He r eyes gradua ll y focused o n two these days comes from government con­ me nacing figures half clrapccl in sickl y tracts to build black a nd yellow signs ye ll ow iight from the o pe n doorway to sayin g, 'Caution - R"ad Works Ahead' a11 o uter room. Her hands a ncl feet were It 's a multi-million dollar turnover and firmly bound by her own dental floss. not even m y own offspring is going to upset this gravy train . Sorry, so11. it's "Where am I?" she inquired blearily. nothing personal. It's money." ''In the belly of tlie dragon , you mi ght say, .. came the bari"tone ye t unattractive All the h appy me mories of s ha re d voice . Georgie's head clear1o cl. moments with hi s boy smelting a nd viv­ "Talk properly. Whp are you?" she cle­ isecting were pushed· to the back Oval­ mancl ccl. tine's mind as hi s brandy soaked finger began to sq ueeze the trigge r of the "Very well. Those who arc about to Luger. At that moment something hard die have th e right to cljne o n a little nudged hi s spine. kn owlccl gc. I am Count Ooze Phlegmly. "I suggest yo u put th a t o n the I h ead the Po li cy ancl Pl anning Secti on. sid e boa rd , Sir Nipper," came the soft You are in a clank cell ar within the Trans­ brogue of Sergeant O'MacRafferty. port a nd Works Deparf ment. .. ''Nice and easy now." Georgie s tared and lis tened in slowly "You? But how?" demanded the eme rgi ng horror. Phlegml y was tall and s,,m·l..'V quietly c,·ashe,I U11·011gh the twisted master villain . ga unt . His o il y ha ir was parted in the 11111,ton- am/ 01110 the noor 1wlse,1 like The policeman took the gun and fed it to both sides like indust­ miclcll e a nd fe ll a cat, lw,•rified to see his chum to Spider. rial runoff. He moved like a cobra. 11·11sse,t 1111 with her ow11 de111.al floss. "Simple. Tubby had taken several lib­ "A nd this is my amoral assistant. Car­ rary books on the preparation of mayon­ -son Noma." he continued. pointing hi s naise with him fo r the trip. They were a ri d in g crop at a sq uat balding ma n a l­ week overdue a nd I was sent to ap­ most bent double be neath a hump that prehend him. In the li ght of the s ub­ appeared to move at random within a T he misshapen cohort reached into a sequent events I think we ·can forget the putrefying black coat. hcssia n sack. withdrawing a cage of fine," the se rgeant winked. Tubby ·· why have you kiclnappe cl me'1" Welsh ferrets and an electric arc welding blushed. " Well. my clear. the ni ght crew made tool. when suclcle nl y a n adjace nt wi n­ that decision for themsel'ves. It appears dow cxploclecl in a s hower of glass. T he It was a clear. blue mo rning as the you s tumbled ~,cross o ur humble ac­ clear eyed faces of Georgie's three four adventurers pumped their bicycles tivities by accide nt last ni ght. You saw chums were framed there and in a trice with herculean strokes along the S tuart this Dcpartm!" nt's employees im planting they were in the cell ar poised like cats. Highway. A sli ght no rtherly breeze new po tho les in a section of the hi gh­ ·· Drop those tools of misery. you to usled their protein e nriched hai r. way. They were also doing a little surface badly postured rogue." Sparky insisted ''There's o ne thing I don't unde r­ cracking a nd sho ulder degrading ... polit ely. 'The jig is up ... stand.·· puzzled Georgie. " How did you "But why'1 Why a re you ruining the T he two crimin a l public se rva nts three get one tho usand kilometres from bea utiful roads that o ur gove rnme nts jerked their heads in credulo usly. o ur campsit e to the cellar in Darwin in arc buil ding?" "Where did you lo t come from?" his­ fo ur ho urs?" "Because. naive o ne. we are s imply sed th e Count , spittle flecking hi s coarse "Simple. We took the back way.''They carryi ng ou t governm e nt policy. T he beard. c!Juckl ecl in unison as they wheeled off Department's clay crews lay ,j ncl repair "From sound schoolin g a nd a whole­ into the vast reel landscape of Northern motor routes. while it s ni ght gangs put some home li fe . But the time fo r b anter Australia.

SO Freewhee/ing And rew Logan , winner of the 7986 Commonwealth Bonk Cycle Classic, rides Sun Tour with Accushift. BICYCLE TECHNOLOGY A DECADE Of PROGRESS

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54 Freewheeling THEBOGONG HIGH PLAINS

8ic1Jcfe tourin9

Cycling in Victoria's high country

by RAY PEACE

Fnrewhee/ing SS URING the hot summer months 1984 , Eastern had developed a tradition Eebie Gary Higgins and Knox BTC of January and February Aussie of taking off somewhere for a week in member Lorraine Banks to make eight D cyclists are attracted, like the summer. The first had been to remote in all. A short itinerary soon did the omni-present march flies , to the high Mt. Skene and historic town of Woods rounds, including some ominous al ­ country of Victoria and New South Point, and the second in early 1986 to titude profiles. Wales. The raw natural beauty, the clean scenic South Gippsland. Towards the We met at Spencer St station early on air and spectacular scenery are good end of 1986 a certain Rob Kenyon , the first Sunday of the New Yea r and by enough reasons to put up with the grind­ whose unused annual leave started these lunch we were in a sultry Wodonga. Our ing climbs, bumpy roads, swarms march tours off, became enamoured with the first nights' destination was the historic flies , mosquitos and unpredictable idea of crossing from the NSW border at weather. In any given summer it is usual Wodonga to Bairnsdale in Gippsland via to find cyclists riding solo, in couples or the Falls Creek ski resort, the high in larger groups, rattling across the high plains and historic Omeo. country. The usual snowball effect within the \ In the summer of early 1987 it was the club soon added Dave, Dick, Adrian turn of Melbourne's Eastern Bike Tour­ and Glenn (Flash) Flood to the original· ing Club, the "Eebies", to traverse the duo. Word got around other cyclists in Victorian Bogong High Plains. Since the city, and this lobbed in occasional

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56 Freewheeling We got off the highway again as soon was an even an occasional downhill. We This tourer pauses during his approach to the as possible a t Gundowring Junction , encountered one mid morning just spectacular Bogong High Plains area. dive rting onto the back road via Mor­ below Clover Dam, and a second one an gans Bridge . This included a solid 380 hour later, crossing the Kiewa river metre hill that proved h ard work on a above Bogong. sultry, overcast day; some were forced to Despite attacks from the bane of the town o f Yackandandah , 39 km to the resort to "the two fo ot gear" (walking) . High Plains, the march flies , the latter south . We expected a pl easant run out The picnic and camping reserve at Mor­ spot was declared morning tea. on the Ki ewa Valley highway and then gans Bridge wa s quite pleasant , emi­ on b ac k- roads to the town , but the nently suitable for lunch , but the dirt Beyond this point the climb got weather un fo rtunately had other ideas. road either side of it slowed us down. tougher for the 5 km up to Sassafras A monsoonal deluge hit us just b efore At 3 pm we rejoined the highway 14 Gully, winding up the west side of a 1250 we turned off the main ro ad at B aran­ km from Mt Beauty, with Mt Bogong forested ridge, to Howmans Gap at Lor­ duda. Thi s had cleared b y the time we looming solidly in front of us. After the metres. We hadn't seen Glenn and dropped in at the s trawberry winery at township of Tawonga the road climbed raine for some time , and could only A ll ans Flat , but we kept a wary eye on up to the base o fTawonga Gap, where speculate on progress. the murky s ki es as we fo ll owed hilly we paused to admire vi ews from the Unbelievabl y, the final section of 4 back t racks into Yack. We spent a sticky Bogong lookout before heading down km was even nastier; a vertical rise of evening drinking strawberry wine in the into Mt Beauty. We camped in the cara­ over 300 metres, a consistent 1 in 12 . town's small camping reserve . van park beside the Ki ewa River, then But we were identifiably entering the The weather h ad improved on Mon­ went into town for supplies. Gary sent high country now with snow poles and day morning as we set out on the 67 km postcards, Lorraine sent several kg's of snow gums, tussock grass and even more to Mt Beauty, the jumping off point for gear b y post to her husband , who she march flies . Gary was astonished to see our assault on the High Plains. The road said had packed the bike for her, Dave snow clinging to the upper slopes of Mt. out t o the south-east undulated up a bought fresh bread and I bought a bottle Nelse on the far side of Rocky Valley. va ll ey between two tall mountain of Brown Bros. port (which vanished Most of our spread out group crawled ranges. Gary observed that these were rapidly). into the lower end of the ski resort be­ barely half the height of wh at we were We were now face to fa ce with the big tween 1 pm and 1.15 and sat on the due to tackl e the fo llowing day. climb , 1100 metres in 30 km to Falls porch of the day shelter for lunch. Lor­ We climbed up to a watershed where Creek, and a bit more to th e high point raine eventually walked up and "Flash" the road from Myrtlefo rd came in , then of 1720 metres at Cope Saddle. The road Flood, so nicknamed for his legendary roared d own to the Ki ewa Vall ey high­ began climbing immedi ately out of the lethargy, was eventually fetched by a way and the township of Dederang a few town , but though it required low gears, friendly motorist in a 4WD vehicle and k's late r. He re we fo und a pub and a it wasn't the sort of grinding climb found deposited further up the road ahead of milk bar and took a morning tea break. on the Alpine Road from Omeo. There us .

Freewheeling 57 Meanwhile, the rest of us had to make tours, but also notorious for usually would have been a frantic dash to Falls the 2 km climb, mostly on gravel road. turning out runny. The Lorraine special to call in a chopper. After crossing the dam wall, the road was the culinary piece de resistance of The remaining seven of us set out at 9 wound around the lake shore-line for the tour, fully firm and topped with am the next day for Omeo. We chugged some 6 km, with low rounded hills lemon and sliced banana. up to Cope Saddle one more time, and around us. We were now at 1620 metres We had allocated a day off on top of then began the long descent. The 6 and on the High Plains. In due course the High Plains to enjoy the scenery. In kilometres to Buckety Plain were not we came upon Langfords Gap, where the morning we decided to climb Mt. unduly steep and included some uphills, Dick took over navigation. We crossed Cope, some walking and some part cycl­ with road quality fluctuating from clay­ the aqueduct from the reservoir and ing the 8 km round distance. In the after­ pan to " rough-as-guts". There was an began following it along a rocky, some­ noon everyone did their own thing. De­ icily enchanting moment when we drop­ times boggy track which clung spectacu­ spite the heat and the march-flies some ped through a thin cloud layer near larly to the rim of the Shannonvale val­ decided to sleep. Trapyard Gap. As it turned out the real ley. Dick found a patch of snow on a Cycling on the High Plains is really plummet came in the last 8 km down to sheltered slope, and a brief mid summer enjoyable but it can also be hazardous. the Omeo highway. There were some snow fight ensued. Weather changes can be rapid, and in great views into the valley, but also After some 3 km of curses from Lor­ January a bushfire or blizzard are both many wheels skipping on rocks and rims raine and grumbles from Gary, we cross­ possible, though not very likely. Bearing warming up. We reached the bottom , ed the aqueduct again literally on step­ in mind potential problems with Gary as still at 700 metres, at 11.15 , but again ping-stones, bikes carried high with pan­ a kidney transplant patient, I had filled had to wait for "Flash" Flood, this time niers off. We walked up the slope a few out a " trip Intentions" form in Falls with a puncture. hundred metres and set up camp around Creek. But it was actually Lorraine who The Omeo Highway is only an aver­ the edges of a clearing that had once ended up leaving the High Plains in an age road with some sealed sections but a been a set of tennis courts. We were ambulance. lot of sandy gravel in between; plus a lot about 300 metres downslope from Wal­ A mild lunch time belly ache became of ups and downs. After 8 km we found laces Hut , a ramshackle 80 year old a violent stomach upset with dehydra­ a picnic area and ate lunch beside the stockman's shelter now classified and tion setting in by 6.30. With some help Mitta Mitta river. carefully preserved. The main road was from a girl staying at Wallaces Hut and a We be'gan climbing once again on over the crest of the hill I km away on an helpful couple at Falls, we managed to gravel , with 29 km to Omeo. After a almost unridable track. get Lorraine and her gear down to Mt while the road did a strange thing: fol­ Lorraine and I had bought packet Beauty, where a urinary infection was lowing the contour around the hills , cheese-cakes down in Mt. Beauty and diagnosed. We had been lucky to have winding but dead flat , and very pleasant we decided to make one big one. Camp picked a place which was reasonably cycling. This kept up for the better part cheese-cakes are popular on Eebie close to hand; the only other option of 10 km before the hills reappeared. Fortunately, after a short distance we was a pleasant little town with an excel­ only 360 metres high, in the humid heat picked up first sealed road and then a lent bakery on one of the side streets. the steady haul took it out of us. When big downhill into a creek valley to the The flat easy roads continued 7 km we reached the top there was no fast Benambra road. The hills continued but south to Doctors Flat, but we then met downhill due to the southerly wind. we knew Omeo was only a short dis­ up with something solid in the shape of After one lesser hill at the bottom we tance away. And so it was: by late after­ 410 metre Connors Hill. The growing came rolling down into Bruthen, and noon we had rolled into the caravan heat added meat to the short but steep civilization at 4 pm climb, though the gentler 10 km down­ park and were cleaning up prior to head­ On the recommendation of the South hill all the way into Ensay South made ing up to the Hilltop pub for a counter Oz group, we went a bit further across up for this. meal. the river flats to Wiseleigh to camp there We met a group of South Australian It was only 11.45 am and we thought it for the night. Despite a dodgy access cyclists in the bar who were heading for a bit early for lunch and so pushed on. road, this was a good choice: the Bairnsdale like us. I phoned Mt Beauty We entered a rugged section of the river campsite was excellent and the people hospital to check on Lorraine. valley, a deep gorge in thick bush, and running it very friendly. With only 20 km "I wish this IV drip bottle was full of met another hill with knobs on it called to go for the final morning into booze," she grumbled. the Devil's Backbone. Approaching no­ Bairnsdale we packed the tents late and The pub meal was a welcome change thing much at 12.45 with the name pushed off at 10 am, in no great hurry. from our camp sloshes. Tambo Crossing, we began looking for a There were a few final hills though small Friday dawned bright and clear after a place to have lunch. Eventually, a shady after what we had been through. How­ very cold night, but Omeo had been spot by the river showed up and we set­ ever, the road went straight over them having low 30 degree temperatures for tled in for a lazy lunch while waiting for making for good downhills and beefy several days. We had decided to ride Glenn again. We also bumped into our climbs. From 11 am we lolled in the from Omeo to Bruthen in one hit, close South Oz friends again, having lunch main street reading papers for a while, on 100 km, to assure us of making the nearby. then retired to the railway station to train at Bairnsdale on Saturday. We At 2 pm, suitably relaxed, we began board our train back to Melbourne. started from the top of Omeo's winding attacking the final rugged section up to The High Plains trip had not been an main street at 9.15, climbing steadily for Walshes Cutting. The river entered an­ easy one; we had to ride a long way on 10 km though brown open grasslands. other gorge in which the road undulated either side to get there and back again. Then came the drop: Tongio Gap, from violently, climbing round spurs and But the sweeping views, alpine wild 795 metres down to 400 in 4 km . sweeping through creek valleys. flowers and crisp pure air of a mountain At the bottom, we began following The road eventually left the river and morning have to be experienced to un­ the Tambo river towards the distant sea. began the steady climb over the Ash derstand why cyclists go there and feel Swifts Creek, 9 km down the blacktop, Range . Though not overly steep and uplifted. It's a trip worth making. D

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Solo bicycle touring from the Blue Mountains to the Murray

Lino-cut prints and words by HELEN PRINTER

N JULY 1986 Helen Printer the Murray River. During the ride she loaded up her new touring bicycle kept a journal and made many sketches and caught a train across the Blue which were later transformed into lino­ I Mountains to Lithgow. From there cut prints. On the following pages we she set out on an epic solo bicycling present a selection of these with accom­ camping journey across the western panying edited text from her account of slopes of the Great Dividing range to a very eventful journey.

60 Freewheeling Morning at last. I make myself a big the weather and countryside the same Starting out in a breakfast of porridge and look around. again on t he other side of the range? My bicycle is on its side and is com­ Still, its a start, and the party is all over pletely buried in snow. After warm-up here. .blizzard! exercises my hands are still cold. So off we go, my little bike strapped On the road it's an incredibly slow to the back of the huge semi-trailer. I journey. To keep my toes from dropping joke, "The lightest load you've ever ET ME tell you about my trip. I off I ride in my U g boots and that's not hauled?" arrived in Lithgow on the train at all easy. There's a biting wind and L yesterday, finally. Leaving the sta­ blown snow everywhere but strangely tion I heard one of the railway workers there is an absence traffic which is a muttering about snow but it didn't seem blessing as I have to ride all over the cold enough to me. I left town early af­ road slithering and swerving as I move In search of the ternoon and headed out in my lowest along. gear into a freezing headwind (someone Someone stops and tells me there's a pertect haystack wished me: " May all your winds be tail­ truck stop up ahead. I thank them and winds"). start pushing my bike up the icy hill and LEAVE the truckie at Bathurst and I finally decided to stop for the night eventually arrive at a cafe full of truc­ cycle 10 km or so down the road be­ at the top of a largish hill next to a plan­ kies. The room has a distinct party at­ I fore the hills become too much, or tation of young pin us radiata trees. Out mosphere to it. They stare at me. I must it's too cold and my legs are too wobbly. of sight of the road I set up camp. made look like a moon-walker. In the heat of I'm looking out for a fr iendly haystack a hot drink and ate dinner. After warm­ the building my body thaws and I am but a ll there is bleakness snow a nd down exercises I hopped into my sleep­ able to dry my sodden gloves on a hea­ sheep. Soon there is a pine forest, this ing bag. I was glad that I spent so much ter. From here I am told it 's 30 km to time of grown up trees, so I hop over the time waterproofing everything the previ­ Bathurst up over a higher (and colder) fence , lug my bike over and settle down ous week. hill than this. There is a truck jack­ for the night. If the weather stays like Slept and woke, and slept and woke. knifed in the va ll ey in between and no this I ' m going to catch a bus from Its not quite dawn yet but I am hearing one can get through. Wagga. Its too cold to take my balaclava noises like rain but unlike rain (it skit­ Finally vehicles begin to arrive from and hat off before going to bed even. ters after landing) on the roof of my that direction and around midday the My average speed so far is 15 km per day tent. I'm glad I'm waterproof but it's cafe empties as queues of cars and so at this rate I might arrive in Adelaide stuffy inside the tent so I open up the trucks head off down the road. I won­ by Christmas! door and look out. It's cold out there. der. The day is overcast, but there is no and through the gloom I can see that it's A truckie at the next table offers me a wind. A slight breeze but nothing like snowing! lift to Bathurst. I gladly accept but isn't the last three days. I cycle wi thout my

Freewheeling 6/ ,,. , · -,r • / ' ,✓ ' - ~~ , ./ / / / , / 1/ ' / / I , ~~/ / , / / / ~ / ,·// / /

wet weather gear o n (what bravery!). I bought a few things anyway a nd a im in life is the quest for the perfect The road is mainly downhill. the coun­ went back t o the garde ns by the Rest haystack, no t too near a farmho use o r tryside love ly a nd not too much traffic. Centre. Set m yse lf up a nd cooked a near the road, half e mpty and with three There are roadworks a t o ne s tage and lovely lunch. Its been a race so far to eat sides she lt ered from the wind. I think if l the workers wave , ask m e where I' m the food before it gets reall y cold again . find o ne I might well take up residence. goi ng and say: "Tha t's the stuff' a nd I hung around for a while, pleased to be * * * * * that it was "keep at it". so mewh.ere , then realised decide, on a whim, to detour and o n. It's 25 km sin ce I set o ut a nd I stop fo r time to move send a postcard to a fr iend from· were still no mo rning tea at the top of a hill. From my Out of the town the re Mangoplah (its s uch a ni ce name) . e pe rch I wave at the passing haystacks visible. So I ride on. Why is it I comfortabl As I sat she ltered at the s hop in M a n­ a lways see spl e ndidl y si tuated traffic and look out across the ploughed , th a t I goplah it poured with rain , but the s un ks a 11 a m and not 4.30 or 5 pm? rolling countrys ide. It's very much like haystac was shining as I rode o n again a nd there myse lf o ne. soon . to sleep in the Midlands in E ngland. I can h ear a I promise was a rainbow. ht o ut by the failing li ght I set­ skyla rk . This is nice. hut , caug Then at lunchtime I find it : my perfect tead for a bridge on a deserted Another 25 km a nd I'm getting hun­ tl e ins haystack , o n a dirt road o n the way to gry. The town I come to is Cowra . Signs side road. Henty. I sit in it and eat my lunch while next mo rning the s un is s hining. every 5 km a lo ng the road have bee n The th e rain fa ll s, again. The farmer comes so unfolds like a huge carpet a nd saying "Cowra welcomes the to urist". The road by with some machinery and I prepare me. down through hills a nd a lo ng a I wonder what welcome the re is for drops to jump up and make sure that it is okay river vall ey. This is getting better Today feels like a good d ay. I deserve a lovely to use his wonderful haystack but he with a good wash a nd rest for a whi le. a nd better. My road is quiet o nl y ho ps over the fe nce for a chat. He I discove r th e Cowra Wome ns Rest surface. as ks me where I a m riding to a nd te ll s leav­ me across the town of Yo ung but Centre a nd for the first time since I co me of a short cut. He doesn't seem t o closed up because it is Saturday in g Sydney I can take my clothes off and it's all think it odd at all that I was o n his land . not die of ex posure. I h ave a lo ng afte rnoon so I don't stop and keep pedal­ shower the n p eruse the town o n foot. ling o n tired and looking for my hays­ my backside being a bit too tender for tack. But its c herry country; there are any casual riding. o rcha rds a nd fruit storage sheds, but no Country I' m a vegeta ri an so I soon stumble haystacks. across the Cowra Health Food Shop. I That ni ght I settle for a clump of gums think that I sho uld do a s tudy of health away from the orad in a paddock . hospitality food shops alo ng the way. since usually It 's a no ther beautifully sunny day a nd cyclists tour the bakeries. This one sold I rode into Cootamundra for lunch a nd T was raining when I left Wagga and a lm ost everything I had painsta kingly relax under a big peppe r tree in the mid­ I knew I wouldn't get all the way to carried with me from Sydney' 11 dl e of town. I've discovered that m y real I Ma ngopla h today sol looked fo r a

62 Freewheeling :... • ; ~;:: : ; :: : I: :: ;; ; ~ : : : =~ ···------·------...

-,- ··-

shed o r a barn or, da re J ho pe, a hays­ crazy. John is especia ll y wo rried abo ut the n it will suppo rt yo u. Absolute ho n­ tack. wh a t I' m do in g , a nd how safe I' ll be. esty, it a ll sounds a bit naive and cosmic. So me times I think I' m canny, o ther I spo t a she d with one side o pe n up I've e xpla ined that I ' m as safe o n my times just plain lucky, but I also be li eve a head a nd we ll off the road . So I wheel bike ca mping o ut as I a m locked up in a that peopl e re fl ect back to you what you my bike off the road through the fro nt ho use in th e cit y, a nd we all agree its give the m , a nd that the fear attracts the gate _of someone's prope rty, across the true, but he still thinks I'm too relaxed paddock , through a creek , down a slip­ abo ut it. accide nt. pe ry muddy bit a nd to the shed . If J had Be rnice says I' m brave, can't rea ll y I left the re , with both of the m wo rried tho ught for half a minute l wo uld have unde rsta nd why l 'd wa nt to do it , but a bo ut me - why am I doin g it ? I sho uld rea li sed tha t it wo uld be a pump shed feels o kay abo ut me doing it . She is most settle do wn a nd acce pt that jo b in Syd­ and full of pump , o il a nd muc k . O f wo rried abo ut my die t. She wa nted to ney. Be rnice asked me this morning not course the re wo uld be no room fo r me gi ve me a bi g steak meal, and has can't to become a he rmit (eve n tho ug h I and I'd be bette r off unde r the trees any­ unde rsta nd why I do n't eat the kind of never mentio ned it , o r even tho ught of way. food she eats. John keeps sayin g, " Yo u it 1) J o hn tho ug ht I'd been pushing my have to settle down some day". Be rnice lu ck too fa r and they both had rhultiple T he n the owne r o f the p rope rty keeps sha king he r head a nd looks a bit sto ri es of murde rs a nd rapes a nd di sap­ turned up in a car. I just sat the re. I o bvi­ ha rassed by it all. pearings to regale me with . o usly couldn't ex plo re fu rther for a They like my sto ry th o ugh , a nd they I have to keep o n sayin g ... I a m as safe s leeping spo t. So l turned m y bike both said they trusted me because o f my o n a bi cycle as I am locked up in a ho use a round a nd wheeled it over to the car E ngli sh accent ! Why did I trust the m? I in the city" . I do n't hitchhike because I wonde ring who was in side a nd w ha t chose tha t shed , o n a p rope rty with a be li e ve it isn't safe a nymo re but th e re they we re thinking a bo ut me. Jt was a cattle grid but no gate, we ll kept, name are limits to how fa r o ne can go to 'feel' ma n and I explain ed , ve ry simply, that I of property o ut the front. The n the man safe . (J o hn had a two way rad io in his was going to sleep in the she d until I in the car, I was ho nest with him a nd car.) Anyway I set off . realised that it was a pump ho use. knew he could ether be a ngry a nd chuck So I cycl ed o n th rough the afte rn oon We we re bo th doing a bit of quic k me out or be angry and say I could stay. to He nt y. I a m so much fitt e r a nd my evaluating I suppose. He said he'd take a Or be mild and chuck me o ut o r be mild bum has stopped hurting now. Also my punt o n m e a nd I'd be tte r come up to a nd say I could stay .... o r ... · He looked knees, which I was co ncerned about, are the house whe re he could decide what to a ll se t to be a ng ry, but as I e xpla in e d not hurting now anywhe re near as badl y do with me. I rode up the pa th in fro nt how I'd not tho ught the shed mi ght be a as before I sto pped in Wa gga. Pl easa nt of him . pump shed the re was the glimme r o f a fa rm co untrys ide , with no t quite e no ugh So no w I' m a ll s nug in be d in the smil e, a nd I kn ew. But why? Pe rhaps the trees but ple nty of grass. The stock a ll ho me of Jo hn a nd Be rnice. They have other way o f e xplaining could be that if ignore the traffi c but ruh from th e whir­ childre n my age , they bo th think I' m you have absolute trust in the unive rse ring bicycle , whi ch amuses me. I got a

Freewheeling 63 bit wet towards Henty. In town an older sort of corridor be tween clouds with That was Friday, and the hardest day so wo man stoppe d me in the s treet and ra in on both sides but not on me. I stop­ fa r. The sun didn't l ast long, a nd the said , " is that your bicycle, you've cer­ ped to cook my afternoon meal with my wind got stronger, so I was riding along tainly got it packed very neatly" . We back to th e wind and wa tche d the in my lowest gears, creeping along at a started talking , a nd I told he r I was clouds, and rainbows. When the country sna il s pace. I would have s topped but heading for Pl easant Hills that night. is so flat the sky becomes extra impor­ there was nothing to s top for. Flat, flat , She aske d m e if I knew a nyone the re. tant. fl at, no trees. Nothing but me the wind "No," I said, "I'm camping out". I rode until afte r d ark, still wearing and the sky, with an occasional car. I had She lived along the Pleasant Hills my rain gear because it was cold , finally no idea of the time and spent a lot of the Road , so she invited me home to stay came to the town of Urana. It seemed day in side my head , just starin g a t the the night. very spread out with no visible ma in road and mechanica ll y pedalling until I The woma n and her husband have a street so I pedall ed around in the dark eventually reached Jerilderie. da ughter who rode a moped 3,200 km until I came upon the Soldiers Memorial I woke up before dawn the next day to across Ame rica, and a son who did Ha ll . I looke d around and found that find the wind had gone. I didn't even something else like that, and incredibly the door was open, in fact most of them stop for breakfast, but was packed and they think that what I' m d oing is com­ were. It was a big, old place, all creaky pe d a lling by the time the sun rose. 1 plete ly normal , and not even the and echoing, I let myself into one of the thought I would get in a few k's before slightest bit silly. So what can I say, we back rooms. It turned out to be a ne t­ the wind woke up. The road was quiet are all diffe rent , but some people a re ball/baske tball hall . I spread out my o nce again and the sky was cloudy but reall y kind . camp a nd settle d in for the ni ght. still no wind. I stopped twice during the Its interesting that I could eat rice and Though I could hear people coming and day to eat, and once to si t and rest. The veg a nd chips last night with a nothe r going to the pub next door, I had an un­ road followed (within 10 km) a creek, so fami ly and here with Pat and Lewi s, who interrupted sleep. there were trees all along. be a vegetarian I h ad half expect me to The next morning I cooked my break­ At some s tage I e ntered an irrigation more difficulty and ate ham soup, wheat fas t o n the big o pe n range in the area (I could tell I was getting closer to bread and butter and sweet biscuits. kitche n . It was a dining hall o nce and the Murray) and then there were drain­ y different attitudes to Such tota ll sadl y the whole place was peeling and age channels and ditches a nd birds. I Pat tells me th at they the ir land too! cracked and falling apart, with the wood saw a wedge-tailed eagle, and cranes, eir crops. and have solar do n't spray th eate n out from the paint on the cup­ herons, storks, pelicans, spoonbills, ibis hot water. boards. G as, water and electricity were a nd millions of ga la hs in huge fl ocks . a ll o n , a nd half the doors we re locked The whole countrys ide soft ened up and On to the Murray a nd the rest just swinging open . looked more hospitable ( though just as EXT day the rain sto pped Strange. flat) . around lunchtime and during the 1 cycled into a brisk wind , but sun­ Just as the sun was going down a huge N a fternoon I was cycling along a shine, with 50 km to go to J e rilde rie. rainstorm passed me by, a nd the su n

64 Freewheeling shone on the grass turning it a bright and that my bags and bike were gone. When apologise and thank the Station Master improbable green colour. Behind it the I finally located them I found that some at the same time. cloud was a bruised purple grey, and kind soul had locked them inside the He said , "It's okay. The important overhead hung a rainbow; a full arc from very shed they weren't to be locked in­ thing is that you had a good holiday, ground to sky to ground. It was incredi­ side. What to do? Okay?" and waved me goodbye on the a bly vivid. I got off my bicycle and stood I sprinted down to the police station. bus. The bus driver asked me if he was and watched. The rainbow was a double The officer on duty slowly looked up a relative. one, with an even fainter reversed rain­ number in his book and slowly dialled it. I sat on the bus, feeling washed all of bow outside of it. It was beautiful. No answer. It was, after all, 1.30 in the over with warmth from the residents I cycled into Deniliquin happy. Found morning. He slowly dialled someone Swan Hill. The fact is that in all my jour­ 't a wonderful second hand shop and had a else who woke up, answered the phone ney from Sydney to Adelaide I didn look through the gear. They buy up and said he'd be there in a minute. I was meet one single grumpy person , let to me. things from old property sales and had then told to go back to the station. alone anyone with harmful intent about me some lovely stuff all of it much too The bus arrived from one direction at Many people were worried me from all the heavy to lug on a pushbike. the same instant that the Station Master and wanted to protect arrived from the other direction. I scur­ knife bearing molesters out there, but I ried around lugging bags out of the shed cycled along without fear and all the and stuffing them into the bus, trying to people I met were kind and pleasant. At the journey's end GERARD AND

WAN Hill is a city of public con­ veniences, not only are there ALAN AGREE S toilets within 100 yards of wher­ ever one may be caught short, but there are shelters and coin barbecues, and benches littered liberally around the place. I've ridden for two weeks, in a huge arc from Lithgow down to Wagga , across to Deniliquin and up to Swan Hill, and now I have stopped. The pros­ pect of the continuing flatness of the land and the Murray Valley Highway, with its constant traffic, makes the idea of another 10 days, up to Mildura and then down through Berri to Adelaide, fairly dreary. So I've stopped and am now being a tourist for a few days, visiting pioneer homes and generally enjoying the river.The cycling has been excellent. Only two punctures, a variety of we a ther (from snow, frost and fog to brilliant and blissful sunshine), and only one day when the headwind made me want to give up and weep. I was due to catch the bus to Adelaide early Saturday morning at 1.40 am. I was told that I would have to take my bicycle apart and pack it up in a box so I went round the bike shops and obtained GERARD DONNELLY ALAN DIPPLE a carton . Back at the station (also the ;\-lost successful Current Australian bus depot) the Station Master said that I Australian long course 50 km point score could leave my bags and dismantled triathlete champion bike on the platform. I was worried about leaving them in the open and thought they should go into a shed but he pointed out th a t no one would be around at 1.40 in the morning to unlock the shed. Finally everything was packed up and labelled. I left with a second reassurance from the Station Master that it would all still be there when I got to it at 1 am . After dinner and a night out on the town I returned to the station to find

Freewheeling 65 TOUR DE FARCE

8ic1Jcle travel

Riding the old red dragster

by GREG PRITCHARD

"Have I got a bike for you!" Ed had said start. The idea was to travel as light as forty dollars from the Trading Post, and led me out to his back shed and possible so a lot of necessary items were didn't have the sleek lines of mine; it was pointed. I had fallen in love instantly jettisoned, food for example. Roger more futuristic and dynamic, yet harder with its curved lines, small fat tyres, claimed he could catch fish to feed us to peddle. As we raced along the gravel drop handlebars, banana seat and three and another friend had told us of some tracks through the forest in the late af­ speed gears. It was a bike I was never white berries you could eat. Fortunately ternoon sun we were laughing, thinking 'cool' enough to own when I was young; we also took some muesli and dried how easy it would be to finish the walk , The Harley Davidson of the push bike food just in case. I also insisted that we unaware of what lay in store for us. world - a red dragster. carry sleeping bags despite Roger's pro­ When you're sleeping on the ground it testations. Other than this we had some always seems to rain at five o'clock in I'd been talking of doing the Great clothes, a small shifter, a pair of pliers the morning. Early dawn found us rac­ South-West Walk for a while, a 220 km and a puncture repair kit. All of which ing around trying to set up the nylon fly circuit through national parks near Port­ fitted neatly under the seats, with a little and eating muesli in the rain . We spent land in Victoria. My house-mate Roger, over the handle bars to keep the front the whole day riding in the rain along a who intended to accompany me, wheels down. swampy, grassy section of path through suggested we do it on pushbikes, but I We easily covered 20 kilometres the forest. It was only just possible to ride, was reluctant. I have a strong aversion first afternoon, getting a feel for the often having to push through long mud to those two-wheeled death machines bikes and how to load them correctly. sections, or going for it, legs pumping, and hadn't ridden one for years. But, a My bike had been modified for a taller fat, bald tyres spinning uselessly in the that was just crazy dragster? Now person and the seat was back over the sludge. fun. enough to be wheel. Without weight on the front the Our lunchtime stop was a nightmare. A short time later, and with very little slightest acceleration would tip me over At Fitzroy camp a million leeches planning, we drove down to Portland to backwards. Roger's bike , bought for waited. Big ones, waving like sticks of

66 Freewheeling licorice on logs, craving our blood. In lying around in the sun near the miracul­ Revitalised after a swim. we headed the space of one hour, whilst struggling ously fresh Lake Mannyboeng before off, elated to have what we thought to light a fire and brew some tea in the we attempted the feared soft sand the would be the worst behind us. The next rain, I lost the leech competition with a following day. section was wonderful. We pushed the winning number of seven. My pants The next morning found us hard at bikes up to the summit of Mount were stained from blood running from work pushing our bikes, now unladen , Richmond and then enjoyed the long holes in my side and stomach where un­ along the soft sand. The park's handout gradual ride down consisting of ten k's detected ones had drunk their fill and had said: "time passes quickly if you of non-stop rolling along grassy paths dropped off. One particularly large one concentrate on the next piece of in­ and asphalt to Bridgewater Lakes. Not had to be burnt off Roger's back with a teresting flotsam or strange shaped even the late arrival of our support hot stick. If we had been on foot we dune" . Maybe so , but not even the dis­ team , who found us shivering and hun­ would have had to slept there. I shud­ covery of a huge elephant seal asleep on gry on dusk , could detract from our af­ dered at the thought. It was only eigh­ the sand made the sixteen kilometres ternoon's pleasure. teen k 's to the next campsite , so we pass quickly enough. A long arduous What you gain on the swings you lose pushed on. task similar to pushing a wheelbarrow of on the roundabouts. The ease of riding - The afternoon was better. We avoided bricks up hill. We were glad when we down Mount Richmond was more than the more boggy walking tracks and finally came to the exit through the huge compensated for by the tracks the next stayed on adjacent forest roads. Roger dunes to Swan Lake. day. Soft sand to start, then miles of opted for wearing only speedo's and I for a leaky oilskin , both of us getting equally drenched. By five we reached the campsite of Moleside and miracul­ ously the sun came out. We dried every­ GERARD AND thing out and spent the evening swim­ ming and sitting on the jetty in the sun. Patterns were developing. Roger, braver, fitter and more at home on a ALAN pushbike , went first, down hills into sharp corners, never knowing what was coming; a tree across the path or a head­ high branch. I, more prudently, waited. DISAGREE If there were no sounds of grinding metal or tearing flesh I would follow. Often I would pop around a corner to find Roger waiting, watching eagerly. This meant that there was something BAD on the track; a log, a rut, a bog and he wanted the pleasure of watching me negotiate the difficulty. Fortunately for my pride I usually managed to stay upright. The next day we formulated a com­ petition; the winner was to be the per­ son who had the most prangs. With fifty kilometres of winding track along the edge of the Lower Glenelg river the 'prang possibilities' were high . At day's end I won the ' most original' crash cat­ egory by being knocked off the bike by a wave and Roger took out the 'most stylish ' with a graceful dive over the handlebars after his front wheel dug-in going through soft sand. We hit the Nelson pub that evening for a quick beer and a game of pool and after stocking up on supplies at the roadhouse .. ·-~· we rode out to camp on the --- '1 beach. Here began what we had been Gera~d Donnelly . , Alan Dipplc worried about the whole trip: forty Besieged 1 Angrv kilometres of beach along Discovery triathlete / racing cyclist C: Bay. ... .f - We rode a kilometre along the beach ,d t O W that evening, relieved to find that the fat A ::-,j - •• tyres handled the firm sand well. We ...... , .., sipped our coffee and rum contentedly that evening around a campfire on the beach, watching the sunset, assured of "ITSUBO$lJI an easy day to follow of only 20 km. T~S As hoped the sand was firm the next morning and the day's riding was quickly Trade enquiries ,IKECDRP (OJ) 568 0066 out of the way. The afternoon was spent . '<1•0

Free wheeling 6 7

DISCOVERY BAY

BRIDGEWATER LAKES

LIGHTHOUSE

CAPE BRIDGEWATER

torturous paths strewn with jagged limestone, up and down, with no possi­ bility of riding. A brief respite was gained by an excellent run around Cape Bridgewater on a foot-wide , black, earthy sheep trail, barbed wire fences flashing past on one side and on the other a fifty metre drop to the oce11n . After this the going really got tqugh. Firstly, we had to push the bikes the whole length of Bridgewater Beach (ten k's) , racing the incoming tide. My bike was beginning to seize up from its time in the seawater. Then, more up and down through dense scrub and over the jagged paths. With fifteen k's to go and only a couple of hours till dark we began to worry that for the first time we would be caught out. The huge thunderstorm we had watched build up all afternoon fin ally engulfed us , and there we were, on my wet clothes and reluctantly fol­ both bikes in the bushes where we could pushi~ two m9bile lightning conduc­ lowed him. find them later, and headed for the pub. tors through the middle of it. The bikes that had held together over It was early the next morning before Our stomachs were sick with fear and the whole ordeal finally began to show we reached Melbourne. On the drive we rode with lowered heads (a~ if this signs of wear. It was remarkable. For back we talked a lot about the trip, re­ would protect us from the lightning). By two hundred kilometres we had not had lieved it was over, forcing ourselves to the time we reached the lighthouse at a puncture. I had destroyed all but low stay awake in the dark, wet night. Drink­ Cape Nelson we were cold, wet and gear on the first day and Roger had only ing a cup of coffee in every town , closing shaking from fear. To our elation our two. Every night, in scenes worthy of down Victoria from left to right as we support team was there with towels , ·competition races, we had taken parts of drove across it. food and drinks. The final ride to the the bikes apart with our one small shif­ We planned more trips, so impressed campsite was done quickly along bitu­ ter and pliers: the brakes on both bikes, were we with the performance of the men , avoiding the 'markedly undulat­ Roger's steering arrangement, my ped­ bikes and the fun we'd had. In o ne ing' final two kilometres of Cape track. als . On one occasion , after my rear campsite, talking to a teacher with a Sitting in the car at the campsite we wheels had begun to make horrible school canoeing group, she had looked debated what to do. I didn't care. I was grinding noises, I borrowed some car oil at our bikes, awed, amused . " They're exhausted and didn't mind whether we from fellow campers, carrying it over to definitely not touring bikes, are they?" finished the final 2 k's of the walk or not. my bike in an empty soup packet. This is certainly true. I doubt a touring After two hundred plus kilometres on Now, a kilometre from the end, both machine would have handled the rough dragster I felt a few more or less bikes were giving up the ghost , gears tracks or soft sand. Admittedly it would wouldn't matter. Roger was more princi­ seizing up, rear wheels locking, pedals have been easier on a mountain bike, pled. Suddenly, he was back on his bike alternately spinning uselessly then grip­ but it would never have been as much and racing off into the rain. I sat there ping. In pelting rain we rolled down to fun. And after all, pleasure is its own for a min4te, then with a groan pulled the official finish of the Walk , ditched reward. •

Freewheeling 69 C'i BmePlanAustralia'St

BICYCLE ADVOCACY: THE DECADE OF PROGRESS 8ic1Jcle facilities

by JOHN G MATHIESON President Bicycle Federation of Australia

HEN the first issue of bicycle groups, the state of cycling in Freewheeling rolled off the Australia and the politics of the bicycle. W press just a decade ago, it im­ Issue No. 2 contained a superb review of mediately set a new standard for an Aus­ the new and shining Geelong Bike Plan, tralian bicycle magazine. But running the start to real improvements in condi­ very much in parallel was another tions for cyclists in this country. And so emerging force in the cycling commun­ o n : every Freewheeling has dealt with ity. This, of course , was the national issuues of profound importance in bicycle advocacy; the cyclists in every moulding the future of bicycle trans­ state who have worked in every possible port. way to promote a better deal for the bicycle. The vital issues Freewheeling was instantly the advo­ cate's information source. The very first There have always been two major issue contained articles on the aims of thrusts for advocates: Better physical

70 Freewheeling c9nd itio ns, eg. roads, bike paths, e nd­ • tha t bi cycling would now be po r­ o f-trip fac ilities; and improvements to trayed in adve rtising e verywhere as just bicycle safety. about the ni cest thing a human ca n do . T he three post-war d ecades saw Aus­ T he te n years just p assed h ave seen tra li a's love affair with the mo to r car the breakthrough Geelo ng Bike Pla n CRANK fl ourish. But this meant that by the mid- full y imple mented . They have seen the 1970s there was no remaining infrastruc­ Newcastl e A rea Bikeplan, despite many tu re fo r bicycle trips. Only those who difficulties, slowl y e merge as a worthy had t ravell ed overseas had ever seen a plo t scheme for NS W. Metropol itan IT UPI bikepath , a nd fo r m any years designers pl a ns have been developed a nd are assumed th at o nl y mo to ri sed vehicles be in g i mple me nte d in Me lbourne , would use roads. Bicycle parking had Ade la ide a nd Pe rth . However, while vani shed and , as a sign of the times, tens Sydney has several local pl ans , it still of thousands o f healthy Australian kids lacks the thrust of an overall strategy. were bein g waste full y ferried t o school T he e lecti o n in Ma rch , 1983 o f the by ca r. Hawke Labor Government has seen the Freewheeling has dealt with these is­ most incredi ble injection of funds into sues, counte ring with articles o n how bicycle facilities through unemployment roads (even freeways) can b e improved fun ding. By the e nd of the CEP scheme fo r cycli sts, ho w bicycle tra nspo rt in 1987 , some $ 40-50 millio n will have sho uld be centra l to the design o f o ur been spent. Importa ntl y, the extensive new suburbs. It sold readers o n the im­ use of the paths built will e nsure that po rta nce o f e ne rgy co nserva ti o n a nd the re will be even stronger community improved community health . Such arti­ s upport fo r th e continua ti o n of such cles have been st rongly s uppo rted b y works. Warre n Sa lomo n's e dito ri a l po li cy and T he Fede ra l Governme nt has been pe rsonal writing talent and many were acti ve in safety too, th rough the funding penn ed b y Alan Pa rker who has con­ of the " Mo ll y Me ldrum" he lme t cam­ stantl y put bicycle iss ues before the pub­ paigns, televi sio n safety spots, and im­ li c. porta ntly o u r first N a ti o na l Bi cycle BIKESAFE '86, Bi cycle safety issues have also been Safet y Confe re nce, wcastl e. presented b y Freewheeling fro m the whi ch was held in Ne e fu ­ beginning. Iss ue No . l conta in e d an Tre me ndo usly impo rta nt fo r th e Standards Associ­ article by C has Coin , Bicycle Safety and ture is the work of th :i cycle he lm ets, l . You, which was quite a milesstone fo r its ati o n Committees o n bi e bicycle itself. Ad­ tim e . Fo r example , it dealt with cycli st bicycle li ghts a nd th mmittees have en­ conspicuity ( be in g seen , bo th by d ay vocates o n these co \, that the standard s and ni ght), defensive riding techniques, couraged and ensured bl y th e best in the bicycle bra kes, and hard-shell bicycl e d rafted a re argua In !WA.il,./J.11!itl•i~rn:ii?J.;;.. safety helmets. worl d. T he la tte r t o pi c was revolutio na ry, What lies ahead beacuase at that tim e'there we re prob­ T he first thing to get ri ght in the next ably less than fifty such helmets in Aus­ decade is cycli st behavio ur. How can trali a. ln fact the a rticle made a n impo r­ cyclists expect a bette r d eal while so tant contributi on t o setting the bi cycle ma ny bl a ta ntly fl a unt the road l aw? safety agenda of the past decade. When a lot more of us look like we kn ow what we a re doin g, we will get vastl y more support. 92 Pacific Highway Those ten years of progress T he next thing to get ri ght a re th e Su bstantia l progress has been m a de . officia l records of bicycle use a nd in­ Roseville NSW Who would have be li eved a decade ago: j uries. C urre ntl y, o ur poli ce and road • that around Australi a we would now safety a uth o rities quo te injury levels (02) 411 5116 have State bodi es charged with looking whi ch a re kn own t o represen t o nl y after bicycles? about 20% of bicycli sts hospitali sed and • that school based bicycl e education onl y about 3% of bicycli sts seeking me­ a nd specia l bi cycle e nfo rceme nt d ical a tte ntio n . We w ill never get o ur 1 schemes would now be widespread? fa ir sha re of resou rces while govern­ WE RE MOVING • th at bi cycle safety wo uld be recog­ me nts a re workin g o n invalid in fo rma­ ni sed as the next m aj o r a rea fo r road tion. UP IN THE WORLD safety improvement, and the most likely Once these things are ri ght, progres­ to achi eve both short and long term suc­ sively over the next decade we will see Cranks are moving to cess? every road a nd b ik e pa th built or im ­ 92 Pacific Highway • that many cyclists would cast off their p roved o t "bicycle-safe" sta nda rds. in fe ri orit y a nd beli eve tha t they a re O nl y then will th e bicycle be able to take Roseville legitimate , in fact superi o r road users? its ri ghtful pl ace a mo ng Aust rali a's from 1st of November • that the w idespread u se o f primary major transport systems. a nd secondary safety a id s (particul arl y Congratul atio ns Freewheeling , bi cy­ Come in a nd see our new fl uorescent clothing a nd helmets) would cle advocates and cyclis ts generall y displays mean tha t l aw abiding cycli sts could than k you fo r your support over the past acheive safety levels s imilar to mo to r decade. May the next ten years be even ve hi cles? better!

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-----72Freew-....., Reynolds-a race apart____. BICYCLES IN METROPOLITAN MELBOURNE

1 3 % "' USE BUT DON'T OWN

. . ~0 NOT OWN OR USE BUT ~ "' ;;,AY BUY A BIKE IN FUTURE PERSONS WHO OWN OR USE CYCLISTS IN HOUSEHOLDS All ages 960,000 12 years and over 650,000 A DECADE OF PROGRESS BUT WE'VE ONLY JUST BEGUN! ENCOURAGING BICYCLE USE IN AUSTRALIA · 8ic1Jcle facilities

by ALAN A PARKER

In this diagram the toned area shows that bottomed out in the early seventies and 6% of Melbournians say they may start using the bicycle is now back as a means of bicycles in the future while 13% say they may recreation and transport. 850,000 bicy­ buy a bike in the future . These figures indi­ cles were sold last year but onl y 480,000 growth rate for bike sales in the cate a healthy cars and stati on wagons, so the bicycle is corn ing years. also returning as a hip pocket r esponse nd not merely H E last ten years have been the to economic in security a most eventful in Australian cycl­ as a form of recreation. T in g history since the 1890's. The In the mid-seventies the hi gh riser thirty year decline in adult bicycle use styl e kid's bike became extinct when the

Freewheeling 7J BMX craze crossed the Pacific from of things to come with mountain bikes lower levels in Sydney and higher levels California and boomed. In last four now available. Mountain bikes are not in Adelaide and Perth. years BMX has settled down into a ma­ only being used for sport and recrea­ The same study commissioned by the ture sport, route mapping is proceeding tion, but also as city commuter trans­ State Bicycle Committee of Victoria and in all states, large bicycle events like the port. This latest trend is world wide and conducted by the Spectrum market re­ Repco Sydney to 'Gong and Caltex bike Australia is only a year or so behind the search organisation reveal_s the number rides are growing in popularity and USA. Indeed the sales of bicycles on a of cyclists and non-cyclists and their triathlon racing has become a major per capita basis is now at the same rate stated motivation for cycling. It is pretty sport. Government agencies are now in Australia as it is in the USA. obvious from this study that many encouraging cyclists and their organisa­ As a result of increasing bicycle sales people must be cycling instead of going tions. Private sponsorship of major over the last ten years there is a massive for a Sunday drive, or going to work by sporting recreational events is now well stockpile of bicycles in Australian cities car. A third of all bike trips are for shop­ established and cycling for leisure and and a survey recently undertaken in ping or to see friends so that a family car fitness is booming. Melbourne shows that the multiple own­ is used a lot less or is available for use by Over the decade, adults have mostly ership of bicycles is very high indeed. another member of the family. bought ten-speed bikes with dropped This level of ownership is probably typi­ handlebars, but in 1987 we see the shape cal for most large cities, with slightly METROPOLITAN MELBOURNE BICYCLE USERS 12 YEARS AND OVER

7 TOTAL POPULATION 12 & OV ER 2,398,000 BICYCLISTS650,000 6 6 0 0 0 ~ 5

z 4 0 ...,~ 3 ...::> 0...

121017 18to24 25to34 35to49 50&over POPULATION OVER 12 BY AGE GROUP F ?,,,.,,] NO Do not use. BICYCLE C:J YES . Cheap,quick ,other. USAGE Ullllllllill YES . Functional. - YES . Exercise, Leisure

Changing attitudes towards transport Neither the increase in bicycle sales nor the levell ing off in car sales means that less motoring is being done or that bikes are being used instead of cars today, but subtle changes are taking place. Over the last ten years basic attitudes towards both cycling and motoring have taken place and many people have a The Repco Sierra ATB is superbly constructed from 4130 Chromoly more practical and less emotional at­ steel. The 70° head and seat tube titude to the vehicles they use. To be angle 1s designed to give you optimum sure there are many young males for handling for both on or off road whom the car is a packaging device for cycling. their immature egos but there is a trend There are braze-ons for every need, Inspect the SIERRA now at your away from these ki nds of attitudes. This 1nclud1ng carriers, b1ddon and local bicycle dealer should have a profound lo ng tern effect mudquards on the sale of cars and future designs. Likewise there will be changes in ALL-TERRAIN people's motivation for buying a bicycle. BICYCLE In the lead article in the first issue of Freewheeling in 1977 I pointed out that cycling was now fashionable and this was a motivating factor behind increas­ ing sales. However, the most significant factor is not how many bicycles are sold, but who is buying them ... It is the middle class

14 Freewheeling trendies and their offspring who are the seems a logical response because the hubs o r even simple products such as pace setters in th e revival of cycling. This bi cycle is obviously a sensible way of saddles. Only 7% of bicycle frames arc was just the sam e situation during the do ing more with less, whether it be for made he re compared to 33% in 1977 . early s tages of the American bicycle recreation or transport. There is not much local content in Aus­ boom ... The persistent JO year long in­ The idea is slowl y a nd surely getting tralian bicycles due to the series of tariff crease in US bicycle usage is one of the around that usin g a bike a nd car to­ reductions over the last ten years. Only most interesting social phenomena in the gethe r i s the best way for a family to 65,000 of the 850,000 bicycles sold here western world because it crystallises, in a minimise their transport costs and re­ have Australian made frames today, as visible human acti vity, deep underlying duce the need to buy a second or third Federal government policy has turned a changes in attitude and va lues in Ameri­ family car. potential m a nufacturing industry into can society. an assembly and import operation. At the time not many people believed Car sales a re droppin g because that these changes, attitudes and values people are m a king better use of what The reason so li ttle has been done for would cross the Pacific. They did and they already have and keep the ir vehi­ e ither cycli sts or manufacturing is that now different attitudes are beginning to cl es going longe r. They are also using 10 years ago most politicians and trans­ emerge. What is different today is-that a bicycles in a way that helps the family to po rt bureaucrats regarded the increase lot of young peopl e are unemployed and avoid buyi ng a nother car. A bicycle or in bicycle sales as a temporary fad that those over 40 who don't h ave a secure two in any household can provi de great­ would go away, and made life difficult job are very unha ppy about the er mobility for the same cost and this is for anybody wan ti ng to get anything economic future. There is not the same an important long term reason why bicy­ done. Now th ere is the a ttitude th at cyc­ kind of optimism around as there used cl e sales will continue to increase. Sales li sts are a safety problem , which is a n to be. will also increase if better conditions for improve me nt but there is no vision of Fortunately, these new cycling at­ cycli sts a re provided on main roads, but cycli ng as part of the solution. There is titudes during the last few years have if that does not happen then the growth no recognition, as in Sweden, that for obliterated the old working cl ass image rate is surely going to be stunted . national security reasons there is a need of the bicyclist. This has paved the way for the full range of bicycle parts and for a more practical attitude to cycling frames to be made in Australia. and today m any more people have no A private response to public neglect difficulty in hoisting their ego onto a Ten years ago it was mostly children who The Federal government doesn't sec saddle. rode bikes and in Melbourne it was rare the bicycle as a n elegant resource con­ A similar situation existed years ago indeed to p ass another cyclists on the servi ng form of transport that, if prop­ with small cars that fitted people physi­ way to work, now there are many more. erly provided for, will not maim or crip­ cally, but were too small for their For the first time in cycling hi story many pl e o n a mass scale unlike the over use driver's ego. Even this attitude has are wearing helmets. The helmet sy m­ of the motor car does. It dosen't under­ changed. bolises a personal concern for a safe stand that the noiseless no n-po lluting When the a nnual re·gi stratio n fi gures passage and tell s us again that cyclists bicycle can h e lp make our citi es more for cars and station wagons are charted a re unhappy with the conditions o n li vable a nd to create a non-violent trans­ against the estimated annual number of roads. This is the private respo nse to portation system. This is why the bicyc­ bicycle sales and numbe rs of un­ public neglect, yet it i s easy to fo rget li st needs protection like a n endangered e mployed people we see an interesting that it was only in 1979 the first Austral­ pattern emerge. ian m ade helmet was avail able, and not until 1986 that a range of we ll ventilated This map of Australia shows where the major precise connecti o n there is ets was on sale. What quality helm bicycle groups and state bicycle committ ees would require a very detailed study to are most active. Tasmania, Queensland and resolve . There are several Australian made the Northern Territory lag the other states in In general terms it leads to the conclu­ he lm ets today, but no precision en­ providing facilities for the growing numbers sion that if we take the unemployment gin eered parts s uch as gears, chains or of cyclists. figures to indica te growing feelings of economic insecurity and the levelling off in vehicle sales as a belt tightening reac­ tion , then the increase in bicycle sales • METROP OLITAN WIDE BIKEPLAN Completed, in variou s stages o f implementation

Q METROPOLITAN WIDE BIKEPLAN In preparation o ~ TERRITORY "'.. NEW VEHICLES SOLD complete~ ~~ r. ~-P AND UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE DESERT NT o o'1-".sv,1/?-,, NUl.48('f BICYCLE AO ~OCATE ~ ~ ~ 100000 * GROUP IN WA• DES>RT QUEENSLANO QLD\ ~ CAPITAL CITY WESTERN AUSTRALIA *1------* -e.

• STA TE B !C YCLE GI BSON I 'i ~ CO MMITTEE DESE RT DESERT SOUTH ~ DBrisbane OPE RATIN G AUSTRALIA ,., .....

S TATE WIDE DESE RT NU LL•• O~LAINSA•* NEW SOUTH WALES / Standing Committee Perth . NSW•e Newcastle • of the State Q .... iE-OtSydnev Gove rnmen t Adelai~ !-.,.~ / · AUSTRALIA ~m~*.._ ACT Australian Cap ital Territory. Geelonq This is a s mall area of land independent of other states in which the Federal Capital ci~y SCALE !ASMA~ ,.t:, _:_:__,Lo -...L,,--',---±---::::-----:;':----:;!66 Canberra, is located. I• 12 00Km TAS \.SY~obart f!NANCl~L YEAR E"'OI NGJUNE

Freewheeling 75 species making a comeback. They still have to be persuaded that the bicycle is MELBOURNE BIKEPLAN Road Traffic Authority: the most ecologicall y s uperior form of transport o n Earth , even tho ugh I van VICTORIA BIKE-ED PROGRAM. Education: Th e Bike Ed Kit for primary For 8, 9and 10 year olds schools developed by the Geelong Bikeplon Illich eloquently establi shed this fact in wi th th e Education Deportment and the then his book, Energy and Equity way back Road Safety and Traffic Authority, was piloted in Geelong and is now available ta all in 1974. Victorian schools. Major opportun ities to e ncourage Specific tasks will include, cycling have been missed because of the • Research, deve lop and implement cycling fai lure to see the into the future o n long safety education programs complementary te rm issues a nd pursue the la rge la Bike Ed for younger and alder school age groups in close ea-operation wi th rhe economic benefits. Education Department and ~BC Ten years ago the Federal government Performance Indicators was doing nothing fo r cycl in g. More • Maintain and reinforce.the Bike Ed recently it had funded accident studies program with the aim of 80% penetration and provided $40 million for employing of the target age group by 1996,. (s)uP people to build bicycle paths and shared

This graph shows the progress made so far with the Bike-Ed program in Victoria. INTRODUCING footways. Now tha t the Community E mployment Program and the Jobs On SUperLube® Local Roads program are now at an end the re is a complete la ck of o ngoin g A sources of funding available from Fed­ UNIQUE, LONG LASTING, eral sources. PENETRANT LUBRICANT FOR Today, all that the Federal politicians BETTER BICYCLE MAINTENANCE. and bureaucrats want to do is make hel­ met wearing compulsory and ignore the • EASY TO APPLY, NON-STAINING SYNTHETIC need to encourage bicycle use by provid­ COMPOUND WITH TEFLON. in g funds for improving the main roads • SUPERIOR LUBRICATION; LESS FRICTION or providing alternative off-road routes. AND WEAR. • PREVENTS RUST AND CORROSION AND Today we can see that Australia is REPELS DIRT AND WATER. being turned into a mo torised banana • SUPERIOR ADHESION; DOES NOT DRIP OR RUN. republ ic by politicians who are out of • WONT DISPERSE OR BREAKDOWN; STANDS touch with a public who have ta ken to UP TO EXTREMES OF TEMPERATURE AND cycling in a big way. WATER. • HIGHLY EFFECTIVE ON GEAR DRIVES, BEARINGS, CHAINS, LOCKS ETC. 1977-1987 -The need for long-term • COMPATIBLE WITH OTHER LUBRICANTS. objectives The little that has achi eved for cycli sts in ~ °"4,~&4'1atft:\.._ the last t e n years has come from the Sllperlulle" political lobbying of the community cycl­ ing organisations. This has resulted in .~ about $7 million being spent each year by all state and local governments com­ bined, which is about one fifth of what is really required . In recent years cyclists have been d e­ nied access to major roads and bridges that are s hort cuts for other road users. Average speeds have been all owed to 310g increase o n roads and Police no longer patrol the streets where people live, so that there is no one to caution the unsafe behaviour of child cycl ists. Proper t ra in­ ing courses for professional engin eers and pl anners to learn how to provide fo r In an American evaluation involving 4 leading brands , SUPER LUBE AVAI LABLE IN : 85g (3oz) TUBES. cyclists do not exist in s received "most firit place rankings '' and showed a ''clear superiority" 127g (4 .5oz) & 310g (11oz) A EROSOL CANS pite of the explo­ sion of information and research on the AVAILABLE FROM YOUR SPECIALIST BICYCLE DEALER subject. In spite of this neglect the last t e n PHONE FOR YO UR N EAREST STOCKIST years has actually seen improved safety Distributed by VICTOR IA: 99 Derby Road, Sunshi ne, Vic. 3020. Tel.: (03) 311 0611 N.S.W.: 24 Wil liam Street, leichhardt 2040. Tel. ; (02) 560 8877 levels due to Police action against drun­ STH. AUST.: 40 Stepney Street, Stepney 5069. Tel. : (081 42 4931 OLD.: 246a Evans Road, Salisbury 4107. Tel. : (07) 277 8622 ke n drivers and better driving in struc­ WEST. AUST. : 82 Robinson Avenue, Belmont 6104. Tel. : !09) 478 2222 tion which has resulted in less dangerous new drivers.

76 Freewheeling te rm goa ls fo r a ll of th ese p rogra ms, PROVISIONS FOR CYCLISTS % NATIONAL RATING A . A. Parker with d e fin e d pe r fo rm a nce c rite ri a.

0 t 1 The re a re no s ta te tra ffi c safe ty e duca­ n~l~=:~"~=:~.--+-~c;J---+-~=;'.""',~o=qr=':~~=~•~~~~~•-ves~,~~n,=o~~~~wn=an=~~r\-.cl-.al,:c.,l~: 'ri~re~N=ewc=•=•==e. ~~~~:~~r~~~~~~~~d:~-~~e~~= ti o n pl a ns . a nd w itho ut su ch pl a ns MAIN ed shou .de rs ~ New road d~siqn standards rcaui red Roaas ana Dr 1aqes 10 Rights o a ccess not recoqnlsea mo me ntum will be lost. ROADS usive and w1 th oark nq zo B lke car oark na anes success u (!) . -Bus 1ane s 101Ke on,y turns . s Co1M1on practise in UK not used here:> z O n back road routes, in resid e nti a l ccw LOCAL areas, the p rovisio n of loca l area tra ffi c w z ROADS - Humos islands etc ~u Exce ent nronress in Vi c tor a m a n age me nt m easures h as indire ctl y c losures. I Lack of pro per c;iutde l lnes (!) he lped a lo t of cycli sts by reducing the z 0 0 1 11 w r/,tb'-'ft!"ke-'-,o--" ,a~th!"s"'-JJ:• -."' _-.._- ___ -+.:!r!gH-';;'"o"e"'"•":•,c,•n=-'fo<:'~c::/"'a~~~~•.'='•~~~e a~~":~~= l au de nes sp eed a nd volum e o f traffi c . O vera ll OFF t--:;c!"A~nTH~Ts'""-~rs"h~Ta"' r"';','dDM ~f!"•o,.~~~w•ui!..._!:~u, ~7~q S E RAGP- At. o 'f an~ ·nl ~ Need to chanae o ann na reau at1ons provisio ns made for cyclists a rc few a nd ROAD fa r betwee n , but t he re is some p rogress

PVP ,..,..,....,... - n ent-al educatfnn I New area needs devetonina a nd a good sta rt has been made o n get­ 5 RIDER ~~~~~:-~~~~~-~!~!n;l~t~~: ~~ar.lo!~!~s ~°n Proqr:;~~~::n~~Y req~~~~ ~~~r~:1s qroup ting t he p la nning process moving a nd ~ SENIORS-Advanced ridlna 3 t o 16 vears . I New progr,1111 be1n9 deve oped 1n V1ctorla putting administ rative mech a nisms in (.) >----,f-AD_u_c_rs_-_1_n_fo_r_ma_l_P_r o_o_r_am_s_u_s_1n_o_m_e_d_l•----t--!,-'----t--s_c_o_P•_r_o_r _1_n_no_v_a_t_,v_ e_pr_oq_r•_m_•____ -1 pl ace w hi c h co uld b e s timul a ted into ::, DRIVER TESTING - Revised tralnlnq manuals. 10 Al I state dr i ver tMnuals could be i11tprove< ~ DRIVER P.Dc;,.R;clVc;l ,;;N°"G,,,t "'N~ST~R~U~CT~O,-,,R~S~-Ro,ea.cv~s e,.=••~t=r~•~"="~"m"-'e'-"t""h•o=.,••c.e•'--· +,=O,+;,No"'t"i-'-h'",c'"<-,,=.,c d,onc'ie'--"-so-c=a=cr c-==~===----1 taking mo re effecti ve acti o n. ALL OR IVERS - media campa5 I qns . 2 0 Good tea era 1 proqram fflOre requ reo t- ,.,,.., ·r~- Blk~ taw cnfo---- nt offtrers 10 NSW s c heme OK but need to enforce laws T he e nfo rceme nt programs o f tti c Vi c­ Z RJ.DEA UNDER TWELVES - Cautioninq and adv ice ZO Po ice patro s hopelessly inadequate to ri an , NSW and WA po li ce, namely the W OVER T\JELVES- Cautionlnq and on-the-spot f Ines • .5 Un-the- spot f 1nes needed for 12 to l /year., Nr.--M-,,,- 1:--1-e-nt--n•ro-,n-=.,-e---:f:--a-r""'.IC"e_s_s ""'.d:--r-un--:k_s_o_n-roa---:d1 ~ f----!1-0=0 •-AT--11=....--,- n.-,-n------1r.8,;:0;-t-E-x_c_e (.) SPEED LtMITS-Reduc e s pe eds to withtn limit. 20 New tr.chnoloqy has qreat pot~ntial 8 ~ DRIVER ~r.Ass ... :J~~l~d~~o:t~plc!1~~a~f~~-limlt I~ New ~ecnffiirb~uiHr::~ ~e:~ca Jn SA z c:a:I\SS / LITTE:R Litte r laws and strcnt cloanJnq. rn New litter laws -·ccwunq 1n v1 c t.oria This chart shows that most of the motorists UJ ~GEROOS DOOS- Introduce lcair;h laws, 5i S100 I 1ncs under new Vlcl.ortan 1aw ' killers' are male and under 30 years of age, so it is obvious what the solution is, even if the police don't currently have the resources, to completely remove the offenders from the roads.

The overall needs of cyclists, expressed in terms of practical things that could be done Australia 1982 & 1983 for them, are shown on this chart. Readers can form their own opinions of the relative worth of individual programs in both the BICYCLE/MOTOR VEHICLE short and long term. The achievement ratings DEATHS BY AGE OF put in as percentages are purely subjective MOTOR VEHICLE estimates , because no government agency ever evaluates its work. DRIVER

The p rogress m ad e in p roviding off­ road facilities has o nl y been fair because of the a ppa lling qua lity o f m ost o f the p aths built. The to ta l dista nce o f wide ­ ned k e rb lanes o n m ain roads is negli gi­ ble a nd most o f the ma in road intersec­ tio ns we re seri o us accide nts o ccur have no t b een altered. The progress m a d e s o fa r with the Bike E d p rogra m in Victo ri a is ve r y e ffecti ve pro­ good , but the re a re no ~ MALE grams for child cyclists in the 6 to 9 age • .. , FEMALE group and no ne for those ove r n years . Bike E el is unlike ly to reach the in­ te nded fi gure o f 80% penetration of the ta rget age group b y 1992 unless mo re resources are put into the program within the next two years . N e w S o uth Wa les a nd West A ustra li a a re rapidly setting up similar Bike Ed programs , but have a long way to go to catch up to Vi c­ toria. In o th e r sta tes the qua lit y a nd e ffective n ess o f o the r e ducati o n p ro­ gram s is s uspect a nd I doubt if wha t i s being do ne i n Queensla nd is e ffecti ve at all. Othe r e ducati o n programs, na m e ly R oadwo rks , Post prima ry c urriculum units a nd the Bi cycle O ffences Re po rt syste m o nl y reach a s mall proportio n o f 50159 the c hildren they are targe ted at, and no o verall pl an e xi sts to establish the lo ng AGE OF THE DRIVER

Freewheeling 77 Bicycle Offences report system , only tion controls and wrong-way riding are a 40 km/h speed limit o n all neighbour­ reach a small proportion of the children the most blatant of the common of­ hood and access roads. This should also (about 20% ) and no police force has fenses. There are approximately 1 mil­ reduce average speeds by ensuring com­ lo ng term goals for any of these pro­ li o n BMX bikes - owned by high ri sk pliance with ex isting speed limits. them have no li ghts grams with defined performance males - and 95 % of The system of police speed ca meras 40% of them are fit­ criteria. Furthermore, the enforcement and only and only and fines has the potential to greatly ted with a rear reflector. The annual of bicycle law for serious bicycle traffic reduce the number and severity of in ­ to non-compliance offences by o ld er children does not accident cost due juries, especially for children , ad ul t laws is in the region occur. A system of o n-the-spot fin es with existing traffic pedestrians, bicyclists a nd motorcyc­ of­ of $20 million per year and provides a needs to be introduced for repeated li sts. fenders over 13 years of age . The re­ compell ing economic reason to develop introduction of police bicycle patrols in a bicycle law enforcement capability. Unprotected road users can be killed, brain damaged or crippled at impact residential areas that are level enough The safety initiatives of most benefit velocities which most motorists usuall y for easy cycling also needs to be consid­ to cyclists are technical improvements in survive free of personal injuries. Child ered. efficient speeding detection devices and road casualti es alone cost Victoria $80 Riding at night without lights, not their application on a ll roads which millio n per year, a nd if you add the obeying traffic li ghts and other intersec- would then make it feasible to introduce other unprotected road user casualties this goes up to around $100 million. Reducing the average speed on mai n rm goal for 11 roads sho uld be the long te the police because , at l owe r speeds 0n the road I vvant a motorists have more time to take action to avoid colli sio ns, especially when helmet that's light, cool fatigued or under stress. There is now the potentia l t o ma ke and c fortable. much more happen, but the political will to do so is lackin g. There are now many local and metropo litan bikeplans, but That's vvhy I vvear a the rate at which they are being imple­ mented is slow indeed, I doubt if most of Safety Rider:' them ever will be implemented .

The emergence of bicycle lobby groups Of crucial importance is the e mergence of cycling organi sations who lobby gov­ e rnments to make cycling safer, more enjoyable and more convenient. The papers written by bicycle advo­ cates and published by the Bikesafe con­ fe rence (held during 1986) clearly show that cycl ists a re recognised t o a limited degree by governme nt. The only prob­ le m with the bicycle <1 dvocacy move­ m~nt is that it is bending over backwards to keep sweet its relations with the bureaucracy. It forgets that it is motorists who kill cycli sts; cycli sts do not kill motorists. The Bicycle Federa­ tion of Australia (BFA) has no policy on what must be done about the 10 % to 15 % of motori sts who drive too fast to too recklessly a nd kill about two thirds of the cyclists on the roads every year. One of the European Cycling Federa­ tion's main policies recognises that most cycl ing is done on the roads and that the main purpose of traffic engineering mea­ sures sho uld be to, "enhance safety by reducing the overall speed of motor traf­ fic . The E uro peans also call for the en­ forcement of traffic laws relating to road AUSTRALIANOLYMPICGOLDMEDALLIST ~~ users but particularly motorists. In deed the latest r esearch from the Nordic Associati on of Road and Traffic """'"'~ .. ~ AVAOCAm ,SOM YOUR seec,.c,,rr "'cvm o,,crn E ngineers shows that a 10% reducti on in average speed means that the risk of a fatal accident is reduced by 40 % . ·

78 Freewheeling ·. -~wa w~••L8 . ¾DDINGTON PH.3312671

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NEW!! MAIL ORDER USE OUR MAIL ORDER AND SA VE ON YOUR CYCLE CLOTHING BUY DIRECT FROM US AT WHOLESALE PRICES The WE HAVE A RANGE OF CAMPITELLO, MERCKX AND MARILENA ETC State Bicycle Committee SEND $2 .00 (TO COVER POSTAGE AND HANDLING) of NSW TO : congratulates EUROPEAN CYCLE IMPORTS P.O. BOX 378 BLACKBURN VIC. 3130 AND WE 'LL SEND YOU OUR CATALOGUE AND PRICE LIST. ALLOW 21 DAYS FOR HANDLING. JUST FILL OUT THE COUPON BELOW. PLEASE PRINT. Freewheelin9 PLEASE SEND ME YOUR CATALOGUE & magazine PRICE LIST NOW. on its first NAME . 1 Oyears ADDRESS TOWN/SUBURB ..

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80 Freewheeling THE LIFE AND TIMES OF RUSSELL MOCKRIDGE

BictJcle sport

A TRIBUTE TO AN AUSSIE CYCLING GIANT

by John Drummond

Freewheeling 81 the Itali an star, Mockridge dismoun ted and advanced on the judges imploring the m t o reve rse the decisio n , fo r h e knew in his heart that Sacchi had beaten him. Whe n S acchi left A ustrali a in March 1958 he asserted that M ockridge was the finest sportsperson h e had ever encountered. Everything the Geelo ng cycli st did had a touch of genius a bo ut it - such as whe n h e c reated cycling hi story in Fr­ ance in 1952 by doing w hat the F rench would consider the impossible. He won both th e a mateur and professional Pari s G rand Prix in the o ne year.

H E R E does the Mockridge saga start? In the insta nce of W an e ni gma , as Russe ll was, no o ne can r eall y say where or when. E d­ ward Russe ll Mockridge (Edward was never u sed) wa born 59 years ago on 18 July, 1928 , at N ewtown , G eelong, Vi c­ tori a . H e was educated at G eelong Col­ lege. His fa ther, Robert G M ockridge, was m a nager of the C heeth am S alt Works. Russell had a n e lde r b rother, Graham , who like hi s fa ther w as a self made m an , a nd became a p rosperous business ma n in Re d C liffs , s o me 16 kil ometres east of the Vi ctori an border town of Mildura. Mockridge teamed with Australia's greatest Wreaths fillin g three cars we re from G raham and Russell , had a c lose af­ six-day cyclist, Roger Arnold and four times all pa rts o f A ustralia . Seve n p o li ce finity and spent most of their adolescent world track champion, Sid Patterson, won the mo to r cyclists headed the f une ral p ro­ years pl ay ing in the b ush, especia ll y in Paris S ix. Mockridge is seen here during the cession. Fe ll ow cyclists a nd cycling o ffi­ the school holiday peri od. fi nal hours of th e race. cia ls fro m every Australi an State were The G eelong Coll ege motto ,"Sic itur present. ad astra" in effect m eans, "here li es the Hundreds of vehicles pulled onto the road t o immo rtality" . And the na me dward Russell Mockridge was kil­ roadside to a ll ow the cortege to pass, Mockridge is immortali sed in the a nnu­ le d in a road racing accide nt in while d ri ve rs a nd passengers stood with als of cycling. E Me lbo urne in Se pte m ber 1958. bowed h ead as the mighty cycl ist went Perhaps the starting point of the Moc­ and while I h ave co ntri buted to t he ex­ on hi s last ride. kridge story began in hi s fo rmati ve years traordin ary fl ow of words , writte n by O n that d ay Mo nday, 15 Se ptember, with hi s brother in the bush . For h e con­ the world 's best sporting jo urna li sts in 1958, Russell Mockridge was cremated , siste ntly re turne d t o hi s a d o lescent ma ny la ngu ages a bout t he fea ts a nd and a ll Austra li a cried. h a unts as his d isappo intme nts arose . death of Russe ll Mockridge somehow 1 T he Dua l Olympic C ha mpio n a nd Like his decisio n t o try foo tba ll as a have fe lt in a de qua te to write com­ world rated cyclist was kill ed in a freak sport in 1944 when the Geelong Football pre he nsively o n the mani fold qualities accident with a passenger bus at 10:30 in Clu b, in recess, was conducting a n off­ that m ade up hi s o utstanding li fe . the morning in Clay ton N orth , a suburb season coaching clinic in G eelong C ity. Now, before I too cross the fin al line , of M e lbo urne w hile compe ting in the Russell became in volved and looked a despite my inadequacie s I shall try to 30th Annual Tour o f Gippsland . It was likely prospect. For h e had exceptional re fl ect hi s li fe without prejudice. fo r in world news within 30 minutes. Astonish­ speed , ki cked fa rthe r a nd st raighte r spite o f the malice . a ccusatio n a nd ingly a ll this happened in a c ity w here than any o th er playe r and the coaches jealousy. o ft e n d irected at h im and h is Austra li an Rules Footba ll is a re li gion. agreed h e would make a brilli ant centre­ fa mily w hilst a live. designed to defl ect Such was the impact Russell Mockridge half back or a good fo rward . him from the path of principle. recrimi­ made o n life. But he missed easy ma rks a nd ap­ nati on h ad n o place in his li fe nor shall it What was the intangible that so sti r­ peare d t o h ave problem s j udging the have any pl ace in my story. red the passions of ordinary people? He fli ght of the ball until it was very close . It was modest. unassuming, a ge ntle g iant wa s the n discovere d that Russe ll had ussell's untime ly death at the age to a m arked d egree. Ye t hi s presence defecti ve eyesight and he would have to of thirty ye ars so shocked the na­ a nd po pula rity was ove rwhe lming. I wear spectacles permanentl y. ti o n th at a n estimate d 12 ,000 think it was hi s lofty sense of sportsman­ Football was out. So Russell and hi s R y. peop le lined t he 2 0 k m route fro m St ship combined with a touch of genius. brother resumed their bush activit Kilda road t o Me lbourne's Springvale These two qua lities show th ro ugh hi s He was 18 years o ld when h e decided Crematorium . cycling career time a nd time a ga in - to have a shot at cycling. H e fashioned 3000 crowded the funeral parlours b ut such as the time w he n h e was given a cycling s hoes from st reet u ppe rs . o nl y 300 heard the s ervice in the over­ na r row d ecisio n ove r r e igning world gathered the fa mil y shared bi cycle with full Chape l. 440 cars fo ll owed th e cor­ sprint champion. E nzo Sacchi . With the its Major Tay lor ha nd le bars, d ressed tege. huge crowd accl aiming hi s victory o ver himself in sho rts a nd roll ed up to the

82 Freewheeling Geelong Amateur Cycling Club's usual winter Saturday afternoon road race start. Alex McPherson who was everything in the Geelong Club, took one look at the new hopeful and his bicycle and placed him on limit for the handicapped event. But McPherson had not re­ ckoned with Russell's determination or natural ability, he was deceived by looks because Mockridge won by five mi­ nutes, and would have also gained fast­ est time had anyone been there to clock him in. The timekeeper was following the scratchmen prior to making his usual journey to the front at the finish line. Despite a huge hike back in the marks three fastest times were recorded, and Russell was on scratch in four rides. His clubmates could not understand his ap­ parent lack of elation at being on scratch. He had achieved in just four starts what most of his compatriots st­ rived for during the whole of their careers. But to the gifted Geelong cyc­ li st it was not unique. Before the end of his first season he had won the Western Districts of Vic­ toria, and the Geelong Amateur Cycling Club road championships. At the con­ clusion of the road season ( October 1946) Jack Baker, a rider with Interna­ tional experience, and Stuart Cunnin­ gham, a Geelong Clubman of some re­ pute, joined forces to educate the obvi­ ously talented rookie in the finer rudi­ ments of cycling. Thus Russell was ready to enter open competition when the 1947 road season arrived. At hi s sixth open start he finished third, following with fastest time in the "Castlemaine" , a performance that saw his selection in the Victorian team to the Indeed some considered him a snob. He The remarkable Russell Mockridge behind 1947 National Championships. The ti ­ was courteous to the extreme. Lionel Cox ride a lap of honour at Helsinki tles were decided at Centennial Park, He was fond of good books so he following their gold medal win. Sydney. Mockridge was the only remain­ chose journalism as a vocation and com­ ing Victorian as the field bunched up for menced a working life as a cadet jour­ the final sprint. He won going away and nalist with the Geelong Advertiser. But was subsequently selected for the 1948 shyness led to his resignation. trail. The Geelong West Velodrome was Olympic Games in London, where bug­ According, to his brother Graham , measured for the distance and the Olym­ ~ed with punctures he finished 29th . Russell was often short of money and pic road race representative trained for It was following his selection race the onl y thing he really cared about was this track cycling debut. championship victory that his strong sport. He was a good athlete, capable of Russell won the Victorian 1000 m time sense of sportsmanship first surfaced. running a quick mile , was a fast swim­ trial championship at his first appear­ He refused an invitation to speak over mer and a speedy footba ll er. But his ance in track cycling. Ten days later he National radio network saying, " Why poor eye-sight restricted his choice. Of was the National champion. should I claim the limelight. I couldn't all the sports he would have chosen that Following the London Olympics Rus­ have won without the teamwork." would have given him a wealthy exis­ sell returned to Melbourne in the midst If told, following on Russell 's national tence he chose cycli ng , which gave little of the 1949 Australian road season ham­ victory on the gruelling Centennial Park other than fame . pered by a knee injury. He was obliged circuit only fourteen months after taking Perhaps it is an indictment of the Aus­ to seek medical aid advising a long rest, up the sport of cycling, that Mockridge tralian cycle racing system that it returns so he announced a temporary retire­ would later become a world class so little to its champions. ment from road cycling advising that he sprinter, the purveyor of such a predic­ In order to overcome boredom be­ would return for the summer track sea­ tion would have been laughed to scorn . tween road sessions wh il e waiting for son. But such was the genius of Russell Moc­ the London Olympics Mockridge's Following this ultimate triumph he kridge that this was to be the case. Geelong advisors suggested he s hould was the number one selection , ahead of Russe ll was a quiet, studious and de­ compete in selected track events. Con­ reigning world sprint champion Sid Pat­ termined character whose attitude often sidering his Olympic road race involve­ terson, for the forthcoming New Zea­ alienated him from his contemporarys. ment Russell chose the 1000 metre time land Empire Games.

Freewheeling BJ What a season it was! At the National Thinking the time was incorrect "Fitzie" The whole nation was outraged. The championships in Bundaberg, Queens­ lined the riders up again and "Mocka" press wrote editorials condemning the land, he won all the titles and an Empire as he was now known, repeated the ef­ hypocrisy of the Australian Olympic Games test selection 4000 metres pur­ fort . Fitzgerald was puzzled , and no Federation. Athletes could sign the suit. wonder, for Russell was no more than bond , then retire after the Games to In Auckland, New Zealand, while on halfway through his preparation and still emerge later as a professional, or just the crest of a wave, he shocked the cycl­ on a restricted 88 inch gear. tear the contract up as it only bound ing world by announcing his retirement Mockridge was to later surprise the them morally. The issue was even discus­ to study theology to become a minister whole cycling world , by coming second sed in Federal Parliament. of religion. A year later the Common­ to reigning sprint champion Italian Enzo Throughout the furor that raged wealth Jubilee Committee, through Sacchi in the Milan world champion­ around him Mockridge remained inflexi­ Hubert Opperman (now Sir Hubert) , ships. ble, his honesty was total. and a prominent Victorian adminis­ In 1952 Russell was at the peak of per­ He felt no injustice when he boarded trator, CJ Gray lured Mockridge out of formance and skill. He won every Aus­ a ship for Europe , believing that he retirement with the intention of contest­ tralian title he contested, and was an would take no part in the Helsinki ing the 1951 world sprint championship. automatic selection for the Helsinki Olympics. He planned to settle with his Olympic Games of that year, but he be­ Coached by former professional sprint wife Irene, and his beloved books, champion Jack Fitzgerald, Russell came the centre of the greatest selection perhaps to spend half the year racing in quickly regained his speed. For relaxa­ storm ever to rock the Australi an Olym­ Europe and the other half working tion from his studies, Mockridge had pic Federation. His name was taken off among the sick and those in need in the been rowing, a discipline at which he the Federation's Olympic list when he slum districts of Britain. had become quite proficient, the in­ refused to sign a bond requiring him to creased power across his shoulders had remain an amateur for three years after Fate was to determine otherwise. The enigma of the era was giving Europe's become evident. the Helsinki Games. Just because he best amateur cyclist's thrashing after In his first training match he cleared thought he may decide to race profes­ thrashing, and that included the Italian out to record a 12 .2 last 200 metres . sionall y. world champion Enzo Sacchi. Of course, the dour AOF remained resol­ ute. The day of reckoning came on July 6, 1952. At Nincennes track in Paris, the Olympic reject handed out another de­ feat to Sacchi. The packed stands NAGUSI around the 333 metre track were shocked into silence by this Australian win , for the previous day he had FRAME PUMPS. changed the rules of French cycling. For as long as anyone could re­ member the amateur and professional -NEXT TO PERFECT. Grand Prix of Paris were the greatest Strong, lightweight, versatile and highly prize of French track cycling, the Tour efficient, Nagusi frame pumps, with inter­ de France of the track as it were. As changeable, direct on connectors for both winner of the amateur Grand Prix Moc­ schrader and trench valves, are the necessary kridge was accorded the honour of tak­ accessory for all cyclists. ing part in the professional counterpart, and won. Never before had an amateur defeated the professionals, and never will they again, the French made certain HIGH PERFORMANCE. of that by abolishing the tradition. Tested against a full range of frame On the way to the final Russell de­ pumps by Bicycling Magazine, Nagusi made feated Dutch Olympic champion Ari "the most effective use of intake air of any Van Vliet, former amateur world sprint pump", and delivered better measureable champion, Australian Sid Patterson and performance than did more expensive, less French sprint champion J Bellenger. versatile pumps. The final saw underdog Russell Moc­ kridge opposed to triple Grand Prix win­ LOW COST. ner Englishman , Reg Harris, and the You won't find a better performing, then current world sprint champion Jan lighter frame pump for anything like Derkson of Holland. Nagusi's price, so check out the superb Immediately the starter signalled the Nagusi range at your specialist bicycle race had begun all three stood on the dealer today and see the Nagusi difference. mark for six minutes in an endeavour to force each other into the lead, then they moved fifty metres, and stood another five minutes. The tension was overwhelming. Who was this bespectacled amateur rider who was matching the tactics of Europe's best professional sprinters? At the 200 metre mark Derksen had the lead from

84 Freewheeling Harris. Coming into the final straight I well recollect li stening to the rauc­ Russell made his reappearance on the Harris moved to Derksen , then Moc­ ous voice of the BBC commentator as track in Australia before the biggest kridge with a withering burst of speed he excitedly described "Mocca's" gold crowd ever seen at the Geelong West shot past a surrenderin g Harris , winning time trial in the world record Velodrome, on 6 December, 1952. gathered in Derksen at 40 metres , to time of 1 min 11.1 sees. Mockridge continued his good form score going away with both hands Mockridge returned to Australia on taking a string of titles in a seemingly punching the air. the ocean liner "Otranto" in November, never ending run of success. Foll owing developing problems with The French morning newspapers 1952 to a VIP welcome. His Olympic Australian cycling officialdom Moc­ headed their Grand Prix stories simply blazer was presented by Hubert Opper- · kridge accompanied by Lionel Cox left Mock ridge - right across the top of the man, MP. giant was given a for E urope on March 17th, 1953. Back sporting page in 30 mm type. The modest sporting hero's welcome home. He was the reci­ in E ngland, and on the continent the When the news was flashed over the pient of a civic reception given by the Geelong Olympic champion was chal­ BBC the announcer expressed his as­ Lord Mayor of Melbourne and then lenged by the current cycling stars, Cyril tonishment that Mockridge had been brought under police escort to the Peacock of Great Britain and Andre deleted from the Australian Olympic Geelong City Hall , where the Mayor Gruchet of France. They both fell be­ Team. gave him another civic reception. fore the might of Mock ridge, and his Later that morning moves were made through the Mayor of the city of Geelong. Councillor Bervin Purnell to have the Geelong cyclist reinstated in the Helsinki Olympic Team. Councillor Purnell firstly spoke to Hube rt Opper­ ANNOUNCING THE HILLMAN man and between them they set up negotiations, which after three days of compromi se ended with Mockridge signing a one year bond to which Coun_­ ci ll or Purnell had no hesitation in guaranteeing Russell 's part of the agree­ ment. If the Chairman and Secretary of the SERIES AOF, G G Alderson and Edgar Tan ner respectively, ever had any doubt about the honesty of men they must have been *ALPINE*SPORT*COMPETITION *SHERPA PRO cast aside when Mockridge stood by hi s agreeme nt for the full twelve months, Priced from $585 thru to $13~0. These are as good a comolnatlon of low price and high performance as you ·ve seen. despite very lucrative offers to race pro­ All feature sun Tour Accushift Indexed gearing along with the latest in ATB fessionally both home and abroad. frame technology: radically steep 71-degree head and 72 -degree seat angles When Mockridge was told agreement and a tight 42-inch wheelbase make sidestepping rocks and stumps mere child's play. combined with Tange crMo DI Butted tubes, all handle like had been reached and he was required custom built, full bore racing ATB's. complete specification details available to be in Helsinki, his response was typi­ by sending a stamped, self addressed envelope to the address below. cal, he re marked "That will be very nice . Then a ll I've got to do is win an FOR MASS PRODUCTION Olympic title for Australia , and that is WHY SETTLE quite a responsibility. " WHEN FOR THE SAME PRICE YOU COULD OWN So on the morning prior to the great­ CUSTOMISED CLASS! est individual Australian Olympic cycl­ ing effort (even to this day) Russell tap­ ped on Edgar Tanner's door in Helsinki COLOUR AND FINISH TOTALLY OPTIONAL and quietly said,"I'm here." unicrown sent to OUR ATB STOCKS INCLUDE: Frames from $189 to $575, replacement There was no cycling manager forks in CrMo and Hi-Tensile, 6 different chainwheel sets, brake sets and hub Helsinki because funds were not avail­ sets; rims from Araya . Weinmann, Mavic, and FIR; spokes in but- able. Lindsay McLeod, the Victorian ted, chrome and stainless; 14 models of tyre Including the new Panaracer nominee, had to stay home. Mockridge FATRAX, gearsets alpha 3000, alpha sooo. xc-sport, 7000, 9000 and oeore XT; and SR· trial and headstems from ROSS , Kusukl Rocky models 3 and 6, xc, st umpneck was entered for the 1000 m time FXS; s shapes In alloy and CrMo handlebars. the tandem pairs wh ich was then an Olympic championship , but not the sprint. In the sprint he was clearly the world's best. But, Lionel Cox, the even­ THEY DON'T CALL US AUSTRALIA'S MOUNTAIN tual silver medalist, did not let us down , and he had no pretensions as a time BIKE HEADQUARTERS FOR NOTHING! trialist. Russell had brought a tandem and the essential equipment, because the O lym­ HILLMAN, THE PROFESSIONAL BICYCLE PEOPLE. pic team had nothing, not even a me­ (Est. 1938) chanic. Next day he and Lionel Cox had 46 Grantham St, west Brunswick Vic. 3055 their first ride together on a tandem . Three days later they were the Olympic Phone: (03) 380 9685 - 2 lines. gold medalists. They remained unde­ FAX (03) 388 118 feated in several revenge matches throughout Europe.

Freewheeling 8S professional. Racing with a severe wri st injury Russell won the a dmira tion of the French crowd by e ntering the fin al and fini shing third to the g reat Oscar Platt­ ner of Switzerl and , and Loui s of France. In 1954 M ock ridge received a most seri o us setback. H e was stri cke n with the cyclists most dreaded scourge, glan­ dula r fever which sapped hi s s trength fo r two years, baffling a ll the medical skill and knowl edge of hi s doctors. Moc­ k ridge returned to good h ealth and hi s first l ove o f road cycling in the E uro­ pean season of 1955. T he F re nch a nd Ita li a ns who h ad witnessed hi s track skills watche d incredul o usly as he punished himself to become a roadman. O n the Rivie ra he was turned alo ng the in correct road whe n h e broke away fro m the peloto n and virtua ll y had the race wo n. In the mo to r p aced R o me­ Napl es-Rome he fini shed well up the classifi cati o ns, being the second no n­ Ita li an t o fini sh. T he Fre nch just could no t b e li eve tha t a c ha mpio n track sprinter could be s uch an accomplis hed road ride r. Fo ll owing a win in the Tour of Va uc­ luse, Russell was in vited to ri de with the Luxe mbo urg tea m in th e To ur de Fr­ a nce. H e became the first A ustra li an cycl ist since Hubert Opperman t o com­ plete the Tour. One thing " Mocca" did fi nd o ut from the Tou r was: tha t to wi n the worlds toughest To ur one needed a s pecial pre­ parati o n of years s pe nt on the road to build up a resistance to the ri gours of the massive mountain clim bs . T he 11th stage over M o nt Ye ntoux, unhappily coin ciding w ith his b irthday, was probabl y the most depressing day of hi s li fe. It was the day the Mou ntain came to Mo ha mmed . A fa lse hill j ust before th e mo unta in , Russe ll just coul dn't ride up it. He got off hi s bicycle a nd had a hose down and the n crawled along the road a bit more. But the sear­ ing heat got to him again so he went in to a house and had another hose down. A ll the time he was cra mming load sugar into hi s mouth. H e ke pt pushing b ut the mo unta in just went o n and up. H e thought, how terrible, I will never reach the top. How­ Ill and suffering from a leg injury Russell Mockridge had changed the rules by ever by the time he was nearing the sum­ Mockridge finished 64th in th e 1955 Tour de hi s v ictory the previo us year and if he mit hi s ne mesis had p assed and he was France an example of courage and determina­ was to defe nd hi s title it had t o be as a going a lo t b e tte r. H e tho ught of th e tion that has few equals. The photo shows professional. T here was no im pediment words o f hi s team l eader, Cha rl y Gaul , Mockridge at th e e nd of a tough stage in the to him do ing so as hi s agreeme nt with who would ride up to him on the moun­ Tour. the AOF had n ow lapsed. tain passes and say "Save yourself boy; After some agoni zing Russell decided take your time , there's a long way to go .to t urn p rofessio na l. His fa the r d ul y and I may need your help." ca ll ed on R oy Ward , a jo urna li st fr iend C ha rl y G a ul was th ird overa ll , a nd name was on everyone's li ps as the a p­ of the Mock ridge fa mil y a nd a n official Russell 's jo b was each time he proach of the season ending with Grand of the Geelo ng A mateur Cycling C lub. punctured t o d rop back and he lp him Prix Pa ri s . As expected the A ustrali an A ft er the usual fo rmalities Russell was regain the pe lo to n. For this he was to re m ained as " Ki ng of Sprint", with a issued with a professional li cence. receive 300 pounds. resounding victory over G ruchet and hi s O n Sunday 21 June he defended his When the To ur was over Russe ll col­ travelling mate Cox. Pa ri s G ra nd Prix in hi s first r ide as a lected hi s 300 po unds fo r the t hree har-

86 Freewheeling Is your child's life worth the cost of this seat When you want to take young children. It also has a assemble and will fit most your children out cycling, play low centre of gravity for better popular bikes. it safe. Make sure they're fully balance. So, when you're going protected with a Dorcy Cycle The Dorcy Cycle Safety cycling and you want to take Safety Seat. Seat has extra large wrap­ the children along for the ride, Made from incredibly around foot pads and a web strap them in a Dorcy Cycle strong, moulded polypropelene style safety belt. It's easy to Safety Seat. For kids, it's the with a steel tube frame, the only way to travel. Dorcy Cycle Safety Seat can Dorcy Bike Accessories. comfortably accommodate Available at Myer, Target, Venture, K· Mart & BIG W dest weeks of labour in hi s ca reer. But, unique ly Australian cycling ha ndicap masseur. Probably because of the team get to Paris he did , only no t a head of system of the time found they had a bet­ effort Russell won most of the profes­ Louisson Bobet who won the Tour for ter chance of overtaking the outmarkers sional road races from scratch or took the third successive year. if they combined and this sometime led fastest time. Unlike most of the other riders, how­ to collusion. He won a ll the major events including ever, the 1955 Tour de France did not It should be stressed tha t there is a the National Championship , Mercury end for Russe ll Mock ridge with the final marked difference between teaming and Tour, Tour of Gippsland and the Sun stage to Paris. He was contracted to the collusion . In simple terms, collusion Tour. During the Sun Tour Mockridge promoter of the Essendon Board Track means teaming with evil inte nt. The trailed by more than two minutes on the to match race several loca l a nd Euro­ worst form of collusion is for a n out­ final stage so he unleashed one of the pean champio ns during the forthcoming mark er to deliberately slow the field for most powerful attacks of his career 1955/56 track season. So with hi s wife a given backmarker - and this practice when he charged through the hills with and daughter, Melinda, he returned to far too often escaped the a tte ntio n of George Goodwin , the previous year Melbourne. race officials. winner glued to his wheel, to finis h Although the effects of the muscle Everybody knew that Mockridge more than five minutes ahead of the wrenching To ur were to stay with h~m would have no part of arrangements chasing peloton. fo r th e whole of the track season , by a that could be construed as collusion. The gut-wrenching ride through the judicious choice of events a nd avoiding Consequently, he became the target for Dandenong Ranges was among Rus­ any track championships Russell innuendo and accusation by certain rid­ sell's best. The following motor cycle e merged from the season undefeated in ers, they even boasted , "we got rid of police were scraping the footrests of match racing. Hoobin (Hoobin being the amateur their cycles on the road around the hair­ On the road he was a sensation as he world champion who turned profes­ pin bends in order to maintain contact eclipsed great champio ns like Eddie sio na l on returning to Australia) and through the rain forests . Smith , Alan Geddes, Hee Sutherland, we'll do the same to Mockridge". But Mock ridge was reliving his Tour de and others with consummate skill. they reckoned without his brilliance. France experience with his fitness and It was in August, 1956, in Hobart that Russell did not quit he went on, often daring at its peak. Mock ridge won the first of his three as a loner, to sweep all before him in a At 30 years of age he was Australi a's Australian professional road titles after never ending saga of success. His best dominant rider and consid ered he had surviving a fruitless protest by defender, year as a professional was 1957 . Russell five more seasons at the top. Secretly he Eddie Smith. had become a reside nt of Me lbo urne was preparing himself for another chal­ Where money is conce rned the re is and a team relationship was formed with lenge with the mountains of the Tour de usually some organisation . a nd within Les Dunne, a trade representative with France. This time with three years of professional sport it is more than inci­ Russell's sponsor Heatings a nd team training in hi s legs. dental and something officials find dif­ mechanic. He also took into hi s confi­ Mont Ventoux would not stop him - ficult to control. Backmarkers in the dence Alec Weston a school teacher and but death did. •

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~ AFAT· TYRE FUTURE The fat-tl)re fanatic

H E fa t-tyred mountain bike is a instead of the more conve ntio nal road p e te in majo r inte rn a ti o na l compe ti ­ recent inve ntion with a promisin g machines. The to uring bike has neve r ti ons the local sport will lose good riders T future. The first bike o f its type, been a bi g se ll er in Oz but since mo un­ before their careers even b egin . an Araya from Japan , was imported as a tain bikes went on sale even fewer tour­ What is most n eeded i s a n event pro­ sample by Ge ne ral Accessori es Pty Ltd in g machines are being bo ught and sold . moter who is a ble to develo p the s po rt (then the makers o f Malvern Star bi cy­ What will e ve ntua ll y beco me a ppa­ in to a nati o nal seri es (the re arc many cles) in 1982. We s ubsequently revi ewed re nt as the mod e rn bi cycle s ce ne ma­ exa mples e lsewhe re in the worl d) a nd it in issue 18 a nd since then even b etter tures is tha t m a ny people will reali se capture the im agin ati on of n ot o nl y th e machines have beco me available. This that the mountain bike is a bi cycle fo r all cycling e nthusiasts but the general pub­ summe r m o untain bike sales are set t o uses there are some things it does better li c as a w ho le. It happened in BMX but d o min a te the m a rke t in the e astern than others. And there a rc some things most of the peopl e presently in vo lved in states but competitive events a nd tours it doesn't do well at all (try racing o ne on the s po rt a rc ho ping that the off-road have been slow to develop. sealed roads for instance). scene will not fo ll ow the boom- or-bust Still this type of bike has a g reat fu ­ From the outset the mo untain b ike path t a ke n by the ea rl y BMX promo t­ ture. But will its real po te ntial be full y has been accepte d as a n ideal general ers. realised in the near future? purpose bike for Australian conditions. T he s port is still to be recogni sed offi ­ Tho ugh sales a re booming th e off­ This is partly because a true a ll-purpose ciall y but once a seri es is established th e road racing scene is yet to full y get its ac has n ever been available in this country. t o rga ni sa ti o na l side s ho uld fa ll into togethe r. There have been at least th ree In the past the major influe nces on the place. nati onal championships in the last fo ur buying public have c ome from our long T here arc o nl y a few o rgani sed clu bs years but the race fi e lds have, in most tradition in track racin g and even the o ld and o nl y a minority offer a f ull ra nge of cases, been sma ll a nd in e xpe ri e nced . postman's delivery bike was closer to the activities including regul ar competition The s po rt has , howeve r, ma naged to racing machine tha n the fore runner of and to uring events. Perha ps the most produce some real t ale nt. The c urre nt the mode rn mountain bike : the balloon­ s uccessful c lub to da te is the Hunte r champs, We rne r Wh o lrab in the road tyred America n delive ry bike. Vall ey Mo unt ai n Bi ke Clu b w hi ch h as event and Glen Roche in the Tri als have been stagin g we ll organi sed competitive Pe rha ps the most inte restin g side ef­ p roven that they have the ability a nd in the Newcastl e region o f NSW fo r a fect of the ri se of the mountain bike is its s kill to achi eve the ir st atus but u ntil num ber of years. It is no coin cide nce e ffect o n the to uring scene . M a ny there is s ufficient support and money in that nati onal off-road champio n Wern er people now choose fa t-tyres for touring the system t o send these people to corn- Wholrab is a member of this club.

Freewhee/ing 89 The fo ll owing report provides descrip­ tion of one of the Hunter Club's longest running events: the Pa te rson Winte r Classic. The event is held annually in the Hunter region and attracts riders from ST IVES all over the country. BICYCLE CENTRE 237 Mona Vale Road, St Ives MOUNTAIN BIKING'S MECCA Ph: 449 8289 Fat-ttJre competition

FATTRACKER The 1987 Paterson Winter Classic MOUNTAIN COMPETITION by BOB JONES

BIKE FRAME $590.00 E R SISTE NT heavy rain in the FULL REYNOLDS 531 os fo rtnight prior to the event prom­ P ised a wet and muddy site for run­ SEEING IS BELIEVING ning of the C lassic but miracul ously the sun came out on Friday and by Sunday the course had dried to a s mooth tacky surface that gave a fast, if tricky ride. T hi s was the fo urth edition of this popular, annual off-road race and it was decided to try a novel approach, givin g 501 531 753 the in creasing numbe r of road racers turning to the s port a fa ir chance. We RACING FRAMES fe lt T he o rgani sers fe lt that a time trial TOP QUALITY OF THE OLD on an uphill gravel road coupled with an off-road circuit would emphasise fitn ess TRADITION WITH MODERN as well as bike-h andling sk ill. CONCEPTS The entries in cluded such n otables as FROM $500.00 We rner Wohlrab, current national and state off-road champion, Peter H ansen, winner of the S impson D esert chal­ BMX lenge , John Houston, National A level road racer, as well as a s trong Sydney FREESTYLE + RACING contingent with such p eople as Dave Howells a nd Steve Lowe. The thirty­ GT, HARO, SKYWAY, HUTCH AND seven strong field was filled out with visitors from Canberra, Sydney and the DIAMOND BACK. CENTURION Central Coast, along with hopefuls from 1:.F~ the local area. ,f'~--- -%c~ SENIOR BMX FRAMES $380.00 We also saw the debut of the official ~,:g'.',~ JUNIOR BMX FRAMES $380.00 Repco Mountain Bike team who have ~-.. ._,_ .....;:- signe d o n Wal Wo hlra b , local ride r Bruce Richa rds a nd Peter Bundy who THIS MONTH'S SPECIAL was un able to compete on this occasion. The morning time-trial which climbed 86 MODEL CENTURION, for a steady five kilometres had riders pushing into a fa irly stiff breeze on open DAVESCOTTIRONMAN sections a nd the warm conditions made 2 ONLY LEFT 21" 22" FRAME for hot and thirsty work. The strong con­ + tenders e me rged after this stage with $950.00 five riders led by Wohlrab b ettering 14 MECHANICS minutes. At this point the afte rnoon stage was divided into two grades, with TIMWILTON TERRYBOURKE the remainder of the experts having re­ corded up to 17 minutes for the trial and MANAGER DAVID KITCHEN the novices between 18 and 25 minutes. So it was sixteen riders who made up FRAME BUILDER: JOHN KITCHEN the expert category sprinting into the A BICYCLE IS ONLY AS GOOD AS IT IS ASSEMBLED uphill start after lunch . At the end of the first l ap , Wholrab led through the pits

90 Freewheeling others seemed happy enough with the competition alone. Special thanks are due also to Freewheeling for the donation of two, two year subscriptions for the first woman rider and first veteran. The day was rated a resounding success and so RAY'S it's on to the next challenge for all con­ cerned. That's mountain biking. BICYCLE Results Experts I. WWohlrab 55.23 2. G Croese 57.40 CENTRES 3. P Hansen 58.46 4. D Howell s 58.57 5. J Houston 59.45 6. D McAlpine 59.5 1 Novices 1. S Nesbitt 42.19 2. D Phillips 43.56 3. L Chalker 44.06 4. R Jones 45.16 First woman Karen We ll s 48.46 First junior Glen Roche shows how it's done as he clears a S Kelly 45.55 log during the Queensland Observed Trials First Veteran R Jones 45.16 championships. We've upgraded and extended our ranr;.e to H E following month Brisbane include many of the was the scene for it's first ever most famous names in with riders stringing out, though still in T mountain bike championships. cycling and triathlon close attendance with gaps in terms of Mountain bike sales in Queensland are seconds. The story was different on lap trailing most of the other states. This is gear today: three as the pressure applied by the lead­ surprising because the Sunshine State lead the nation in the growth of the ers began to tell and the following rider's 0PRESTON faces showed gritted teeth and furrowed BMX craze years ago. brows as the gaps stretched. 545 High Street It was clear that local road ace, Grant Ph : 478-2064 or 470-2090 Croese, was putting in the ride of his life WOHLRAB We are now catering also for the and had a firm grip on second place , specialist bike buyer. Bikes & even starting to gain on the leader. How­ wheels made to order. Repairs ever, it was the bright blue, black and RETAINS THE are carried out by David Cechni yellow jersey of Wohlrab that emerged - Melbourne's leading bike up the finish climb on the fourth and NATIONAL TITLE mechanic. Call in to see final lap, and a broad grin on his face at Melbourne·s biggest ·stock of last, as he racked up his eighth straight bicycles ._ There's something Fat·ttJred competition win. Grant Crose's feat was no less as to su it everyone. two minutes later he beat his nearest rival , Peter Hansen, by a minute Th e SunTour-Be/1 Na tional mountain 0FOOTSCRAY through to finish . Grant's placing was all bike titles 170 Barkley Street the more remarkable as he rode a stock Ph: 68-1385 two year old Apollo Himalaya while ERNER Wohlrab of Newcastle Triathlon gear for all types Need most of this class were on the latest light­ in New South Wales retained weights7 Full range of weights & weights. W the National Mountain Bike gymnasium gear for sale or hire. Then it was the turn of the novices, Title with a convincing win in the 1987 Great deals on Malvern Star competing over two laps and led out by Suntour-Bell National Mountain Bike Triathlete & racing bikes. Wheels popular North Shore bike shop owner, Championships held in Brisbane on Sep­ & bikes built to your specs. Steve Nesbitt of Cranks who held onto tember 13, 1987 . this slot to record his first off-road win. Wohlrab was in control from the start The remaining twenty riders raced and and never really looked to be in danger. 0FOREST HILLS struggled their way over the line for the "He has been always well prepared for 291 A Canterbury Road next ten minutes until it was all over bar these races and it shows in the end," said Ph: 877-2311 the prize giving. National Trials Champion Glen Roche Catering for everyone from the Thanks to the generosity of local and of Victoria. specialist through to the family Sydney shops, namely St Ives Bicycle Just one day prior Glen won the unit. Call in today and look at our Centre, Hadley Cycles, Europa Cycles, Queensland Tri als Championships by prices - service - range. Champion Cycles and especially local the same sort of margin. However, trials There's something there for you. dealer Kel Pritchard of Gateshead Cy­ is a specialist event that relies more on cles , who alone donated over $500 balance and technique than physical worth of gear to the (roughly) $800 tally strength and endurance so Glen found on offer, we were able to reward over himself somewhat outclassed by the one third of the entrants while the former canoeist who has now run up a .. ____.... Novice class ll km I. Rodney C re rar Buderim 25:57 .62 2. Mi chae l Lane, Mt Nebo 26: 24.49 3. Ian McChesney-Cla rk , Brisbane 26:46.46 4. Mark Dixon, Brisbane 27:3 1.1 6 5. Ray Newing, Brisbane 28:25.58 Womens U km I. Cyndi Ho lmes, Michigan USA 31 :3 1. 50 2. Joanne C ase. Maroochydore 32: 16.08 3. Joy Ell iot , Vancouve r, Canada 34: 18.99

AST Easter an event of a differ­ ent type was run for the first time L in the searing heat a nd sa nd ridges of the Simpson Desert. Next year the event"will be staged again and is sure to attract more competitors and public interest. The organi sers have recentl y released detai ls a nd rules for the 1988 event and the fo llowing information is a n edited ve rsion of their press releases. BEATING THE CRUEL SIMPSON

Werner Wohlrab (left) chats with his runners A total of 35 competitors took part in Fat-tvre competition up Grant Croese and Dave Howells at th e end eithe r the Novice or Pro Class with the of the Paterson Winter Classic. fi rst woma n to finish be in g Cyndi Holmes fo rmerly of Michigan , USA. The Simpson Deserl Challenge 1988 tally of nine major Mountain Bike vic­ The course was very fast and covered tories in a row. in sharp shale rock that saw many retire HE d esert was the winner last "I have been looking for a sponsor with punctures. year in o ne of the world's most who is prepare d to send me over to The race was organised by Panorama T unique cycling endurance events, America not o nl y to wave the flag for Pedal Promotions who have o rganised the Simpson D esert Cycle Challenge. Jt A ustrali an mounta in biking, but to ob­ the National Mountain Bike titles since may be the same result again , but for the tain whatever knowledge I can to assist 1984. The choice to conduct this year's second race in April, 1988 , competitors this sport to develop here into the entity title in Brisbane was primarily due to will have a choice between two routes it has become in the USA ." said Werner the fact that Brisbane Forest Parks wel­ through the harsh terrain . afte r the presentation . In winn in g the comed the event and provided unparal­ The first i s for the Cycle C hall e nge National Title Werner took home a Sun­ leled assistance. There are a number of proper, with riders traversing 360 km of tour XC Accushift E nsemble, Be ll Vl problems in o ther States in respect to sand-dunes and some of the to ughest Pro Helmet, plus various other prizes to find in g appropriate courses. Brisbane and most isolated desert terrain in the the value $1 ,400. The total prize pool for offered a refreshing alternative. world. The second, but no less daunting the event was over $3 ,000. Panorama Pedal Promotions, based is the Simpson Desert Cycl e Race over in Sydney, a lso had the e nli sted invalu­ 600 km , following the maintain ed Rig able assistance from Michael Roberts of Road , which skirts part of the dune Pedal Power Couriers who is leading the country and ends in Birdsville. way for mountain bike competitions in Both events will start from the west­ Queensland. Already Michael has pl ans ern edge of the desert and back-up vehi­ for an e vent to take place in Februa ry cles driven by experie nced four-wheel next year as part of the Australi an Cycl­ drivers will be recommended again for ing Federation's Centenary of Cyclin g all participating riders. celebrations which will also take place in As ma ny riders found last year, the ~\\\ir: :~ Brisbane. It is possible, that if a venue sand dunes were just too soft to ride up h­ ~~\~ r r ✓ ✓...... J • cann ot be found in Canbe rra for the and had to be tackled on foot , a punis 1. \ ""-\'- ,r , ✓ ... .. in g task in 35 degree heat. But despite ~~f\\)\;.. - , , .. t .. 1988 Na ti o na l M o unta in Bike C ham­ lf in the hardships, last year 32 riders ranging \"(~\J ~ .,, - .. ,#, pionships, the event will land itse part and most , r ,I:, ' .• # J # ~~~ Brisbane once again . in age from 12 to 73 took ...... ~ .:, vowed to return , eager to improve o n r#-r , &#• ~ __,,,# , , Results their perfo rm ances. t ". High quality . , ,;_,J\_ ~ Pro class - National championship - 34 km The Bicentenary year C ha ll e nge ~)- . I. Wern er Wohlrab. Newcast le I: 14 :23 .1 8 ... for only shapes up as a formidable test of fitness ·.. ~ " shirts 2. Grant Croese, Newcastl e 1: 20:32.67 a nd preparation. It will sta rt o n M o n­ $1B.50(post.inc/) 3. Ian Downing. Maroochydo re I :25:32.02 4. Michael Croese, Newcastl e l':31 :27 .16 day, April 4 and finish in Birdsv ille fiv e POWER PROMOTIONS PEDAL 5. David Russe ll . Brisba ne I :35:09 .37 days later with a s pecial presentatio n P.O. Box 325. Cherms, d e, Old 4032. 6. Anthony White ley. Brisba ne I :37: 11.38 barbecue. T elephone: 350 3666 7. Darren Assink , Mt Ne bo 1:37 :26.22 For furth er information contact 8. G le n Roche Melbourne I :39:53.01 'add $ 1.00 for bumper sticker 9. Rod Hay. Go ld Coast 1:56: 05 .60 Energy Promotions (02) 997-8011

92 Freewheeling THE KEYWIN SPEED PEDAL Sprint quicker, climb better, ·corner faster.

At last an affordable, lightweight, comfort and power. And at 110 grams streamlined alternative to convention- they're half the weight of "Look" al pedals and toe straps. style pedals. The Keywin Speed Pedal is half the All componentry and parts are re- weight, half the price, and we think placeable on the Keywin Speed Pedals twice as good as other clip-in pedals. - from bearings and lock-nuts to They are easy to fit and are corn- platforms and cleats, at very reason- patible with all "Look" drilled shoes. able prices. The simple twist in twist out action Get a pair of Keywin Speed Pedals makes clipping into Keywins easy. and you'll notice your cycling per- Once you're into your Keywin pedals formance improve out of sight. you'll enjoy a solid, no-slop connec- They're available right now in a range tion that will increase your perform- of colours, the red Pro model, white, ance on climbs and sprints. black, and combinations of these col- The Keywin Speed Pedal has a ours for approximately $139.00. Ask larger platform area than other clip-in for a demonstration at your bike shop style pedals which gives you greater now. © lleljwiq Speed Pedal THE KEY TO A WINNING PERFORMA CE For dealer inquiries, contact CYCLE CIRCUIT, 6 Tengah Crescent, Mona Vale. NSW. 2103. (02) 997 8777. AGENCIES SPORTIFF, P.O. Box 431, Ashgrove. QLD. 4060. (07) 300 4913

SPORTS PLUS 4 I 5 Freewheeling 93 WINTER SOLDIERS­ SUMMER ACHIEVERS Triathlon

by JOHN DRUMMOND Photography by Frank Walsh

94 Freewheeling The Gold Coast's Great Race Triathlon shows the current strength of the Australian triathlon scene. Clockwise from the top left: A section of the 600 strong field at the start of the Great Race Triathlon on Queensland's Gold Coast. There off on the swim leg of the great Race. No, not a criterium, just triathletes cornering in a bunch during the cycle section. Greg Stewart of Victoria finish­ ed second overall. Sue Turner of West Austral­ ia shows her elation as she wins the womens section of the Great Race. Troy Fidler wins the bike leg and is first into the run. Photo­ graphy by Frank Walsh.

Freewheeling 95 H E sense of appeal in a triathlon event rests in the challenge to T every individual's capacity. From when competitors wade into the water at the start until they run past the finish­ ing line everything hinges on the re­ serves of each individual. Australians being notoriously indi­ vidualistic are prone to the burgeoning sport of Triathlon, and are therefore destined for great things. This was amply demonstrated when Australian Triathletes intruded on the World triathlon scene as summer achievers as a result of some keen winter soldiering, like pyramid training in the swimming pool, learning how to· keep safe and warm on badly lit winter night runs, or improving cycling skills racing and train­ ing with cycling club members. The progress becomes noticeable in the assault on the Hawaii Ironman World Triathlon Championship in Oc­ tober of last year,.when leading-East Coast Tri athletes Greg Stewart, and Tony Sattler finished in the first ten LAZER: THE COOLEST HELMETS amo ng the professionals and Louise MacKinlay won the 18/24 womens age group. SINCE CYCLING CAPS. The performances were Australia's INTRODUCING THE EDDY MERCKX AND THE LZJ. best in the e ight year history of the masochistic sport, which commenced in hen Lazer showed Eddy Merckx their new bicycle helmets, H awaii when 14 competitors joined Cap­ he was impressed. And when they talked about putting his tain John Collins, a US serviceman, name on their top-of-the-line model, he agreed because of stationed in the Philippines to decide what was the ultimate test of stamina, as ITT its cool comfort, lightweight protection and uniqu~ fea­ a result of a bar-room debate. The stan­ tures. Features like its~ flow- through "airlite '' liner dards set by the Australians were even • removable.five position ratcheted visor for extra eye protection more impressive when you consider the ( light gray sun tint standard, clear and gradated optional) • sweat field in the lronman was the best in its absorbing front chamois (two sets) • quick release chin hi story. Some five weeks later "Aussie" strap with chamois cover • distinct look in metallic triathletes Stephen Foster, Matthew (silver, anthracite or red). When you study all the co/ors Braban, Nick Croft and Sean Hill features, you' ll be as impressed as Eddy Merckx. cemented the Hawaii show by defeating some hi ghly credentialed triathletes Lazer's standard helmet, the LZl, provides the from the United States of America, Fr­ same cool comfort and lightweight protection as the ance, West Germany and Denmark by Eddy Merckx, but without some of the special Merckx winning the teams trophy in the Triathlon Des Cimes, held on the exotic features. It's available in five vibrant gloss colors: tropical island of Reunion in the Indian white, black, red , yellow and blue. Ocean. The win against Internationals You'll also be glad to know that both Lazer helmets meet or was a superbly executed exercise in dif­ exceed the tough ANSI 290 .4 safety standard. That's not only good ficult climatic conditions. _ news for USCF racers and triathletes, but it's also good Australia also e nte red the Interna­ news for anyone concerned with safety and superior tional triathlon promotional field with a presentation of the $150,000 protection. brilliant World Sprint Championship during the you 've had a brief introduction to Now that Americas Cup finals held in Fremantle the world's newest, most technologically advanced in January of this year. Not only was it a bicycle helmets, try one on at yo ur favorite bike shop. huge success for the organiser but also For a full color Lazer Hel mets brochure, send a self-addressed, for Australian competitors, who mostly stamped envelope to: Gerry JO'Brien Imports 7/9 Pilgrim Court finished high up in the placings. Ringwood Victoria 31 34 Winners of the 1.5km swim, 40~m cycle and 10km run World Champion­ ship came from across the Tasman. Richard Wells and Erin Baker, both ------New Zealanders were the first man and ------woman to arrive at the finish . But of ----- were the ------greater satisfaction to Australia ------number of competitors who performed 96 Freewheeling as well as internationals from the United over Australia and throughout the A limit of 200 entrants has bee n States of Ame rica , Singapore, Zim­ world. placed o n the next year's event, wi th a babwe, Japan and Europe. This special Bicentennial event , slight increase in entrance fees, to cover Best performance by a n Australian scheduled for April 18-23 next year, is the many services offered by the organis­ was given by the 1986 National Triathlon believed to be the o nl y one of its kind in e rs, for example, pre-event carbo load­ Sprint Champion , Victorian , Stephen the world a nd is noted for its extreme ing fo r entrants , tee-shirts , medical Foster, when he sprinted to the finish test of e ndurance. facilit ies , provisio n for overnight line to d ecide second place with The event covers 551 kilometres - 371 campsites and support crafts o n the Europe's top rated triathlete Bob Bare! km cycling, 75 km canoeing and fin all y river. A ll of the services have been ex­ and America's world cl ass triathle te 105 km running. panded - from medical support teams to Scott Tinley. Just three seconds sepa­ One early entrant, Gary Gillies, 27, a toilet cleaners. rated the three across the line. Nautilus instructor, has begun a serious "Competitors are e ncouraged to ente r lf furth e r proof was needed that the training programme." Gary finished in ea rl y (this year) as a discount is avail ­ appeal in a triathlon lies in its challenge sixth position in hi s age group and ninth able . Late e ntrants wi ll see a no ther to individualism, it was provided in the overall in the 1986 Beneficial Finance sli ght increase in the entry fee in the Bio-Organics sponsored Great Race Six D ay Ultra Triathlon . three months lead up to the event in Triathlon , at Pacific Fair on Queens­ Since then he has kept up the training 1988, " said Mr Scarborough. land's Gold Coast. E nco mpassing the mome ntum by competing in such events The Stirling Apex C lub and Benefi­ Australian Long Course C hampionship as the Festival City Marathon, the West cial Fi nance have been organisin g this a 2km swim , 75km cycle leg, and a 20km Lakes Classic , in which he finished first, event si nce the completio n of the 1986 run attracted 600 odd contestants and _and many other cycling events. event. T he major organi sation is over, it 514 completed the course. He says he works o ut t hree times a is now just a matter of fine tuning in the Dutchman Robert (Bob) Bare I rolled week in the gym , but uses the bike every lead up to the event. A nyone wanting an international field , ahead by 1 min 38 day, swims five times a week at the more information on the Beneficial Fi­ sees in a new Australian record time of 3 North Adela ide Swimming Centre nance Six Day Ultra Tri athlon can con­ hours 25 minutes 43 sees. (olympic size) and takes hi s own canoe a tact Mr Brian Scarborough on (08) 388 In a field containing Tri athletes from few kilome tres two o r three times a ~425 . Holland , West Germany, United States week at nearby West Lakes. of Ame rica and Japan , Australia n Gary says he runs as much as pos­ triathletes won nine placings in the first sibl e , always building hi s base mileage, ten to finish. Greg Stewart of Victoria, but he is currently suffering a torn calf on 10 years of publication and thanks was second placed , Matthew Braban of muscle from a recent " Corporate Cup'' its publisher Warren Salomon for his assistance in devel oping Queensland's Sunshine Coast was third, running event. • The Around Australia Bicycle Roule. with Victoria's Stephen Foster being " My training schedule will pick up • The best bicycle rides 1n Australia fourth. quite substantially from the start of the First woman home was West Austral­ • Bicycle Australia in 88, celebrating triathlon season in November, but really the first century of bicycle touring in ian Sue Turner in 3-54-30 from Victoria's I' m looking forward to it because I Australia Virginia Bell. New South Wa les Kim enjoy every minute, " he said. We look forward to many more years Hicks was third. Bob Bare! , who has together and the further development · 'The curtain raiser to the Ultra Tri fo r of bicycle touring in Australia. wo n 35 of his 47 triathlons praised the me will be the Iron Man competition in Bicycle Australia organisation of Ba rry and Julie Voevo­ New Zealand in March next year. PO Box K499 d in , and rate d the field as " the most HAYMARKET 2000 "However, the Ultra Tri will be the big Ph. (046) 27-2186 competitive in the world" . event because it is a whole experience. So now its again to Hawaii for some of You don't only test yourself to the limit; the 90 odd Australian qualifiers to com­ you e njoy yourself in the great atmos­ pe te in th e 1987 BudLight lronma n phere that will be evide nt througho ut Triathlon World Championship to be each day - and night - of the whole six held on the island of Kona in the on 10 days," he said. Octobe r 1987. Freewheeling wishes The eight members of the organising them well. committee have built on the experience of last year's Ultra Triathlon to make next year's event even bigger and better. PREPARINGF OR They have been promoting the event not only throughout Australia, but in vari­ THE MAINE VENT ous countries around the world. Triathlon Mr Brian Scarborough, from the Stirl­ in g Apex Club, says that the committee will be ho lding a special ' Competitor's An ullra lrialhlon tor lhe bicenlennial Seminar' in association with Beneficial yea r Finance, to he lp competitors prepare F R A M E W O R K ITH o nl y seven months to go, for the event. " The semin ar will be a chance for entrants a nd the ir support for custom frame preparations for one of the information W biggest spo rting events of the team to get advice on how to cope with Bicentenary, th e 1988 Benefici a l Fi ­ th e six days o f endurance , what they write to------nance Six D ay Ultra Triathlon , h ave need and wh at they sho uld be doing to 233 JOIIN SON S'l' already swung into top gear. prepare," he said . l\NNJ\NlJJ\LE 203 8 The organisers of the event , the Stirl­ " These seminars will be he ld in ing Apex Club a nd Be nefici al Finance Adelaide initially, but if the demand is have already accepted many entries and ·strong eno ugh , we will look at a rra nging __( 0 2 ) 5 52 1 6 0 6 are now receiving e nquiries from all something in the other states."

Freewheeling 97 their thousands a nd bikes back to Lon­ The 1984 ride saw the beginning of THE 'GONG RIDE don. Could the State Rail Authority do the Repco Cycle Company's involve­ the same here? ment as the key sponsor and the name Ne ith.er Nigel or I were sure if we was changed to the Repco Sydney to the TURNS SIX chose the final route or it chose us. We 'Gong Bicycle Ride. had ridden all or parts of the 'coast road In six years the task of organi sing such south to Wollongong before so, once we an event has become a major logistical exercise. This year portable toilets have 8ic1Jcle ellents had decided th a t it was close to our ideal , it was only a matter of testing it to be provided at Belmore Park ·and at Red Cedar Flat and at Flagstaff Point. by Wi\~~l•:N S1\l ,OMON out. Rain fell during the morning of the pilot ride and I didn't make it along but The stop over points at Audley, Red H E first ever Repco Sydney to the th e outinng confirmed the feeling that Cedar Flat Cloedale PS a nd Flagstaff 'Gong Ride was not held in sum­ here at last was one of the best routes in Point will need to qe staffed throughout mer of 1982 but much earlier in the country for a real bicycle event. the day and what was once a job for a T few volunteers has become the labour of March, Nigel Jenkins, the ridc's co-foun­ So the Sydney to the 'Gong Ride was der, had recently returned from Europe. born. On Sunday November 21 , 1982, a small organised workforce. There he had come in contact with the the first of the 250 registered particip­ Apart from the small ride staff of other famous London to Brighton Ride and ants turned up in Belmore Park to col­ about twenty there are many their time and effort was impressed with the concept. He had lect their riders kit. That year all of the people who give an en­ liked the English way of doing things: a packaging and processing of forms and voluntarily so that you can have bike ride; morning tea; crazy teams out­ rider's materials was done with the help joyable days cycling. Three shops pro­ ride fits; and a relaxed social atmosphere. of a small group of friends. On the day it vided a repair service on the first from Around that time I had been thinking was much the same and the goodwill and this year there are eight - two Sydney and one of organising a ride for my readers and established on that first momentous ride the 'Gong, five from their friends so, over dinner one night , has continued ever since. from Mittagong. The Southern Cross we decided to look for a suitable route The ride has a lways been greatly ap­ Motorcycle Club, St Johns Ambulance Ride Guides all give in the Sydney region which would meet preciated by its participants who in the and our volunteer time and energy to e nsure a safe our criteria. early yea rs were almost a lways their What we were looking for was route Freewheeling readers. On the second and troublefree day. road of roughly 85 km (to provide sufficient ride in 1983 the numbers climbed to 750 So remember, if you cycle the sitting challenge) with good scenic attractions, followed by a jump to 1500 in 1984, 2100 south this year, that you are not watching others create the events somewhere along the way to serve morn­ in 1985 and around 3000 last year. This idly by ing teas, a nice spot for lunch and some year we expect between three and four that make our history. By participating to the 'Gong Ride way of getting back to the start again. thousand to saddle up and ride south to in the Repco Sydney in the making. The English had British Rail to move the city of steel. you are part of history ANOTHER QUALITY TYRE FROM I.R.C.

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. Contact to: REPCO CYC LE COMPANY Head Office: 25 Hamilton Street, Huntingdale, Vic., 3166 Phone 568 0211 N.S.W. Branch: 16 Street, 2164 Phone : 609 2322 OLD. Branch: 30 Lysaght Street, Acacia Ridge OLD 4110 Freewheeling 99 Classifieds

mth tour. George Ritter 2124 Gardyne St, Bronte NSW TOUR MATES HIRE 2024. (02)387 18 13 (H) Tour Mates is a FREE service to readers wishing Europe. Young 60 year old needs cycling companion Rent-a-Cycle Tasmania 10- speed low gearing, all to find companions for bicycle trips and holidays. male or female for leisurely tour of England and Conti­ frame si zes, ladies and gents. Compl e te ly equipped for Entries are limited to thirty words and there is a nent May-August 1988. Contact W al (02) 452 11 72. touring. Postal bookings accepted. Seven years hiring charge of thirty cents per word for any long Nth Queensland. Companion(s) wanted for leisurely expe rie nce. Brochure, rates, your questions. 36 Thistle e ntries e xceeding the limit. Payment (if applica­ tour starting July 1988, Cooktown to Lun e Ri ver. Please St Launceston, Tasmania Phone (003) 44 9779 ble) must accompany your listing. Name, address write to Rob Wadsworth, Margate TAS , 7 153 or phone and phone number should be attached for verifi­ (002) 672 443 SHOPS Former World Bike Riders would like to contact cation purpose s. China. Inner City Cycles Now open 7 days a week. Sun day Perth - Brisbane. Person wanted for December cycle other cyclists interest ed in cycling fro m Peking to from 10 am to 3 pm. In ner Ci ty Cycles 31 G lebe Pt Rd tour from Perth to Brisbane via Snowy Mountains. Join Cant on in China. N o definite plans. Contact Mi ra Glebe NSW 2037 (02) 660 6605. me on any section of the tour. Contact Eduard H einisch, Albrect, Ser 22, 655 Bad Kreuznach, West Germany. 32 Glebe St, Alberton SA 50 14. (08 ) 47 65 34. Brisbane - Sydney. Companion(s) wanted fo r a ride ACCOMMODATION TRAVEL & TOURS from Brisbane to Sydney via the Pacific Highway in early November. 7 days and 150 km per day. Motel accommo­ Would you like to meet other bicycle tourists Bicycle Australia in '88 The national bicycle tour dation. Pl ease phone Ken Taylor on (02) 449 9069. when you tour? If so, join the Cyclists' Accommo• celebrati ng the first century of b icycle touring in Melbourne - Perth. Cycling companion wanted fo r d ation D irectory. T his is a list of cyclists w ho are Australia. 10,838 kilometres from Cape Yo r k to Pe rth Nul larbor crossing. Mel bourne to Perth. Easy going prepared to exchange sim ple hospitality in their home along the Around Australia Bi cycle Route. Join in for al l ( 100- 150 km per day) Depart before end of '87. Phone for sim ilar hospitality in other cyclists' homes. Write to or part of the r id e. Write to Bi cycle Australia PO Box Al on (03)7 14 8584. Bicycle Australia, PO Box K499 Haymarket 2000 giving K499 Haymarket NSW 2000 Europe. Companion wanted for low budget camping your name. address phone and your location. eg 10km Bicycle Tour Services We do what you want to do: trip starting in Greece mid March 1988; then Yugoslavia. NE Bal larat PO . A donation t o cover postage an d rentals, itine raries, accommodation, tours and all cyclists Austria, W Germany and Scandinavia. Join part or full 6 photocopying would also be appreciated. services. Write or call now fo r free brochure: PO Box 11 -296 Aucklan d 5, New Zealan d. Phone 591 961. Te lex NZ60235 " Lidsai l". ,Boc;oN~ JACKADVENTURE S.

Cycling holidays in scenic North-East Victoria visi t ing N ational Trust gold towns. Rutherglen and Milawa wineries, Ned Ke ll y country, historic hotels and fine restaurant d in ing. PO Box 22 1 Oxley VIC 3678 THE NAME OF QUALITY, FOR THE PEOPLE WHO WANT THE BEST Telephone (057)21 2779. Australia's best bicycle rides. Australia's national bicycle touring association provides rides from three days co a week o r longer. Vehicle supported and self contained tours. Small groups, experienced support crew. Send fo r your brochure. Bicycl e Australia PO Box K499 Haymarket NSW 2000 (046)27 2 186 .

... f~a£,fic Mps toCIHna.. ,Jiy:;an, ui,nacia Nt-W zeaJMd, Scoflara.. , ' . '' g.. 0 2. .' /g~, \ 1--'0 Box 3? l l,i;tn,c{j )O Connor AC r 260 1 B I C V C l E TO U R I N G Ph 106?) 4CJ 6634

MAIL ORDER Send for your mail order catalogue now! Bicycle Australia st ocks a wide range of bicycle books from Australia and overseas an d an ever increasing range of touring guides of Australia and New Zealand. Write to DURABILITY, PRECISION, LIGHTWEIGHT ALL THAT YOU NEED Bi cycle Australia PO Box K499 Haymarket NSW 2000 FOR YOUR BICYCLE. IT'S HERE . . . IT'S HATTA for your catalogue enclosing $ 2.00 which will be re­ funded on your first order. Available from all leading WANTED REPCO CYCLE DEALERS - Ancie nt bicycles, parts and memorabilia for restora• tion and preservat ion. Cont act Pau l Farren (03) 241 445 3. Freewheeling Classifieds are seen by over 15,000 'JI' readers across the country. Rates for 1986/7 are: $ I 5.00 pe r 30 words or one column centimetre . f I:= i~,l Addition a l wording costs SO cents p e r word. Multiple insertion disco unts: Six inse rtions - -.,_ -• fifte en perce nt; t hree inse rtions - ten percent. Display classifi e ds r a tes: $15 .00 per column ce ntime tre . Payment must accompa ny orde r. Send type d a dvertisem e nt text to Freewhee/ing HEAD OFFICE - 25 HAMILTON ST HUNTINGDALE, VICTORIA. AUSTRALIA Cla ssifie ds, PO Box K26, H a ym a r ke t NSW 2000.

100 Free wheeling National Calendar I,OOK Sunday 24, Adelaide; Tuesday 26, Alice Springs; Friday 29, Brisbane; Monday I Fe bruary, Grafton; Wednesday 3, . Cl.·. . ·.. ·. -- --- Newcastle; Friday 5, Wollongong; Saturday 6, Sydney. For full details watch this magazine closer to the event. rfNJSff ~ Promoted by Ozwide Sports Promotions (02) 570 3855. OCTOBER 16-29. Commonwealth Bank Bicentennial Cycle Classic One hundred and twenty cyclists will ride between Brisbane and Melbourne via Sydney and Canberra on the world's biggest amateur cycling race. Watch this magazine for details, preview and colour coverage. Promoted by Ozwide Sports Promotions (02) 570 3855. I,0,10

CLUB CONTACTS The Australian Cycling Federation and the state cycling federations wi II direct you to a club in your area if you want to get involved in bicycle road or track racing. Phone numbers and con­ tacts for each state are: NSW Margaret Balmer (02) 27 2977; VIC George Nelson (03) 328 4391 ; QLD Mike Victor (07) 390 1489; WA Mike Poyner (09)384 4130; SA Jean Cook (08) 255 1639; TAS Joy Bestwick (003) 31 2712; NT Shirley Davis (089) 208 798. Riders wishing to take out a professional licence should contact the National Secretary of the Australian Professional Cycling Council, Reg Marriner, PO Box 120 North GeelongVIC 3215. Werner Wohlrab crosses the finish line to retain the Australian Mountain Bike Road NON COMPETITIVE EVENTS Race Title. The titles were held recently in Brisbane. 1987

Club secretaries, race directors and event or• NOVEMBER ganisers: help us to publicise your event by send­ Sunday I. Murray Valley 200. A two hundred ing details to us early. If you are planning a ride in kilometre ride on mostly quiet roads. Starting in the the coming twelve month period you should send beautiful Adelaide Hills, then following the River Murray your notice to Freewheeling National Bike Events between Murray Bridge and Mannum. A short course is Calendar now. We publish advance notice of all also available. Rated hard. Come and enjoy the social bicycle events both competitive and non com­ atmosphere. Some refreshments and route maps pro­ petitive but because of our publication lead­ vided. This event is part of the Soeth Australian Touring times we need your copy at least two months in Cyclists Grand Slam Series. For full details contact Peter advance. Please note: we must have your event Hunt (08) 384 2921 or Rod Austin (08) 271 6362. details in writing. Send your copy to PO Box K26 Saturday 7. The Hard Hundred This ride is or­ Haymarket NSW 2000 or phone it through on ganised by the Knox Bicycle Touring Club (Melbourne) (02) 264 8544. and held annually on the firs t Saturday following Mel­ COMPETITIVE EVENTS bourne Cup Day in the hills to the east of Melbourne. The 100 mile tour will commence at Bayswater and travel to the Upper Yarra Dam and return. A 100 km 1987 tour will follow the same route but turn around at the 50 NOVEMBER km point. Cloth badges will be awarded to all finishers. Refreshments and ful l emergency support will be Saturday 7. Jacaranda Criterium. Organised by the provided. For full details and entry forms contact Ian Grafton· ACC in the central busjness area of this north• Pengelly on (03) 728 3180. ern NSW city starting at 2:00 pm. For information Saturday 7, Sunday 8. Audax NSW 300/400/600 contact: Mrs Corcoran (066) 42 1083. km ride. Mt Victoria, Cowra, Yass, Mittagong, Sydney. Contact (02) 608 1125 or (02) 630 2977. DECEMBER Saturday 14. Audax VIC 600 km Randonee. Visit Friday 4 to Sunday 6. First Australian Masters Victoria's venerated holiday playground on this south Games The venue for the Masters Games cycling events coast tour. The Randonnee starts at the Dandenong will be Launceston Tasmania. The Games are for veteran Police station at 8 am and goes to Wonthaggi, Sale and competitors ( + 35 yrs) in seven age groupings. Road race return. Contact Tim Laugher (03) 527 8581. distance approximately the same as the 1986 Veterans Sunday I 5. Six hour time trial. Try yourself against World Championship. Track events - scratch races and the clock and last year's best of 182 km on a moderately points score events for all age categories. For an entry flat course in West Australia. Contact Rob Masterman form contact The Australian Masters Games, PO Box (09) 399 3071. 587 Glenorchy TAS 7010 or call (002) 74 0750. Sunday 22. The sixth annual Repco Sydney to the 'Gong Bicycle Ride. Australia's big one-day fun and fitness ride between Sydney's Belmore Park and Belmore 1988 Basin in the City of Wollongong. 85 kilometres of well supported fun complete with fashion parades and a JAN.UARY mountain bike observed trials demo course at Flagstaff Australia's Bicentennial World Se.ries A spectacular sef"ies of Point, Wollongong. Entry forms at Repco bike dealers track carnivals featuring the top Australian amateurs from September onwards or elsewhere in this issue. finest competing against 16 of the world's finest in an exciting prelude to the '88 Olympics. Saturday 16 January, DECEMBER cycle cl_othing Sydney; Tuesday 9, Lavington; Wednesday 20, Sheppar­ Saturday 5 to Sunday 13 . The Caltex Bike Ride, ton; Friday 22, Launceston; Saturday 23, Melbourne; Nine days of cycling fun t hrough Victoria's western

Freewheeling IOI districts visiting the Grampians and riding part of the this 800 km tour will average 60 - 130 km per day and Melbourne Autumn Daytour (the MAD ride. Great Ocean Road. Contact (03) 650 2334. trace the pioneers' coastal route through superb Organised by the Melbourne Bicycle Touring Club. 100 hardwood forests. Bus portage for riders and bikes to km and 45 km courses; Saturday 16 Melbourne City 1988 Albany and staying at Youth Hostels and other fixed Bicycle Parade. Come and join in. Criterium race and a accommodation. Riders will need to be self sufficient and • high- tech show are also included in the Bike Week JANUARY be members of YHA or the CTAWA. For full details activities which will run throughout the week in the City Sunday 17 3KZ Bike-a-thon. A 25 km morn­ Sunday 3 to Saturday 9. New England Riverside contact the tour leader Geoff Creighton (09) 459 4178. Square; along Port Phillip Bay to end on the banks of Meander. A mostly down-hill summer-time trip from Sunday 27. Mulga Bill's Walaroo and Wombat's ing fun ride near the city. For full details and entry forms for Armidale on the New England plateau NSW to Kempsey Bike Centenary. A day ride around the Hawkesbury the Yarra all events contact Bicycle Victoria (the new name for the on the coastal plain then via Crescent Head to Port NSW area. 70 or I00 km courses. Part of the Bicenten­ 212 Bicycle Institute) (03) 650 2550. Macquarie and Wauchope. Short daily distances, sag nial Bicycling Program. Contact Paul Hulbert (02) Friday 22 to Sunday 24. SA Festival of Cycling. A wagon support. Contact Bicycle Australia (046) 27 2186. 5628 or (045) 76 1396. bicycle rally to be held in the beautiful Adelaide hills. Saturday 23 - Sunday 24. Bicycle Australia An­ centred on a good camping nual Conference. Held in the Campbelltown area APRIL Three days of activities ground with alternate accommodation also available. SW of Sydney. Day rides interspersed with the Bicycle Victoria Bicycle Friday I to Monday 4. Day rides, displays, exhibitions and nightly entertainment AGM on Saturday evening. For details contact held over Easter in central Rally. A four-day rally provided for riders of all ages. Bring the kids and your (046) 27 2186. town of Castlemaine. Lots of day rides, a Victorian friends. Watch Freewheeling for details or contact (08) cycles and indoor activities are display of antique 388 8331. MARCH Victoria (03) 650 planned. For details contact Bicycle Saturday 23 to Sunday May I. The Southern Sunday 6. Hills CycleThe Lions Club of West Pennant 2550. Cross Trai I in Victoria. A three-day or nine-day ride 4 . The Second Canberra Hills will be organising this day ride in aid of the Diabetic Friday I to Monday along Bicycle Australia's Southern Cross Trail northwards . A 256 km vehicle supported loop Association of NSW. 30, 50 and 100 km routes will take Monaro Explorer from Melbourne. Contact (046) 27 2186 for details. the in areas of historic interest and natural beauty. Lots of ride from Goulburn NSW through Canberra and (046) 27 2186. prizes. Entry fees: $8.00 individual, $20.00 family. Riders Monaro region. Contact Bicycle Australia JUNE who raise $12 or more sponsorship money pay no fee. Friday I to Monday 4. Tour of the Southern High­ Wednesday I. Bicycle Australia in '88. This date Contact Ron Jamieson (02) 872 3000 for entry forms. lands. The classic Bicycle Australia ride for self sufficient commencement of Bicycle Australia's major Saturday 12 to Monday 14. Strzelecki Ranges of riders. Leader supplied and group catering organised. marks the for the Bicentennial year to celebrate Eastern Victoria. A 135 km ride over the Victorian Penrith NSW to Bundanoon via the Southern Cross Trail rides programme hall the first century of cycling in this country. Riders may long weekend. Easy daily distances and superb views. and return to Campbelltown via Robertson. Local 27 ride all or part of the 10,400 km route around the coast Contact Bicycle Australia (0-46) 27 2186 accommodation. Contact Bicycle Australia (046) York to Perth. Contact Bicycle Australia for Saturday 12 to Sunday 27. Bike Week 88 Albany 2186. from Cape details on (0-46 ) 27 2186. to Perth Tour. Jointly organised by the Youth Hostels Saturday 10 to Sunday 17. Victoria's Bicentennial Association and the Cycle Touring Association of WA Bike Week Big events planned include: Sunday 10 OCTOBER Saturday I to Monday 3. The fifth Four Rivers Ride. Bicycle Australia's tour of the Hunter Valley region. Sag wagon for luggage. evening meals and breakfast provided and hall accommodation. Contact (046) 27 2186 for details.

NOVEMBER Sunday 20. The seventh annual Repco Sydney to the 'Gong Bicycle Ride. Australia's big one-day fun and fitness ride between Sydney's Belmore Park and Belmore Basin in the City of Wollongong. 85 kilometres of well supported fun complete with entertainment. Entry forms from bike shops during September and from this magazine. Saturday 26 to Sunday 11 December. The Big P.O . Box 60 Bicentennial Bike Ride. This year to celebrate the ECHUNGA 5153 Ph: 388 8331 Bicentenary cyclists will ride en mass from Melbourne to 271 0 426 Sydney. Full support. Organised by the people who bring OAKBANK, SOUTH AUSTRALIA you the Caltex Bike Ride. Enquiries: (059) 78 6000. 22/23/24 APRIL, 1988

CLUB CONTACTS • Ride-Your-Bike-To-Work Day These clubs regularly run rides in their cities and • Parade of Bicycles welcome new comers. Some even publish tour• ing calendars listing forthcoming rides. Contact • Cycle in the beautiful Adelaide Hills them for details. • See veteran and vintage bicycles Armidale Community Cyclists (067) 72 8951. Audax Australia (03) 435 4437 (02) 608 1125 . Bathurst • Displays, prizes, exhibitions Bicycle Touring Group (063) 31 9459. Bicycle Australia • Bush Dance (046) 27 2186 (after 9pm). Brisbane Bicycle Touring Association (07) 369 9326. Brisbane Mountain Bike • Camp in spacious grounds riders interested in forming a club should contact Mike • Demonstrations or Kelli on (07) 359 1244. Canberra Pedal Power ACT (062) 49 7167. Geelong Bicycle Touring Club (052) 96 • See modern racing bikes in action 234. lllawarra Touring Cyclists' Club (042) 83 6524. • SEE YOU THERE! Melbourne Bicycle Touring Club (03) 818 4011. Mel­ bourne eastern suburbs - Knox Bicycle Touring Club (03) 754 4069. Eastern Bicycle Touring Club (03) 762 IT'S ALL HAPPENING AT THE FESTIVAL 7928. Victorian Pedal Clubs provide fun and training in bike handling skills for children of bicycle riding age . COME AND JOIN US AND HAVE SOME FUN Call for information on a club near you : (03) 337 6399. THE CYCLING DATE FOR EIGHTY EIGHT Newcastle Cycleways Movement (049) 46 8298. Bicycle Institute of New South Wales (02) 212 5628. South Australian Touring Cyclists Association (08) FOR INFORMA T/ON WRITE TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS 272 6406 (08) 388 8331. Sydney region bicycling clubs can be contacted through the Bicycle Institute of NSW (02) 212 5628. Tandem Club of Australia (03) 241 4453. Cycle Touring Association of West Australia (09) 330 ,· ..> 3659. Darwin Huffers & Puffers (089) 81 2141. Wagga A Registered Bicentennial Activity Bicycle Touring Group (069) 21 6787. Vintage Cycle ~ < Club of Victoria (03) 527 5759. Australia Organised by South Auslralian Tou ring Cyclists' Association. clubs Vintage Cycle 1788 1988 Southern Veterans (Sydney Vintage Cycle Club) (02) S87 8017.

/02 Freewheeling ~- atomy of a Pro.

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