bike racing: the penultimate guide

Words will go here, it's an evolving thing. Basically I wanted to say something like, "I began a wobbly riding career on a bike several sizes too big. It was dad's bike, a late 20s, early 30's Alcon with 40-spoke 28 inch wheels. He'd used it on epic 50-60 mile rides on Sydney's gravel roads, out as far as Richmond, when he was a lad. It had 2 gears - one on each side of a reversible back wheel. One cog was fixed and low, the other a bit bigger in gearing and could freewheel. It had an interesting gooseneck front stem, with a diamond shaped extension upon which the bars could be moved back and forth. It had a leather saddle, a mechanical odometre and a front-wheel generator that powered a headlight and rear light. He passed this bike onto my older brother who adorned it with mirrors. When my brother was generous I got a go and wobbled around, unable to stop for fear of not being able to reach the ground. I had to find a kerb to dismount. When mt brother got his first car the bike became "mine" and I started riding everywhere, every weekend. It was a magic carpet of sorts that could get me to exotic locations in the blink of an eye. Or so it seemed.

Somehow that bike instilled a love of cycling - probably via that freedom of self-propelled, simple but quick travel. I was used to walking, and this was much faster, even easier. I used it as basic transport to get me to Bankstown Airport on Saturday mornings , to pay my $50 per hour of dual instructional training on Illawarra Airways' Piper Cherokees and Cessna 150s. I adored flying - and still get a kick out of it - but it's teh bike that took over my life. Yes, there were cars , indeed too many cars, and they offered even more speed and easier travel. But I kept coming back to the bike.

So here I am, trying to share what I know about bikes with you. It's really quite selfish. It may sound strange but I love writing about bikes almost as much as riding... and I can do it inside, out of the rain, all day long. Hopefully I can do more than just amuse myself, and that you can get something useful out of my life's experience. If I get a bit didactic at times just pull me up. Cycling's a passion and it can get the better of me at times.

Labels: Foreword