Now with added girth.

[Beerlust]

You sound exactly like me' date=' P1.

 

Super calorific intake, exercise atrocious![/quote']

 

me too. P2, that's a beauty

 

I also fall into that category. I did make some diet changes a while back, & that has certainly helped. Consistency in this area is a constant battle though!

 

I had to do something, because I'll be @#$%ed if I'm ever going to give up brewing & drinking beer!

 

Cheers,

 

Anthony.

[antiphile]

You sound exactly like me' date=' P1.

 

Super calorific intake, exercise atrocious![/quote']

 

me too. P2, that's a beauty

 

I can't claim originality for that one, to be honest, but I couldn't resist. I'm sure our Brit friends will have more info on this one but the deep dark recesses of my mind tell me it may have been a headline in the newspaper after the Scottish Cup Final? I believe Celtic United had played well all year and Caledonia only just made it to the final. However, after Celtic lost 3-0 in the game, a Scottish newspaper proclaimed on its frontpage:

SUPER CALI GO BALLISTIC, CELTIC IS ATROCIOUS.

 

My other favourite was, I think, in the Brisbane Courier Mail. In the 1980(?) Moscow Olympic Games, one of the east bloc competitors in fencing called Onischenko was caught cheating by being able to activate the sensor on the end of his sword (epee?) via a button on the handle to score himself points even though the sword didn't hit in a legal scorable area on his opponent. The next day's paper headline screamed:

DIS-ONISCHENKO

 

Anyway, I've wandered way off topic so I'll pull my head in now.

[Canadian Eh!L]

I don't see too many Tour de France riders in steel capped boots.

 

I ride to work everyday in steel caps. With my new job I ride to work everyday and love it! It's the most enjoyable time of the day. I was not able to ride to work when I was a Lumberjack as my work place was always several Km's from home. I did get my work out once I arrived at work though. Nowadays I still have enough energy to ride with my boys on the weekend. These little guys are the best little bikers going and it's tough to keep up with them. I love riding bike. I think everyone should get out there and do it!.

 

BTW' date=' I drink 5-6 pints/night, eat salami, steaks, burgers and potato chips. I also eat salads and fresh food when SWMBO demands it which is regularly.[img']innocent[/img]

[King Ruddager]

With my new job I ride to work everyday and love it! It's the most enjoyable time of the day.

See? I'm not the only one who says this.

[GregT5]

Chad, (in a way) agrees with me. He now rides to work, but didn't when his work was out of town.

 

I have to drive from Kapunda to a vineyard in the Barossa. Unfortunately there are no sealed roads all the way to the vineyard. In fact because it was raining today I had to take the alternative road home which adds about 2kms to the trip because the more direct road is impassable.

 

Anyway, this is all King Rudd's fault...he asked for excuses & I obliged him.

 

I actually used to enjoy riding, I must get back into it.

[Hairy]

I live about 55kms from my workplace. I'm not too keen on riding 110kms every day in the dark.

 

More excuses

[Canadian Eh!L]

"...On your bike, Mate!"

 

[Beeblebrox]

Australia in general has a real problem with attitudes towards cycling. There's a massive Us vs. Them mentality on both sides. Being on my bike is still the only thing I've been abused for just for doing it' date=' and it continue to happens regularly - even just minding my own business in a bike lane.[/quote']

 

I agree, but as a driver I find that the us vs them attitude is the driver of the car vs everyone else, including other drivers, cyclists, motor cyclists, scooters, pedestrians, buses, vans etc.

 

In NSW at least (unless the rule has changed and I missed it), bike riders are supposed to ride single file, and in the left lane unless turning right, and should be in the bike lane if there is one.

It's not so much that all cyclists are a problem, but the individuals that don't follow the road rules like everyone else - and yes the road rules are for ALL road users - tend to get tiresome and frustrating.

There's nothing more infuriating than legitimately stopping at a red light, with a bike beside you that decides to run the gauntlet when the road is clear but the light is still red; other than the ones that decide that they are entitled to be on the road with you when there is a perfectly suitable bike lane they should be using.

 

Where I live (north shore in Sydney) there are some bike lanes, but they tend to just stop and restart, or are where cars are usually parked, or go off on a long circuitous route next to walking paths.

 

I experimented with cycling a few times in the past decade, but in the end it wasn't worth it.

I'm quite capable of getting myself stressed enough in a car with all that steel rubber and plastic to protect me, putting me on a bike with little more than a helmet is dicing with death, and I'm a danger enough to myself without taking that gamble.

 

That's why the bike I ride is an exercise bike, and I do my workout in the lounge-room, and take a large dog with me when I go for a walk.

He's a sweetheart and gentle as a lamb, but most people don't want to take a chance when they see someone walk past with a Greyhound.

[King Ruddager]

In NSW at least (unless the rule has changed and I missed it)' date=' bike riders are supposed to ride single file, and in the left lane unless turning right, and should be in the bike lane if there is one.[/quote']

See, this is where a lot of people get it wrong. Cyclists are allowed to ride two-abreast. If there is a bike lane in operation then they are obliged to ride in there, but a lot of bike lanes only operate for a few hours each day. Also, if there's anything on the road or if it's unsafe (for example due to the proximity of car doors potentially opening or other hazards) then cyclists can move out of the bike lane.

 

As for guys that run red lights, it annoys me too because I feel it gives me a bad name. There are a number of reasons that actually make it a good idea though - for example it allows them to get out of the way of traffic onto a clear road. In some places cyclists are allowed to treat stop signs as give way signs and to treat traffic lights as stop signs, and in these places they generally experience a reduction in cycling injuries when they implement such laws.

 

Anyway, that's enough. The view from up here on my horse is pretty good though. Unimpeded in fact, unlike those fools trapped in their metal cages of effect heuristic.

[Beeblebrox]

Sorry Ruddy, but I couldn't resist.

You are perhaps right when it comes to bike laws in SA, but in NSW this is the info on road rules and bike safety; note 2 abreast (not the dozens of bikes you see riding in groups on weekends), and that there is indeed a requirement to stop at pedestrian crossings etc.

 

As stated, in NSW most of the road rules that apply to cars also apply to bikes.

In the Sydney CBD there are actually some bike lanes with traffic lights for cyclists that run on a different cycle to the vehicle traffic lights, but at present this is the exception to the rule.

 

I must point out that I am equally infuriated at car, bus, truck, taxi, and other drivers that tailgate, run red lights, don't indicate, and generally make a nuisance of themselves.

 

Naturally I drive as little as possible, and generally walk short distances or use public transport (cheaper than petrol use, and more environmentally friendly) but sometimes driving is the best option.

 

I'm not peed off at cyclists as a group, but at any individual that considers their convenience more important than the safety of others and the necessity of following the road rules just does not occur to them.

 

I also hate people that park in disabled parking spaces without a permit, and routinely report them to council; the result is a fine that exceeds $500, but you'd expect that from someone whose spouse uses a wheelchair.

 

http://www.bicycleinfo.nsw.gov.au/riding_safely/nsw_road_rules.html

[King Ruddager]

I'm not peed off at cyclists as a group' date=' but at any individual that considers their convenience more important than the safety of others and the necessity of following the road rules just does not occur to them.[/quote']

That's a good attitude to take - being annoyed by certain people for certain things they do, not certain types of people because of what others do.

 

I'm not sure what you're saying in your first paragraph sorry. The website you provided confirms that cyclists in NSW are allowed to ride two abreast. Also, the places I'm referring to where you're allowed to roll through stop signs etc are all overseas - in Australia we all have to stop and wait at red lights.

[King Ruddager]

You know what else annoys me? That every discussion about cycling ultimately degenerates into which rules cyclists break. All the studies I've ever seen (and I had a quick look but can't find any right now sorry) show that cyclists are actually SIGNIFICANTLY more compliant than motorists on the road, yet "cyclists run red lights" is used as justification for treating us like second class citizens.

[Beeblebrox]

Sorry Ruddy to clarify; 2 abreast is fine by the road rules, but often on weekends (and not just during cycling events) you can find whole groups of cyclists taking up a whole lane - perhaps a dozen or more of them 3-4 or more abreast and spread out slowing down the traffic.

 

So far as my somewhat obsessive dislike of the behaviour of individuals that break rules and have no concern for others; it goes with the territory for me, and I'm like that about pretty much all rules and laws - other than the ones that make no sense and just infuriate me (such as opiates being legally available for pain relief, yet those suffering from cancer and the like can't legally obtain medicinal cannabis).

 

I'll say it here once and hopefully not have to explain myself further; I have Asperger's Syndrome, or High Functioning Autism, as well as OCD and somewhat of a tendency towards Bipolar 2.

I like things to make sense, be orderly and I struggle with chaos, excessive noise and disruption, and am not naturally very talkative or emotionally expressive verbally or in person, so I tend to vent a bit in writing to get it out of my system.

 

I fully endorse cycling as a sport, a pastime, and a method of transport.

I just don't endorse individuals doing whatever it is they do that feel they have their own separate world and rules, and make life difficult and frustrating for others.

 

No matter how social or antisocial one is, there is an acceptable code of behaviour, that used to be called manners and respect, sadly not so common these days, especially with the younger generations (gee middle age does creep into your attitude as you age doesn't it?).

It's most unfortunate that the minority always seem to bring attention to themselves and tar the majority seen as belonging to their group - whatever that group may be with the same brush, and this is the case with yobbos and dingbats everywhere, no matter what it is they're doing.

 

Cyclists are no better and no worse than anyone else, but everyone knows a selfish idiot when they see one.

You are clearly not one, and I hope that you don't get tarred with the same brush as those fools that bring attention to themselves for doing the wrong thing, or by those who are opinionated without being informed would have you brushed with.

[King Ruddager]

Unfortunately I do get tarred with that brush, and it's mostly just because the majority of people don't identify with cycling.

 

You might find this interesting - http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2012/09/cyclists_are_annoying_why_you_think_they_re_a_menace_on_two_wheels_.html

 

Also check this out - all these cyclists are riding only two-abreast:

 

 

Often when viewed from different angles - including straight in front or behind - it can look like cyclists are "three or four abreast" when they're actually not. It's actually pretty hard to fit more than two cyclists in a normal-sized lane anyway.

 

Here's another one ...

 

[Beeblebrox]

Good one Ruddy, you certainly know your stuff, both about cycling and brewing, and I'm sure lots of other things.

Unfortunately it seems many people get tarred with the same brush with the minority in anything they may be interested in, and the stereotype seems to get applied to many activities; such as if you're a home brewer you're believed to be a big drinker, or whatever.

I'm not really coordinated enough to be a good cyclists, and have had the scrapes bumps and injuries to prove it, including a nice scar from when the front wheel came off once when I hit a pot hole.

 

I guess what it comes down to is education; of the masses and of the individuals.

It takes a bit of work, but I always try to see people as who and what they are, rather than try to categorize them into some box or stereotype, but unfortunately some people are a living stereotype, and ruin it for many other who take that for being the norm.

 

I know from experience the stigma of being judged for being different in whatever way, and know that it's always a difficult judgement call whether to try to educate and adjust peoples perceptions or just walk away and keep my mouth shut.

 

I'm sure you're in the majority and a good bloke, and if more people went to the effort they would see that whatever our differences and whatever our interests, most people have more in common than they have differences.

 

Back to the topic at hand though - added girth; it takes effort to keep the balance in ones life whether it's work/life balance, food intake to energy expenditure, or keeping the drinking (or whatever other vices one has) to suitable levels; which of course may vary from one individual to another.

 

In my case I think I've got the balance pretty right; I usually have no more than 3 schooners (or 2 1/2 740ml bottles of beer in a session, and more often than not have more AFD's than drinking days.

I workout regularly, keep walking my dog twice every day, and generally walk if the distance I'm traveling can be reached on foot in half an hour or less, and if my trip outdoors doesn't include carting back items that are too heavy or bulky to carry in a backpack.

 

The trick is moderation, including allowing ones self to let go and over do it from time to time; not frequently, but enough so that indulgence can be a reward, rather than the rule.

 

Bike riding isn't for everyone, but neither is going to the gym or doing a cardio session in the lounge-room three days a week.

Horses for courses as they say.

 

Cheers.

 

Ben (aka Beeblebrox).