UniCyclist
The Newsletter of BikeSoc
O-Week 1999 Edition
Welcome
If you’re anything like me, you’ll be wondering where your holidays
went. I’ve been spending heaps of time on my bikes both for fun and in
an attempt to get fit for the upcoming Polaris Challenge (more on that
later). Anyway, welcome to all new uni students, and welcome back to everyone
who is returning.
I guess I should say a little about what Bikesoc is. Bikesoc has
two main roles. Firstly, and most importantly, Bikesoc is a social club.
We organise rides, both on- and off-road, meetings and other social gatherings.
We hope to be able to run an overnight trip or two later in the year. Bikesoc
is a way of meeting other people who share an interest in cycling. Bikesoc
also exists to represent your rights as cyclists and to lobby for better
facilities. The bike racks scattered around campus are a result of the
work which Bikesoc did a few years ago.
Finally, I urge all of you to get involved with the club. Without
the participation of it’s members the club will be nothing. Most of the
executive are mountain bikers, so if you want to organise a road ride in
particular, or any ride for that matter, you will be most welcome. It doesn’t
take much effort to organise a ride. You just have to decide on a time
and a place and tell us about it so we can put in the calendar. It could
be anything from a suburban cruise to an all day epic. It’s easy just to
have some people tag along on one of your regular rides. Similarly, articles
for the newsletter will be greatly appreciated.
Riding to Uni
Riding to uni is a great alternative to either cars or public transport.
It can save time (for me it’s a 40 minute ride, while it takes an hour
or more by bus), there’s no trouble finding a parking space, you don’t
produce any pollution, you can improve your fitness, but most of all it’s
a lot more enjoyable than sitting in a steel cage of some description.
When you get to uni, however, there are some precautions you can take to
avoid losing your pride and joy:
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Use a good quality U-lock. Remember, you get what you pay for, so
it’s a good idea not to skimp. Lock your bike to a solid object, like the
bike racks around the campus. Put the lock through the frame at least,
and preferably the rear wheel as well. If you have a quick release front
wheel, it’s a good idea to remove this and lock it up as well. This also
fills up the gap inside the lock, making it difficult to jack open. Ask
us at the stall and we’ll give a demonstration of how to lock your bike.
-
Remove anything that isn’t permanently attached, such as lights,
pump, drink bottles, computers, etc. I even know of some people who take
their seats with them!
Cycle Hazard Reporter
In order to help out our friends at the RTA in keeping the extensive
Sydney bicycle network humming, Chris Virtue has set up a Web page where
cyclists can report hazards. The reports are emailed directly to
the RTA to ensure prompt attention. You can find it at it http://www.inhouse.com.au/bikestuff/
Upcoming Events
As I said before, feel free to organise a ride. Tell us about it
and we’ll put it in the newsletter.
Critical Mass: Join hundreds of cyclists, bladers and other human
powered vehicles in a ride around the city. Don’t be afraid to join in
- the pace is always really cruisy. The ride usually finishes at 6:30-7:00
somewhere where you can get dinner.
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When: last working Friday of every month, 5:30pm
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Where: the fountain at the northern end of Hyde Park
Anderson’s/Oaks Epic: Two classic Blue Mountains mountain
bike rides linked together. Anderson’s Fire Trail is mostly downhill to
Bedford Creek, with one particularly difficult hill out of the valley.
It’s about 35km from Wentworth Falls to Woodford, where you can bail out
if you want. Then the ride continues along the Oaks Fire Trail which undulates
for about 12km before about 15km of near continuous downhill, with some
nice singletrack for about half of this. There is then a short, sharp climb
up to Glenbrook station. Bring plenty of food and water, as well as a couple
of spare inner tubes.
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When: Sunday 28 February 9:30am - catch the 7:30 train
from Central
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Where: Wentworth Falls station
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Contact: Tim Wardrop 9953 1799
Activent Polaris Challenge: The challenge is a two day overnight
event combining mountain biking with elements of navigation, bush skills
and touring. Teams of two ride between check points scattered over a large
area of rugged country. Each checkpoint has a score and the aim is to accumulate
as many points as possible within each day's time limit. Each team must
carry sufficient food and equipment for the weekend including an overnight
camp on Saturday. The Challenge is an opportunity for a great weekend riding
through some wild country on trails and dirt roads. Ask at the stall for
an entry form and more details. Entries close March 8. http://www.w3.com.au/polaris
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When: 13-14 March
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Where: 5 hours’ drive south-west of Sydney (location
revealed later)
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Contact: Tim Wardrop 9953 1799
Cycle Against Want: Run in tandem (sorry, pun intended) with the
Walk Against Want, this event is a fundraiser for Community Aid Abroad.
There is a choice of routes from 8 to 60 kilometres, all on cycleways.
Phone 1800 034 034 to register and get a sponsor book.
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When: Sunday 21 March
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Where: Starting from Tempe railway station
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Contact: Ali McKay at Community Aid Abroad 9264 1399
Royal National Park: Take a cruise around the Nasho. A mix of fire
trails and singletrack, some technical. 2-4 hours, depending on who turns
up. Bring food, water and spare tubes.
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When: Sunday 28 March 12 noon
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Where: Entrance to Sutherland railway station
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Contact: Tim Wardrop 9953 1799
World Cup Cross Country Mountain Biking: Come along to support our
local riders, including reigning champion Cadel Evans, when they race against
the best in the world at the Olympic mountain bike course. I’ve raced on
this track, and it’s pretty tricky, with quite a few hairy technical bits.
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When: 10/11 April (women’s/men’s)
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Where: Fairfield City Farm
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Contact: Tim Wardrop 9953 1799
Weekend mountain bike rides: I ride off road most weekends, but
these rides aren’t usually organised until mid-week. Phone or email Tim
on 9953 1799 and I’ll tell you if there’s a ride planned
Other possibilities: Other Bikesoc events could include BBQs,
bike maintenance, an AGM, monthly lunches to plan rides and talk about
bikes
Email List
If you have email, just let me know and I’ll put you on my contact
list so that I can send out info on rides and other Bikesoc happenings.
My address is wardrop@ar.com.au
Website
The Bikesoc website is pretty basic at the moment. It has this newsletter,
a trip list, a page of useful mountain biking, bicycle advocacy and general
cycling links, articles and a photo gallery. It will contain an archive
of past newsletters, as soon as there are past newsletters. Find
it at http://www.ar.com.au/~wardrop/bikesoc.htm
Contacts
President & newsletter editor: Tim Wardrop 9953 1799 wardrop@ar.com.au
Secretary: Dave Budden 9416 3042 daveb@ugrad.phys.unsw.edu.au
Treasurer: Byron Ross 9387 5026 bkmr@hotmail.com
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