Derailleur
Cycling as the new golf
Written 22 March 2012
Cycling is going through somewhat of a renaissance at present. Not just the sport of cycling but the joys of commuting by bicycle too.
The rise of the bicycle commuter can be put down to a number of contributing factors, but in large part to the desire to be a clean, green individual. [insert image of beautiful woman riding home from the market with her shopping in her basket while elegantly ringing her bell at passers by]
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It's all about R E S P E C T
Written 7 October 2009
Recently I've been feeling like I'm sounding like my grandfather. One of his favourite things to say to my brother and I was this: "You have two ears and one mouth, you should use them in that ratio". I always found that to be a little mean but he probably had a point. My brother and I to this day should probably heed that advice every now and again. Anyway I digress...
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Push to lower speed limit after crash
Written 29 September 2009
Following another car versus cyclist incident this past weekend cycling advocacy groups are calling for lowering the speed limit on Tamaki Drive or, as suggested in the Herald on Sunday, closing the road! I'm sorry but, yawn!...
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Drivers
Written 18 March 2009
To train hard an athlete needs to have a driver or motivation behind them. �This "driver" will obviously be different for everyone but discovering what it is can be most important when setting goals and making plans.
I had a "planning" meeting recently with my coach. During this meeting I verbalised to her a previously subconscious driver. I realised what my driver was without ever having consciously thought about it. I had known what it was all along.
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In the Blood
Written 10 February 2009
It gets in your blood and once there it never really goes away.
Research shows that there are some specific sports that have this compulsive effect on people. The two often talked about are running and cycling.
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Getting Angry
Written 23 September 2008
Every Friday morning a group of us meet up on the waterfront and do roughly 50 minutes of riding before going to a central cafe to eat breakfast, a phenomenon commonly known as the breakfast ride. There are a few regulars in the group and some seasonal breakfast riders who make the occasional appearance. Last Friday we had an interesting bunch which included a male rider who has recently got into the sport and started attending club races. He shared with the group that he found many of the riders race "angry".
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Coaching
Written 02 September 2008
In my near 13 years of cycling I have had four coaches all of whom have dealt with my various idiosyncrasies in different ways. Some have had to coach me at more "difficult" times than others and I am happy to say that I consider three of my previous coaches to be very good friends. Recently however I have found a coach that really brings out the best in me and it has made me consider why she works for me and what happens when a coaching partnership does not work.
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Athletes, Politics and Beijing
Written 28 July 2008
Leading up to 8/8/8 there is much speculation being made about the impact and success of the Beijing Games. Centring around pollution and politics commentators have been questioning how successfully these games are going to proceed. Many are asking why athletes have not been making more noise about the political environment in which they are going to compete.
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Perception
Written 01 July 2008
Contrary to popular belief the motor car does not own the road, and the road was not just built for the motor car.
It was with this in mind (or my mind at least) that ten friends and I traipsed to the Hawkes Bay last weekend to galivant around on the On Yer Bikewine tour. It was a simple plan - hire bikes (including tandems, there had been talk of a rickshaw but I canned that idea when it was suggested I tow it around all day) and drink wine.
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From Failure to Failure - with Enthusiasm
Written 18 June 2008
It is incredible what a bad race can do for your self esteem. It was, up until Sunday, not something that had happened to me in a while. Every race I have entered in the last six months has been ok to very good (with the occasional win thrown in). As any athlete will tell you winning, or in many cases just riding well, is a drug. That is why athletes push on through the form slumps, to feel that invincible feeling of being the victor of their peers.
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Cycling Etiquette
WRITTEN 12 June 2008
As I've written before, the sport of cycling is booming. Local club racing attracts nearly 200 riders a week and the Lake Taupo cycle challenge now attracts upwards of 12,000 riders every November. Riding a bike is now a very cool thing to be doing, for many reasons. To save petrol, to get fit or to avoid the bore of the gym.
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Fun Ride v. Club Racing
WRITTEN 21 April 2008
It's difficult for us "cycling snobs" not to write about what is happening in cycling at the moment.
By cycling snob I mean those who have been around for "years".
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