Epic Bikes Rides of the World

If you can’t actually be out riding your bike, then reading about cycling and planning your next trip is the next best thing.

Book and bikes are a regular theme at BCC.

We have previously featured schoolteacher Saber Hosseini who cycles his home-made library to far-flung rural Afghani villages so locals there who have no access to books can learn to read, the whimsical children’s storybook Along a Long Road, book, how bicycles can be promoted in local libraries and BCC’s own project A bike in my life – Recycled Dreams Community Storybook.

This week, I picked up a copy of Lonely Planet’s Epic Bike Ride of the World.

This book details 200 of arguably ‘the best places in the world to ride a bike’. The book is a colorfully illustrated hardback and is a delight to read.

It was published in 2016, so is still pretty current, although I’d love to hear how they decided on what rides to include and what to leave out.

Epic Bikes Rides of the World. Bicycles Create Change.com. 22nd Jan, 2019.

Key Features

The book is divided into continents chapters. This means you can quickly find what you are looking for and get info on exactly what you’re interested in.
Each entry has a visual grading: green for ‘easy’, blue for ‘harder’ and red for ‘epic’.
It covers all types of cycling: individual, family, sightseeing, road, mountain biking, bikepacking, urban rides and a heap of ideas for those into epic off-track adventuring. off the beaten track.
Each ride is accompanied by awesome scenic photos and a map. There are also toolkit and advice boxes to help with the practicalities of planning that particular trip.
The photos are ohhhh, sooo very motivating. I like how they include not just cycling and scenery, but also lifestyle, people, culture and travel vignettes that really showcase the uniqueness of riding in the region.
The locations included show judicious selection. What wonderful geographic spread: Moab, California, Canada, India Himalayas, NZ, Vietnam, Norway, Argentina, Japan, Denmark, Wales, Thailand, Australia … and heaps of other places. Impressive!
At the end of each section (which is more descriptive), there is a short factual ‘more like this’ section, which includes suggestions for other rides elsewhere in the style of that ride – what a great idea!

It was really inspiring reading this book. I’ve definitely added a few more thumbtacks into my bikepacking map of the world!

And it’s not just me who liked it. Ed Wright from Roadcycling.co.nz gave it a rave review as well.

This book won the TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 and was the winner in Favorite Travel Guide category.

So do yourself a favor – next time you’re in a library or bookshop, see if you can grab a copy of this book and check it out.

I guarantee, if you are a bike rider of any type, you will not be disappointed!

All images: Epic Bikes Rides of the World

13/01/201912/02/2019

Dubai International Bicycle Exhibition

Regular BCC readers know that making biking accessible for all ages, stages and types of people is a key focus for this blog. BCC content loves to celebrate community-based, grassroots implemented and social issue-driven projects, people and events.

So usually, big international commercial trade-shows and exhibitions like the second Dubai International Bicycle Exhibition which was held on 10-12 January don’t usually feature here – so why is it included?

Read on!

Dubai International Bicycle Exhibition. Bicycles Create Change.com. 13th Jan, 2019.

What is the DIBE?

This expo is primarily mercantile and retail in nature. It focuses on developing networks, promoting brands (and pro teams), and extending business-to-business exposure. Events like this is where local, regional and international bike companies and manufacturers sell products and services to regional retailers and distributors – and showcase new developments in cycling technology, design and innovation.

This event is the largest professional bicycle exhibition in the Middle East and North Africa. Apparently, over 7,000 visitors, enthusiasts, professional riders and business owners attended. International brands and exhibitors came from Italy, Germany, India, Australia, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, the United States, China, Hong Kong, China and Taiwan.

The event was supported by the royal family and was touted as being ‘the most important cycling business event in the MENA region.’

So what is interesting about the DIBE?

While I was looking at the expo online, two particular features jumped out.

One was the number of female expo representatives/ambassadors (like @jeddah_woman) and that there at least some representation of sustainable/alternative bicycle approaches via India’s Bamusa bicycles.

Small, but productive steps!

Female representation

Jedda_Woman I was very pleased to see @jedda_woman listed as an individual ambassador for this event. This social influencer (Followers: Instagram 7, 343 and Twitter 666 #jeddah_woman1) has been promoting local cycling and organising rides, events, educational/social meet-ups and practice days to get more people on bikes. I was hoping to find out more about what she is doing and contact her, but she has not been on Insta since 27th Nov 2018, or Twitter since 14th Dec 2017. So I will see how I go contacting her.

Velo Vixens The Velo Vixens are a friendly, supportive, enthusiastic group of over nearly 1,000 (predominately expat) women who ride, train and compete. This is a very popular, active and well-organised group who host lots of rides, training and competitions.

Other expo associated all-female cycling clubs were Cyclone Women Jeddah and the UAE Girls Cycling Club.

Godrej Bamusa Bikes

Another highlight from the mainstream branded manufacturers at the expo was India’s foremost hand-crafted premium bamboo bike company Godrej Bambusa Bike. It was great to see representation of sustainable materials and alternatives to the big manufacturers/supplies as an option for the usual (overfocus?) on ‘state-of-the-art’ frame design, process and materials like carbon-fibre.

The Banusa company loves to tell the story of two teenagers who undertook an epic 4400 km test ride (on their bikes) which went from Kanyakumari (far south India) across the country and over the Khardung-La Pass (world’s highest road) to north India. Solid as!

2019 Expanded program next year

This year it was just an expo, but next year there are plans to have sessions on bicycle infrastructure, products, innovation, technologies, safety, maintenance, and fitness and nutrition.

There is also talk of including a demo area and a Bicycle Training Workshop Area.

I am hoping that this expo will continue to include and promote the wide range of riders, biking types/codes and diverse organisations that make up our amazing cycling community. We’ll see next year!

09/01/201905/02/2019

Climb Every Mountain – CWRB Event

If any Brisbane riders are looking for some extra motivation or want to meet some like-minded people, Chicks Who Ride Bikes (CWRB) have just announced their first event for 2019 – it’s a breakfast panel!

I’m looking forward to this event and have already got my ticket.

If you don’t know who CWRB are, or have not yet heard about the Climb Every Mountain Breakfast Event – then read on!

Climb Every Mountain - CWRB Breakfast Event. Bicycles Create Change.com. 9th Jan, 2019. — Image: Chicks Who Ride Bikes

What is CWRB?

Chicks Who Ride Bikes is a social network connecting women around the world through a shared passion for cycling.

Founded in Brisbane in 2013, CWRB is the fastest growing women’s cycling community IN THE WORLD!

CWRB hold some great events and work hard to build a welcoming and engaged community. Head Chick Jordana Blackman must be one of the busiest people I know because I not only run into her at cycling meets, races and CWRB events, but she is also often travelling all over the country (and beyond) working on all manner of major cycling tours, events and media junkets…Impressive!

For this event, CWRB is hosting a breakfast with a panel of three Aussie female cycling icons.

I really like the idea of merging breakfast with the panel event.

The panel has a great line up (see below) and I’m keen to hear the speakers unique experiences, advice and stories. It will also be good to meet other attendees.

Here are the event details that CWRB released this week.

The Climb Every Mountain Breakfast

Join us for a lovely breakfast and coffee, meet some like-minded ladies and ‘climb your mountain’.

The event is hosted by Olympian and cycling commentator Katey Bates who will be joined by a panel of legends including Chief CWRB Jordana Blackman, Aussie cycling legend Loren Rowney and Media guru Jane Aubrey.

The panel will share the ups and downs of their life and career, their strategies to tackle challenges, embrace the stumbles, and come out on top… or at least come out with a smile on their face and some good stories to tell!

We’ll have some incredible door prizes and our full range of 2019 CWRB kit to try on.

The Host

Katey Bates
An Olympian and world champion cyclist, Katey loves her cycling like Eskimos love their ice. Fuelled by a passion for two wheels, she scaled the heights of international cycling.

Her stacked results sheet is highlighted by winning a coveted rainbow jersey with world championship victory in the points race, Commonwealth Games GOLD at back to back games, and a green and gold National champions jersey o the road.

Katey is one of only two Australian women to represent Australia at the Olympics in both track and road cycling, and since retirement, works in broadcasting, commentating on major international cycling events such as the Olympic and Commonwealth Games, World Championships and the Tour Down Under.

The Panel

Jordana Blackman
Chief Chick at Chicks Who Ride Bikes, Jordana was drawn to cycling after a shock cancer diagnosis in her 20s. While in recovery, she saw a poster for a Ride To Conquer Cancer event at her local cafe, and decided to challenge the 200km in 2 day ride ….. but there was just one problem.

After buying her first bike (and falling off it on more occasions that she’d like to remember), she rode her first charity bike event alongside her partner and 2,000 other fundraisers – each of which had been touched in some way or another by cancer.

She spent a lot of time training on her own or on an indoor wind trainer because she couldn’t find a group of girls to ride with at her pace, so when she moved interstate in 2013, she decided to create a Facebook group to make friends and meet other women who rode, and Chicks Who Ride Bikes was born.

Loren Rowney
Over half a decade, Loren Rowney was a highly sought after rouler in the international cycling scene. Riding for the world’s best teams including Mitchelton-Scott and Canyon/SRAM, as well as wearing the green and gold for the Australian National Team, Loren was known for her tactical know how, resilience, and ability to make her team mates smile.

An avid blogger about mental health and the challenges she has faced while transitioning from a professional sportswoman to civilian, Loren remains a keen road and MTB cyclist, with a passion for seeing women achieve equal rights and equality in sport.

Jane Aubrey
Over the last two decades, Jane’s career has spanned journalism and production working on the world’s largest sporting events including Olympic & Commonwealth Games and has held media and operational roles in UCI teams, WorldTour events and the inaugural Indian Pacific Wheel Race.

A former Editor at Cyclingnews and Cyclist Australia & New Zealand, Jane has also worked in the Public Affairs Unit teammates Department of Defence of Australia, and as Media Manager for Basketball Australia and Athletics Australia.

Now providing consulting advice in communications and public relations, Jane’s spare time is spent preparing to take on some of the world’s highest mountains and she’s working on a plan to conquer the Seven Summits.

Register for tickets

The breakfast is being held at the Shipp Inn (Southbank) on Thursday 28 February 2019 at 7:00 am – 8:30 am AEST.

Tickets are $43.29 per head. Click here to book.

See you there!

04/01/201911/11/2019

Animals on Bikes – Tourist Trail

The new year break is a time when many families hit the road for an annual holiday.

Cars full of people travel up and down the Australian East Coast heading to their favourite travel destination.

If you find yourself travelling through Central NSW, why not check out the Animals on Bikes tourist trail?

Animals on Bikes is a 120km creative ‘paddock art’ installation of…. well…. animals on bikes… that you can see from your car as you drive along.

What is Animals on Bikes?

Originally, the inspiration for the project (started by Christine Western), was to capitalize on local tourist services and attractions, such as the Dubbo Zoo.

But as 8 years of drought continued to ravage local farms, it also become a way ‘to boost morale and improve the economic health of our rural-reliant central west communities’.

Animals on Bikes started in 2009 as a series of 45 creative 2-metre high sculptures and some smaller ones created by local farmers, farmers wives, Men’s sheds, bus drivers, preschool kids, playgroup mums and other locals.

Now, there are over 100 sculptures on display.

All installations are located off the main highway, between Molong and the Dubbo Zoo, via Cumnock and Yeoval. You can download a map and self-drive a route that suits you.

Animals on Bikes - Tourist Trail. Bicycles Create Change.com. 4th Jan, 2019. — Image: Animals on Bikes

This project is quite remarkable.

Its impressive that the local community galvanised to link into, and extend, the local region’s tourism industry in creative and unique ways – as well as showcasing the talent, humour and ingenuity of local residents.

Many rural areas are being negatively affected by new highway developments that bypass communities – a theme immortalized as per Radiator Springs in the Disney movie ‘Cars’ for instance. This project is a great example of one community’s proactive approach to redress this.

What a great idea – and what an awesome theme!

See Animals on Bikes for more information. Here’s a few Animals on Bikes.

A big thanks to Claire Tracey, who suggested this story after seeing Animals on Bikes on a trip from Brisbane to Canberra. Thank you! We love it!

07/12/201801/01/2019

E-bike donated to cycling first-responder in recognition for saving 2,500 people

While researching how bicycles are used in communities in the Middle East, I came across this story from Israel about Meir Farkash. Farkash has been using his own bicycle as a volunteer bicycle emergency (EMS) responder in Ramat Hasharon (a coastal city located south of Tel Aviv).

I love this story because it showcases how positive one person on a bike can be in a community. I love that Meir is a student, a volunteer, that he has been so incredibly effective at saving lives as a bicycle emergency first-responder, and that now he is somewhat of a community icon as he makes his way around town. What a wonderful example of how cyclists can make significant positive community change. This story was first published in Israel Rescue. Enjoy, NG.

E-bike donated to cycling first-responder in recognition for saving 2,500 people. Bicycles Create Change.com. 7th Dec, 2018. — Image: Israel Rescue

Ramat Hasharon Hesder Yeshiva Student, Meir Farkash (25), is known to be the pinnacle lifesaver of his city. Over the past four years in which Farkash has been a United Hatzalah volunteer EMT, Farkash has responded to more than 2,500 emergency calls.

Among his myriad of emergency calls, more than 300 have been life-threatening. What’s even more impressive is that Farkash has responded to all of these calls on his personal bicycle.

In honor of his continued dedication to saving lives, United Hatzalah has given the active volunteer a first response e-bicycle that was donated to the organization for him by the residents of the city to honor Farkash’s selfless work.

Over the past four years, Meir Farkash has become somewhat of a local celebrity in Ramat Hasharon. The image of him pedaling through the streets in order to rush to a scene and save someone’s life is residents of that many residents have come to know and support.

“Today there are lots of people who say hello to me as I pass them on response e-bicycle. I say hello back. I have come to know many residents, and residents of me, through the EMS activities that I undertake and the calls that I respond to,” said Farkash.

The day before Farkash received the bicycle, he saved the life of one of the city’s citizens. He was dispatched to the car of a known lawyer from the city who had lost consciousness while he was with his family. Farkash, who arrived in just moments with his bicycle, began CPR and help resuscitate the man with the Intensive Care ambulance team that arrived at the scene. Farkash joined the ambulance team in transporting the patient to the hospital, and the man was released a few days later, alive and well enough to go home.

When asked if he knew the total number of lives he has saved, Farkash said:

I have never really thought about it. Now that you mention it, it gives me a really good feeling. Truth be told, even calls that are more general and do not involve a life being saved per se, they too give me and other volunteers a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction knowing that we helped somebody who needed us.

In every case we respond to, you meet a person who is incapable of helping themselves at that moment. You help them, you comfort them and you make sure they receive the best care that they can. That is the job of being a first responder. It’s not about the glory, it’s about helping people.”

When asked if he knew the total number of lives he has saved, Farkash said that: “I have never really thought about it. Now that you mention it, it gives me a really good feeling. Truth be told, even calls that are more general and do not involve a life being saved per se, they too give me and other volunteers a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction knowing that we helped somebody who needed us.

It’s not about the glory, it’s about helping people. Meir Farkash.

19/11/201828/11/2018

Nao’s Reflections on bicycles, Brisbane and networking

This touching guest post comes from Bicycle Create Change’s Research Assistant Nao Kamakura. Nao has recently completed her residency with BBC and is currently traveling Australia, then home to Japan. Here, Nao reflects on her time as a new international student in Brisbane and how hard it was to meet locals. Nao found a commonality with others when riding her bike and this post recounts some of the memorable times she had – thanks to her bike. We can all relate to moments in this post. Thanks for sharing Nao – happy travels and enjoy your rides! NG.

Nao's Reflections on bicycles, aBrisbane and networking. Bicycles Create Change.com. 19th Nov, 2018. — Nao on a bike ride in Brisbane. August, 2018.

Nao’s Reflections on bicycles, Brisbane and networking

Today, I would like to write about my bicycle experience in Brisbane.

Ever since I first came to Brisbane, I have always looked for authentic opportunities to meet new people, make some local friends and build my network. This is because I came to Brisbane alone and didn’t know anyone.

Bicycles helped me communicate with new people

When I first started as Nina’s researcher, I went to a networking event held in the city. Of course, I didn’t know anyone.

Some people are very good at communicating with new people, but unfortunately, I am not that kind of person.

My mind was always fighting – I want to go to this event, but I really don’t want to go!! In addition, I was still worried about my English speaking skill.

So I was a bit nervous.

In my mind, I felt a little bit of panic, things like “With whom should I talk to first?” or “What should I talk about?”.

Then, one person came late and he said “Sorry I’m late and sweaty – it’s because I came by bicycle”

Chaaaance.

I told him that I was a research assistant for a Griffith academic and I was investigating mountain biking.

That was how I could start a conversation with him – about bicycles. It was as easy as that.

Coincidently, he had just finished his PhD at the same University and he told me all about his research. This kind of communication was very interesting for me. But it was only made possible because of bicycles.

This small bicycle conversation led me to build an interesting network.

Evenso, at this early stage, I still didn’t have a special interest in bicycles – yet.

Nao's Reflections on bicycles, Brisbane and networking. Bicycles Create Change.com. 19th Nov, 2018. — Image: Freepic

In the workplace – ‘the bicycle girl’

A few weeks later, I bought a bicycle.

To finish my studies, I had to do a workplace intership. I wanted to use the bike to get to there because my student concession travel card had expired. Basically, I just wanted to save money.

It was 6km from my home to the company. The road included some slopes and hills, so it was not easy for me to ride the bike for the first few weeks.

At work, people noticed that I rode there and home each day.

Work colleagues started to talk to me about bicycles and riding.

I was surprised.

I wouldn’t have known what to talk about with these same colleagues if I didn’t have my bicycle. But now, people were starting a conversation with me and they wanted to keep talking about it!

Everyone recognised me as ‘the bicycle girl’.

This meant I had many conversations and met even more new people.

One time, a colleague invited me to join a bicycle event with her – and she also asked me to go to Fraser Island with her!

What a miracle! Lucky me!

Riding a bicycle helped my communication and confidence in this new work environment. It was a very special opportunity that I would not have experinced without a bike.

Out and about

As for getting used to riding a bicycle, I started to use my bike as ‘recreational equipment’.

I often went to the farmer’s markets near the city on my bike.

Cycling became my new hobby in Brisbane.

On the way to go to markets, I could see that Brisbane’s scenery is very, very beautiful.

Just riding along the riverside made me happy.

It was during this time that I realised the full attractiveness of bicycles.

This is just my personal opinion, but I REALLY love riding bikes now.

It puts me into a positive mindset.

When I sold my bicycle (because I had to move out), I was extremely sad….without my bicycle I felt naked!

This website’s title is ‘Bicycle Creates Change’ That is very true.

‘Change’ depends on the person. My bicycle helped me to communicate with people and that was a big change for me 🙂

Nao Kamakura

09/11/201821/11/2018

Vipassana

I’ve just returned from my first 10-day silent Vipassana meditation course.

Lots of people have heard of Vipassana meditation. Some of you may have already done a course ( … or two… or more). If you haven’t heard of Vipassana, ask your friends about it – you will hear some VERY interesting stories.

I’ve been struggling to write this post.

I am not yet ready to share the ins-and-outs of what happened. Besides, there is no point reinventing the wheel – there is some much Viapassna info already widely and readily available on YouTube (full of advice and recounts) and online.

If you want more details on what the course is, my recommended two best personal Vipassana recounts are:

If you are a cyclist – check out what cycling-around-the-world The Wandering Nomads had to say about their 10-Day Vipassana Experience. Complete with beautiful photos.
Also, Torre DeRoche from The Fearful Adventurer retells her Vipassana experience. Very engaging and captures the struggles really well.

You kinda have to do it yourself.

If you get the chance, be brave and give it a go.

So, without getting stuck on the nitty-gritty details of my experience, here’s a brief Vipassana snapshot.

What is Vipassana?

Understanding Vipassana is not difficult. It is the consistent practice that is the hard part. Overall, there are three central pillars: Sila (morality), Samadhi (control of the mind) and Panna (wisdom).

Find out more about Vipassana here.

Vipassana means “to see things as they really are”.

The course is based on the teachings of Buddha but is linked to not Buddhism or any other religion. It is universal teaching, not secular. And it is not a cult.

The course requires students to live-in for 10 days and adhere to a monastic code of conduct, which includes (among others) avoiding all the following: speaking, eye contact, gesturing, touching, technology/mobile phone, reading, writing, exercise and the genders are segregated

Epic.

So what was it like?

It was a rollercoaster ride. Many ups. Many downs.

There were 26 women on my course, 4 left.

The timetable is intense. The commitment is intense. The location is beautiful.

I LOVED noble silence. I LOVED the early starts.

It was physically and mentally very challenging.

I learnt a lot about trust, compassion and letting go.

I learnt to notice and accept change (Annicca).

The stunning food and nightly discourses were daily highlights.

During the course, my awareness sharpened, I managed to slow down the noise in my head, and had the time to really focus being in the present moment.

Other thoughts…

Vipassana helps people (re)connect with the body by observing the interactions between the mental (mind/thinking) and the material (body/sensations).

The Vipassana technique is immediately useful and transferable to all other aspects of life (not just meditation), especially in the case of managing emotions such as fear, attachment, desire and pain.

The benefits of Vipassana are not only personal. As a bike rider, I have been applying it to my bike riding and there is a significant change in my approach to MTBing.

When I got back home from my course, I did what any normal contemporary bike-riding Vipassana student would have done: I made love with my husband, ate a gorgeous lunch, went for a mountain-bike ride, then meditated. Priorities.

Goenka was right. I am more content and happy.

I am still meditating every day.

27/10/201808/03/2019

Chicks in the Sticks 2018

Last weekend was the 2018 Chicks in the Sticks 3 hr Enduro event.

Chicks in the Sticks (CITS) is Queensland’s premier all-women’s MTB event. It has been running now for 4 years and registrations have been gaining steadily. This year there were 233 entrants.

I won’t rehash here the finer details of the event as you can check out at this post on the CITS 2016 which I rode as a team event or this one from the 2017 event.

CITS is all-inclusive race experience catering for both elite riders and those new to MTB and there is a strong emphasis on fun, community and giving riding a go.

The original date set in late August at the Karingal site was cancelled due to thunderstorms.

As luck would have it, the rain cleared on Sunday and a beautiful steamy and sunny day burst forth for our race day at Scribbly Gums Conservation Park.

How was the event?

I got there early and set up a little area for my gear and bags. The junior race started soon after and it was inspiring to see the under-10 girls giving it their all.

I got my race plate, chatted to a few people I knew and visited a few of the stalls. After getting a sense of where the senior race track was, I moved my gear to a position that was quick and easy to have a pit shop to replenish supplies during the race.

Unlike previous years, this time I was riding the full 3-hour solo. As the morning got more humid and hot, I could see that this change in weather was going to be a factor during the race and I was glad I gave some good thought to my water and race supplies.

My approach was to ride steady and see how I felt. It’s been 2 years since I’ve officially raced – and I was at CITS to support the event, not to ride hard and total myself. There were some elite racers out to smash it and many were there to give it a go and a surprising number of seniors were doing their first ever race.

I was not in costume, just comfortable MTB gear – a decision I was very grateful for later when the sun was blaring down and I saw many people in costumes suffering more so. I could see the heat taking a toll on the less experienced riders. By lap 3 (2 hours in) the field had spread out considerably, with quite a few calling it quits early due to the heat.

I rode with a few people who were struggling on the uphill fire trail – just chatting and encouraging. One lady had not eaten, so I gave her some of my food and keep her company up the hill. It reminded me how hard it was when I first started riding and how much I valued the insights and advice of my more experienced MTB mates. Their input saved me a lot of needless suffering – for which I am eternally thankful.

What else happened?

Interestingly, I was the only singlespeed riding- and the trails were perfect for it. Really, there was bugger all elevation, but lots of windy single track. The consistently tight turns and gravel spread the field right out. Confident cornering technique played a massive role in conserving energy and holding speed. Perfect conditions!

I chugged along at my own speed and chatted to a few other riders. My goal was to keep my head positive and enjoy the day – everything else was a bonus. So without any race expectations, it meant I could relax and enjoy the ride.

I found my groove after lap two and was feeling surprisingly comfortable. I ended up doing 5 laps 9kms laps in total without destroying myself in the heat and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

It was good to be part of this event. It was lovely to see how hard people were working and how different people deal with their individual race day challenges.

I had a great time riding and was glad I pushed myself to ride further than I have previously without destroying myself. It was a great day for a ride and the event was super fun. I will definitely be back next year! See you there!

Congrats to the organisers!

Kudos to the organisers and all the wonderful people that helped make this such a fabulous event like the participants, the RATS Cycling Club, volunteers and heaps of partners/family/friends.

The Chicks in the Sticks committee did a great job. A big congratulations to Barbra Neal, Lisa Toia, Amanda Harrison, Seb Mitaros and Christine McKay for all their hard work behind the scenes.

Congrats to all the riders – especially those who were riding for the first time.

Race Day results are available here.

More info about this event can be found on the CITS Facebook page and event pics at Element Photo and Video Productions.

23/10/201814/11/2018

Mexico City: First Latin-American Bike Mayor

As regular readers of this blog know, I post a little about teaching and my PhD progress, but mainly, this blog shares ideas, events and research where bicycles are creating positive community change. The story below from Mexico City (first published by Citylab Latino, then translated into English by Andrea Penman-Lomeli for Citylab) definitely fits the bill. It is exciting to see strong advocacy and support for cycling in the more challenging-to-ride urban cities. Earlier this year I posted on the difficulties of riding in Kampala, Uganda. Now, Mexico City has been making news by progressing cycling in Latin America with their first ever Bicycle Mayor. Bicicletas de larga duración!!

Cycling Mexico City: Background

Mexico City falls far short of the cycling infrastructure that bike activists dream of: as many residents say, it’s no Amsterdam. Although only 30 percent of daily trips in the city are made via private car (the other 70 percent are made by public transportation, by bike, or on foot), Mexico City is known for some of the worst traffic in the world and nearly toxic levels of pollution. Since 2006, there have been over 1,600 cyclist deaths.

Because of these deterrents, cycling activism has been two-fold, lobbying city authorities to integrate cycling infrastructure into the urban plan and promoting a cycling culture among city residents.

In the last decade, cycling has become especially relevant to the city’s agenda. In 2007 the city launched Muévete en Bici, a program that blocks cars from several main streets on Sundays so that cyclists can have the streets to themselves. In 2010, Mexico City implemented a bike share program, EcoBici, the first in Latin America.

Current cycling context in Mexico City

So far, the city’s only got 140 kilometers of the 600 kilometers of bike lanes that bike activists estimate it needs, but when EcoBici started, the city was virtually devoid of biking infrastructure. Ecobici now has around 6,500 bikes and over 240,000 registered users (which, they argue, is the largest in North America).

In July 2014, a new mobility law placed cyclists and pedestrians at the top of a mobility hierarchy and introduced cycling language into urban plans for the first time. However, beyond moving into the next phases of EcoBici and implementing sorely needed safety measures, the plans were vague—plus, critics challenge the special hierarchy, noting that if cyclists were truly at the top, government infrastructure spending would reflect that.

The first Latin-American Bike Mayor

Mexico City has a long way to go before it’s truly bike-friendly, but now, the city has a bike mayor—the first in all of Latin America. During the 2017 Sixth Annual World Bicycle Forum, the activist Areli Carreón was elected to the post by forum attendees in an online election. In addition to promoting cycling, she will act as an intermediary between cyclists, community groups, Mexico City’s government, and the bike mayors from Amsterdam and Sydney.

The position doesn’t confer any formal power, but it doesn’t mean that Carreón won’t be able to make an impact.

“Mexico City is a city that has already incorporated cycling in many ways,” she says. “It has completely transformed the face of the city, the urban logic of the city center.” However, twenty years ago, when she started as a cycling activist, she saw a very different culture. “People used to make fun of us,” says Carreón. “They’d say, ‘why do you want to ride on the street? Why don’t you ride around the park?’”

Since its founding in 1998, Carreón’s organization, Bicitekas A.C., has promoted cycling through community rides and by lobbying for public policies. Their campaigns seek to raise awareness of cycling and the environment. According to Carreón, Biciteka “is the oldest organization that has lobbied for cycling in Mexico City.”

From blockades and protests to speeches and reports, Carreón has attempted to influence public opinion and city leadership in every way possible, including the production of the Urban Cyclist Manuel, the first comprehensive guide for cyclists in the city, and the first of its kind in Latin America. “We did workshops, led courses, put on parties, created art pieces and videos for museums. We have 20 years of innovation under our belts. We’ve tried by all possible means to convince, encourage, and promote this idea that we must move by different means,” she says. “But it took 20 years for city authorities to look at cycling as more than just a pastime.”

Source: Ronaldo Schemidt:AFP: Getty Images

What is a ‘bike mayor’?

The concept of the bicycle mayor began in 2016 with a proposal from the Dutch nonprofit CycleSpace to create a global network of activists that could promote cycling at the international level. In an online election in June, 2016, Anna Luten was chosen as Amsterdam’s first bicycle mayor. But, some asked, did a city already well-known for being bike-friendly really need another promoter?

At the opposite end is Mexico City. Although it has achieved a “radical” change in culture, according to Carreón, and many infrastructural changes for its cyclists, extreme pollution and congestion are hurdles to it becoming a truly bike-friendly city.

Looking forward

As she settles into her position, Carreón hopes to facilitate broad participation in urban planning. Beyond seeing an increasing in bike lanes and safety precautions for cyclists, she also wants to invite community members to share their visions.

As her role continues to take shape, two other bike mayors—Amsterdam’s Anna Luten and Sydney’s Sarah H. Imm—will meet with Carreón.

Although it remains to be seen what authority the bicycle mayor position will afford her, Carreón will likely continue to do the work she’s spent her entire life doing. “Biking has transformed the city into a laboratory of possibilities. It’s awakened our collective imagination and made us assert our needs as members of a society,” she says. “Exactly what this can lead to, I’m not sure. But it’s exciting.”

18/10/201829/11/2018

Ride 2 Work Day 2018

Ride@Work Day 2018. Bicycles Create Change.com 18th October, 2018 — Source: Bicycle Network

Yesterday was Australia’s Ride2Work Day 2018.

This event is a national program that encourages workers to feel good and have fun commuting to work by bike.

The aim of Ride2Work is to promote the health, financial and environmental benefits of riding and encourage more people to ride to work. Ride2Work Day helps people who have never commuted by bike before to give it a go and allows regular riders to stay motivated and encourage their work-mates to get involved.

To be involved, participants register their ride on Ride2Work Day website. Registering is a way peak bicycle advocacy groups can better understand bike commuter behaviour and help leverage campaigns for better riding facilities to councils, local and state governments.

Most capital cities hold a Ride2Work Day breakfast event. I went to last year breakfast in Brisbane and this year we had a Griffith Uni crew meeting there.

It has been raining for a week in Brisbane, but when I woke up early. It was a beautiful crisp morning, and I was looking forward to meeting the other 8 Griffith Uni cyclists in at the Brisbane Law Courts Plaza, 7.00 – 8.15am for a free cyclist’s breakfast, coffee, chat with some fellow riders and to see what the stalls and tents had to offer.

I was excited!

I took Leki and we arrived in the city early.

So I took a little sojourn along the Brisbane River. Then I started heading in the direction of the Law Courts and ended up joining up along the way with another rider named Peter. We chatted as we rode along, marvelling at the beautiful morning and how lucky we were that the rain broke for this event.

But when we arrived at the event site, this is what we saw…..

After a quick chat with a few other cyclists and some phone calls, we found out the event had been cancelled due to rain – obviously!

Funny, none of us knew the event had been cancelled or had received any notification.

I checked the Bicycle Queensland website and Instagram before I left and there was no notification – hence heading out. A friend said later there was a short post on Bicycle Queensland’s Facebook page – not so helpful for those who don’t use Facebook – perhaps an email for those who had registered?

And nothing from the other Griffith cyclists either – interesting…!

No matter!

It was such a beautiful morning. I was certainly not going to waste this opportunity! So with Peter’s directions, I headed out towards West End on an adventurous morning ride.

Unsurprisingly, I had a great time!

I went scouting for a cool cafe to stop at before the morning traffic got too much, but ended up having such a lovely ride along the river, I just keep going!

I chatted to a few other cyclists and really enjoyed watching the city wake up.

I went to parts of the city I have not seen before and rode the long way back along the Brisbane River using a bike path I’ve never been on. GOLD!

It was awesome.

Tired, sweaty and happy – I then started to head back.

So despite the Brisbane event being cancelled- I had a brilliant ride to work.

I hope you did too!

Key Features

What is the DIBE?

So what is interesting about the DIBE?

Female representation

Godrej Bamusa Bikes

2019 Expanded program next year

What is CWRB?

The Climb Every Mountain Breakfast

The Host

The Panel

Register for tickets

What is Animals on Bikes?

Nao’s Reflections on bicycles, Brisbane and networking

Bicycles helped me communicate with new people

In the workplace – ‘the bicycle girl’

Out and about

What is Vipassana?

So what was it like?

Other thoughts…

Chicks in the Sticks 2018

How was the event?

What else happened?

Congrats to the organisers!

Cycling Mexico City: Background

Current cycling context in Mexico City

The first Latin-American Bike Mayor

What are key bike points for Bike Mayor Areli Carreón?

What is a ‘bike mayor’?

Looking forward