Brisbane Bike Week 2018

What is Bike Week?

Bike Week runs from 28th April – 6th May and is Brisbane’s annual cycling festival. This bike festival is aimed at getting more people of different ages and stages riding bikes.

I’ve been really looking forward to Bike Week this year. I had high expectations this year after having such a great time last year and considering the amazing range and popularity of the events for last year Bike Week 2017.

I especially had a great time at the Style Over Speed event and was delighted to be interviewed a part of a radio segment about the event! But alas it was not on for 2018.

However, one of the special events for this Bike Week was the Bayview Staging Area Official Opening @ Bike Week. This was a celebratory half day for family, friends and riders to share and enjoy the public opening of the Bayview shared trails. (Stay tuned for more on this! NG).

Bike Week 2018. Bicycles Create Change.com. 5th May 2018 — Image: Bike Week QLD

Brisbane Bike Week 2018

There have been lots of events this week, like:

Bike Home from Work Party
Wheely Fun (for young riders transitioning from training wheels)
10-Speed Dating @ Bike Week
Safe Cycling with Kids
Cycling – Ferny Grove suburban explorer
Get There By Bike @ Bike Week

I love going to the rides and activities put on by council and bike clubs, but I admit to having a special place in my heart for the smaller, more unconventional events.

I’m also always keen to see more ‘fringe’ events.. like last year’s Style over Speed, or some of the unusual performances or events that are a little more quirky, idiosyncratic, unique and not so ..well… er… conventional.

If I had a say in Bike Week

…I’d suggest for a little more on the ‘festival’ side………

I’d like to see some less polished, less ‘the usual suspects’ and more grass-roots events as well…like….maybe a local high school (or QCA?) hosting a student art show, or UQ hosting a community bike discussion forum, or a Brisbane bike photo competition, or a family bikes games day in the Botanic Gardens, or holding a bike slam poetry afternoon in a retirement villages (bring the festival to those who can’t make it?) ….that kind of thing.

Or ….how about a bike festival ‘official opening extravaganza’ in the city where THEcyclOZ troupe are whipping the crowd into a frenzy …. and the Pedal Pusher Brisbane crew and The Brisbane Penny Farthing chapter (and others!) are alongside local BMX, Fixi and bike polo groups doing demonstrations over the course of the day, so more people can drop in and see the wonderful range and spirit of the Brisbane cycling community.

Now that’s a bike festival!!

Well…maybe next year….

Until then, there is still much to do for Bike Week 2018!

This weekend

Some of the events on this weekend are:

Saturday

Sunday

Brisbane City Council’s website has a good range of Bike Week events – or go to the official Bike Week QLD website (see below).

An impressive amount of hard work and effort has gone into these events.

I’m excited about heading out, getting involved, meeting some new riders, riding my bike at some new locations and supporting the festival.

The weather in Brisbane is amazing at the moment and it is a perfect time to grab the family and have some fun on two wheels.

So Brisbanites – grab a mate, get out there and get riding!

See you out there!

01/05/201808/05/2018

Electric vehicles come to town!

This guest blog post comes courtesy of RevBECCA from Rev-Bikes. I first met RevBECCA at the Melbourne at the Sustainable Living Festival, when I awarded her one of our Environmental Excellence Awards for her incredible passion and work getting more people on electric bikes. She agreed to do a guest blog post about the changes she is seeing in e-transport (she was on her e-bike as we chatted about this!)- and true to her word, here it is! Enjoy! NG.

Coming into e-bikes from the environmental angle, RevBECCA wanted to see people be able to do more than just run their house with the solar energy systems she was selling them. Seeing e-bikes as a great middle ground between bikes and electric cars, she set about 9 years ago to change the perception of e-bikes, through building super stylish custom bikes, to overcome the negative stereotypes and dispel the myths. Electric assistance is about making more possible by bike, by a wider audience than regular exercise-focused cyclists and it creates a fantastic mode of active transport. Rev-Bikes can turn ANY bike into an electric bike, and she especially loves the most custom and creative vehicles (such as hand cycles, recumbents, tandems, and cruisers).

Electric vehicles come to town!

Guest blog post by RevBECCA LEE.

There’s nothing quite like the raw acceleration power of an electric motor, with immediate 100% torque straight off the line.

If you haven’t felt it before, then now is the best time ever to have your chance.

On Sunday, February 18^th, Australia’s largest event focused on Electric Vehicles (EV’s) took place in Port Melbourne, Victoria (AUS).

This is the 5^th time the annual event has been run, with previous EV Expo’s attracting over 3000 people. This one was predicted to be much larger, with much more on offer for guests to learn about and experience.

The new venue was chosen to allow a strong focus on ‘Feeling the EV Grin‘, meaning people could test drive cars, bikes, scooters, and other vehicles, in the safety of closed circuit tracks.

Alongside the track, there were various retailers of the different vehicles available to be ridden and driven and who showed people how they worked, and answer questions.

A variety of electric cars were exhibited, including many of the factory models previously and currently available in Australia.

Electric bikes and more

A large range of electric bikes of all shapes and sizes, some with over-powered motors and long-range batteries (including some from Warrandyte’s own REV-Bikes), were all available to try.

In addition, there was a diverse range of one-off custom vehicles on display, in Australia’s only ALL-ELECTRIC Show’N’Shine competition.

This showcased creative and innovative vehicles such as a pure solar car, a home-made Batpod replica, a converted Capri, and the authentic vintage 1917 Detroit electric car we’ve seen attend in previous years.

A description of the vehicles was provided by the owners for the public to read, including the power and range specifications, and the vehicles were judged while competing for prestigious rosettes.

Demo laps were a way to show off many of these vehicles throughout the day.

To satisfy the community’s thirst for knowledge about the emerging technology in EV’s, there was a diverse seminar series, where experts delivered presentations on a range of topics, from introductory level to the more technical.

Special guests – world record holders!

One very special international guest is Eva Hakansson, who designed and built the fastest electric motorcycle on the planet (400+km/h), and she also raced it herself (what a woman!).

Another World Recording holding special guest is Alan Johnson, who converted his 4WD to full solar-powered electric and drove across the Simpson Desert last year. The vehicle was on display, and he was there alongside it to answer questions.

There were also many more technical presentations on various aspects of vehicles, the industry and the potential incentives our government could be offering to increase the uptake of EV’s in Australia.

Awards Electric vehicles come to town. Bicycles Create Change.com 1st May, 2018. (Oooh! Who won that the last category?! Congrats RevBECCA! NG)

What are the next steps and take-aways?

The goal of the EV Expo is to demystify this exciting and sustainable technology, which is indisputably coming to disrupt the existing status quo; the unnecessary burning of fossil fuels for personal transportation.

The organisers aim to empower consumers to make informed decisions in their next choice of vehicle and prompt governments to take action to encourage faster uptake of EV’s.

Other countries are already in the middle of this revolution, thanks to progressive governments encouraging early adopters through financial incentives.

Norway already has more than 20% of new car sales being pure electric (and over 50% are electric/hybrid), a result stemming from decisions made as far back as 1990 to eliminate import taxes on electric vehicles, making them cost comparable to similar petrol and diesel vehicles.

Until they have the target 50,000 zero-emission vehicles on the road, Norwegians also enjoy free parking, free toll travel, and are able to use bus lanes. All policies started back in the 90’s.

Currently, in Australia, we only have about 4000 electric cars on the road, a mere 0.1% of new car sales.

The main barriers to buying an electric car are around the price (higher than petrol equivalents, although much lower ongoing costs), battery range per charge (most models are about 200-300kms per charge) and the limited infrastructure available out there for charging (although there are more powerpoints around than petrol stations, and charging normally happens while the user sleeps).

So, I think the main barriers are really a lack of understanding and the upfront cost.

The EV Expo aims to address the first point directly, and the second point by engaging government in conversation.

“A global revolution in electric vehicles is underway and with the right preparation, planning and policies, Australian consumers are set to be the big beneficiaries,” said Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg.

In his recent opinion piece, the Minister pointed to what needs to happen to increase the uptake of EV’s here in Australia but fell obviously short of actually committing to any incentives being rolled out by the Turnbull government. So why did he write this piece? I think something is coming.

With the major auto manufacturing industry now officially over in Australia (perhaps due to a lack of investment in future markets), there is little reason not to encourage the importing of cleaner vehicles over dirtier ones. Watch this space for breaking news, hopefully soon.

The Electric Vehicle Expo 2018 was held at the Melbourne International Karting Complex, just near the West Gate Bridge, 5kms from the CBD.

More details can be found at www.EVexpo.org.au

See you all at the next EV Expo!

Video: Rev-Electric Bikes. Riding high-powered.

All Images: @Rev-Bikes and EV Expo.com

28/04/201830/04/2018

Bicycles and ANZAC DAY 2018

ANZAC Day (April 25th) is one of Australia’s most important national cultural holidays. Originally held to mark the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand men and women during the First World War, today, the commemoration honours all Australians and New Zealanders involved in armed conflict.

Last year for ANZAC Day, I posted on the Australian Cycling Corps. This post detailed the background and types of bicycles used in WW1 and more specifically the Military Roaster model – Mark IV. Having spent time in Timor Leste working on an aid and development program, I also wanted to highlight the ways bicycles are more currently being used by the Australian Army. For example in 2008, the ADF instigated the Bicycle Infantry Mounted Patrol (BIMP) in Timor Leste to improve for more efficient field patrolling.

I’ve also previously posted about the positive impact riding bicycles can have for returned veterans – a subject not often discussed, but one that is very much needed.

So for ANZAC Day 2018, I wanted to share my latest read, a book entitled The Bicycle in Wartime – An illustrated history by Jim Fitzpatrick.

Bicycles and ANZAC DAY 2018

I am not a regular consumer of military history books. But, this book caught my attention because it is an ‘illustrated history’, this meant that the detailed research was much more easy to understand and digest.

I found this illustrated content much more interesting than a straight ‘read’. being able to see the images ‘from a cyclist’s point of view’ rather than just purely reading text about the military point of view was certainly a more engaging way to interact with the content.

The images included are very interesting and they comprehensively outline the ages, stages, uses and applications of bicycles in various conflicts.

If you can get a copy of this book through your library, I would recommend having a look. It is an incredible visual record of not only a specific cultural object (bicycle), but also how bikes have been used in a highly specific context.. one which many people would not normally know or associate bicycles with.

Although this book is very informative, I also found it challenging to read. It stirred up many emotions because of the wartime context. I found myself stopping quite regularly. I needed time to think, reflect and try to reconcile my own very positive love of bicycles and riding, to that of the content. It was at times a tumultuous undertaking.

The book’s Table of Contents (below) gives an indication of the topics, conflicts and foci contained therein:

The book is full of amazing photos, like this one of WW1 Australian and Canadian Cycle troops.

Overall, the book recognises the role and importance of bicycles in armed conflicts. I have read previously about bicycles being used in wartime, but this book really took that to a new level. The book is an astounding collection of research and I was genuinely amazed to see how instrumental and important the bicycle has been in so many wars. I had no idea the full extent bicycles had in these contexts.

Here’s what others had to say about the book:

An intriguing and compelling read, complemented by a multitude of archive photographs. Most important, the book brings together the strategic side of military policy and the experiences of cyclists on the ground.

Paul Rosen, University of York

Impressive breadth and detailed coverage of the use of bicycles in war. Jim Fitzpatrick shows convincingly how often experts were totally wrong in underestimating the influence of the bicycle, even when used against highly mechanized armies. A fascinating and rewarding book to read.

David Gordon Wilson, Emeritus Professor of Engineering

In this memorable tour de force, author Jim Fitzpatrick has, for the first time, traced the history of the bicycle in wartime. His contribution is significant and will stand the test of time … the world’s military forces have long been aware of [the bicycle’s] potential. On occasion it has spelled the difference between victory and defeat: the Japanese in Malaya, the Viet Minh forces of Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap at Dien Bien Phu.

Cecil B. Currey, author of Victory at Any Cost: The Genius of Vietnam’s General Vo Nguyen Giap.

Images and quotes: Star Hill Studios

23/04/201826/04/2018

Bike rides on Astronomy Day 2018

At the start of this year, I posted on the interesting range of 2018 ‘International Day of the ..’ events. So, I was excited when I found out that the latest International Astronomy Day was on the weekend. Especially when I saw how a few cycling groups took advantage of this unique celestial event to organise some community night rides. What a wicked thing to do! Check details to suit as per where you live (i.e. Northern or Southern Hemipshere).

Image: The Astronomical League

I am a BIG fan of night rides.

On this blog, night riding is celebrated in many ways, such as:

And this weekend provided another exciting night time ride opportunity!

International Astronomy Day 2018!

Chart by Guy Ottewell

What is Astronomy Day?

Astronomy Day is a global event observed every spring and ‘fall’ (autumn).

This an annual event is intended to provide a means of interaction between the general public and various astronomy enthusiasts, groups and professionals.

The event was started in 1973 by Doug Berger (then Astronomical Association of Northern California president). His intent was to set up various telescopes in busy urban locations so that anyone could enjoy looking at the heavens.

Since then the event has since grown and is now celebrated in many ways around the world by people in science and the general public.

Originally, Astronomy Day occurred on a Saturday between mid-April and mid-May, and was scheduled so as to occur at or close to the first quarter Moon. For this year, that meant that this latest official International Astronomy Day fell on April 21, 2018.

In 2007, an autumn equivalent of Astronomy Day was added. The next Autumn Astronomy Day will be on October 13, 2018. So, put it in the calendar and organise a night ride!

What does this mean for cyclists? See what these guys did!

It means you get out on your bike with a few others and go for a killer night ride to learn and enjoy our incredible cosmos!

My favorite Astronomy Day bike event for this year was held by Bicycle Tree. They are a nonprofit community bike centre/shop in Santa Ana (Orange Country, CA).

See more of their work and good times on Instagram: @Bicycle Tree.

To celebrate Astronomy Day , the Bicycle Tree held a: Sabor de Santa Ana Community Bike Ride.

Image: The Bicycle Tree

The Bicycles Tree: Sabor de Santa Ana Community Bike Ride.

The Bicycle Tree instruction for this event were: This Saturday is Astronomy Day, so we’re going to gaze upon the universe during our ride Saturday night! Telescopes and guidance will be provided by Jeff Schroeder, a former JPL engineer and Mount San Antonio College planetarium lecturer, and current Outreach Director for the Pomona Valley Amateur Astronomers! Jeff will be bringing meteor samples as well.

We will, of course, also be getting food along the way. We’re going to TCW – Tacos Churros and Wings for stellar food!

The ride meets at the shop at 6:00 pm and we roll out at 6:30. We’ll be back at around 9:30. We do this monthly ride to get together and enjoy some of the great food that Santa Ana has to offer while cruising through this city’s streets and neighborhoods! .

We’ll be riding about 12 miles at a mild pace. We’ll end up back at the shop at around 9:30.

Bike rides on Astronomy Day 2018 @Bicycles Create Change.com 23rd April 2018 Image: The Anime Gallery

Talk about making the most out of a biking community event!!

This event is brilliant because it really does create more positive community change, in that it provides an opportunity for partipants to:

be part of a key international event/date
brings a range of community members together
riders get to learning about the universe – something new
gain some experience using specialist astronomy equipment
have fun riding bikes around your local area
get out and be active in the evening

What a great idea this kind of community ride is!

I’d love to see more of these kind of events happening.

These events provide great examples and inspiration to plan for other upcoming ‘international’ dates.

I can’t wait to see what kind of innovative bike ride you put on!

Best of luck and happy star gazing on your next ride all!

Here’s what is coming up for those in the Northern Hemisphere – have fun! Image: The Astronomical League

For more Astronomy Day info: click here for a Fact Sheet, history and more about ‘when’ and ‘where‘ about this event from The Astronomical League (what a great name!).

13/04/201819/04/2018

MTB – Commonwealth Games 2018

For the last fortnight (April 4-15th), the Commonwealth Games (GC2018) has been on at the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast is only 1 hour away from Brisbane, so it is an opportune time to go see some world class cycling!

Australia has 36 riders in various cycling events for the GC2018.

There were many cycling events for GC2018, but I was most interested in seeing the MTB on Thursday 12th at Nerang.

There are two Australian MTBers for GC2018, Rebecca McConnell (nee Henderson) and Daniel McConnell.

The MTB was a free event, so I headed down to cheer them on.

MTB – Commonwealth Games 2018

It was a beautiful, sunny day.

The facilities, track access and the central hub were very well organized. It was super easy to get in and out.

I went earlier so I could do a bit of scouting out for the best trackside spot. I decided on a spot where the track went up the hill on one side, and down over some jumps on the other. It was a great spot.

I ended up running into a few familiar faces, which was great. Always good to see some of the crew and catch up.

I was fully prepared for the day with food, drink and tambourine. I made good use of the tambourine as years of experience means I pace myself so I don’t lose my voice too early (rookie mistake!). It was also great to be able to let fly with my ‘outside whistle’. I only unleash it at certain open-air events due to volume – perfect for this event!

The crowd came out strong to show support and did a good job of cheering.

One particular group of women were such good cheerers that I went up to them after the race to congratulate them .. ‘best cheerers of the day award’. They didn’t move the whole time (most others were moving between two tracks) and they cheered equally hard for every single rider, no matter what country. It was very impressive. Their positivity added such great energy and camaraderie trackside.

But, I was surprised at how small both fields were, especially the women’s. Then again, my experience has predominately been with big international World Cup DH and MTB, Cranworkx and Enduro/EWS races, so I had to remind myself that only Commonwealth countries could complete.

It was awesome to see the riders out on the track… super inspiring to see them charging up the hills and overtaking on the tight technical sections.

Overall it was a really great day. Congrats to all those who rode and for those who made the effort to get out and support – Great job!!

Source: Roostville

Interestingly, Irish rider Marc Potts was the only rider to compete in all three disciplines of MTB, road and track. Epic!

There was an official website for updates on the GC2018 cycling events and news, but it had little MTB coverage.

Final MTB results for the GC2018:

Men
1st. Samuel Gaze (NZL)
2nd. Anton Cooper (NZL)
3rd. Alan Hatherly (RSA)
4th. Ben Oliver (NZL)
5th. Frazer Clacherty (ENG)

Women
1st. Annie Last (ENG)
2nd. Evie Richards (ENG)
3rd. Haley Smith (CAN)
4th. Emily Batty (CAN)
5th. Isla Short (SCO)

Here’s the info the GC2018 released for the MTB

GC2018 – Final Overall Medal Tally

26/03/201826/03/2018

30 days of Biking – 1 week to go!

As many of you know, World Bicycle Relief is one of the NGOs that is aligned with many aspects of my PhD bicycle research. Next week is April. That means a full month of extra happy riding! Why? Well, it’s 30 Days of Biking time of course! So get motivated and get amongst it! Now is the time to register! Have fun! Ride bikes! Do good!

What is the aim of 30 Days of Biking?

The goal is simple: Ride your bike every day in April, share your adventures online, and help your community provide life-changing bicycles to students in rural Africa!

What is the 30 Days of Biking?

Click here for the link to the official 30 Days of Biking website.

From the WBR website, the most important info to know is, you…

Pledge to ride your bike every day in April
Join riders from all over the world and make it more meaningful by fundraising for WBR
Share your adventures on social media using #30DaysofBiking

30 Days of Biking began in 2010, in Minnesota, USA. Today, it boasts thousands of pledged riders in dozens of cities around the world. #30DaysofBiking also encourages you to join or lead your own rides during April. It’s free to everyone, everywhere.

Whether you ride for exercise, environmental advocacy, socializing or for fun, you can make an impact.

There is no distance too short and no donation too small – keep riding and don’t give up!

CREATING IMPACT

Last year, the 30 Days of Biking community collected over 7,000 pledges and raised over $15,000. The aim this year if to unite as a global community and reach 10,000 pledges and raise over USD$30,000 for life-changing Buffalo Bicycles in rural Africa!

You can see a list of who pledges (as long as they are public) here. At the time of this post, the total number of pledges to date is:

HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED

Pledge by visiting 30DaysofBiking
Start your #30DaysOfBiking fundraiser to share your joy of riding with students in rural Africa!
Share your 30 Days of Biking journey on social media using #PowerofBicycles and #30DaysofBiking
Follow this global movement via Joyful Riders Worldwide Facebook page.

Further questions and inquiries? Email: Mary Beth Johnson at mbjohnson@worldbicyclerelief.org.

Image: Instagram #30daysofbiking

What kind of events can you do for 30 days of Biking?

Anything you want!

Limited only by your imagination!

You can host a regular weekly bike ride, a movie night, a family ride, a tiny bicycle shop concert (my personal favourite!) – or any other manner of social events that involve riding.

What a great way to build community and do some good!

If you already ride a lot and are keen to give it a go – now is the time to register!

To whet your motivation, here are some fun ways other US cyclists are kicking off the challenge (click here to see more events). Good luck with yours!

All images: World Bicycle Relief 2018

22/03/201818/04/2018

English Australia – PD Fest

English Australia (EA) is the national peak body for the English language sector of international education in Australia. On the weekend, the Queensland English Australia – PD Fest was held. This event is a precursor to the national conference coming up later this year. I always enjoy this event and have been looking forward to it. Here is what happened. Enjoy!

English Australia – PD Fest

I really enjoy going to the English Australia PD Fest each year. I love catching up with industry news, meeting other teachers in my field and seeing what others are doing in the PD sessions. I presented for the first time in 2016, but last year went as a participant and had an equally great time. So this year, it was time to present again. Turns out I ended up presenting twice and here’s how it went!

Session 1 From EAS to collaborative internship: Lessons and insights where bicycles create change

Abstract: This session presents the results and insights drawn from the 8-week collaborative internship I worked on over the Summer of 2016 with 4 DEP students: Sachie, Mauricio, Juliet and Gabriel. This session outlines the multiple theoretical perspectives that underpin the course design and explains how the project focused on providing the participants with genuine and English, academic, professional and practical workplace skills and opportunities in inventive and engaging ways.

Presenters: Sachie Togashiki is in her third year of International Liberal Arts at Soka University, Japan, majoring in Philosophy. Juliet Alfred is Special Educator at Sommerville Special School, Auckland, NZ. Mauricio Gonzalez is a Software Developer working on private contracts for the Queensland Government. Gabriel Besong was unable to present. All are graduates of GELI’s Direct Entry Program (DEP) and were participants in the 2016 Bicycles Create Change Summer Internship. Nina Ginsberg is a Language Instructor and Academic Tutor with Griffith English Language Institute (GELI).

How did it go? This session went well. I had to really condensed the session down as the afternoon sessions had less time than the morning sessions, but it was a good challenge to hit the high points of theoretical perspectives, aha moments, what worked and what didn’t work.

I spent a bit of time going through the Internship outline as this was the crux of whole venture. I explained the different components, how they work together and gave some examples of tasks and activities undertaken to show critical points of skill development, which the audience were really interested in.

It was also great because the audience got to hear directly from three out of the four participants about their experience: Sachie and Juliet had pre-recorded video (they are both overseas) and Mauricio attended in person. Congrats to all three who presented – they did a great job!

Bright Ideas Nomination: This session was one of five on the day that were nominated for a Bright Ideas Award. This means that there was representative of English Australia in the audience evaluating the presentation. Their review is coupled with the distant feedback and a summary of the session written by the presenter. The Panel then assesses each of the five sessions and announces the winner.

The prize for the Bright Ideas Award is a full expenses paid trip (all airfares, accomodation, gala dinner, registration etc) to present as the Queensland representative at the 2018 English Australia (National) Conference to be held in Sydney on 19-21 September. Bloody wicked!!

Click here to see the 2017 Bright Ideas (Queensland) Winner’s session.

Session 2: You’ll never believe what happened in class today!

Abstract: Teaching is hard, but rewarding work. Every teacher has memorable moments that has made it all worth it. This fun and positive participatory session celebrates the unique, wonderful, hilarious and often touching moments in our collective teacher experience. Join us for a few laughs and double entendres as we reminisce magical class moments!

Presenters: Just me!

How did it go? I hadn’t planned on doing this session this year. I spoke to the organisers a week before it was being held and they were still short a few sessions. I had the idea to do this session next year, but the discussion forum format was easy to organise, so I volunteered to double up. I’m glad I did.

The premise that this session was the provide designated space the teachers to sit down and share their experiences. I wanted to steer away from the usual pedagogy, theory and practical skills PD session to really acknowledge and celebrate the personal and often unknown moments that many teachers have, but are all too rarely shared.

I also wanted to recognise and honour the positive and fun side as a counterbalance all the hard work that goes into teaching, which is usually the central focus of many PDs.

The session was simple. After a quick introduction, I told a few funny stories of faux pas, pronunciation confusions, hilarious misspellings and cultural misunderstandings to get the ball rolling. We then divided up into four groups of about six people and spent the time exchanging the memorable times that it made us laugh in English class.

This session was informal, friendly and funny. It was a wonderful way to end the day. The participants who came were very generous in sharing their stories and experiences and it was lovely to hear laughter flowing easily.

Here are a few highlights from my two sessions. A massive thanks to Elliot Kirkwood Photography for providing all session photos other than my presentation slides – what a professional!

18/03/201818/04/2018

Bicycle Short Film People’s Choice Winner

Hooray!

Great news!

Our short film ‘Leki’ took out the People’s Choice Award at the 2018 Brisbane Bike Short Film Festival on Friday night!

For this film, I collaborated with Isabel Turner, who is the spunky, young designer who really made this film happen.

Thanks to all!

Bella and I wanted to say a big thank you to all those who people who voted for us! We very much appreciate your great sense of humour and for supporting more inclusive, active and colourful (cycling) communities. We need more happy people out there like you! Thank you!!

Congratulations also to all the other entrants who made a great effort and contributed their stories and creativity! It was wonderful to see such multiplicity in their approaches, themes and celebration of bikes in Brisbane.

A big thank you also to the organisers, volunteers and sponsors who worked so hard to make this a memorable and fun night.

Without further ado – here is this our 2018 Brisbane Bike Bites People’s Choice film. Enjoy!!

Click here to find out more about the lead-up to the Festival here.

Click here to see the finalists films.

‘LEKI’ Brisbane Bicycle Short Film People’s Choice Winner!

The night started out with a Style over Speed ride for those who could make it (I had to teach). Then there was a boisterous welcome by the bike band on arrival at the Kangaroo Point Multicultural Centre.

It was great to see lots of bikes parked outside for the event. Inside, people milled about eating pizza, drinking and chatting. Then the bell sounded for us to take our seats.

First up was a screening of the six short film finalists. I loved the diversity of each entry – they were all completely different.

I really appreciated the effort and thought that had gone into each entry. I especially liked the moving simplicity of The Route and the down-to-earthiness and kool kustom bikes (and lit-up allure) of Anthony’s Ride your bike. Free your soul.

Before interval, the Spaces for Cycling Brisbane judges announced their top prizes for first, second and third.

A special award went to Tegan Methorst for being the youngest film-maker to enter with her film It moves you.

Then it was time for intermission. More drinks, socialising and pizza. This is where the audience got to cast their votes.

The second part of the night was a filming of the film Why we ride. This is a documentary from Copenhagen exploring the ideas and experiences of a range of cyclists in the Netherlands. It was super interesting and had lots of ideas that have stimulated and progressed very interesting conversations since! (See the trailer for this feature film trailer below.)

The People’s Choice Prize was awarded at the end to close.

What a night!

The making of Leki

At the end of January 2018, Bella moved to the UK for work.

So as a final farewell collaborative project, we decided to put together a bicycle short film entry about my flower bike Leki. Bella did all the hard work behind the screen (scene?) that made this film happen.

We had a great time doing the filming in and around our community.

The interactions and conversations we used were all total strangers that I accosted on the street then and there to interview. We wanted an authentic and true, unedited representation of what local people thought and said about Leki.

It was a little daunting going up to random strangers and asking them to go on film to talk about Leki, but our community was super supportive and up for it.

We filmed around Bayside Wynnym Manly area in Brisbane.

We had many ideas about what we were going to put into it. We discussed doing some of the stories about Leki in animation and adding in some more creative aspects to show off Bella’s skills.

However, in the end, we wanted it to be no-fuss, low-key and accessible, so opted for a straightforward vox pop and storytelling format.

We wanted Leki and the community to speak for itself without ‘jazzing it up’ with any frills – just take it as it is – and enjoy!

We wanted to include a few local sites around our community to up the ‘Brisbane-ness’ of the film (I talk about riding in Melbourne at one stage), so we wanted to be sure people knew we were specifically located and riding around in and around Brisbane.

Local Cycling Community Hero – Richard @ Crossley Cycles

We included an interview with Richard Crossley from Crossley Cycles (Manly, Brisbane) as well. This was important to us for a number of reasons; Richard is not only a wonderful friend and constant supporter of me personally (he loves to chat about my PhD bike research and see what I’m making next out of recycled bike parts and inner tubes, so I am often in his workshop on Saturdays tinkering and chatting with him as he works on his bikes), but he is also a local hero to the Manly cycling community.

Richard has been serving local riders and BMXers at his shop in Manly for 47 years – and he is well loved and well respected by some very big names.

So having Richard in our short film was our way of recognising and honouring his contribution to the range, colour and life of the local Brisbane cycling network. Thanks Richard!

Thanks Bella!!

A massive big thanks to Bella Turner for all her hard work on Leki – and for all the other work we did together. Congratulations…. and best of luck in the UK!!

13/03/201818/04/2018

Holi Festival 2018

Video courtesy: Paviter Kumar Noori

Holi Festival 2018

Last weekend, I headed down to the Brisbane Holi Festival 2018 celebrations.

I was drawn to this event for a number of reasons: it is a wonderful cultural celebration, it was being held in an area of Brisbane I have not been to, and most importantly, there was an organised public bike ride to kick off the festivities!

I saw this community event on the Brisbane City Council website – and this is what is said:

Dress in white for the Holi Festival of Colours at Rocks Riverside Park and be prepared to get dirty when the colour throwing begins. Cycle to the event with the Two Wheels Bike Ride and try yoga, Bollywood dancing, delicious food and dance in the rain before the festival closes in an explosion of flying coloured powder.

What is Holi Festival?

The Holi Festival is known as the ‘Festival of Colour”.

It is an Indian cultural festival that celebrates community, fun and colour. It is the original event where people throw coloured powder over each other as a way of connecting people, having fun and celebrating life.

To find out more information about the significance, background and rituals of a more traditional Holi Festival, click here.

So what happened?

Here’s how I first saw the event advertised:

Which sounded right up my alley! I’m in!

So I called my creative collaborator, Claire. We packed the car up for the day with our colourful bikes, dressed in white and headed out to have some fun.

There was lots of Bollywood dancing, food stalls, demonstrations and lots of DJs that kept the dancing crowd happy – and continuous colour throwing!

After our ride along the river, we were a little hot and sweaty. So, we grabbed some delicious lunch and hung out in the shade. It was great to watch groups of kids getting crazy, families arriving and friends frolicking.

That was the best part of the day for me.

The DJs really started getting going around 1 pm. By then, the crowd had started built and was in full swing, so we headed into the main area for a boogie and to get amongst it.

We were instantly set upon by happy festival-goers (our clothes were VERY white and obviously needed some ‘help’) and while we were chatting and meeting new people, we danced around and got drenched by water cannons and splashed with colour.

The Indian community is so warm and friendly. It was so affirming to see so many ages, shapes, nationalities, ethnicities and mixes of people – it was a delight to be part of.

This kind of event represents the kind of community that I want to live in.

Awesome!

Leki was a real hit.

When it was time to leave, Claire and I grabbed our bikes to ride back…and we got accosted from all sides by punters wanting to have their photos taken with Leki (and the flower helmet beanie)!

How could we say no?

A minor hiccup

We had a minor hiccup on the day – we missed the organised ride.

Below is the ticket I received after booking. Claire and I (and Leki) happily took off on the day with our bikes to join the ride. The only problem was that we didn’t have enough info to find the location for the start of the ride in time.

The location was far too broad – We’d never been to this area before and the GPS stopped us in the middle of a busy street – eck!

We arrived and drove around and around – there were no signs on the main road indicating where the festival was. Finally, we worked out where it was, but by then, we were too late to join the official ride.

So, we went on our own little ride/mission along the riverside, which was great fun!

We had an equally great time exlporing the new bike trails ourselves and then we headed back to join the festivities. By then, it was starting to really get going in the main arena – perfect timing!

We had a great day! We danced, got coloured and we rode our bikes of colours.

By the time I got home, I was very tired – and very happy!

08/03/201813/03/2018

International Women’s Day 2018

It has been a very hectic last two weeks. Work has consumed much of my time and energy. As well as the new 2018 University semester starting, I’m preparing to present (twice!) at the English Australia PD Fest next week and also have a few other projects bubbling away! Argh! So amongst all this work, it was wonderful to celebrate International Women’s Day 2018.

Happy International Women’s Day!

As many regular readers of BCC know, my PhD research explores how bicycles can be better utilised to help rural African girls access secondary school.

This remains a critical issue in developing countries, where rural women and girls, in particular, are still severely disadvantaged when it comes to labour, land rights, water and food security, safety and access to essential services, such as education, health and income-generating opportunities.

So celebrating and sharing the history, stories and experiences at the heart of International Women’s Day (IWD) has an extra layer of importance for me – as it does for many others.

What is International Women’s Day 2018?

As the official IWD website states, International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. International Women’s Day (IWD) has occurred for well over a century, with the first March 8 IWD gathering supported by over a million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. Today, IWD belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. IWD is not country, group or organisation specific.

The 2018 IWD theme is #PressforProgress.

Bicycles Create Change always celebrates International Women’s Day. For the 2016 IWD, it was from a uniquely Filipino and Timorese perspective and paid homage to the strong men who support strong women. Last year for 2017, a number of great bike-inspired events were reviewed, like the Cycling Victoria IWD awards and a wide range of rides and events happening around the world.

This year, I found some amazing Bicycle Suffragette photos. I wanted to pay my respects to the amazing ladies who defied all so that most women can now have the freedom to ride bicycles. In places around the world where women are not allowed to ride bikes, like in Iran, women are fighting for that right in a similar way to our previous 1890s sisters in the West.

The Suffragette’s fight to ride a bike

There is still much to do, especially in developing nations, to raise the standard of women and achieve gender parity. The impact and importance of the humble bicycle has always been instrumental and iconic in this struggle.

“Let me tell you what I think of bicycling…I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride on a wheel. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance.”

— Susan B. Anthony, suffragette

A more comprehensive summary of the Bicycles Suffragettes can be found at Alasko Velo’s blog, but, I think this quote from Anne-Marije Rook (via the Seattle Bike Blog as the original link has been lost), gives some great insight into the connection between cycling and women at the time..

“In a way, bicycling freed women. It gave them unprecedented mobility as they could pedal away from home and see parts of town and the countryside previously only seen from a carriage.

With their own bodily strength, they controlled their path and could feel the freedom of the fresh wind against their faces even if it was for just a leisurely afternoon ride.

Women got organized and created bicycling groups and since bicycling was impossible with the restrictive garments women wore at that time, the bicycling movement made way for less layers, shorter skirts and even athletic bloomers.

The unladylike clothing, positioning on the bike, and physical exercise of course didn’t come without social condemnation at first but bicycling women persevered.”

The freedom and empowerment that bicycles provide as an independent transport mode, has been revered and celebrated for well over a century.

The defiance and strength of these amazing women paved the way for the future. As well as looking forward to progressing female accomplishments, I think it is also equally important to reflect and recognise the past people, actions and changes that have brought us here today.

Horray and thankyou Bicycle Suffragettes!

Happy International Women’s Day to all riders!

All Images: Freddie Grubb – thank you!