Regular readers of this blog know that I am doing a bike-focused PhD in Education. In a nutshell, my project explores how bicycles feature in West African girls’ access to secondary education.
It is a great project and I love working on it.
I’ve been developing a research methodology called velo-onto-epistemology (VOE) as part of this project. I know it is a mouthful, but the article explains what it means.
I am delighted to share my latest publication which introduces my novel bicycle-focused research approach for the first time.
I wrote this paper with my incredible supervisor Dr Sherilyn Lennon. In this paper, I take Sherilyn for a bike ride as a way to put to work my VOE research methodology and destablise the traditional power hierarchy of the PhD candidate-supervisor relationship.
To show how velo-relationality works differently, we juxtapose – or ‘recycle’ our experiences next to each other (see below) in what we call ‘tandem writing’.
This article is an engaging read.
It is theoretical enough to be rigorous and interesting, but relatable for the everyday reader-rider.
Below is the abstract and a copy of the paper.
Feel free to download a copy (third icon on right below).
Check it out!
Ride on!
Enjoy!
ABSTRACT
Traditionally, the candidate-supervisor-relationship is predicated on a supervisor as teacher/expert – candidate as learner/novice model. But what becomes possible when the materialities of this power dynamic are destabilised and reimagined? This article draws from emerging feminist ontologies to introduce the concept of velo- onto-epistemology [VOE] as a means of re-cycling candidate- supervisor-relationships. VOE acknowledges the agency of the bicycle in moving and being moved. This novel approach is used to explore how stor(i)ed encounters and in-the-moment bodily responses enact current-future becomings. Through re-cycling, the candidate-supervisor-relationship is dis-articulated and re- articulated in ways that enable alternative and more equitable understandings of the world to emerge.
The US National Bike Summit is an annual conference event that brings together bike advocates and enthusiasts from across the country. Now in its 23rd year, will be held from March 26 – March 29, 2023. This year the summit will be held in Washington, DC and the program offers a range of engaging activities, including in-person workshops, mobile discussion groups, biking opportunities, and networking events. Its primary focus is to foster the development of a Bicycle Friendly America that caters to the needs of everyone. In order to accommodate participants both physically and virtually, all sessions, panels, plenaries, and keynote speeches will be live-streamed online.
I was super excited to see this year that Keshia Roberson was one of the Key Summit speakers.
Keshia will be hosting the They Were Seeds: The Buried Legacy of Black Wheelwomen.
This session explores the legacy of Black women cyclists and how their roots have inspired future generations of diverse riders.
The incredible contributions of Black women in cycling deserve our recognition and celebration. Throughout history, remarkable figures like Kittie Knox and Ayesha McGowan have shattered barriers and blazed a trail for Black women cyclists.
Their groundbreaking achievements continue to inspire a new generation of Sheroes who are dedicated to creating more opportunities for Black women and girls to embrace the exhilaration of biking.
The remarkable Keshia Roberson founded Major Knox Adventures (MKA) with the aim of honoring the legacy of these trailblazers.
MKA is dedicated to providing affordable bike trip experiences, ensuring that women of color can partake in the transformative joy of outdoor adventures. It’s important to acknowledge the representation and contribution of African-American women cyclists which has been historically lacking and sorely underrepresented.
MKA seeks to change that by fostering inclusivity, creating a welcoming environment, and empowering Black women to experience the outdoors in all its splendor.
It would be amazing to hear Keshia Roberson present the They Were Seeds: The Buried Legacy of Black Wheelwomen at this year’s 2023 Bike Summit.
It is great to see a virtual conference option as well….mmmm….maybe next year….
Image: Major Knox Adventures
5 Cyclists Project
As regular readers of this blog know, I have a particular interest in decolonial herstories and in uncovering the lesser-known stories, contributions and experiences of women on two wheels… which is how I come to know about Keshia.
I contributed to a journal publication last year which looked at geography and collective memories through art – and in this article, I cited the incredible 5 Cyclists Project (included below and see the full article here), which is the inspiration for Keshia’s MKA 1928 Legacy Tour.
The 5 Cyclists Project showcases the incredible untold story of five African-American women, Marylou Jackson, Velva Jackson, Ethyl Miller, Leolya Nelson and Constance White, who in 1928, biked 250 miles cross-country. At the time, cycling was overwhelmingly white and elite, a dynamic that still remains today (Mackintosh & Norcliffe, 2007). The centrepiece 5 Cyclists photograph (Scurlock, 1928), challenges essentialising assumptions as to when, how and why certain bodies cannot move through landscapes. It questions mainstream notions of who a cyclist is, where they can go, how far they travel, what spaces they can access, and how mobility shapes environments encountered. This project reminds us that certain voices and lived experiences are systematically overlooked, and the need to shed light on the complex issues and legitimacy of racialised, gendered, and classed experiences.
I am truly inspired by the multitude of remarkable endeavours undertaken by bike activists, and it fills me with great admiration to delve into the rich legacy of extraordinary women in the world of cycling, both past and present.
The dedication and passion exhibited by individuals like Keshia is so needed today.
To Keshia and the Bike Summit community, keep shining and making a positive impact!
As part of my bicycles-for-girls-education PhD, I am always on the look out for inspiring projects where bicycles create change. This week, I came across a join venture between CAMFED and The Clara Lionel Foundation from a few years ago. Enjoy! NG.
Image: CAMFED
CAMFED and The Clara Lionel Foundation delivered over 1,000 bicycles to girls and young women in the Salima District of Malawi.
These bicycles are part of a comprehensive aid program offered to high school students, with the potential to revolutionize the opportunities for girls who confront up to 10km (6 miles) commutes to and from school.
The success and longevity of this initiative will depend on the CAMFED Association (CAMA) network, as they acquire proficiency in entrepreneurship, bike upkeep, and repair skills.
The collaboration between CAMFED and the Clara Lionel Foundation is facilitating the continuation of secondary education for 7,500 Malawian girls, a crucial effort considering the low 30% enrollment rate of females in secondary school due to insufficient facilities and long distances.
These bicycles has generated a lot of attention in rural communities where girls often face challenges commuting to school, such as exhaustion and hunger from walking and attending to household duties. The bicycles provide a pathway for academic success in rural areas.
This programme is part of a wider and multifaceted strategy to remove obstacles to girls’ education, which also includes paying for school fees, peer mentoring, supplying necessities like sanitary pads, and bridging huge distances from home to school.
The Malawian alumni of CAMFED programmes are essential to bringing about change for the next generation of females. CAMA members serve as mentors and role models in rural areas where there are few female teachers and professionals. So far alumni have helped 20,000 females pursue education in just five years.
The Clara Lionel Foundation is a non-governmental organization founded by the singer and entrepreneur Rihanna in 2012. The foundation aims to support and fund education, health, and emergency response programs around the world. It prioritizes initiatives that promote education and provide access to healthcare in impoverished communities, particularly for girls and women. The foundation also works towards disaster relief and climate change resilience. The foundation partners with local organizations to achieve its goals and has provided significant support to countries in the Caribbean, Africa, and the United States.
CAMFED
CAMFED (Campaign for Female Education) is a non-governmental organization that aims to eradicate poverty and improve the educational opportunities of girls in sub-Saharan Africa by supporting them through primary and secondary school and into adulthood. The organization provides assistance with school fees, mentorship, and life skills training to ensure that girls are able to complete their education and become confident and economically independent leaders in their communities. Since its founding in 1993, CAMFED has helped over 4 million students in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Ghana, Tanzania, and Malawi.
In the previous blog post, I detailed a project I was involved in earlier this year called Reading with Reciprocity run by The Ediths. In that post, I explained the contributor’s brief, what we did and how we did it. In this post, I am excited to share the final output that contributors cocreated. It’s such a wonderful way to wrap up the year. What a project! So exciting! Great ideas on how to research more generously. See more below. NG.
Image: The Ediths
The Ediths are a feminist interdisciplinary research collective based at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia. The collective uses socially engaged creative methodologies to conduct ecologically responsive research.
I am delighted to announce the Edith’s Reading with Reciprocity Project has just been released. Congratulations to the organisers, Mindy Blaise, Jane Merewether and Jo Pollitt and to all book responders.
I was very honoured to be invited to contribute to this project and to have my book response included.
Reading with Reciprocityis an initiative by The Edith’s inspired by the Civic Laboratory for Environmental Action Research’s (CLEAR) blog post,#Collabrary: a methodological experiment for reading with reciprocity (2021), which draws on the scholarship of Joe Dumit (2012), Zoe Todd (2016), and Eve Tuck (2017) to learn reading practices that are “humble, generous, and accountable” (CLEAR, 2021). We were interested and impressed with the ways in which this methodological experiment was creating reading practices grounded in a feminist ethic committed to making room for diverse knowledges.
This initiative began by first curating a list of books based on the research interests of the membership and our commitment to privileging different voices. After sending out an expression of interest, we were surprised and humbled at the overwhelming response to the invitation and selected 11 members to take part in Reading with Reciprocity. Similar to the care taken in deciding which books to read and review, we also selected members with consideration and intention, including representation of early career, mid-career, and experienced researchers. Because we see the roundtables as part of postgraduate supervision and an expanded form of mentoring, some of the students we supervise were also selected to participate.
Those who took part in Reading with Reciprocity were asked to read the (CLEAR) blog post, #Collabrary: a methodological experiment for reading with reciprocity (2021) and then submit a review that was based on reading a selected text with reciprocity. We hoped that participants would reciprocate the gifts that the authors had given in their writing.
Reimagining how we might read and review these books with care, reciprocity, and generosity ended up not being as easy as we first thought. It is clear that there is such a dominant way of reviewing work that makes being generous to authors so out of the ordinary and unsupported in the academy. We have to do better! Reading with Reciprocity is one way that we can do this work, individually and as a community of scholars who are interested in doing academia more kindly and generously.
The Ediths
I enjoy being part of The Edith’s collective because the group’s ethics, topics and discussions align so well with my research and personal interests. When we meet, we focus on exploring the material and situated effects of environmental change on feminist bodies and practices and the relations between social justice, ecological sustainability, and Indigenous self-determination. This means a strong commitment to the decolonization of Western knowledge production.
Being part of this research collective creates opportunities for dialogue and collaboration among feminists from diverse backgrounds and to contribute to the development of more just and sustainable societies – such as this Reading with Reciprocity project!
It is so helpful for researcher-writers to have like-minded people to process, feed and be inspired by – I hope you have your own group that does this for you!
In this video (see below), we meet Evan Kay, his wife Ella, their dog, their bikes, and the railbike project they designed to use on rail trails to access more nature and adventure.
Evan and Ella ride MTB – a lot. Like most other MTBers, off-trail riding is their passion and purpose. They like to explore remote places and go on adventure rides.
Evan is an engineer who grew up loving farming, fishing, and family – and combining these passions with his technical skills is at the heart of this project.
Evan and Ella live in Vermont (New England, USA) where there are several disused railroad lines. There are many similar remnants of the old train networks across the USA, and seeing these got Evan curious about how to use these railroads to reimagine family adventures.
The challenge was to combine his technical skills with his love of outdoor MTB adventures. Inspired by seeing other riders adapting their bikes for railroads, Evan and Ella started working on ideas to use the rail to reach ever further and remote locations.
In this video, we see the evolution of their project to adapt their MTB bikes to ‘ride the rails’ – or railbiking as it is known.
A central aim of this project was to experience nature using active pedal power generated through their mountain bikes.
The initial design was based on three main needs. First, they wanted to use their mountain bikes as the drive mechanism. It also needed to be stable and safe. And third, they wanted both riders to be parallel (side-by-side) and not front-to-back (as in tandem like other designs). There is a platform between them that carries all their cargo and the dog with minimal effort.
I was really inspired by Evan’s ingenuity and skills in being able to utilise what is already there, yet often overlooked (in this case the abandoned rail trails) as an opportunity to extend their bike riding adventures – as well as creatively self-manufacturing an adaptive MTB frame that is unique and purposeful. So inspiring to see a design makes it easier and more comfortable to go further, for longer on a bike.
I also love that the whole family can literally ‘go along for the ride’ together!
Gives a new meaning to ‘off-(t)rail mountain biking’!
I have been thinking a lot about what teaching and learning means to me.
I am entering the last year of my bikes-for-education PhD research while continuing to work amidst a range of significant social, political, economic, health and educational changes.
I thought about what informs, sustains and inspires my personal pedagogy – and I am grateful for the opportunities that I have – and the opportunities I get to share with others.
As part of this reflection, I wrote my first ever Teaching and Learning Manifesto.
I did this to identify what was most important to me – a kind of reinforcing personal statement.
It is a public declaration of my educational principles, approaches or intentions.
It was challenging, revealing and reassuring to do – and totally worth it!
My manifesto has 12 leading principles that encapsulate my current approach to teaching and learning.
My manifesto outlines what and how I co-create my educational passion.
I will update it regularly to incorporate changes over time.
Below is my Teaching and Learning Manifesto (2021).
Dear Reader. If this is your first time on this blog – it is best not to start with the post below. This post is a disruptive edit expert-iment that begins ‘in the middle’. It will not make much sense if you’ve not seen some of my previous posts. Some of these posts (like the Geography and Collective Memories post – which you should check out) are getting increasingly ‘loose’ and ‘messy’ and working with ‘in-progress’ sensemaking – thus leading into more disruptive edits like this one. If you are new, perhaps start with the ‘clean and tidy’ version of this post – it is called Mother’s Day 2021 and is the precursor-basis for the exploration below.
If you are up for something different, read on!
*NB: this post is best read on a desktop – might be a little (more) odd if on a mobile device*
This post is not what it seems…well…. it is… and it isn’t.
What started out as a ‘normal’ post morphed into something else. Usually, blog posts are straightforward: informative, factual, opinion, or instructional. While I was writing on the topic ‘Mothers Day’ for this post – disruptive ideas and opportunities emerged. So… instead of ignoring or disregarding them, I embraced them. You could say this was also an experiment in applying diffraction thinking-doing (my theoretical approach I am using for my PhD) to other-than academic writing. This is new territory for me (to write) and for you (to read). What diffraction writing means here, is that instead of only sharing the usual polished final blog post, I’ve experimented with folded into the blog post my thinking-process-editing as I am writing it – a kind of disruptive writing-with blog post process. It might be a little weird and may or may not work. there will be typos and mistakes – some parts will just be notes or ‘snaps’ – resist the urge to edit for ‘correctness’. But I like the idea of doing something new and challenging what I think writing, especially such public writing! is or should be, going ‘beyond’, and being (more publicly) transparent with writing-as-process expert-iments. To try and show how this is working, the blog post content is in black text and the process content is in superscript like this. It would be easier to do this in a word document with track change comments which I have included below as a file for those interested in seeing it, but the here challenge is to see how it works within the functionality of a Word Press.org blog post.
Insert image of mum. Use creative commons to support alt artists. Attribute/link to promote photographer – preferably female. Use an image of other-than mainstream blond mum stereotype (in this case a redhead!) = have some sort of diversity to show a greater range of mums (blond mums already have a strong presence and representation online). See ‘undisrupted’ version of this post for alt (M)othering image
Mother’s Day: Give more thoughtful presence and presents
8th May is Mother’s Day.
Happy Mother’s Day mums – and dads and significant others and carers who also fill maternal roles. Dads and other/carers: I added this is it did not feel right to only single out ‘mums’ as there are many ‘others’ who are not officially a’ mother’ – yet who equally fulfil a similar role. A homage to my commitment to better recognizing the fluid and diverse experiences of what ‘mothering’ is – and I was raised by my father who was a consummate ‘mother’ and father and many other things…
For a previous Mother’s Day, I wrote about the issues I had with some Mother’s Day ‘suggested gifts for cycling mums’.
If you haven’t read my post Happy Fearful Mother’s Day Cycling Mums! check it out here – it’s well worth the read!Internal Hyperlink: I link back to my own blog to promote past writing and keep readership ‘inside’ my website where – also helped remind me of the amount of work I have already done and share from the archives … I LOVE the image I sourced for this hyperlinked post
I appreciate the sentiment of Mother’s Day (and Father’s Day) in taking time to recognise and celebrate the input and work mums do. I didn’t want this post to be ‘too negative’ or ‘down with Mum’s day’ – that’s not what I think or mean – I wanted some balance and make sure I acknowledge the positives of Mother’s Day.
I like to think that mums are always appreciated as they are on Mother’s Day (ie for the other 364 days of the year as well) – not just one day a year … anyhoo…
Mums have it especially? tough.
Women are advantaged in society and mothers in particular face enduring and unfair social and corporate pressures and constraints around childcare, unpaid labour, taking the load for emotional labour (the unpaid job men still don’t understand) and ‘being a good mother’, inequitable divisions of household labour, the hidden and overlooked value-cost-effort of stay-at-home mums and that working mums (well…all women) on average make only 82 cents for every dollar earned by men.
Christine Carter articulates these frustrations well in her piece: All I want for Mother’s Day is an equitable division of labour. Wanted to synthesis some facts into the post AND source more widely (ie not only read academic lit) AND get some mums voices in here. I’m hyperconscious that I’m not a mother, so am only presenting my POV on gender issues – not commenting on what it is like to BE a mum as that is not my direct, personal lived experience so I don’t feel comfortable commenting on that – so I made a point to look for mums who have written on this topic and found this great article on emotional labor. It fit in beautifully. So funny – I had a conversation with a dear friend on this very topic…I think I’ll flip her this link as well! And yes… it is ‘a thing’…still!
With much work needed to address these systemic gender inequities, Mother’s Day is an opportunity to recognise these issues and celebrate mums and other female carers.
Traditionally, this means breakfast in bed, flowers, or lunches out with loved ones. link back here to ‘presents’ and conventional Mother’s Day approaches to lead into my final takeaway idea/content.
For cycling mums, it’s an opportunity to think more thoughtfully about the cycling presence and presents we give to mums and what these ‘gifts’ communicate, expect and perpetuate.
As I was writing this post, I’ve changed the title a few times. The changes reflect the different ‘moves’ I went through in writing the content – so in the spirit of transparent disruption – I am including that process here as well. It was at this stage of writing the post that I looked a the title and thought: ‘that title doesn’t fit anymore. The following section is a brief behind the scene thinking-editing-doing that went on at this stage. For reading ease I have not super-scripted this section despite it all being thinking-writing-as-process content.
I like the image above. It presents a not blond, white mum(gender?) House is a little messy and not presenting a ‘perfectly’ curated photo/family and the black LHS is suggestive of the ‘dark side’ of family life – fits well with overall post themes. It also helps break up blog content and helps separate the next section which is a new and different idea/focus.
Title: re-writing and re-righting
Initially the title was: Mother’s Day –more thoughtful presents, please!
It was tight and communicated the initial content main ideas. But it only named the ‘presents’ aspect, which was a very minor idea and didn’t fully capture the relational, non-commercial call to action I was putting forward.
So the next edit was: Mother’s Day –more thoughtful presents and presence, please!
I liked the homonym and alliteration of presents and presence – it fitted well with what I wanted to highlight. I looked at the order of the two keywords ‘presents’ and ‘presence’ and wonder how changing their placement might change the impact of the meaning of my overall message. I swapped them around to see that changed. I wanted to start with the known (presents) and end/lead into the blog main idea (presence) – so that was the final word order I chose.
Then: Mother’s Day – more thoughtful presence and presents, please!
So I removed the: , please. It is a stronger statement – declarative and instructional, not a request and thus leaving open the final decision as to whether to act on this ‘request’ or not to other-than-the-mother-saying it .
Note to self: remove (more): , please(s).
Apply liberally – in general and elsewhere.
So then it was: Mother’s Day – more thoughtful presence and presents!
This was closer to the sentiment I wanted to convey. It is short and punchy and fits into (no more than) two lines of text as a heading – which is a good ‘grab’ for the WordPress RHS margin widget ‘Recent Posts’. The exclamation mark as an end made it read more of an imperative – but perhaps a little shouty – so I removed it. But then it was left hanging. I also wanted to give some notice as to the type of presentation/format this also helps with search features later on So I added: (Disruptive Edit) at the end. I added ‘Give’ at the start as I wanted to include mention of the action that was the crux of the post giving is a nice thing to do! I wanted the title to include someone doing something – and it read-felt much better with ‘give’. Then I stopped. gotta know when to stop! send it out now – share your process work, resist being ‘correct’ ‘right’ and ‘good’ just get it out there – it is in-process and raw so no more tinkering!
Final title: Mother’s Day: Give more thoughtful presence and presents (Disruptive Edit)
..then finish the blog content and close on a positive!
Interesting to note that WordPress backend drafting notifications (like the readability analysis, SEO, suggested ‘revisions’) are going crazy pining me to check and recheck. I have a list of sad red face emojis letting me know NEEDS IMPROVEMENT! – its the algorithm reminding me that this type of post ‘won’t work’ and is ‘not normal’ writing and formatting. I am ingoring them all.
(*PHEW*)
…and that dear reader is a little sneak-peak into some of the in-process ideas, considerations and edits that happen during the construction of blog posts!
Thanks for coming a long for this experimental ride into a disruptive edit!
Then, Johann Rebert‘s 2017 article, noted that after a few years running, bicycle patrols increased the visibility and accessibility of police for community members.
To round off this series, I had to look a little deeper to see what became of this program.
There was a significant drop-off in publications and media after 2015. But I did find two more current mentions of the Sri Lankan community police bicycle patrol programs. One was a very positive extension (below), the other a mention in passing during a policing reform and ‘next steps’ report.
Image: Sri Lanka Police
Inaugural Ceremony of the Surakimu Lanka – Police Vigilant Committee
On the Sri Lankan Police official website, I found the below 2020 announcement:
Having restructured and renewed the Community Policing Programme in order to cater to the contemporary requirement for a secured country, The Inaugural Ceremony of the Pilot project of Surakimu Lanka – Police Vigilant Committee which will be launched Island wide, was held on December 24, 2019 at Viharamahadevi Park.
Mr. C. D. Wickramaratne – Acting Inspector General of Police, was the Chief guest of the occasion.
77 Community Policing Areas in Colombo North, Colombo South and Colombo Central Police Divisions are divided into 201 sub areas and Police officers are assigned to perform duties in relation to community policing. Bicycles were distributed among 77 Police officers of Community policing. Those Police officers will perform full-time duty within the Community Policing area they are assigned.
So it looks like bicycles do have an ongoing role with the Sri Lankan police!
Image: Sri Lanka Police
Supporting Community Policing & Police Reform
The other place I found Sri Lankan community police bicycles mentioned more currently, was in a 2020 Asia Foundation report. It was clear from reading this report, that there was a significant shift in community policing since the initial bicycle project was initiated in 2011.
Since the end of the war in 2009, there continues to be a renewed interest and growing acceptance of the need for a community-oriented style of policing to ensure post-conflict stability and normalisation.
Back in 2011, the main focus was on reducing crime, rebuilding community trust and access to police, and reaching those communities most affected by the conflict.
But now, nine years on, Sri Lankan police are still struggling with building community trust and relationships so have now taken a different approach.
The second mention of police bicycle patrols was in an October 2020 Asia Foundation Supporting Community Policing & Police Reform report. Get the full report by clicking the green button below.
It looks like the integration of community police bike patrols was part of the 2009-2016 piloting community policy phase of reform (hence little online material about it after 2015), but the report does acknowledge:
Community policing pilots were conducted from 2009 to 2011 in two districts, which demonstrated improvements in public perceptions of security, police performance, and community-police relations. Since 2012, the Foundation has engaged with police stations across the country – directly and through community-based organization (CBO) partners – to implement community policing practices such as community police committees, bicycle patrols, mobile police services and community awareness programs. Particularly remarkable are the community police committees (CPCs) which create a platform for monthly community-police dialogues to take joint actions to solve safety and security concerns in their neighborhoods. The CPCs bring together community leaders, police, and government officials to tackle community concerns before they escalate and to address persistent issues within a community.
Image: Asia Foundation
Although bicycles are still a part of the Sri Lankan Police (as the ceremony above shows) the current community support and police reform (supported by the British High Commission) is focused on towards:
Institutionalizing community policing within the National Police Academy
Integrating Tamil language training
Expediting community policing practices
Using evidence-based policy and training
Police reform efforts
Strengthening sensitive responses to gender-based violence
Establishing a Children and Women’s Bureau
Strengthening gender equity within the police force
Tracing the evolution of the Sri Lankan community policing bike patrol program has been a interesting activity. It touches on many social, political, geographic, technical and economic issues.
It is heartening to see bicycles being trialed in the national recovery and policing reform process. As well as seeing bikes continuing to be used, such programs also serve as great examples for what might be achieved in the future.
There are many reasons why I love where I’m currently living and riding. I live on Narlang Quandamooka land which is Morton Bayside 25 km out of Brisbane (AUST).
In my neighbourhood, we have fantastic bayside foreshore pathways, heritage-listed Mangrove reserves, native bushland and swathes of green parklands. The natural environment was a definitive reason for us choosing to live here.
I’m often out and about on my bike and I love to meet people who are doing the same.
While I’m in the throes of data analysis and working hard on my PhD bicycle research, it feels even more important to keep connected with the two-wheeled community.
I have a number of ongoing side projects that I like to keep percolating. My Instagram #Bikes_CISTA project is one I have not updated in a while due to COVID and I was delighted to have the opportunity to do so recently.
This is an ongoing project I started in February 2017.
The ‘CISTA’ acronym of #Bikes_CISTA stands for Cycling Interspecies Team of Awesomeness.
The Cycling Interspecies Team of Awesomeness (or Bikes_CISTA) Project is a photographic collection of encounters I’ve had with biking strangers while riding Leki (my flower bike) around my neighbourhood. It features people I spontaneously see, introduce myself to, have a chat with and invite them to join ‘the team’ (completely optional).
The eligibility for a #Bikes_CISTA invite requires:
at least one person
at least one dog
at least one bike
all are happy to stop and have a chat with me
are happy for me to share their photo and their CISTA story
It is a great way to keep me connected to my community, actively meet new people and celebrate one of the most important (non-religious) ‘holy trinities’ of being a positive and active community member that I hold near and dear: being on bikes, being with dogs and being outside enjoying nature and community….and all this at once.
COVID put a serious dent in #Bikes_CISTA activities. The last entry was #Bikes_CISTA #49 on November 2019. Considering at start of 2020 I was in West Africa for fieldwork and then COVID hit – I suppose no updates is actually quite reasonable! Since then, I haven’t given it much thought until this week I was presented with a golden #Bikes_CISTA opportunity I just couldn’t pass up.
So without further ado – meet John, his bike, Diesel and Roxy … who are our #Bikes _CISTA #50!
Meet John, his bike, Diesel and Roxy – #Bikes_CISTA
I was out walking Zoe during a PhD study break and I saw this awesome team riding towards me. The trailer caught my eye. Spontaneously I blurted out something to John as he rode toward me about how cool the trailer was and how great it was to see him and the dogs out on two wheels.
To my delight, John was happy to stop and have a chat – woo-hoo!
Diesel is the larger white bitsa in the front and Roxy is in the back. These two dynamos are rescue dogs and a very happy misfit pair – what a great outcome for all!
John lives in Cleveland and often rides Diesel and Roxy along the Morton Bay Cycleway for a regular cruisey Cleveland-Thornside-Lota-Manly return ride.
John’s dog trailer is simple but effective. He has modified a standard trailer setup to include shade ontop and Roxy’s basket on the end. He has to augment the axel a little to redistribute the weight for the two pooches.
There are rubber insulated mats on the floor plus a little extra cushioning for puppy comfort.
I was interested to hear he had put some barrier up around the bottom of the tray to make sure wayward tails didn’t get knocked about or accidentally caught in wheels, which was a particularly considerate addition.
We chatted happily in the afternoon sun about bikes, dogs, riding with dogs and riding this local route – all while the puppies watched on.
I love that John was wearing a ‘No bad dogs’ T-shirt as well!
Morton Bay Cycleway. Image: Visit Brisbane
Funnily enough the very next day after meeting this crew, I saw them again while riding Leki along the foreshore. I was cruising past a busy tourist area and saw John’s bike parked under a tree.
I stopped and left my business card, but then I saw John walking Diesel and Roxy a little further on. How lucky!
So we stopped for another chat. Hooray!
This dual interaction made me so happy. I loved the opportunistic randomness of the initial connection which was fun and interesting and genuine – and then to have it reinforced the very next day was just lovely.
I’ll be keeping my eyes open for this fantastic #Bikes_CISTA team from now on.
It makes me happy to know there are awesome bike-people-dogs like this cruising around my community spreading positivity, good company, and wholeheartedly celebrating the #Bikes_CISTA philosophy in their own engaging way.
Happy return #Bikes_CISTA teams!
Adorable! Diesel (L) and Roxy (R) ready to ‘ride on dad!’
Do you live in Adelaide, have a spare bike and are looking for a way to support the NRW theme of ‘Recovery – A future beyond a bin’?
Then this post is for you!
..And if you live elsewhere.. look for a similar program in your area!
Here’s a sneak peek at Lighthouse Youth Program’s November Bike Drive 2020.
What is Lighthouse Youth Projects (LYP)?
Lighthouse Youth Projects Inc (LYP) was established in Adelaide, South Australia in 2016. This program delivers a range of bike programs – including BMX and MTB mentoring programs to give hope to young Australians in crippling emotional, mental and financial situations.
Lighthouse Youth Projects Inc is a registered charity and volunteer supported not-for-profit organisation sharing a love of riding and living life to the fullest. LYP strives to help young people at risk of not being amazing, empowering them for a successful future.
They work with young people, regardless of circumstance, supporting them into positive pathways through our diverse range of programs.
Their services include a range of community and social events, bike skill coaching and events, and life skills and mentoring.
Do you want to help improve the lives of young people AND support the environment at the same time?
To mark Australia’s National Recycling Week LYP is teaming up with the City of Port Adelaide Enfield and the City of Charles Sturt to take your pre-loved bikes off your hands.
LYP welcomes old (or new!) bikes that need a new home, and we are excited to get them back on the road or recycle them when they are past their used by date!
Rescuing bikes from sheds, backyards, and garages allows LYP to continue to provide their mentoring and help at-risk youth to create positive change in their lives.
Join LYP at the Beverley Recycling and Waste Centre, 2-6 Toogood Ave, Beverley, South Australia this Friday 13 & Saturday 14 November 2020!
LYP can’t wait to see you there!
BIKE DROP OFF TIMES: Friday 13th between 8am – 4pm Saturday 14th between 8am – 4pm
So if you are around Adelaide and have a spare bike, why not head down and meet the LYP crew and support their Nov 2020 Bike Drive.
LYP Mentoring through bikes
Not only do Lighthouse Youth Projects offer a range of community events, BMX and MTB coaching, along with life skills mentoring, but they also have a range of videos online to encourage more people to get on their bikes and ride.
Mentoring through bikes
These videos cover a rage of skills, from how to bunny hop, to ‘pumping’ for when you are on a pump track and some general bike maintenance skills (like the video below).
This is another way LYP help to mentors others and share a love of bikes, riding skills, energy and enthusiasm with the next generation, encouraging everyone around them to get stoked on life.
Impressive!
Keep up the awesome work LYP!
Some content and all images and video sourced from LYP website, Vimeo, FB & IG.
