Monday, February 23, 2009

Foldies, roadies & oldies

Two fast foldies reporting for duty

Riding a Friday on a Wednesday is pretty fun!

230 years old combined!

Another way of moving along the river....
I prefer 2 small wheels, thank you.

Someone's been touring I see...

I've mentioned before that one of the great joys of cycling is meeting new folks. It was my pleasure to be introduced at church to Rod, a former postie and an ardent cyclist. He does a mid week long ride every Wednesday.


Wait a minute Mr Postman... my new friend Rod

Rod rides a Giant hybrid bike with 7000km on it and Ken, a seasoned KHS. They are both originally from the UK and are long time friends since 1982. Rod is used to having 40kg of mail in his front rack and delivering them on a one speed postie bike - so his cycling skill is way up there compared to mine. We met early morning at 0715 and I learned later that Ken took the first 0600 train from Mandurah to meet us. Talk about commitment!

Our ride took us alongside the beautiful Canning River and onto the Swan River, on world class bike paths. The weather was cloudy and overcast which made it absolutely perfect for a cool 20c morning ride.

Perth city skyline

It was heartening to see so many people on bikes as well and many people with dogs in tow took advantage of the perfect day. The shared path concept seem to work well with pedestrians and cyclists giving each other mutual respect and space, unlike some other countries I know.

Our destination was Point Walter, a lovely and scenic place to have morning tea and there, we enjoyed our flask of hot tea, fruit and a snack. At $5 per cup for tea and $20 for brekkie along the ritzy riverside cafes, you can understand the need for BYO.

Pic borrowed from WA Tourist website

Both Rod and Ken were fascinated with our 20" wonders after a test ride. The performance and handling surprised them, but both Pat and I, being seasoned foldie converts, were standing there grinning with the "I told you so look". Total ride was an easy 34km and next Wednesday, the plan is to take the train to Mandurah and cycle along the beautiful coast there.

What a lovely morning with foldies, roadies and a bunch of really fun and young-hearted oldies (me included).

Gray hair is a crown of splendor - Proverbs 16:31

http://www.westernaustralia.com/en/Pages/Attraction.aspx?n=Point_Walter&pid=9001718

1 comment:

ChrisW said...

Keep on posting Al, my 'envy meter' is up to 5000 rpm now.....