Today the rear rack worked well as a spray reducer through todays puddles. Although it did nothing to ease my mind as I approached the Coast Road, Round Mountain Intersection. When I was about 100 meters away from the corner this pale blue late model ute suddenly appears turning out of the South bound traffic on the Coast Rd onto Round Mountain. The young male driver decided it was a good place to give himself a bit of an ego boost through the self administering of adrenalin by drifting sideways through the corner taking the whole width of the wet, greasy intersection. I felt luck to watch from a distance rather than be closer and directly involved!

Me Doing a Yehuda or is that Yehuda doing a me!

Long Ride yehuda -slowing down

After reading through the comments on Yehuda Moon and the Kickstand Cyclery today. It becomes pretty obvious that the whole Cycling community is split over what is Best Policy, and it seems to depend upon the “Self”, that is, Promoting the idea that will give the best outcome for themselves… The idea’s are always set as the best from and for that individuals perspective. I think I find it difficult to describe what I am saying but thinking is that it really comes right down to selfishness, the same thing that is behind the so called bad attitudes of all road users, cycles, cars, taxi’s, trucks and buses etc… The real situation is not going to simplified by saying “this is what I reckon … the rest of the available ideas are just rubbish because….”.

In a utopian reality, one in which the big picture were to be taken into consideration, that is, a long term world view rather than a selfish narrow minded view promoting only a short term gain for the individual, what does it matter what methods are implemented to get bums on seats as the norm for the general population of the oil fueled transportation obsessed western cultures.

With a dramatic climate change forcasted to be just around the corner and no foreseeable successful attempts to impliment any policy at all that might see it’s impact diminished.

It’s always the same thing. Points of view that diverge on how to achieve the consensually agreed outcome. The circular argument over the detail then begins. Why can’t all the protagonists keep seeing the forest not begin focusing on just the tree in front of them!

Any action must be better than none at all! Inaction, for what ever the reason, is going to have nothing but a told you so effect on the situation in the future. Consensus is rubbish. With everyone agreeing that something needs to be done sometime. But it must only be imlimented by having the smallest proportion of any sacrifice going to themselves, don’t you agree? 

BUT the present and past generations have already taken all the benefits long before they NEEDED TO BE PAID FOR, we and our kids have got to pay for them, now it is the time to pay up! Not unlike free primary and secondary public education you are “given” long before you are required to start paying for it with your taxes! It’s not free, just bought on credit! There is no such thing as a free lunch!

Anything is better than nothing, if you have nothing to start with!  Why don’t more people get started making a noise, any noise will do just so long as it is not in argument for pedantic selfish causes!

Human nature will continue to move along the same path it usually takes, with the same eventual outcome for everybody as it has always been for all previous generations. The individual will end up dead! 

The present generation of individuals will continue to look at decision making by what it considers the best option for themselves as an individual with little thought for it’s consequences in the future, Why are so many overweight people? It tastes good so eat it, now!

As for complaining about taxation. Taxes are only required if society openly recognises that it’s members are incapable of sharing without being told they have to and that they need to be penalised if they don’t! Every society views greed as good and hoarding as one of the pinnacles of success (well not every society, but at least the modern western one does)… Take the lane and “F” everyone else! Slip past where there is no room and “F” the other person! Get out of MY way!  I’ts my space! Share, Why? Whose going to stop ME taking what I can? I’m here now I don’t care about those that come after me I’ll just chuck this here! I’ts not in my way or messing my car up now! 

WHOA! WOAH! enough already!!!!!! END RANT RANT RANT

PS I must of had too much coffee today!

The 105 cluster didn’t come in so Jeff put a 10 speed Ultegra 27-12 on for the same price, thank-you. Some have said I should have used e-Bay but I don’t completely trust main component parts that may be used or faulty rather than as described.. It was only a few extra dollars for a local guarantee.and supporting a shop that I will want to be there for long a while yet especially when I need it in a hurray! Things are fairly quiet in the shop at the moment, after the flurry of activity during the last school holidays. Is it the rain, wind or heat? It might even be the economy!

And it was cool on the verge of raining all the way threatening to but not able to with the wind blowing it away…

Today’s little trip saw me pass by a couple of “roadies”, don’t know what else you would call them. I do not think they are members of the fellowship of general cyclists. The first, after I said Gid’day, returned the greeting whereas the other saw fit to yell a callous or could it be spiteful remark “Hope you fall off!” Nice I thought! I was in usual attire, so probably stood out like dog balls to a lycra clad unpaid billboard, but, as is often the case at this time of year when going for a light road cruise, wearing thongs on my feet. (yes If I was to come off at any speedI could do some damage to my feet, but lets not forget my elbows, shoulders, knees, palms and fingers, head,hip, bum, did i forget anything? oh yeah my face.)

During the rest of the ride my thoughts drifted to contemplating the passing comment. Why bother saying that? Why not keep your negative remarks to yourself? Do you hope that others will go through your own experiences? Are you such a bad rider that you expect to fall, again, during  every ride?  Is he the type of person who verbally abuses people whilst in a queue at the bank,etc? Does he just like to tell other people they are wrong to make himself feel better about his own decisions? Is he a road rage practitioner when he gets behind the wheel of his motorised vehicle which is probably a hotted up ute or some such thing? 

It must of got to me a bit, as our paths crossed only a couple of hundred meters from the start of my ride. 

Later around the half way point in the ride, I passed another solo rider near Clothiers Creek road and that consisted of a more standard experience, just exchanging “the wave” and move on about your business.

Moan Ends here;

The cheap ALDI Tronica Wireless Cycling Computer for $20.00 seems to register 99km/hr at times when you are stationary or wheeling the bike… ahhhh the price of crap

Distance: 31.5 km on the Cypress.