I havent looked at any of the Brisbane centric Qld sites.

Well I was enjoying the ride, even the fairly easy Southern climb of Sextons Hill, when the next thing I know I’ve run over one of the bloody new Cat-Eye reflectors at about 80km/hr on the Northern descent and got myself a snake-bite flat on the rear….. so onto fixing that… bugger no tyre levers but I was carrying the spare and repair kit…. searched the side of the road in the debris looking for bits of plastic and metal for a 100 meters and managed finding some make do levers…. but the now rushed repair was not good enough and was later going to have to involve me in replacing the tube on the uphill climb returning back over Sextons Hill… called into South Tweed Bicycles to get the pressure checked but it wouldn’t hold it. that was it! the end of testing the time to do a standard commute…. Changing a tube on both legs with no tyre levers, which I found I need to get the bead off but not back on the 19mm rim! unlike on the Giant Hybrid 25mm rim which I can do with just my hands, on and off.

anyway heres the Shogun with the new 105 groupset….

The Shogun Samurai Commuter

Just like last year I’ll try to get the energy to make the distance!

That location is open to easy abuse. The work location is inside a “fairly tough” high school where some students would enjoy using any easy anonymous opportunity to upset a staff member, through any combination of misplaced humour, malice, spite or more likely just some thoughtless prank such as letting down tyres (which often happens to the few students who brave riding to school).

Up until today 2 staff members, including myself when I am called in, have been using a small lockable store room to park the bikes out of harms way. But today a fellow non-riding, and has said never would, staff member made a complaint at the location. In their favour it IS an OH&S issue in that location we have been sort of (un)officialy allowed to use for the past term. As with any group the decision of an alternative location was not successfully determined. I also don’t have any sway in the decision, but one of the locations offered was an abandoned lockable Male Staff Toilet. Which, as I understand it, will be soon pressed into active service. I could see that it would once again soon become another contentious location, not to say insecure with the door being left unlocked Accidentally and the entrance completely hidden from any easy casual observation.

Another offered location seems to be Nearly Perfect, to me anyway, with the space to hang 10 or more bicycles with locker space, access to a male shower. This location is only accessed by one other person in the school and that is only occasionally. But this was argued to be too far to walk in bike gear in public by the majority vote user? I could not understand why? The area allows changing into work clothing, isolated storage of summers sweaty riding kit, showering, overnight storage if required and even a ramp for access!

At this time it looks as though it will become one of those situations where workplace politics will cause angst, division and ultimately become the reason to stop all work commuting by this little black duck.

 At this time I will try to take up the second offer, that is if I can get access to the storage area (if I am the only rider it might be overruled) but even if I do I am unsure about whether it is worth the effort to put in a hanging rack and locker, screen the barred windows for both Security and Vanity reasons, if it is just a short term solution.

Don’t I just love workplace politics! I do understand the workplace is for students first and foremost, but I see the simple example of someone commuting by bicycle for no other reason than they enjoy it to be a good one for the whole student population and should be supported!

The official stats are:
Over 3000 workplace coordinators
More than 70 community breakfasts around Australia
More than 30,000 registrations so far – stay tuned for final figures!
Up to 90,000 participants Australia-wide – based on 2/3 of participants not taking the final step and registering

Do you know participants in your organisation who rode to work today but didn’t register? Can you help us by encouraging them to sign up? Registrations are open until 5pm, 24 October 2007. All registrants will still be eligible to win one of the 14 TREK bikes, and they’ll increase your chances of winning a prize in the TravelSmart Workplace Challenge.

At this stage, we encourage you to send people directly to the registration page https://ride2work.bv.com.au/home.

Thanks for helping us to build the foundations for an ever bigger event in 2008. We’d like you to be among the first to know that National Ride to Work Day 2008 will be on Wednesday 15 October. Put it in your calendars now and get it into your organisation’s calendar for next year.

Many thanks for your part in the success of the inaugural national event.

National Ride to Work Day Team