Why I love my bike(s)...

I recently answered a tweet from SheRidesCycling asking women "Why do you ride?"

Well, my answer (albeit cheeky) is pretty much the reason why I spend (most of) my hours with my bottom on a saddle....week in week out. http://sheridescycling.wordpress.com/2012/07/02/112-women-answered-the-call-why-do-you-ride/

I am Number 71. 

Squeek on top of the Felt B2

I am not an everyday commuter - I am a triathlete. Because of my training schedule (I am currently training for my first half ironman 70.3), I have to carry at least 2 bags every day and equipment (a bike, windtrainer, swim toys including flippers etc). On my recovery weeks, I may commute to and from work. This only happens if I manage it in between training sessions that dont require me to start training at 6am.

I actually live about 35km from my work and about 40-45km from Northcote pool where I swim Monday and Wednesday mornings and 25km from MSAC. The distance makes it great if I incorporate it into (bike) training, but a pain as training starts at 6am in the morning and finishes at 8-8:30pm at nigjht. I have commuted to and from work a dozen times or so this year and hopefully will do more in the coming months. For commuting, I have my Diora with Sora groupset which I have named Squeeky.

I don't ride mountain bikes or trails. I tried this once and failed miserably. I have poor bike handling skills and going downhill (even on a road bike) still gives me anxiety. I was going to sign up to do some MTB skills but due to cost and value (do I actually have any time to do any mountain biking along with my training?), I decided to park the biking course aside.

The Italian

As I had mentioned before, I am a triathlete (in my 4th year) and mostly spend my time on the saddle to train to be a better athlete. I have a good road bike - Wilier Imperiale (The Italian)with Campagnolo Chorus groupset, I have two time trial bikes - my Felt B2 with Dura Ace groupset which I am currently selling and my Cannondale Slice 4 with Rival groupset which is still sitting in the shop. I ride The Italian for the hills and long rides in groups. The time trial bike comes out from October onwards for the racing season. I will be bringing it out for windtrainer sessions to get the legs accustomed to the larger 53T chainring (as it has 650c wheels). I enjoy riding my road bike during training especially when we ride through the quiet towns and over the hills. I like to admire the scenery and gives perspective to how lucky we are to live in such a great city.

The Working Girl

On the side, I do have a few non-training bikes (such as my vintage ladies "The Working Girl" and my single speed bike "The Falcon") which I love.

I love that I can just pop on a helmet and ride down to the shops to buy an ice cream during the summer months, I love the days where I take my single speed through Brunswick, Fitzroy, Clifton Hill and Northcote and explore the side streets and check out some nice and quirky houses and cafes. I love how carefree I feel when I am on my fun bikes and it takes me back to my childhood when my brothers and I would cruise our compound (we lived on campus as my dad was a high school principal for remote areas).

I am fortunate to live in Melbourne - it has a better cycling culture compared to Sydney or Darwin. In Melbourne, we have more infrastructure which makes it easier to pedal around in with the single speed.

I don't think I would own so many bikes if it wasn't for triathlon. I guess I do spend so much of my time on the saddle so I can be a better athlete - I want to do well in races but I also enjoy the ability to get from one point to the next with my simple bike(s).