So i rode the critical mass tonight, for the first time in my cycling history...it was fun, playing with the traffic in the middle of the harbour bridge, but once we got up to North Sydney the body odour of a thousand friday cyclists was, to say the least, overwhelming.
Except for the small band of couriers, they smell good whether they smell bad or not.
I had a great ride back into town with Jason from Mail Call, all the old lines were still there, it was the first time I've ridden those lines in years and the old magik was still there, down the Pacific Highway, lights change green for the right lane into Blue Street, bunnyhop the gutter to cut out that last corner where you have to double back, slalom through the trees, onto the road to cut wide under the tunnel into Lavender Street, tuck in and gather momentum to take you through the roundabout, slice through banked up traffic down to the beginning of the bike trail over the bridge, dismount, walk up, remount, regain momentum to a leisurely gait, start coasting past halfway and a couple of extra pedals here and there to pick the speed up, tuck in and through the gates to Observatory Hill, up and over the Pedestrian Bridge, down to Kent, anticipating traffic from every lane, up onto Clarence, past 1 York, onto York, nose wheelie at the Jamison Street red light, take off sat the opposite orange, get green without braking at Margaret St, cruise down York, past the Forbes and see whose bikes are still locked up, take Market Street lights, up to George, down George, tag a car's wheel arch from Haymarket up to Broadway, trackstand at the lights and get the holeshot to the Clare for a cleansing ale!
No beauracracy, no 'systems', no 'processes', no 'correct channels', just pure efficiency. One day there will be a bike escalator to take us onto the Bridge at the North Sydney end, I told Jason. he said 'no way, they all hate us". to which I replied, "they won't have a choice when fossil fuels run out".
Go figure. I guess that's the point of holding up peak hour Sydney traffic on a Friday night's all about.
Except for the small band of couriers, they smell good whether they smell bad or not.
I had a great ride back into town with Jason from Mail Call, all the old lines were still there, it was the first time I've ridden those lines in years and the old magik was still there, down the Pacific Highway, lights change green for the right lane into Blue Street, bunnyhop the gutter to cut out that last corner where you have to double back, slalom through the trees, onto the road to cut wide under the tunnel into Lavender Street, tuck in and gather momentum to take you through the roundabout, slice through banked up traffic down to the beginning of the bike trail over the bridge, dismount, walk up, remount, regain momentum to a leisurely gait, start coasting past halfway and a couple of extra pedals here and there to pick the speed up, tuck in and through the gates to Observatory Hill, up and over the Pedestrian Bridge, down to Kent, anticipating traffic from every lane, up onto Clarence, past 1 York, onto York, nose wheelie at the Jamison Street red light, take off sat the opposite orange, get green without braking at Margaret St, cruise down York, past the Forbes and see whose bikes are still locked up, take Market Street lights, up to George, down George, tag a car's wheel arch from Haymarket up to Broadway, trackstand at the lights and get the holeshot to the Clare for a cleansing ale!
No beauracracy, no 'systems', no 'processes', no 'correct channels', just pure efficiency. One day there will be a bike escalator to take us onto the Bridge at the North Sydney end, I told Jason. he said 'no way, they all hate us". to which I replied, "they won't have a choice when fossil fuels run out".
Go figure. I guess that's the point of holding up peak hour Sydney traffic on a Friday night's all about.
even though i doubt i'll ever do it again as a job.
Worlds are in NYC next year,i reckon it'll be a fucking hoot,
gonna try and make it over meself.