Cycle groups Archives -

Magpies swooping cyclists – do they deserve to be shot?

September 6, 2019 Nicola Aggressive birds, Bicycle helmet, Cycle groups, Women cycling

This week in my home town of Sydney, there was much talk about magpies swooping cyclists and a Sydney municipal council ‘removing’ a magpie that has been attacking cyclists for a number of years. Apparently, there’s been some 40 complaints after three years of attacks so the bird was shot. A friend of mine who writes a cycling blog called Carbon Addiction did an interesting poll on Facebook asking if his followers thought if the hapless bird deserved a bullet and the respondents were close to a 50/50 split. I’m not here to debate whether this ‘removal’ should have occurred

Women: Do you need some help to get started in road cycling?

August 29, 2019 Nicola Bicycle helmet, Bike retail, Cycle groups, Cycling Club, Lycra cycle clothing, Women cycling, women specific bike, women's bikes

When you’re considering taking a new hobby it can often be a bit daunting but it is really easy to get started in road cycling for both women and men. Obviously, the most important thing to get into road cycling is a bike, but there are also a few other items that will enhance the experience for any budding roadie. A road bike You can spend anywhere from about $800 to $20,000 on a road bike, even cheaper if you opt for a second hand or low-quality one. However, like all manufactured items in our modern world, you do tend

What are the seven types of female cyclist?

May 9, 2019 Nicola Children riding, Commuting by bike, Cycle groups, Cycling Club racing, Mountain bike riding, Track cycling, Women cycling

For a bit of fun (please don’t take it too seriously), I’ve identified seven types of female cyclist. I’ve deliberately used the word cyclist because that’s what I call myself, but I know that many of the groups I’ve identified wouldn’t use that term. With my arbitrary categories I also acknowledge that some women move from one group to another – An ‘Occasional rider’ could catch the bug and become an ‘Obsessed road cyclist’. And women can be more than one category at the same time – an ‘Obsessed road cyclist’ can also be a ‘Commuter’, a ‘Mountain biker’ and

You really should try riding in a bunch – you might even like it

May 3, 2019 Nicola Bike skills, Cycle groups, Women cycling

I must admit that when I first started riding I found the idea of riding in a bunch to be particularly intimidating. Over time my confidence increased on the bike and I took the plunge and joined a local bunch ride. It was then that I learnt the great benefits of riding in a bunch, like drafting, safety in numbers and the social aspects. So here’s a few tips from me on riding in a bunch: Communicate One of the great benefits of riding in a group is that you’ve got a collective of people all with two eyes keeping

I loved riding the Shimanami Kaido

October 31, 2018 Nicola Bike travel, Cycle groups, Women cycling

I’ve just finished riding in the most amazing cycling mecca – riding the Shimanami Kaido with a fabulous group of women led by my friend Tina McCarthy from Wheel Women in Melbourne. Tina is a self-confessed Japanophile with a love affair with all things Nippon spanning 30 years. The tour I’m on is Tina’s third or fourth tour to Japan and she’s got it down to a fine art. What a wonderful time I’ve had, and I’m sure all the others on the tour have had equal enjoyment. Japan is such a wonderful melting pot of old and new. Ancient

Come with me on the Wheel Women Japanese Cycling tour

October 9, 2018 Nicola Bike travel, Blogging, Cycle groups, Cycle tours, Women cycling

I am super excited about heading off next week for the Wheel Women Japanese Cycling tour which will see me riding in southern Japan. Our fabulous tour leader Tina McCarthy describes the tour as a full immersion in another world, with the boundaries of the old and the new criss-crossing at every turn. “From sublime temples to the dazzling orchestra of neon signs in the cities, our Wheel Women Japan Tour takes you on a journey across the sea, over bridges and among friends,” Tina says. Wheel Women’s Tina McCarthy, who has been travelling to Japan since 1986 when her

Amy Gillett Foundation making roads safer for cyclists

August 28, 2018 Nicola Commuting by bike, Cycle groups, Women cycling

I’ve been admiring the great work of the Amy Gillett Foundation for many years, and felt it was about time I wrote about the terrific activities they undertake to make the roads safer for all cyclists. I was lucky enough to meet CEO Phoebe Dunn at a cycling event a couple of months ago and we recently corresponded. Q: I know the AGF was founded in memory of Australian cyclist Amy Gillett. How has it evolved since Amy’s tragic death 13 years ago? Our singular focus on cycling safety remains unchanged. Over the years we have worked hard to reach

Watch La Course by Le Tour on television but don’t enjoy it too much

July 17, 2018 Nicola Cycle groups, Cycle racing, Professional cycling, Women cycling

Tonight I get to watch La Course by Le Tour on television in my living room in Australia which I’m going to enjoy but it’s a race not without its controversy. I’ve been reading a bit of media commentary over the past few days about the really lame effort the Tour de France organisers ASO have made with this event. Even the website is lame. It’s out of date (doesn’t even list the 2017 winner) and it has very little information. I really enjoy former pro rider Kathryn Bertine’s spirited commentary on the subject and I’ll let you enjoy that coverage

Female cyclists: do you suffer from FONKU?

February 13, 2018 Nicola Cycle groups, Mental health, training, Women cycling

I hope I’ve got your attention with that provocative question; do you suffer from FONKU? In case you’re interested enough to read to on, FONKU is an acronym for ‘Fear Of Not Keeping Up’. I believe that there’s plenty of female bike riders that suffer from FONKU and it’s holding us back. I actually include myself in that cohort. So I made up my own term for it. I sometimes go out for group rides and decide that I won’t be able to keep up even before I leave home, and I often hear similar laments from other female riders.

Cycling Mums Australia – encouraging mums to ride their bikes

October 24, 2017 Nicola Cycle groups, Cycle tours, Women cycling

I read an article a couple of weeks ago about a group of women who are mums and have founded a group called Cycling Mums Australia to encourage mums around the country to return to riding. So I looked them up via Facebook and talked via email with one of the group’s founders Natalia de Clercq. Over to Natalia…. Q: Why did you start the group Cycling Mums Australia (CMA)? Well, what happened when I became a mum, my priorities changed, we have so many competing priorities that the bike got pushed down the list, ignored , forgotten about. I