While there have been more excellent rides since the previous newsletter I’m a little short of first hand reports to share (hint, hint). What I do know is that its been hot and some of these rides were very long. Well done to those who prevailed.
I’ve noted that we have two important meetings on the horizon, the AGM for the national and Queensland organisations. Many hands make light work and so if you wish to contribute to the Queensland committee in 2019, please get in touch.
As usual there are plenty of great rides coming up.
Finally, the Flèche Opperman. It’s now time to make ready your preparations for this iconic event.
News
Annual General Meetings
National
The National AGM will be held via teleconference. The Brisbane location is the Banyo Library, St Vincents Road Banyo, Thursday, 7 Feb 2019 at 7:00 pm AEST.
Queensland
The Queensland AGM will be held at the Nundah Criterium Track 09-Feb-2019, preceded by a gentle 50km ride. The ride departs 7:00 am and the meeting will commence 10 am. Catering was sensational last year, just saying.
If you wish to contribute in 2019, please let a committee member know and they can explain whats involved.
Queensland Flèche Opperman All Day Trial
The Fleche Opperman All Day Trial (or “The Oppy”) is a 24-hour team time trial held annually by Audax Australia. The Oppy is an event for teams of three to five bicycles. Each team must ride at least 360 km (you design your own route) in 24 hours. If you’re not up for 24 hours of riding, try the Petit Oppy (180 km in 14 hours). More details / rules here. If you want to ride, but don’t have a team, we will do the match-making. Contact any of the ROs below or: AudaxQLD@gmail.com
In 2019 in SEQ the Oppy will start at 8:00 am Saturday 23rd March; and finish 24 hrs later. In FNQ the Oppy will start on a different date: 8:00am 18th May. Is next year the year to get two Oppy Medallions? The three Oppy regional organisers and the finishing locations are:
| SEQ | Mark Riley | St Lucia | St Lucys for breakfast |
| FNQ | Gayle Sticher | Port Douglas | |
| midQ | Peter Robertson | Mackay |
Ride reports
There have been some epic rides in the past few weeks, but sadly no ride reports to share. Instead read about Craig Estwick’s Mulgowie Moose experience from 2016.
Please send your ride reports, pictures and so on here: audaxqld@gmail.com
When your Garmin fails
Garmin 520. Wear evident. The unit fails to charge.I have been the owner of a succession of Garmin 520s. The first one failed with a brain cramp during the warranty period. It would randomly boot and after some troubleshooting, Garmin decided to replace it.
The one pictured above is the refurbed unit supplied as a replacement and is just over 12 months old. You can see that the USB pins are worn and the USB connector has come apart which is not uncommon for these units it would seem following a little research on the interwebs. At this point, it has stopped charging which makes it quite useless.
Garmin did eventually agree to replace this device, but it took a little bit of encouragement to get them over the line. In the first instance, they declared physical damage and offered a refurbed unit for about half the price of a new one. I challenged this and they responded by stating a breach of their warranty terms but further discounted the price of a refurbed unit. After I challenged them again they agreed to honour their legal obligations under the Australian Consumer Guarantee and replace the unit at no cost.
The lesson here is that it appears Garmin products have a known problem with the USB port failing as mine did. Manufacturers have a legal obligation under the Australian Consumer Guarantee to provide goods that are of acceptable quality, that is, safe, lasting, and with no faults.
If you should find yourself in a similar situation, you are within your rights to negotiate a replacement irrespective of the manufacturer’s warranty.
Reading
The Golden Age of Handbuilt Bicycles – Jan Heine
Jan Heine is a name linked to classic and vintage Randonneuring bicycles and specifically the work of Rene Herse. This volume is dedicated to such machines and is a feast for bike nerds. It is lavishly and expertly photographed and definitely worthy of the top of the pile on your coffee table.
From the Amazon review: The Golden Age of Handbuilt Bicycles is a celebration of the design history and craftsmanship behind this simple but efficient two-wheeled vehicle. Featuring fifty classic models built by hand, this book unveils the bicycle’s technical evolution within a historical context. Beautifully detailed are early-twentieth-century models with multi-gear systems, mid-century machines where war and post-war economy challenged craft and utility, as well as modern and contemporary bicycles.
Featured artisans and brands include La Gauloise, Reyhand, Schulz, Barra, Alex Singer, and Rene Herse. With brilliant full-colour images of each model and chronological text detailing the craftsmanship that went into producing these elegant machines, this book will appeal to bicycle enthusiasts and to anyone interested in design.
About the Author
Jan Heine is an avid cyclist and editor of Vintage Bicycle Quarterly, a magazine devoted to bicycle history and classic models.
Jean-Pierre Praderes is a freelance photographer, whose award-winning work has been featured in numerous magazines and books, including The Art of the Motorcycle.
Upcoming Rides
Click on the ride name for online registration.
Not the Alpine classic (2019)Not the Alpine, I hear you say. Riders will not be short-changed on either scenery or elevation. QLD does it better.
Start LocationCanungra ContactAndrew Bragg Ph: 04342845329 Email: andrewbragg1@yahoo.com Ride Date: 26-Jan-2019 6:00 am |
Smashing Mee (2019)A scenic hilly 200 that will give you plenty of excuses to get off your bike to take a photo or two. Dayboro and Mt Mee with a few dirt roads and 4500 of vertical gain. What else could you ask for? The only way is up!
Start Location37 Yathong Court Arana Hills ContactAndrew Bragg Ph: 0434284532 Email: andrewbragg1@yahoo.comRide Date: 02-Feb-2019 6:00 am |
River Loop February (2019)A social ride followed by a coffee somewhere interesting on Montague Rd
Start LocationToowong ContactBrian Hornby Ph: +61418711417 Email: Brianhornby19@gmail.comRide Date: 05-Feb-2019 5:30 am |
National AGM (2019)Audax Australia National Annual General Meeting Time: 8pm Australian Eastern Summer Time – please be sure to adjust to local time. Sydney, Australia Thu, 7 Feb 2019 at 8:00 pm AEDT The AGM will be held online with conference facilities in each region. Registration is required to allow appropriate rooms to be booked. For registration please choose the region you will be attending. If you are not in a listed city please choose ‘Other’. Access to the conference lines will be provided to validated and financial members. Note:- For members outside the listed cities access is being investigated but you will likely require internet access and a laptop capable of running a modern browser to make use of the WebRTC protocol or mobile phone with an Android or Apple App or you will need to call a conference line. You can check your laptop/internet capabilities at https://meet.jit.si/ To register for this the meeting you must login to the portal. The login is the email address you used when joining Audax, and the password you selected. If you’ve forgotten your password you can reset your password. Ride Date: 07-Feb-2019 8:00 pm |
QLD AGM (2019)An easy 50 km prior to AGM
Start LocationNundah Criterium Circuit ContactPeter Jenkins Ph: 0407149375 Email: berlioz@bigpond.net.auRide Date: 09-Feb-2019 7:00 am |
Crepe Escape (2019)
Escape reality up in Kuranda; fresh mountain air and quiet rainforest roads ! Suitable for mountain, gravel and CX bikes – 75% dirt/gravel roads. This is an undulating course through forestry areas and rainforest scenery. Join us afterwards for a few quiet ones at Kuranda Pub.
Start LocationKuranda Village Information Centre ContactGayle Sticher Ph: 0428 440 411 Email: gayle.sticher@bigpond.com Ride Date: 17-Feb-2019 6:30 am |
Esk at Night (2019)This 100, 200 & 300km ride takes in the sights of Esk, Somerset and Laidley valleys. About 100 km of the ride will be in daylight and the rest at night. Lights required for the 100, 200 and 300km events. Fully supported ride.
Start LocationEsk ContactJohn McMullan Ph: 0407731567 Email: clanmc@tpg.com.auRide Date: 23-Feb-2019 2:00 pm |