Two new Series Awards have been introduced to recognise Gravel (BG) rides.
Nouveau Gravel Series (Gravel Grinder Series) 300 km minimum, Brevet Gravel (BG) or Brevet Permanent – Gravel (BPG) rides, comprising one ride of each of the following distances:
• 50 km
• 100 km
• 150 km
Period: The rides must be completed within a single season and within Australia.
Substitution: Riders may substitute one longer ride for any of the distances. This award can be claimed once only per riding season.
Gravel Super Series (Gravel Guru Series)
1,500 km minimum, Brevet Gravel (BG) or Brevet Permanent – Gravel (BPG) rides, comprising one ride each of the following distances:
• 200 km
• 300 km
• 400 km
• 600 km
Period: The rides must be completed within a single season within Australia.
Substitution: Riders may substitute a longer ride for a shorter ride for any of the distances.
These awards are available now, which means that the Gravel Grinder can be earned in the current season by completing the following Calendar Rides:
Dirty Boonah 1 on April 19 – 150km option. (56km and 110km also available)
Wonders of Woodenbong on July 26 – 75km (substitute for the required 50km)
Dirty Boonah 2 on September 20 – 109km option. (64km also available)
The timetable is tight, but it’s a feasible undertaking to be an inaugural Gravel Grinder.
To achieve Gravel Guru status requires interstate rides.
This would be a little easier if we enjoyed the flexibility of having more Permanent Routes available for those who just can’t get to the Calendar events. Anyone wishing to propose a Gravel Permanent should feel free to do so. At this stage we have just one Permanent: Dirty Boonah 100.
Time is really running out for team and rider registration! The RO’s need to prepare and distribute the brevets to team captains before the Oppy. Whilst you may live locally, the brevets may need to be posted and that could take a week to arrive so don’t delay. If you are looking for a team, have a look at the QLD Oppy information that Mark has prepared. There are a few riders looking for an Oppy team.
Mark has updated the Queensland Oppy page – you can find it in the QLD Oppy tab here: https://audax.org.au/queensland/
Round the Mountains 300
Peter Whyte has a goal of becoming a Super Randonneur and needed to test his mettle on his first 300km ride. Read his story here: https://audax.org.au/ridereport/audax-round-the-mountains-300-first-300/
Round the Mountains 400
Fred Vekeman spent a long day in the saddle on this ride. You can read all about his adventure here: https://audax.org.au/ridereport/round-the-mountains-400km-29-02-2020/
BVRT 70 – the Goldilocks ride
I rode my first dirt ride on the BVRT. You can read my adventure here: https://audax.org.au/ridereport/bvrt-70-the-goldilocks-ride/
How to create a ride report:
Go to the Audax website www.audax.org.au then select login from the menu bar at the top.
Once logged in, select media then My Ride Reports from the menu
On the right you will see a button “create a ride report” and click on it
Follow the directions in each box and tell your story.
If
you want to insert photos – select the insert photo button above the
main text window. Remember that all photos must be smaller than 1MB
Gregors Creek Circuit (22 February 2020) 100Km BA, 200km, 300Km BRM. The RO sold this one to me as a reasonable ride, getting flatter once you reach the 100km mark. Sevral riders remarked at how tough the 100km and 200km can be. 4 riders completed the 100km between just under 4 3/4 hours and 6 hours, the 13 200km riders between 9 and 11 hours and the4 300km riders between 15 and 17 1/2 hours. Well done to all riders on this lumpy route.
BVRT 70 The ‘Just Right”Dirt Ride (March 1st, 2020) 70km BD. A pleasant day out with all 13 riders finishing between 4 1/2 and 5 1/2 hours.
Wet and Wild Wondecla (March 1st, 2020) 42km BD Another amazing turnout in the far north with a massive 129 riders completing the course between 2 1/2 hours and 4 1/4 hours.
River Loop March (3rd March 2020). 50km, 100km BA 10 riders completed the 50km in times from slightly under 2 hours to just over 2 hours.
Following on from last edition, I thought I would give some thoughts on rules that apply to us riders and wondered where I should start. After some serious thought, I have come back to basics and RTFM (Read the manual).
We are reminded in the media and when discussing with friends and colleagues that there are popular topics and recent examples for us as riders was the introduction of the safe passing laws and we often discuss the people we see driving whilst using mobile phones. The basics of any of the road rules that apply to us is that ignorance is not an excuse when caught doing something wrong. How do we combat this unknown? we go and research whatever it is that we want to know. We are all encouraged to re-visit the road rules as they apply to motor vehicles and the same applies to the cycling or motorcycling addendums. Some of these have been relevant to me as I am now teaching my grandson the requirements of road behaviour as we often ride on the quieter roads in our suburb.
Here are some facts that may surprise you. On a 3 lane (single direction) road such as Gympie road at Chermside, how many vehicles can you have travelling side by side? The answer is actually six. You can have three cars in the lanes, two motorcycles filtering between the lanes and a bicycle on the left. This requires drivers to be more vigilant as they can have a lot going on around them. If it was a highway with a shoulder, under the right circumstances you could actually have seven as motorcycles are allowed to use the left shoulder if the road traffic is moving at less than 30kmh on a road with a posted speed limit above 80kmh. If the speed is 80kmh or under, motorcycles are not permitted to undertake unless the vehicle they are passing is turning right. This is because the left side of traffic is for bicycles. A colleague was fined $340 for such a manouver. Supplementary information – motorcyclists are not permitted to lane filter in a school zone that is active.
As a long term motor vehicle operator (I make the distinction because this implies you actually operate the vehicle in accordance with the road rules and manufacturers instructions) I have been behind the wheel of heavy vehicles, cars, vans, ridden motorcycles, bicycles and horses. We all see a noticeable number of people clearly doing the wrong thing – I have no statistics, just that we notice those doing bad things more than the good. My observation is that often people are single vehicle focused – their mode of transport is a car, or a motorcycle, or a bicycle (or a bus). Perhaps if people occasionally thought about what the other vehicles need (as opposed to want) it may change drivers perspective on how we operate our favorite mode of transport to be a more sociable traveller. This does not excuse bad behavior that we see (and see pictures of from others). My example is that when I lane filter (either type of cycle) and get to the front of the traffic, I will never get near the front of a truck where I think the driver will not see me (think a Mack truck). Yes the motorcycle has great acceleration but if I stall and I cannot be seen, I would become a pancake. I also don’t filter if there is a bicycle on the road shoulder either because an occasional driver will try to avoid perceived mirror clash with motorcyclists by moving suddenly away from them – this could potentially cause an incident where the driver hits the cyclist. Safety for all road users should be everyone’s concern. As vulnerable road users, we can set a good example even if others do not.
What does seem to be missing is some good media coverage when the new laws are introduced. The motorcycle lane filtering laws had no media coverage at all, just a few interest groups (and I did participate in a rider survey), the safe passing had no coverage for a long time whereas the new mobile phone laws had coverage even before they were introduced. Perhaps the key to successful road rule changes is to have excellent free media coverage.
My 3d printed reflector prototype is still on the Giant however the dimensions are a little wrong and the bolt holes have cracked. I will print up a new one using a better plastic (and colour match for the purists) and attach it in time for the Oppy. I will provide a photo as well.
In the next edition I will post the results of the survey. I would like a larger sample of information as I have about six at the moment. Please send me two good things about your current GPS and two things that annoy you. I won’t Thanks to the several riders who have provided some information so far.
Can you send these items and the brand / model to qld.communications@audax.org.au in the following format:
Brand / Model
Two good things
Two annoying things
I participated in a discussion this evening about rider cramps in particular night cramps. I recently had an episode that not only caused a lot of irritating pain but also caused difficulty as I couldn’t negotiate stairs for a couple of days. Whilst the only conclusion we could come to was that there may have been an electrolyte deficiency, none of us were sure other than it was more frequent in the warmer months.. I welcome any helpful information that may clear this up. As for remedies, suggestions are the good pickle juice (or as I did – I had pickled cucumbers) but also the occasional electrolyte supplement.
For a full roundup of all calendar events, have a look at the Audax website https://www.audax.org.au/portal/rides/calendar
7:00am start at River Esplanade Mooloolaba and traverses some urban roads and paths before some highway traffic to Landsborough. Thence via country roads through Beerwah and a gentle climb through Peachester and Bald Knob to Maleny, Kenilworth, Cooroy, Noosa Heads then returning to Mooloolaba.
5:30 am start opposite the Regatta Hotel. This is a loose group ride with assembly locations at key points along the ride. Breakfast at Plenty in West End. Just turn up and ride, no booking necessary
6:30am start near the Lillybrook Shopping Center in Kallangur then heading towards the hilly Brisbane Hinterland, this ride will offer you stunning views when climbing Mt.Mee and flowy rides through cattle properties as well as breathtaking downhills on serpentine mountain roads with seemingly never ending ups and downs that will make your legs scream. This ride may not have the most elevation gain but it is never flat and you won’t get much of a break.
5:30 am start opposite the Regatta Hotel. This is a loose group ride with assembly locations at key points along the ride. Breakfast at Plenty in West End. Just turn up and ride, no booking necessary
8am start where-ever you chose, finishing at the designated breakfast locations for Sunday at 8am.
South East Queensland Full Oppy
South East Queensland Petite Oppy
5:30 am start opposite the Regatta Hotel. This is a loose group ride with assembly locations at key points along the ride. Breakfast at Plenty in West End. Just turn up and ride, no booking necessary
6am Start at Rhyndarra St Yeronga. Reasonably flat course with distances of 109, 201, 301, 405 and 602 km. We start with part of the river loop, and then head west, taking in the Scenic Rim and the Brisbane & Lockyer Valleys.
6:30am start at Jolly’s Lookout riding to Lake Manchester with a return via a different trail. A hilly ride with some creek crossings.
6am start at Brendale for a mixture of rides from a quick loop around the peninsula to a predominantly flat 600km coastal route.
That is a wrap up for the this edition of the newsletter. If you have any articles, please send them to qld.communications@audax.org.au. If you have any ride reports, please enter them on the website.