dst. (km) Today 118.6 Trip 890.3 A crisis of conscience this morning; will I ride alone, or will I ride to Toledo with the other four? Nearly drove me crazy yesterday, but they were just too nice to say no to. As a result I ended up riding slower than I would have by myself, sat out the front for the whole day, tried hard not to get too impatient with all their stops, etc.
dst. (km) Today 108.0 Trip 772.5 A big difference riding today, I was riding with four others — the four Americans that I met yesterday. Over an hour of stuffing around getting ready and making sure that everyone was ready and everyone had everything, then a long mother-hen lesson in the correct hand signals to use to indicate small pieces of gravel, minor bumps in the road, corners, etc. Once we were finally out on the road I was then told off for riding too near the traffic, then for riding too fast, etc.
dst. (km) Today 52.0 Trip 662.2 I think I’ve recovered from yesterday… and mostly from Tuesday, although I have a huge bruise on my bum, together with a sore neck, thigh and right shoulder! 9 am and time to get organised and on my way.
I said goodbye to the girls this morning, they’ld been looking at houses for somewhere to live for the next few months, slept through their first appointment but made it to the next few.
dst. (km) Today 0.0 Trip 605.8 Last night I went out to dinner with three English girls who have just come to Cáceres to study Spanish for a year. We had a magnificent meal and then went out for a few beers in a nearby bar. One of the barmen was trying to pick up two of the girls and the drinks just seemed to get cheaper and cheaper, and larger and larger as the night progressed… I didn’t get back to the pensiôn until around 2.
dst. (km) Today 129.76 Trip 605.8 Welcome to Spain; welcome back to the western world!
It rained again all last night, and was damp and foggy as I left this morning. I found it hard to get organized and get on my way.
Soon after I left, the fog got heavier and turned to rain, then it rained steadily all the way to the Spanish border. I was still having a ball though, riding along, singing to myself and being happy.
dist. (km) Today 120.4 Trip 474.7 So many things happened today, and such a long day….
Poured with rain again overnight, but by the time I was leaving it had turned to a heavy mist. Pastries and um Galâo for breakfast.
In the early evening I sat on the rock walls at Castelo de Vide(39.5500000,-8.9833333), gazing off to the north at the most amazing view. Miles and miles of mostly flat cork plantations, farm cottages — white and lived in, or grey and crumbling, the odd town — all on the on the tops of the hills where the forts and castles were built.
dist. (km) Today 86.04 Trip 353.5 Today — off to visit the Knights Templar….
Those church bells that I noticed yesterday woke me with a vengeance this morning. I shall have to try and remember not to stay quite so close to a church on a Saturday night! I’ve no idea when they started calling people to mass, but I’m sure it was still dark.
Rolling hills have a problem when you’re on a touring bike with a tonne of luggage — you just can’t roll up them!
dist. (km) Today 74.8 Trip 264.1 Dinner last night was a bit of a dud, and entirely my fault. I took the easy way out and ordered “Ementa Turistica”. The tourist menu consisted of steak, egg and chips, presumably the only thing that the Portuguese believe that the English will eat… maybe not that far from the truth. I wasn’t confidant enough to try picking anything else, I guess it serves me right!
dist. (km) Today 65.4 Trip 186.9 The weather today conspired to attempt to make me grumpy with the world — but I’m refusing to not enjoy it all!
This morning there was more uncomfortable conversation with Ricardo’s mother in my mutilated Portuguese as I packed up and settled my bill, then — much relieved — left and rode back into Sintra. Most of my clothes from yesterday are still wet and my shoes are soaked.
dist. (km) Today 100.3 Trip 112.9 This morning I rode slowly down through Lisbon, motorists who’ll happily double park and block the trams or go through red lights without batting an eye just lean on the horn if one cyclist slows them down. I’m convinced that I’m the only cyclist in Lisbon anyway…
I made it to the Plaça without too much of a problem and sat down to get my bearings and for some much needed breathing space.
dist. (km) Today 0.0 Trip 8.3 At 7 pm I found myself sitting on the Paseo at Expo ‘98, resting my aching legs and writing about the day. I’d been on my feet since 9 am.
Breakfast was the first priority, pastry e um bica in a café, standing at bar with the rest of the patrons. An ordinary request and a simple one, but buying the breakfast and sipping my coffee increased my confidence 100%.
dst. (km) Today 6.4 Trip 8.3 At some strange time in the morning I was flying over Romania — I think. An hour in Frankfurt and then breakfast on the flight. Somewhere out over the Black Sea there was a magnificent thunderstorm to watch, all the lightning playing around below the plane.
Singapore airport seemed huge, we all had to walk for miles to get from the Qantas flight to the check-in counter, then almost all the way back to get to the departure lounge for the Lufthansa flight.
dst. (km) Today 2.5 Trip 2.5 Woohoo! The adventure begins!!
Evan and I sat around chatting at breakfast then he headed off to work, and I bummed around making time pass for the rest of the morning.
I decided that the easiest way to get myself, bag and bike to the airport was to ride down to Chapell street with my bag on my back, then head to Flinders street before catching a cab to the airport… I made it to the bank, and successfully transferred $1500 into my Visa account, before heading on.
On my way home at 17:15 along Dandenong road, it had been drizzling and the road was wet and the streetlights were on. A white Magna (from memory, Victorian registration ###-###) drove up from Greta St, barely slowed, then turned sharply left into Dandenong road approximately 1m in front of me, I braked heavily and nearly slid into the rear of the car. The driver then slowed and as I drew alongside (yelling loudly), his left indicators came on and he turned left into the service lane!
I was riding home from work along Willesden road Oakleigh at 17:05, there were parked cars on the opposite side of the road and traffic from head on passing. The driver of a car behind me couldn’t pass and gave me a long blast on the horn which I ignored. The car, (white Holden Commodore sedan, black tinted rear window, Victorian registration ###-###), then pulled alongside with the occupants yelling abuse, then swerved in at me, clipping my front wheel with their rear bumper, then spun the wheels and drove off.
dist. Today 111km Trip total 245km With much prodding and cursing, Andrew managed to wake us all up around 8 am — nobody seemed to be in a morning mood. Breakfast was a leisurely affair, quickly devolving into a hectic ride and a flat-out sprint for the last kilometre in order to get on-board the 9 am ferry! Kath and Ricardo had driven down in the car and convinced them to hold the ferry for us — but only just — the guy on the gate waved us in like a formula one flag marshall, and the ramp was being lifted as we crossed it!
dist. Today 134km Trip total 134km Got up bright and early to ride around to Paulus’, then to sit around with coffees for half the day waiting for Evanovitch to turn up — he did have a reasonable excuse, having been working until 3 am this morning.
Eventually the six of us were organised and headed off, Riccardo was having trouble keeping up, the poor lad hadn’t been on a bike for years and decided to come along for fun!
About 6 pm, riding down Waverley road in Mt Waverley at around 40kph a car approached the give-way sign on my right, the male driver looked at me, then I suddenly realised that the driver was not even slowing down. I braked hard and stopped as the brown Ford Laser (Victorian registration ###-###) drove straight through the intersection and passed approximately a foot in front of me. The car contained three or four people who appeared to be deep in conversation and completely ignoring the road and other traffic.
On my way to work at around 8:40 am along the access road parallel to Dandenong road, this is a one-way street for most of its length. I looked up to see a west-bound car on Dandenong Road turning into the access road and accelerate towards me! I yelled at the motorist and swerved into the gutter, the driver of the white sedan (Victorian registration ###-???) laughed as he drove past.
8:45 this morning I was riding at around 30-35kph along Willesden road, past my favourite Greek Orthodox school and church. As usual there was a lot of slow moving traffic (around 35-45kph), a group of three cars gradually overtook me, then the last one slowed and as I was alongside, turned into an empty angle-parking space, starting to indicate as he did. I was forced down into the parking space, bashed my knee into the passenger door and when I got to work discovered I have injured my left wrist.
At 5.45 pm on my way home along (westbound) Dandenong road a newish white Ford Falcon station wagon (Victorian registration ###-###) drove past me in the left lane. As the car went past, the young male passenger in the front swung his fist out the window at me and screamed something unintelligible. I am used to cars going past with little clearance, but the yell and swung fist almost made me swerve into the kerb at the edge of the road.
Riding to work past my favourite school — the Greek Orthodox school — along Willesden street Murrumbeena, an aqua-green Ford Festiva – Victorian registration ###-### – was waiting at the Give-Way sign on my left, the driver didn’t look and drove straight out infront of me. I was travelling at around 30kph and had to swerve out almost into oncoming traffic to avoid running into the side of the car. Yelled loudly at her and she just looked puzzled as to why a cyclist was overtaking her.
On my way to work travelling at around 35-40kph down Atherton St, Oakleigh, when a black four-wheel drive (Pajero I think), Victorian registration ###-### drove up to the stop sign ahead on my right, stopped, the driver looked at me, then drove across the road straight in front of me. I had to do an emergency stop to avoid running into the rear door of his car and as he went past the driver gave me a little wave that looked like he was thanking me for letting him through in front of him!
On my way home, around 5:30 pm, west down Atherton street to turn left into Station street, Oakleigh. Station street is a one way street, as I rounded the corner there was a fairly new white Magna driving quickly the wrong way up the street towards me. Luckily there was a vacant parking space on my side of the road and I swerved into this as he drove past.
Refs: Originally in my bike incidents page.
Proving that I’m repeatably stupid :-). For the second year in a row I rode around Port Philip Bay (210km), this time Jo and I managed to wake up early enough to get to the start for 5:30, she dropped me off then sensibly went home to bed. I rode clockwise this time, reaching Sorrento at 8:56 — just in time to catch the 9am ferry, sat in the open having lunch on the ferry, occasionally shivering as a large wave sent a shower of spray across the deck.
Riding home along Atherton street Oakleigh I was coming up to a red traffic light and riding between the two lanes of cars, since all four cars in the left lane were indicating to turn left. As I drew level with the first car (red Holden Gemini, Victorian registration ###-###) the young female driver flicked about 1cm of ash off her cigarette and it fell straight onto my leg. I nearly ran into the side of the car, then turned around and asked “Do you have an ashtray?
Jo and I were riding to the Bicycle Show at Caulfield racecourse at 11.30 am. Riding two-abreast along Neerim road in Carnegie a car came up behind us and blasted on the horn, there was little traffic and other cars had driven past. I moved further to the left, then Jo moved closer to me, and as the car (an old white Ford Fairlane) went past the woman driving it started yelling and screaming that “we should get a f*cking license if we wanted to ride on the f*cking road”.
Around 4.45 pm riding north up St Kilda road in the cycle lane at around 40km/hr I saw a girl standing on the footpath in-front of me, as I was nearly level with her she waved at a cab, who must have come up behind me along the road. The cab swerved through the bike lane while alongside of me to pick her up, she was staring straight at me and looked terrified, I tried to avoid running into the cab as he came in at me, but hit the left rear door as there was no room between it and the parked cars.
I was stopped at the intersection of Willesden and Poath Roads on the way home waiting to turn left across the railway lines. Owing to a broken down train the lights stayed red with the boom gates down, so I got off and walked up the road to the fruit and vege shop. Walking back down the road I watched the fourth in a line of about ten of the cars waiting to turn left pull out, drive down the wrong side of the road, through the red traffic light, and park in the middle of the intersection with its bonnet under the boom gate.
On my way to work riding along the access road beside Dandenong road (Princes Hwy) when a very dilapidated Mazda 1200 (Victorian registration ###-###) overtook me, then slowed while indicating and started to turn left. As it was foggy and the road was wet I started to slide while trying to avoid running into him and screamed at the driver. He stopped part way around the corner and I hit his rear door with my right foot before zigzagging around him on the front.
Riding home at around 7 pm up Dandenong road, it was dark and I had on my dayglo Netti jacket and rear vista light. A black recent model car (probably Commodore), Victorian registration ###-###, came up behind me and the driver blasted on the horn for about 2 seconds until he was alongside, then sped off. Traffic was not heavy and there should have been no problem with him not being able to pass in my lane, or pulling into the next one.
Taxi driver swears, swerves and tries to hit me
Commuting to work along Dandenong road, I had just reached a section where the road widens from 3 to 5 lanes — the intersection with Warrigal road — with the addition of two left-turn lanes. I was moving into the rightmost of these (since it was also allowed to go straight ahead, while the left-most is left-turn only) when a Taxi, Victorian registration M####, blasted on its horn, and as the driver went past on my left, swerved at me and swung his fist out the window to try and punch me.
Noon, stopped at a red light waiting to turn right from Warrigal road into Dandenong road, a red Ford Falcon (Victorian registration ###-###) tore past. Three teenage guys, P-plates, big-engine and small-brain. Driver swung his arm at me in an attempted punch as he went past on my left and screamed “You c*nt!”
Refs: Originally in my bike incidents page.
Riding west along Waverley road after leaving Jells Park at about 6 pm I suddenly was belted on the left hip and buttock with an object, the shock made me swerve, hit the gutter, and swerve back out into the traffic, I looked up to see four or five teenage guys in a blue Commodore with P-plates (Victorian registration ###-###) laughing and swearing out the windows. The object was some form of water-bomb, I believe a plastic juice bottle.
This is being typed from memory in my spare time and I haven’t finished writing it so….
Jo was feeling very tired so we rode at an easy pace out of Sorrento and around the bay towards Rosebud, the weather couldn’t make up its mind whether it was cool or hot so we were stopping every fifteen minutes or so to change into or back out of our jackets.
This is being typed from memory in my spare time and I haven’t finished writing it so….
Ever tried to get eight people coordinated, packed, and on their bikes in the morning? There was no food in the house so we were arranging to have breakfast down in the town, but had to get the bags back to the camp ground and onto the trucks. The bags went in the taxi, Jo and I took off and (just) beat the taxi to the campground, then met the others at the local bakery.
This is being typed from memory in my spare time and I haven’t finished writing it so….
Jo and I get up bright and early (ugh) and catch the 7:50 train into the city. The nominal assembly time is 8am for an 8:30 departure but experience has shown that the Deadly Treadly tours never leave until well after 9. Walking across the river I looked down to discover that I had just left a trail of money along the path as my weekend’s spending money jumps out of my pocket.
214km around Port Phillip Bay, started at 6:00am after being driven to the start by a very sick girlfriend, failed to meet the people I expected to be riding with, then got back in time for afternoon tea (about 3pm) feeling remarkably good.
I’ld been out riding all afternoon in the beautiful autumn weather and was coming home at around 17:30. Turned left from Madigan street into Rivett street, with a car close behind me, I had to take the next right turn so I indicated right as soon as I was around the corner. As I was pulling across the lane I heard the car behind me change down gears as the driver planted his foot.
Approx 16:00, riding down the hill along General Bridges drive to turn right into ??? road, a white panel van (Holden or Ford) covered in signwriting for some business, ACT registration ###-### approached from my left to turn right across in front of me. Unfortunately the dopey bastard behind the wheel was deep in conversation on his hand-held mobile phone, steering with his left hand and swung so wide around the corner that his wheels where in the gutter on my side of the road!
At 10.30 pm, Tuesday 16-Apr-96 I was heading north along East row and saw a white Mazda MX-5 approaching the Give Way sign from Northbourne avenue. I was wearing a white long-sleeved t-shirt, fluorescent yellow gloves and have a 5W headlight. The driver looked at me, sneered, and sped up through the intersection, causing me to brake hard and stand the bike up on the front wheel to avoid hitting him.
Vanity site? Technology experiment? Learning tool? Blog? Journal? Diary? Photo album? I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you…
I experiment. I play. I write and I take pictures. Some of the site is organised around topics, other parts are organized by date, then there’s always the cross-references between them.
Its all been here a fairly long time. Like the papers on my desk, or the books on the bedside table, the pile just grew… and it all grew without much plan or structure. I try not to break URLs, so historical oddities abound.
Long ago it started as a learning experiment with a few static HTML pages, then I added a bit of server-side includes and some very ugly PHP. A hand-built journal/blog on top of that PHP, then a few experiments in moving to various static publishing systems. I’ve never wanted a database-based blogging engine, so over the years I’ve tried PHP, nanoblogger, emacs-muse, silkpage and docbook before settling on Emacs Org mode for writing and jekyll for publishing. But the itch remained… I never really liked jekyll and the ruby underneath always seemed so much black magic. So now the latest incarnation is Org mode and hugo.
![[1998-05-20 Wed] — Blind driver, two attempts](https://ajft.org/img/default1.jpg)
