BiCyCle SA

BICyCLE SA 

111 Franklin Street Adelaide 5000 

Tel (08) 8168 9999 

Fax (08) 8168 9988 

www.bikesa.asn.au 

BiCyCle SA 

The Members’ Magazine — No 146 

May – July 2010 

Bicycle SA — More South Australians Cycling 

CycleSafe: Inspiration and courses — Sam Drummond 

Clare Easter Cycle — Maureen Merrick 

The Skinny Lattes story — Lynette Collins 

Life’s better on a bike >>> 

www.bikesa.asn.au

COntentS 

President’s notes 3 

This Issue… 3 

around the office 3 

News and Notes 4 

Short Spokes 

Earth Ride — Adelaide attracts 1,500 

4 

participants 4 

Adelaide Free City Bikes 5 

For sale 5 

Introducing... 6 

CycleSafe 7 

Clare Easter Cycle 8 

Hi Bicycle SA 9 

My first bike ride at Earth Ride — Adelaide 

2010 11 

Discover Flinders Ranges 12 

Are you the racing kind? 12 

Are you the touring kind? 13 

The Skinny Lattes story 14 

New members 15 

The Fuego Project Update 16 

Tailwind 18 

On the cover 

Participants at the 2010 Grand Slam 

Challenge Series 

Contributing to Cycle! 

Have you something you would like to contribute 

to Cycle!? If so we’d love to hear about it. Please 

contact Luka Van Cauteren on 8168 9999 or 

. 

My first bike riide... — page 11 

Discover Flinders Ranges — page 12 

Fuego Update — page 16 

OffiCe 

111 Franklin Street 

Phone (08) 8168 9999 

Fax (08) 8168 9988 

Email office@bikesa.asn.au 

Web bikesa.asn.au 

The office is open seven days a week, 

9:00 am to 5:00 pm 

liBrAry 

Open Monday to Friday, 

9:00 pm to 5:00 pm 

CyCle! 

Cycle! is published quarterly 

DiSClAiMer 

The views expressed in this magazine are 

not necessarily those of Bicycle SA. Bicycle SA 

does not guarantee the accuracy of information 

published herein 

© 2010, Bicycle SA 

Original articles in Cycle! are copyrighted to 

Bicycle SA unless otherwise specified. Non-profit 

organisations may reproduce articles copyrighted 

to Bicycle SA, with only minor modification, 

without the permission of the authors, provided 

Bicycle SA is sent, as a courtesy and condition, 

a copy of the publications containing such 

reproduction. 

Articles copyrighted to their authors may not 

be reproduced without the express authorisation 

of their authors. Bicycle SA and the original 

authors reserve the right to take legal action for 

breach of copyright where these instructions are 

not complied with. 

exeCutive e-MAil ADDreSSeS 

President, Maureen Merrick 

maureen.merrick@bikesa.asn.au 

Vice President, Terry Ryan 

TerryR@bikesa.asn.au 

Treasurer, Tom Walker 

tom.walker@escosa.sa.gov.au 

Secretary, Anne Lewis 

AnneL@bikesa.asn.au 

Members 

John Bassett 

Warwick Cooper 

Des Murray 

Tom Walker 

Chris Beauchamp 

Brett Larwood 

Government of South Australia 

Office for Recreation and Sport 

Department for Transport, 

Energy and Infrastructure 

2

CluB newS 

PreSiDent’S nOteS 

Maureen Merrick 

Many of us are both cyclists and motorists and 

the recent untimely and very tragic loss of 

life on our roads is an extremely sobering reminder 

of our collective responsibility when either cycling 

or driving. 

Since we were established in 1982, we have 

been active in advocating for cycling safely, by 

sharing the road responsibly, adhering to the road 

rules, riding no more than two abreast only when 

it is safe to do so, supporting the riders within the 

group, wearing bright visible clothing, and having 

fixed appropriate lights, both front and rear, for 

riding at night. 

While it is fantastic to see so many of you out 

cycling, please continue the culture of support 

within your groups, consider other road users and 

share the road responsibly. 

As motorists, please be tolerant of cyclists 

who are also legitimate road users. They too need 

their space on the road, please learn to share 

thiS iSSue… 

Peter Carter 

Autumn weather is ideal for cycling: not too 

hot, lighter winds, and not a lot of rain. In my 

case, I’ve spent much of the time on the water, 

with SACE Kayaking and other courses. But while 

I’ve been paddling others have been pedalling. 

One recent event was the Earth 

Ride — Adelaide, with good numbers riding, 

walking, and otherwise enjoying car-free streets 

in the city despite the rain. It was an extra-special 

event for one participant, as you can read on 

page 11. 

Also about the city are increasing numbers of 

the free City Bikes, which are winning plaudits 

from travellers from all over. Kelly Allen keeps us 

up to date on the project on page 5. 

Another Bike SA project is the CycleSafe 

courses, for new riders young and old. Sam 

Drummond, who introduces himself on page 6, 

describes a recent course for young new arrivals 

in conjunction with Campbelltown council. 

Maureen reports on the recent Easter Cycle at 

Clare. (I’m hoping for some good pictures for the 

next issue.) Ray Thomas has a few words about 

the Coast to Coast held in March. 

The Flinders Ranges have something for 

everyone, from geomorphologists to botanists to 

cyclists, and among the cyclists, the competitive 

kind and the touring kind. Coming up in June are 

the Kona Mawson Trail MTB Marathon for the 

racers and the Outback Epic for the tourists. They 

will be followed in September by the Annual Tour, 

from Port Augusta northwards. Pages 12 and 13 

are a preview. 

with them. None of us want to be added to our 

escalating road statistics. 

Wonderful weather, and the choice of Clare 

for this year’s Easter Cycle, together with a 

variety of both bitumen and off road rides, were 

the ingredients for another successful weekend. 

Congratulations and well done to our hard 

working group of volunteers and staff. 

Also pedalling in mountainous terrain, but on 

another continent, are Anna and Ali, who keep us 

posted on their progress southward. 

Many plans (plots?) have been discussed over 

coffee, including the ideas for the Skinny Lattes, 

a group of women cyclists who began in a small 

way and now participate in major events. Lynette 

Collins has the story on page 14. 

What do Bike SA staff do when they’re not 

administering the organisation, running Bike Ed 

courses, planning tours, etc, etc? They either 

make things, or go riding. Through these pages 

you’ll see pictures of a structure built to farewell 

one of their number, Ben Woodcock, and their 

tour of Cleland Conservation Park. All looks like 

fun. 

Keep an eye on the traffic... 

two wheels, one spirit, many adventures >>> 

ArOunD the OffiCe 

Christian Haag 

With the election outcome now determined, 

it’s time to look toward the roll out of the 

government’s pre-election commitments in the 

transport arena. Labour has identified a $12M 

investment to its greenways program over four 

years: their largest funded program to date. Their 

priority area is the City to Merino Rocks corridor 

linking up with the Coast to Vines Trail, which will 

provide the southern suburbs with an outstanding 

off-road spine to which local councils will have 

the opportunity develop appropriate bike lane and 

path networks. Development of the Greenways 

network has been a priority for advocates in the 

cycling community for many many years and the 

government’s commitment is to be commended. 

On matters more off-road, June will see us 

delivering our inaugural Kona Mawson Marathon: 

a timed mountain biking event from Blinman to 

Melrose in the wondrous Flinders Ranges. Over 

four days riders will take to the Mawson Trail in a 

challenge against themselves, each other and the 

elements. But what marks this event as unique 

is that for the first time we will be producing a 

documentary on the event. With national and 

international distribution through free to air and 

pay TV networks throughout Asia, South Africa, 

New Zealand and the UK, we will be in a position 

to promote our off-road events (not to mention 

the beauty of the country) like never before. The 

achievement of this been possible only with 

support from our long time partners at Events 

SA as well as the Southern Flinders Ranges 

Tourism Authority and local Councils along the 

way. But perhaps more importantly is the level 

of on-the-ground assistance that the many small 

communities along the trail are providing. 

It is truly a team effort and we eagerly look 

forward to our story being shared with the over 

200 million households around the world that will 

watch from their living rooms as the Mawson Trail 

gives up its many riding treasures. 

May – July 2010 >>>> 3

newS AnD nOteS 

ShOrt SPOkeS 

Personal 

After establishing the very popular Saturday 

Cobwebs rides in 2002, Adrian Arthur has 

decided to pass the Coordinator’s role on to 

Rosemary Purcell. Adrian and members of 

the group recognised a few years ago that a 

standard was needed to adequately prepare 

riders for group riding, particularly in a peloton. 

Consequently the Cobwebs Ride Guide was 

developed and successfully implemented. Adrian 

and the Cobweb members involved are to be 

commended for their efforts. 

In recognition of the significant contribution 

Adrian has made as a volunteer, as a rides 

coordinator, rides marshal, and at also various 

events, in 2008 he was awarded the Volunteer of 

the Year Award. 

We wish Adrian well and know that he will 

continue to be out riding somewhere within the 

Cobwebs group on Saturdays. 

Stu Clement, who has been at the helm of 

Broken Gadgets for a number of years, has also 

vacated his coordinating role. The annual birthday 

rides, camping weekend and barbeques were 

very much a part of the Broken Gadgets and will 

be missed. 

Thank you Stu for your commitment to the 

group and best wishes in your future endeavours. 

We have been told that our dear Lil Ruffle 

has taken a tumble off her bike recently and 

understand that she is recovering very well. I am 

sure that we are all willing Lil back on her bike as 

soon as possible! 

The BSA Team built an ‘Arch of 

Bicycles’ in honour of Ben 

Woodcock’s last week at 

Bicycle SA. 

More pics on later pages 

eArth riDe — ADelAiDe AttrACtS 1,500 PArtiCiPAntS 

Luka Van Cauteren 

Over 1500 people participated in the 

inaugural Earth Ride—Adelaide 2010. 

Organised by Adelaide City Council and Capital 

City Committee and presented by Bicycle 

SA, Earth Ride—Adelaide aimed at promoting 

and celebrating sustainable city living and a 

greener future. During Earth Ride—Adelaide, the 

community of Adelaide were able to ride, walk, 

jog, skate and rollerblade along the car-free 

streets of Adelaide. 

After the ride, everybody returned to the event 

village, which was set up at Victoria Square. 

Participants enjoyed festival-like entertainment 

such as stilt walkers, unicyclists and Brazilian 

drummers and dancers, while a mini sustainability 

expo took them on an educational journey about 

sustainable city living, with stallholders such as 

Earth Ride — Adelaide participants passing Gouger Street 

Solahart passing on information about solar hot 

water systems. Several schools also decorated 

old bikes and displayed them. All schools 

received a “Coolenation” educational pack from 

Carbon Planet, explaining carbon-neutral living to 

students. 

Despite the rainy weather, the turn-out was 

great. A lot of families with small children came 

out and took the opportunity to introduce their 

kids to our city streets, without the danger of 

other traffic. We like to thank the support crew 

and volunteers for lending us a helping hand 

during the event. 

“Hi, I was one of the volunteer for Earth Ride— 

Adelaide 2010.. It was great. I loved to be part of 

this :)” Zebby 

“Thanks for the great event today Superstars! 

Awesome fun, great to see so many out and all of 

the different bikes being used! Cheers!” Mark 

4

ADelAiDe free City BikeS 

Kelly Allen 

What’s black, has two wheels, three internal 

hub gears and can be seen almost 

everywhere around the City? The Adelaide Free 

City Bikes of course! 

Usage of our Free City Bikes has been 

doubling every year since the program’s inception 

in 2005, with most days in 2010 seeing around 

70 – 80 locals and visitors making use of the 

bikes! 

There are now eight different bike hire 

locations around Adelaide City and North 

Adelaide, including the Adelaide Zoo, Adelaide 

Convention Centre, Adelaide Meridien, Adelaide 

Par 3, Adelaide Travellers Inn, Backpack Oz and 

the Rundle Street Markets. And with the only 

prerequisite for hire being a driver’s license or 

passport, it is easier than ever to take advantage 

of this great free service. 

Whilst the service is known to be popular 

with backpackers it is also frequented by student 

groups, local families, fitness groups, City 

residents, interstate visitors and visitors from 

country SA (Bike SA is adjacent the regional 

bus station). The Free City Bikes program is 

also unique in that, through the Kona Africa Bike 

scheme, for every two new bikes we add to the 

fleet a third bike is sent to Africa to be donated to 

rural health services there. 

The program is funded by the Adelaide City 

Council and relies on many hours of workshop 

volunteer labour to keep the bikes running 

smoothly. The regular workshop volunteers and 

Bicycle SA members, who have been integral to 

the efficient functioning of this program include 

Martyn Ames, John Bassett, Greg Brown, Des 

Chabrel, Alf Jenish, Chai Luu, Barry Maslin, Jim 

Stafford and Bill Price. 

We at Bike SA are very proud of this 

pioneering program which is recognised as 

the best practice model for public bike hire in 

Australia. As Bike SA members you should also 

share this pride. 

If you have mechanical skills and would like 

fOr SAle 

Colin Phillips 

Recumbent bicycle for sale. Excellent 

condition, barely ridden. Reluctant sale due to 

downsizing living space. $1500.00 and it is 

ready to roll as is. 

Mobile 0404 896 407. 


to join our team of workshop volunteers please 

contact our office at 8168 9999 or office@ 

bikesa.asn.au. 

user comments 

“Hi! Thanks to Bicycle SA for such a great 

ride. Without the free bikes service, I would not 

have had the opportunity to enjoy Adelaide the 

way I did. It is not such a good combination to 

have this kind of public services in a beautiful 

city such as Adelaide. I want to repeat, 

especially at this time of the year where all is 

so green and beautiful. Mochas gracious por el 

paseo.” Jorgo from Mexico 

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I am a 

mentor from Families SA and for years I have 

been struggling to fix two bikes into a small car 

to go for a ride in the city. Enter Bicycle SA. 

Had a fantastic time, the bikes were solid and 

very dependable.” 

“Thank you so much for this awesome 

experience in Adelaide. From a plane to a 

bike in 24 hours, we covered more ground 

by cycling than we ever would have on our 

own so thanks for the amazing generosity and 

sharing your city with us. Definitely hope this 

idea persists!” Nicole, Alberta Canada 

“We found your Web site before we left NY 

and had a terrific biking experience today. This 

is probably the most bike-friendly city I’ve ever 

ridden in, a model for what NY should be trying 

to achieve. Thanks.” David from the USA 

“It’s a very civilised way to welcome people 

in your nice town” Pascale and Maxine from 

France and Spain 

“Amazing! Free trams, free cycles, amazing 

cyclepaths which are beautiful and safe to ride. 

Cycling is a fabulous way to see this city and 

surroundings. Thank you so much for all staff 

and volunteers who keep this all going.” 

“Brilliant! Pure Great! This city should be 

followed by all cities!” 

May – July 2010 >>>> 5

intrODuCing... 

Sam Drummond 

Hello, my name is Sam Drummond and I am 

excited to be joining the Bicycle SA team as the 

Business Development Manager. 

My primary focus is the development of new 

and existing bicycle education opportunities 

offered by Bicycle SA to the business, community 

and government sectors. I will also be looking at 

innovative educational development opportunities, 

as well as building and maintaining relationships 

within local and state government agencies and 

commercial partners. 

This role is perfect for me as it mixes my 

passion for all forms of cycling with my keen 

interest in business development. I have 15 

years experience working for state and federal 

governments, the private sector and have also 

been a small business owner. I look forward to 

making a contribution to advancing cycling in SA. 

When I’m not working, I am happiest being 

out on my bike. I have created lots of reasons 

(and some excuses) to spend time on my bike... 

for transport to work, socialising with friends, 

fitness, to unwind, for the adventure of where it 

can take me on road or off road, and to allow my 

competitive streak out to play occasionally. 

Sam Drummond 

Kate Irvine 

So what does an Education Coordinator 

actually do? That was the question I asked myself 

when I applied for this job. The answer is basically 

driving around to different schools all over the 

place and teaching kids how to ride bikes safely 

out on the road while having a whole lot of fun at 

the same time! Sounds like a pretty unique way to 

earn a living. 

My name is Kate Irvine and I have been in 

the Bike Ed program since Term 4 last year and 

absolutely love it. I have recently taken over from 

Kay Davis as Education Coordinator as she moves 

into the office and I get to go and have all the fun 

out on the road. 

I’m originally a country girl from a tiny town 

down south called Delamere (if you blink you will 

miss it) and over the last four years I have been 

working in and out of a variety of primary schools 

coaching kids sport and PE. In my spare time I like 

to play a whole range of sports. One of the more 

obscure sports I play is called broomball. Now I 

know what you’re thinking and no, it’s not curling. 

Broomball is essentially field hockey on ice with 

no skates and we use a ball instead of a puck. 

It’s quite physically demanding which is another 

reason I enjoy riding my bike for a living! 

So thanks to everyone here at Bicycle SA who 

have made me welcome and I look forward to 

working with everyone in Term 2. 

Kate playing broomball 

Kay Davis 

“Why did you choose to move to Adelaide, 

Kay”? A frequently asked question since I arrived 

here in 2006! A change in lifestyle was needed; 

our four hour drive to the beach (where we’d 

usually be dressed in winter clothes), cycling in 

busy traffic on narrow roads with only a few bike 

lanes, not to mention rain every time we planned 

a barbie: so here I am. “Adelaide chose us” is 

my standard response. Living near to the beach, 

endless sunny days, fantastic bike trails and lanes, 

happy people: what more could we ask for?! 

Since my arrival to sunny Adelaide I have 

worked on a number of different programs 

within Bicycle SA, my experience of managing 

bike education and road safety in the UK and 

knowledge gained through my education degree 

enabled me to assist with Bike Ed here in SA as a 

Program Coordinator and Facilitator. 

Having recently taken on the role as Education 

Manager at Bicycle SA I will be overseeing 

and maintaining the operations of educational 

programs such as Bike Ed and Cycle Safe 

with plans for many exciting new programs for 

the future. Working with Bicycle SA I enjoy 

contributing to the education of adults and 

children providing avenues for the education and 

opportunity for everyone to enjoy cycling, helping 

to create an environment where cycling will 

hopefully become a preferred method of transport 

by all. 

Kay befriending a kangaroo in Jamestown 

6

CyCleSAfe 

inSPirAtiOn: SuDAneSe AnD kOreAn new ArrivAlS tO AuStrAliA get A helPing hAnD 

Sam Drummond 

Of the 40 CycleSafe courses that various 

Councils in South Australia have offered 

their communities over the last six months, here 

is a very inspiring example of what CycleSafe 

can do for people’s lives. Through a State 

Government TravelSmart Grant, Campbelltown 

Council secured funding to run several CycleSafe 

courses, and funding to provide reconditioned 

bicycles, new helmets and new locks for high 

school aged youth who have recently arrived in 

Australia. 

Campbelltown Council advertised the courses 

to various groups and organisations in their 

local area, as well as advertising for donations 

from the community for bicycles that could be 

gifted to participants. All bikes donated were 

kindly reconditioned by BISA—Bike for Refugees 

Program. 

The Lutheran Church at Glynde, who have a 

strong connection with new arrivals to Australia, 

provided the venue, and organised two groups 

of Korean and Sudanese students to take part 

in CycleSafe. The church felt that it could be a 

wonderful way for their Korean and Sudanese 

communities who learn English at the church to 

also have the opportunity to learn to ride a bike 

safely... and combine the lessons learned into the 

English classes. 


Sudanese CycleSafe students at Campbelltown with the BikeEd staff and 

Clive Harrington from Campbelltown Council 

Both workshops, which ran over two 

weekends, were a great success. Barbara from 

the Glynde Lutheran Church said “It was heart 

warming to see the students gain confidence 

but also gain a healthy respect for the hazards of 

the road as they received expert tuition from the 

teachers from Bicycle SA.” 

“One child, who had arrived from Sudan only 

a month or two ago was unable to ride a bike 

before the lessons started. By the end of the 

lessons she was proudly riding her newly restored 

bike.” 

Clive Harrington from Campbelltown Council 

coordinated the Council’s efforts. He said “This 

was certainly a different project to what I generally 

do at the Council, working in the engineering 

COurSeS: BreAking DOwn the BArrierS tO riDing A Bike 

Sam Drummond 

If you hand a bike to an adult who doesn’t ride or 

hasn’t in years, will they ride? 

So what is the 

Probably not, is what we at Bicycle SA have solution? 

found. There are often some pretty hefty barriers Potential bike riders 

in the way to making that decision to jump on, turn need both Inspiration 

the pedals over and steer your way into the active and education. Bicycle 

transport sunset. 

SA has been working 

These barriers, both real and perceived, can very hard at developing 

look like a 4 metre high brick wall for some. a course for adults that 

They can include any number of the following: takes that trial and error 

a lack of confidence, poor riding skills, safety learning element away, 

and awareness, a fear of accidents, equipment breaks down the common 

indecisions, weather conditions, where to ride, barriers, and gives new 

logistics of commuting, and fixing bike problems and inexperienced cyclists the practical skills and 

when they occur. Maybe that is a 12 metre wall! knowledge to ride safely. The course provides all 

And how does a new cyclist build up this the tips you needs as well as up to four hours of 

repertoire of skills and knowledge? Given that practical training, and we provide the bikes if you 

there is no mandatory skill based learning for don’t have one! 

cyclists prior to mixing it with traffic on the 

Maybe the best present you could give to 

roads — unlike our motor vehicle user friends who someone not riding is the inspiration, confidence 

have undergone extensive training — it’s usually and knowledge to turn the pedals over safety 

just by throwing caution to the wind, jumping on a rather than the bike itself! This is possible through 

bike, and dealing with the sometimes painful and a CycleSafe course. 

dangerous consequences of trial and error. 

We encourage members to talk to those 

It is common knowledge that cycling requires not cycling about CycleSafe, and to your local 

specific road awareness, road safety techniques, council, organisation or corporation about holding 

and defensive actions that are best taught in a 

structured way. 

a CycleSafe education course run by Bicycle SA. 

department. It was a very rewarding project to be 

part of as I felt like Santa when handing out all the 

bikes, helmets and locks. Seeing them riding away 

on their bikes with their happy faces was quite a 

picture.” 

Clive Harrington also said “The Glynde 

Lutheran Church provided great support and 

a fantastic venue for the workshops to run and 

Bicycle SA provided an excellent course well 

catered for the children involved.” 

Bicycle SA would like to commend 

Campbelltown Council for their Innovative and 

meaningful contribution to providing cycling 

opportunities for their community. It was a 

pleasure and a thrill for us to deliver this program. 

One of the Sudanese students learning to 

ride, with Leanne from Bicycle SA and 

Clive Harrington from Campbelltown 

Council 

for more information on CycleSafe, 

please visit our website or call Sam Drummond at 8168 

9999. 

May – July 2010 >>>> 7

ClAre eASter CyCle 

Maureen Merrick 

Superb weather, a variety of rides to choose 

from, wineries, eateries, an ideal location and 

a very friendly group of cyclists made for another 

successful Easter cycling weekend in Clare. 

The group ranged in age from 10 and a half 

week old Ayliffe to one of the regular Easter riders 

nearing 80 years of age! 

There were rides from the 2 km to the skate 

park, 4 km ride to Melrose Park, the 115 km 

bitumen all day challenge out to Yacka, Brinkworth 

and Spalding, Mintaro and Martindale Hall, a ride 

to Burra, the entire Riesling Trail from Auburn to 

Barinia, Blyth, a ‘winery crawl’ and the favourite 

Easter egg hunt and night rides. 

The group of Easter campers were from 

Victoria, New South Wales, Northern Territory, 

USA and South Australia, some of whom have 

been to at least 10 previous Easter camps! 

Mayor Aughey of the Gilbert & Clare Valleys 

Council gave a spirited welcome to the group on 

Friday evening. Although he was later presented 

with a cycling jersey, the Mayor mentioned that 

it might be some time yet before he could be 

persuaded to ride a bike. 

The Bicycle SA volunteers and staff were 

integral to the success of the weekend and 

are to be thanked and congratulated for their 

efforts, from logistics, ride marshals and leaders, 

refreshments, lunches, registrations, maintenance 

and security. The volunteer and staff group 

included: 

Richard Brandt: ride marshal 

Assembling the arch 

Left to right: Peter Hughes, Marilyn Hughes, Barbara Spencer, Alison Lock 

Chris Beauchamp: ride marshal and bike 

maintenance 

Christine Beauchamp: catering as required 

Debbie Cerone: ride marshal and children’s rides 

Deborah d’Avigdor: ride marshal 

Janet Dann: catering 

Catherine Davies: ride marshal and catering 

Greg Brown: refreshments en route 

Arron Hender: logistics 

Angus Hender: logistics 

Paul Hender: logistics, campsite management 

and refreshments en route 

John Hurling: ride marshal 

Russell Miatke: route support 

Ray Merrick: rides programme coordinator, 

bitumen ride routes, and route support 

Maureen Merrick: catering volunteer and Easter 

cycle coordinator 

Ian Northeast: off road ride routes 

Martin Stone: ride marshal 

Barry O’Neil: catering and refreshments 

As one rider was heard to say towards the end 

of the weekend ‘where has the weekend gone, 

no sooner than I have pitched my tent, it is time to 

pack up and go home.’ Such is the unique nature 

of these Easter weekends. 

Complete 

8

hi BiCyCle SA 

Ray Thomas 

write on behalf of the IGA Local Heroes who 

I took part in the Coast to Coast held in March 

this year. 

Our group this year consisted of ten riders 

supported by IGA and was made up of people 

from the OH&S, IT, Fresh departments, the 

warehouse and Campbell’s Cash & Carry. Our 

numbers were down on last year due to other 

events that weekend conflicting with the ride. We 

still had five first time riders with people starting 

from Glenelg, Stirling and Meadows. The level 

of our riders varies considerably so they are 

spread out during the day and are assisted by our 

support vehicle that also participates in the Variety 

Club Bash (thanks to the Fairies). 

It was much to our amazement that we won 

the ‘Team Spirit Award’ which created quite 

a buzz with people asking what did we do to 

be awarded such an accolade. Were we more 

courteous than others, did we assist others along 

the way, or attempt to motivate those struggling a 

little to reach the goal they had set themselves? 

Which I’m sure we all did! We then found it to 

be a random draw. Oh well the thought was 


there and did give us an opportunity to reflect 

as cyclists. Do we do enough to encourage and 

assist other riders that we pass during our rides, 

not only on the larger organised rides but every 

day on our bikes? A nod of the head or the flick of 

a hand says a lot to cyclists passing the other way 

rather than that elitist attitude we sometimes get 

from cyclists. 

The IGA Local Heroes would like to pass on 

their gratitude to the event sponsors, Bicycle 

SA, all the volunteers and to the other cyclists. 

So thank you to Ground Effect for the voucher, 

you had a few converts in the group who already 

use a lot of your clothing especially in the cooler 

months. To Slime Lite the tubes will be fitted for 

the winter to ward off those punctures that we 

get having to ride in dirty part time bike lanes that 

never get cleaned and are full of broken glass. 

(Bit of self opinion there.) Finally, but by no means 

least, to Nepenthe Wines of SA: this will go down 

a treat after a nice long ride through the hills and 

a BBQ. 

In closing we would like to say thank you and 

hope to see you again in the coming year with an 

even larger group. 

Sam McLean won the Avanti Vivace Road 

Bike at the 2010 Savings & Loans 

Coast to Coast 

The completed arch. Left to right back row: Luka Van Cauteren, Michael Bridge, Russell Miatke, Sam Drummond, 

Kate Irvine 

Front row: Chris Beauchamp, Chris Hutchinson, Ben Woodcock, Kay Davis, Christian Haag 

May – July 2010 >>>> 9

GRAND SLAM 

2010 CHALLENGE SERIES 

5 GROUP RIDES – 5 PERSONAL CHALLENGES – OVER 500 KILOMETRES 

WIN 

A SPECIALIZED 

SIRRUS SPORT BIKE 

*CONDITIONS APPLY 

EVERY RIDER 

RECEIVES 

A $60 

JAGGAD VOUCHER!* 

GRANDSLAM #1 

Sunday 28 February 

Mt Torrens 8:00am 

Grand Slam 80km 

Mini Slam 40km 

GRANDSLAM #2 

Sunday 18 April 

Littlehampton 8:00am 



GRANDSLAM #3 

Sunday 30 May 

Meadows 8:00am 



GRANDSLAM #4 

Sunday 22 August 

Strathalbyn 8:00am 



GRANDSLAM #5 

Sunday 17 October 

Echunga 6:30am 



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My firSt Bike riDe At eArth riDe ADelAiDe 2010 

Christine Hutchinson 

Known as ‘Adelaide’s most brittle baby’ Ottilie 

experienced her first bike ride on Sunday 29 

March as part of Earth Ride 2010. Her proud but 

slightly nervous parents Sara and Ben geared 

her up for her 5 km ride around Adelaide’s car 

free streets joining thousands of other cyclists, 

walkers and rollerbladers. 

Ottie was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta: 

a genetic bone disorder where a simple fall for 

Ottie can cause her wee bones to break. Drug 

treatment has increased her bone density and 

decreased her bone pain to such an extent that 

she is now up and moving around! Her bone 

density is now normal but as her bones are not 

built with the same strong structure as everyone 

else’s they still break. Her team of specialists have 

been greatly surprised by all Ottie has achieved 

and like many young children with disabilties or 

illnesses seems to take it in her stride and her 

infectious smile and personality melts all those 

that meet her! Biking is not something many kids 

with OI are able to do but with Ben’s cycling 

history it was something they were keen to try. 

Prior to participating in ‘Earth Ride’ Ottie 

had her worst fracture cycle yet in the first six 

weeks of this year and had roughly seven breaks, 

including a crushed vertebrae of varying severity. 

She also had surgery in January to replace a failed 

port she receives her intravenous drugs through. 

Took a lot of courage for Sara and Ben to take the 

plunge: as a child in a baby seat requires good 

core muscles and great head control. Ottie’s 

muscles are weak because of her condition and 

that makes her bones even more vulnerable. 

After some careful thought her mother Sara 

thought the car free police supported family 

environment of Earth Ride would be a perfect 

day for Ottie’s first experience on a bike. Piloted 

by Ben, the vintage ‘troop carrier’ bike was 

resurrected from the shed of Chris from Lifecycle 

Bicycles and after many years of transporting 

his two children has now got a new lease on life 

Sam Drummond and Chris Hutchinson leading the pack 


Ben and Ottie on their first ride together at 

Earth Ride 2010 

with a very special child on board. Ben, an avid 

mountain biker, may have to settle for quieter rides 

from now on to satisfy Ottie’s new 

found joy about life on a bike! 

To participate safely in 

community events is somewhat 

difficult for Ottie with her 

condition but something her 

parents are keen to find future 

suitable occasions to give her the 

opportunities other children and 

families have. 

Sara and Ben hope to try a 

trike for Ottie as she gets older 

or perhaps a running bike as she 

gets stronger, and give her the 

experience and joy of riding that 

we all had as children and now as 

adults! The smiles from Ottie on 

the day proved there will be many rides to come. 

the ‘troop Carrier’ 

The ‘Troop Carrier’ is now on its third 

generation of child carting from Chris from 

Lifecycles: The bike was built by Peter Heal (who 

was fundamental in establishing the mountain 

bike scene in SA) from chromo prestige tubing 

from a mixture of parts found around the old 

Recycle Cycles, the precursor to Lifecycle 

Bicycles. A true eclectic blend. Not lugged 

construction but smooth welded. Being a steel 

framed bike it has a beautiful compliant ride that 

steel is renowned for and even after all these 

years it rides so smoothly and will continue to 

do so. The different sized wheels and elevated 

handle bar, while a little odd to get used to at 

first, gives a nice relaxed position, and particularly 

gives a broad range of sight to keep things safe 

on the road. The child seat is fixed and doesn’t 

move with the front fork which seems strange at 

first but with 10+ kg of child in the front having 

that weight moving with the forks would make the 

front end steering awkward to the point of maybe 

a little twitchy. It originally carried Peter’s children 

around and then was passed on to Chris and 

then passed on to Sara, Ben and Ottie! 

Chris with Tom and Lucy exploring the wine 

trails at McLaren Vale in 1985 

Ben Woodcock and Kay Davis coming down the hill at Cleland 

Conservation Park on the Bicycle SA Team MTB tour 

May – July 2010 >>>> 11

DiSCOver flinDerS rAngeS 

Are yOu the rACing kinD? 

race the kona Mawson MtB Marathon 

8- 12 June 2010Outback South 

Australia 

Michael Bridge 

The Kona Mawson MTB Marathon is Australia’s 

newest cross country endurance challenge. 

Whether riders complete the gig in stages or 

non-stop, the Kona Mawson MTB Marathon is 

set to redefine endurance racing in the southern 

hemisphere. 

Traversing over 350 km of single track, dirt 

roads and access trails in outback Australia, the 

Mawson Trail is one of the country’s premier MTB 

assets. The route runs north to south, and while 

there are plenty of climbs and descents, the net 

result is downhill. The track is a mix of compacted 

gravel, forest floor and rich red earth, with 

numerous creek crossings and wash-outs; and 

some of the sections are connected by sealed 

roads. 

Bicycle SA has been running numerous 

recreational MTB rides along the Mawson Trail’s 

full 900 km length since 2002, and now has 

decided to run a race along the very best northern 

section in the Flinders Ranges: a craggy range 

looking every bit its 600 million years. 

The northernmost point along the trail is the 

small community of Blinman, the highest town 

in South Australia. This is the start of the Kona 

Mawson MTB Marathon. Riders muster outside 

the Blinman Hotel (the top-most arrow actually 

points into the hotel’s front bar... Maybe not the 

best place to drink before a ride, but certainly 

the most welcome finish if you ride up from the 

south). 

When the flag goes down, teams of two ride 

non-stop to the finish for a share of the $30,000 

cash prize pool (first prize of $8,000 will be sitting 

on the pub verandah, ready to be picked up by 

the first across the line). The top teams expect to 

cover the distance in less than 24 hours, which 

means they ride through the night. 

Meanwhile other teams and solo riders 

complete the event in four stages: 

Blinman to Rawnsley Park 93 km 

Rawnsley Park to Hawker 91 km 

Hawker to Quorn 112 km 

Quorn to Melrose 71 km 

Everyone finishes on the Saturday in Melrose 

at the foot of Mount Remarkable, in the middle of 

the annual Fat Tyre Festival, when a whole other 

group of mountain bikers take over the town. 

Melrose has embraced mountain biking since 

Bicycle SA first ran a ride there almost 10 years 

ago. Since then the locals, with help from Bicycle 

SA and Green Corps, have cut miles of black 

diamond single track, with a few more modest 

intermediate runs thrown in. The area now has 

strong associations with Fruita in Colorado, USA. 

Andy Bell, Mick Ross and the late James Williamson on the Mawson Trail. Photo by 

Michael Bridge 

“the kona Mawson MtB Marathon is more than just a marathon. it’s an epic 

adventure!” 

So the choice for Marathon riders when they 

rock up at the Melrose finish is whether to rest 

and recuperate, or stay on the bike and ride the 

trails. 

Time will tell who rides the first event in June; 

though a number of known XC names have 

thrown their hats in the ring, including Kona 

rider Andy Bell. The expectation is that plenty 

of regular riders will come along just for the 

challenge — to make it to the finish — but also to 

enjoy the spectacular surroundings, the views 

along the spine of the Flinders Ranges and out 

west towards the salt lakes and desert; at least 

when they’re not focusing on the track, dodging 

rogue kangaroos and emus. Local fauna gets right 

of way. 

Another unique feature of the Kona Mawson 

MTB Marathon is that riders have the chance to 

compete for additional prizes in the Triple Peak 

Challenge: when they get off their bikes along the 

route and race on foot to the tops of Saint Mary 

Peak, Mount Brown and Mount Remarkable. It’s 

up to the rider if they choose to make this extra 

effort. 

The inaugural Kona Mawson MTB Marathon 

is also being filmed for an hour long documentary 

for global TV broadcast. The event is already 

capturing the imagination of mountain bikers 

around the world. Now, with all the action being 

viewed by millions, the stakes are that little bit 

greater. 

Dave Hughes racing at the Kona Dirty 

Dozen 

12

Are yOu the tOuring kinD? 

Discover the Flinders Ranges with a small 

group of fellow riders, all riding with only 

one purpose: to enjoy the beauty this country has 

to offer in the best possible way, by bike. Join 

in for the love of riding, to discover the secrets 

behind this stunning landscape, to meet a few 

friends or to enjoy the South Australian outback 

at its purest. You can choose to tour the Flinders 

Ranges by Mountain Bike during the Outback 

Epic or take the road tour in September. 

Outback epic (8 – 12 June) 

The 2010 Outback Epic is a Mountain Bike 

Tour from Blinman to Melrose along the Mawson 

Trail, Flinders Ranges. 

The Outback Epic runs parallel with the 

adrenaline fuelled KONA Mawson MTB Marathon 

from 8 to 12 June, although the Outback Epic 

is not about racing, it’s about the adventure on 

your mountain bike, about the scenery and the 

personal reflection as an MTB lover as you ride 

the challenging but rewarding Mawson Trail sans 

urge. Over five days, test your knobblies from 

the top end of the Flinders Ranges to the foot of 

Mount Remarkable. 

The Outback Epic showcases the best riding 

the Mawson Trail has to offer. Every day is a 

smorgasboard of single track and dirt roads, 

traversing the dramatic landscape that is the 

Flinders Ranges. Some days are gnarly, but the 

campsite is your home away from home: hot 

showers, a massage and plenty of good food, red 

wine and cold beer. And each evening the sun 

dips, the stars come out and we share stories 

around the campfire. Pure magic. 

As a bonus, everyone finishes at the Melrose 

Fat Tyre Festival, a long weekend in MTB heaven 

with hundreds of fellow fat tyre friends. 

Posing at the 2009 Outback Odyssey on the side of the Mawson Trail 


Flying over the Wilpena Pound. Photo by Mick Ross 

“the Annual tour is one of life’s greatest adventures” 

Annual tour (11 – 19 September) 

The Annual Tour is a Flinders Ranges Road 

Tour that takes you on a 450 km adventure 

through the dramatic Flinders Ranges. Starting 

from Port Augusta, we take you on a nine day 

tour passing Flinders Ranges’ hot spots including 

Wilpena Pound, Lake Torrens, Parachilna Gorge, 

and more. 

With 600 million years of secrets waiting to 

be revealed in the Flinders Ranges, the Annual 

Tour is home to one of the greatest adventures of 

your life. 

Exert yourself for half the day, then relax with 

a coldie and share stories as the sun sets over 

the mountain peaks. Tomorrow is just another 

beautiful day and another great ride with your 

mates. 

Although the Annual Tour is a roady ride, there 

are a couple of days when you can get off the 

bitumen and ride the rough stuff, if you’re that way 

inclined. 

Numbers are limited to 200, so get in quick 

before it sells out! 

for more info and registration for these 

events, visit , or 

e-mail rides@bikesa.asn.au. 

May – July 2010 >>>> 13

the Skinny lAtteS StOry 

Lynette Collins 

Four slightly neglected women whose partners 

all disappeared for countless hours each 

week to go cycling, finally had enough. Over 

coffee, wine and even more coffee a counter plan 

was hatched... This was the very modest birth of 

the Skinny Lattes. 

When we were forming our cycling group 

about seven years ago, we all had partners who 

rode with the Fatboys so we were looking for a 

name that was a bit tongue in cheek. Someone 

threw out the one liner, that ‘all women do, is sit 

around drinking coffee and talking’. Of course 

we grabbed hold of that idea and worked it. We 

now had four members, a lot of enthusiasm, 

very little knowledge and the grand idea that we 

wanted to look like a real cycling group. This 

needed someone to believe in us who would 

come aboard to help us with the setup of costs 

of printing a club kit. Roberto from Cibo Espresso 

was approached and after kindly listening to our 

plan agreed to come on board as the sponsor of 

the Skinny Lattes... It was a perfect fit. We loved 

his coffee, and he believed in us. 

In the early days heading out for a trip down 

the bike path to the beach or up to Paradise was 

about all we were able to do. Over months our 

confidence grew and as well as being able to 

tackle longer rides on the open roads we were 

attracting more like minded women who were 

wanting to find their feet and confidence on the 

bike. It seemed that lack of confidence was the 

biggest hurdle and early Skinny Lattes jokes 

seemed to include “How many Skinny Lattes 

does it take to change a tyre?” and there was 

more than a gain of truth to that. Now fixing minor 

mechanical problems mid ride does not throw the 

women and they do not hesitate to head out for 

a casual 120 km ride on the weekend. Rides like 

the Coast to Coast were once truly feared and 

approached like a major battle, now the women 

The Skinny Lattes arrived at Warland Reserve after participating in the Savings & Loans 

Coast to Coast 

think nothing of jumping into these rides and 

approach them with enthusiasm and confidence. 

It is amazing how many people recognise the 

Skinny Lattes and some of the younger ones 

realise that we could be their mum or in some 

cases their grandmother. It is one of the wonderful 

things about cycling, that age is not a barrier. 

In the past seven years Skinny Lattes 

have ridden the Alpine Challenge, they have 

raced at UCI Masters World Track and Road 

Championships both in Australia and overseas, 

they have completed untold challenge rides, 

and they have raced triathlons and have without 

hesitation spread their enthusiasm for cycling to 

other women. 

When asked recently why we ride, Skinny 

Latte Amanda Steels replied: 

“For the sound: the sweet, mesmerising sound 

of rolling tyres when you’re steaming along 

Military Road at 6:30 in the morning at 38km/h 

with a group of people you’ve never met 

before’ 

“For the feeling: relying on instincts and giving in 

to what you know you can do 

“For the bond: the wondrous and innate feeling 

of complete trust in other cyclists on the open 

road for no other reason than they ride a bike 

“For the thrill: descents down Greenhill, tight 

corners through the Corkscrew, bunch riding 

through Glenelg roundabouts. No other activity 

in your day will come close to this 

“For the heart: not just to keep the heart strong, 

but to feel it beating in your ears, to completely 

physically connect with the natural world 

“For the convenience: a bike and a destination... 

or an idea 

“For the smell: salty winds on the coast, ripe 

fruit through the hills, dust to the north, pasta 

through suburbia 

“For the sport: fit bodies, spectacular scenery and 

a bike race. poetry in motion 

“For the culture: European-styled carbon, Arabica 

coffee and an Adelaidian twist 

“For the love: of all of the people I know, I love 

cyclists the best.” 

If you feel a calling to ride with the Skinny 

Lattes, please contact Lynette at . 

Bicycle SA Team Cleland Conservation Park tour — L – R: Russell Miatke, Christian Haag, Sam Drummond, Ben Woodcock, 

Chris Hutchinson, Kate Irvine, Michael Bridge, Holly Shires, Kay Davis, Luka Van Cauteren, Chris Beauchamp 

14

new MeMBerS 

Anthony Agostino 

Andrzej Aleksandrowicz 

Bill Allen 

Weigall Amos 

Josh Anderson 

Amir Ashari 

Nick Askew 

David Auerbach 

Paul Ayres 

Rudi Bagrowski 

Andrew Barnett 

Domenic Basilicata 

William Bates 

Luke Beaumont 

Ross Bensley 

David Bentley 

Kathryn Bird 

Don Blackwell 

Anne Bland 

Michele Bloffwitch 

John Bolt 

Darren Bond 

Andrew Bone 

Mark Booth 

Christie Borg 

Marieke Bout 

Dana Boyd 

Bradley Brazil 

Graham Brent 

Lynda Brett 

Glen Brewer 

Chris Brodie 

Stephen Brooks 

Hayley Brown 

Sarah Buck 

Daniel Bullock 

Craig Burns 

Andrew Burton 

Franco Camatta 

Natasha Campbell 

Robert Carr 

Tom Carrangis 

Graham Catchlove 

Michael Charles 

Anthony Cheshire 

Wayne Chivell 

Tom Cieslinski 

John Clark 

Toby Clarke 

Michael Coates 

Brenton Collas 

Jim Colligan 

John Collins 

Mark Collins 

Kerry Collins 

Kaaren Colwell 

James Coote 

David Corbett 

Margaret Cowley 

Delwyn Cox 

Sam Crafter 

David Crawford 

Ben Creighton 

James Crewe 

Stephen Crisp 

Geoff Cumming 

Chris Cuthbert 

Matthew Cutts 

David Dall 

David Davenport 

Christian Davidson 

Gareth Davies 

Geraint Davies 

Bradley Davis 

Terry De Boo 

Rick De Rosa 

John Dineen 

Paul Doherty 

Jaclyn Downey 

Paul Draper 

Meredith du Caine 

Ian Duckworth 

Ryan Duffy 

Warwick Duncan 

Warrick Duthy 

Michael Dwyer 

Keith Earl 

Paul East 

David Eckert 

Anna Edwards 

Corey Edwards 

Anthony Edwards 

Anthony Elder 

Mike Elgar 

Jarrad Elliott 

George Elvin 

Warren Emery 

Cem Erk 

Greg Fahey 

Alfred Fantner 

Jeanelle Farmilo 

Steven Farrer 

Mark Fenton 

Joan Ferrier 

Tracey Fidone 

Heather Flint 

Janet Flitton 

Graham Foale 

Michele Fogarty 

Michael Foot 

Anthony Fragnito 

Melissa Francis 

Brendan Frears 

Angus Fry 

John Gabites 

David Garner 

Val Gava 

Peter Gdodakis 

Mike Giffen 

Diana Gilfillan 

John Gillies 

Neil Glasson 

Jonathon Glew 

Ina Goddard 

Ben Golding 

Carey Goodall 

Alan Gordon 

Lynley Gouldthorp 

Rowen Gransden 

Chris Greenfield 

Dean Griffiths 

Sue Guscott 

Kathie Gutteridge 

Patrick Halimee 

David Hammond 

Frank Harkness 

Jarrod Harper 

Chris Harris 

John Harrison 

Helen Harrison 

Bernard Hart 

Carolynn Hawkins 

Janine Haynes 

Rhys Hayward 

Kenneth Haywood 

Mathew Head 

Paul Heaft 

Ben Hebart 

Elizabeth Hemphill 

Sonya Hender 

Keith Hentschke 

Jane Heyndyk 

Paul Hodgson 

Nick Hortovanyi 

Sam Hosking 

Andrew Howard 

George Hristopoulos 

David Hudson 


Catherine Huges 

Catherine Hughes 

Zuzana Huljak 

Andrew Humpage 

Noel Huppatz 

Paul Hutchins 

Geoff Inglis 

Barry Ioanni 

Jarrad Jackson 

Alice Jane 

Ross Jenkins 

Andrew Johnson 

Paul Jones 

Adam Keegan 

John Keeves 

Vin Kelly 

Peter Kemp 

William Killey 

Phillip Kimber 

Sue-Ellen King 

Stephanie King 

David Kings 

Michael Kirkbride 

Alan Kluske 

Nigel Knape 

John Kobes 

Chris Komninos 

Simon Langsford 

David Lapans 

Robert Large 

Mark Lata 

Andre Laubscher 

John Lawrence 

Grant Lawrie 

Daryl Lawson 

Dale Leahy 

Tony Little 

Sharon Little 

Felicity Lloyd 

Trevor Lock 

Brett Lonnee 

Jacqui Loveridge 

Sam Loveridge 

Chris Low 

Marc Lyell 

Andrew Macgowan 

Marek Malujlo 

Sarah Marr 

SandraMarsh 

Roger Marston 

Chris Matthews 

Robert Maynard 

Scott McCann 

Tracy McColl 

Peter McCready 

Scott McDonald 

Mary McDonald 

Deidre McEwen 

Bill McFarlane 

Lisa McFayden 

Peter McGann 

Janis McGovern 

Graeme McGregor 

Fraser McQueen 

Steve Meharry 

Melonie Melville 

Shaun Miller 

Ray Mitchinson 

Gerrie Mitra 

Andrew Mogg 

Andy Moore 

Anthony Morgan 

Gregory Morris 

Michael Moses 

Richard Moyle 

Sally Murray-White 

David Nash 

Philip Norton 

Andrew Nunn 

Jacqueline O’Brien 

Dean Obroin 

Steve O’Connor 

Karen O’Neill 

Katy O’Rourke 

Catherine Owen 

Brett Page 

Roger Palubinski 

Keith Parkes 

Douglas Parr 

Richard Patton 

Rod Pearce 

Stuart Peck 

Andrew Penn 

Mark Penniment 

Kylie Philips 

John Pirintzis 

Nicholas Porter 

Nathan Portlock 

Damian Powell 

Craig Pritchard 

Roydon Pye 

Kingsley Quilley 

Quentin Quirke 

Peter Rainbow 

David Ramsey 

Dale Raneberg 

Shane Rankine 

John Raptis 

Anett Rassow 

Margaret Rawlins 

James Reichstein 

Trevor Reid 

Matthew Reilly 

Michael Riches 

Wendy Riemens 

Dale Riggs 

John Roberts 

Ian Roberts 

Bronwen Robinson 

Terry Robson 

Bede Rodeghiero 

Peter Rogers 

Ken Ross 

Frances Ross 

Scott Ross 

Tom Rradzevicius 

Craig Samels 

Ben Samy 

Jean Sandall 

Alfonso Sanzo 

Gary Sauerwald 

Mark Schefe 

Craig Schultz 

Dave Schultz 

Benjamin Scott 

Craig Scutchings 

Brenton Searle 

Lincoln Shannon 

Kingsley Sharkey 

Greg Sharplin 

Dorothy Shorne 

Rochelle Sier 

Mark Silvestri 

Kevin Simcox 

David Simpson 

Craig Sinclair 

Adam Skillitzi 

Sashi S-Kumar 

Amy Slocombe 

Barry Smalldon 

Trevor Smith 

Gordon Smith 

Simon Smith 

Greg Smyth 

Clinton Smyth 

John Sniatynskyj 

Shane Sody 

Paul Sofilas 

Julie Somerfield 

Jane Soutar 

Mark Stanton 

Simon Stapleton 

Amanda Steele 

Cameron Steven 

Mark Stevens 

Timothy Stevens 

Graeme Stokes 

Andrew Stone 

Peter Storer 

Kathie Stove 

John Such 

Phil Sullivan 

David Sutton 

Greg Sykes 

Naomi Szetu 

Ben Taylor 

Peter Taylor 

Simon Taylor 

Barry Taylor 

Boon Tee 

Binh Thanh Dang 

Angelica Thieleke 

Brett Thomas 

Aaron Thompson 

Colin Thornton 

Stuart Thorpe 

David Thurley 

Garth Tierney 

Paul Tippett 

Serge Tkalec 

Margaret Tonkin 

Steve Torok 

John Townsend 

Scott Traver 

Ben Trebilcock 

Rachel Trussell 

Christopher Tsoutouras 

Bruce Tucker 

Chris Tuckwell 

Colin Tuohy 

Craig Turnbull 

Jean Turner 

Mark Turra 

Stella Van Der Krogt 

Justin Van der Touw 

Joanne Van Leewen 

Kim Vater 

Kylie Vaughton 

Justin Venning 

Julie Venning 

Matthew Visentin 

David Visockis 

George Vlahos 

Peter Vytopil 

Jeff Wallace 

Adrian Wallis 

Paul Wardill 

Benjamin Waters 

David Watts 

Scotte Wedderburn 

Carl Weisbender 

Ron Wescott 

James West 

Bill Wetzel 

Andrew Whittaker 

William Whittaker 

Mark Wigley 

Ann Wilde 

Joanne Woods 

Leigh Woollatt 

Anthony Wright 

Cangie Wu 

Stephen Yam 

Carlo Zanardo 

Gregor Zorkovic 

Iris Ztarr 

welcome all. 

May – July 2010 >>>> 15

the fuegO PrOJeCt uPDAte 

nAMBAlle tO CAJAMArCA, Peru 

Anna and Ali Wittert 

We entered into Peru via La Balsa and 

entered a whole new world by the time we 

reached the first pueblo of Namballe. We were 

quite low around 600 m to 700 m in the hot and 

tropical lowlands. Adobe and straw brick buildings 

dominated the countryside of coffee and banana 

plants, coffee was laid out to dry in the sun in 

every village, and the people were obviously more 

rural in nature than on the Ecuadorian side. 

Anyone considering riding this route into Peru 

should definitely give it a go. It was fairly tough 

with the climbing especially the steep gradients 

in Ecuador, and 40 to 50 km was a big day for us 

averaging around 1500 m of climbing per day. But 

very quiet with traffic, beautiful mountain scenery, 

good dirt roads (for the most part), friendly 

hospitality and a super quiet tranquil border 

crossing to ease into Peru. 

The dirt roads continued to San Ignacio with 

another good climb in between and passing 

through more coffee country, where we were 

generously given fresh bananas and other 

fruit from people on the side of the road, and 

always told to stop, and ‘descansen!’, ‘rest here 

a little before riding on...’. They don’t see that 

many cyclists passing through this way and our 

impressions of the people early on in Peru were 

extremely positive. 

Crossing the rio Marañon via Bellavista 

cut-off (a good tip for other cyclists) 

After San Ignacio the landscape changed from 

coffee plantations to terraced green rice paddies 

(amazingly after the amount of rice we have eaten 

in Latin America, this was the first time we saw 

rice being grown on our trip!) and we took the dirt 

road cut-off via Bellavista that led us down to the 

Rio Marañon, our lowest point for this part of Peru. 

The road turned into a narrow dirt track and 

then ended abruptly at the fast flowing brown 

waters of the river. As we had heard there was 

a small lancha waiting, hanging treacherously in 

the torrent we were about to cross. For 1 sol 50 

centimos (60 cents) for each of us and our bikes 

they wheeled our loaded bikes on via a plank. 

In Mexico they would have squeezed us for the 

maximum price and unloaded all our bikes, but 

here 1.50 nothing more, and bikes wheeled on 

bags and all. 

The motor only kicked in half way across as we 

were being swept downstream, then it powered 

us across to the other bank. Relieved to arrive 

at the other side we were in the department of 

Amazonas... and surprisingly rather than riding into 

a jungle like its name suggested we rode into a 

hot, windy, desert scene of cactus and red rock 

similar to Utah or Arizona. 

We had cut-off maybe 50 kilometres or more 

by taking this dirt road: ‘lancha’ option and 

avoided the busy centre of Jaen in the process. 

Arriving into Bagua Grande was some sort of a 

culture shock, hundreds of motor taxis, the noise, 

the dirty air and the heat, and an uncomfortable 

night’s sleep in a hot fan-less noisy hospedaje. A 

nice place to get out of quickly the next morning. 

rio utcubamba canyon ride, and tropical 

parrots 

Even though we had climbed back up to 

above 1000 m from the heat of Bagua Grande to 

Pedro Ruiz, this area was still referred to as the 

border with the jungle or ‘la frontera con la selva’, 

and as such we were accompanied almost the 

whole day by the sound of noisy green parrots 

feeding in the river valley forest, and nesting in the 

high rocky cliffs of the Rio Utcubamba valley. 

Unfortunately for us, this stretch while 

spectacular with the scenery, was plagued with 

road works and constant stoppages and just 

as we got a good rythm going on the climb, we 

would be stopped again for another 10 or 15 

minutes. As such we arrived into Pedro Ruiz quite 

late after 68 km just before the heavens opened 

for the daily wet season downpour. 

After a much needed rest day in Pedro Ruiz 

(our first since leaving Vilcabamba in Ecuador 

with Ian) at a friendly cheap family run hospedaje 

enthusiastically painted with scenes of colourful 

macaws, waterfalls and ancient ruins by the 

owner/painter/radio dj, we loaded up on fresh 

fruit and vegetables from the local market, we 

continued up the spectacular Utcubmamba river 

valley, the grand canyon of Peru so far! As the 

rock walls dotted with green agave and cactus 

closed in around us and the raging river and huge 

folded mountains of coloured rock rose into the 

blue sky above us, we felt so insignificant in the 

whole scheme of things, dwarfed in the canyon by 

the awesome surroundings. 

At the junction to the city of Chachapoyas, the 

beautiful new paved road ended, but a smooth 

gravel road carried us back down to the river 

which we followed until the small pueblo of el 

Tingo which lies at the foot of the ancient pre- 

Incan ruins of Kuelap. 

So for 13 March, Anna’s 30th birthday, we 

celebrated by hiking up the 1200 m climb from 

El Tingo to the ruins of Kuelap... We hiked up 

a muddy trail past cactus and mesquite in the 

river valley and up through spectacular Andean 

scenery looking out over folded rock bluffs 

topped with green cultivated fields and patches of 

remnant cloud forest. Not a bad way to step into 

the 30s for the girl! 

Sickness again in leymebamba! 

Since arriving in Peru we had been taking 

the same precautions about water and food as 

we had in Ecuador and previously Colombia too. 

Naively asking the locals if ‘el agua es potable?’ 

(‘is the water safe for drinking?’) and if they said 

‘si’ or ‘yes’ then we wouldn’t worry about treating 

it. Well it finally caught up with us in Leymebamba, 

that maybe we should have always treated the 

water, or not drank the fresh juices from the 

market? Anna had been complaining of a bloated 

stomach and cramps for a few days, but when 

we were leaving Leymebamba with the prospect 

of some of the toughest riding days ahead of us, 

she was unable to go on. So unfortunately we 

had to say a rushed goodbye to Ian, our cycling 

companion for over two weeks as he pushed on 

towards Cajamarca and we turned our noses 

back to Leymebamba for treatment and rest. 

What ensued was a bit of a farce and a typical 

example of the kind of medical treatment common 

in Latin America. After visiting the doctor to see 

if maybe he could just do a ‘poop’ test to see 

what was going on inside and maybe she could 

self-treat with some antibiotics, she was straight 

away admitted into hospital by an inexperienced 

first year doctor who feared that maybe she had 

appendicitis and put her on a drip with some 

very strong IV antibiotics as a precaution. Here 

16

they don’t test for anything, they just treat with a 

very strong dose of antibiotics, and they wonder 

why they have a problem with resistance! She 

was kept in hospital all day until 10pm when the 

doctor finally returned (three hours late!) after a 

long lunch and who knows what else. Finally I 

was able to get her back to our nice and cheap 

(12 soles = US$4.50) family run hospedaje ‘La 

Casita’ run by Rosita and with a few days rest 

and her own medical treatment, she was in much 

better shape to continue. 

rio Marinon ‘a grand canyon to cross’ 

The next stretch from Leymebamba to 

Cajamarca included our biggest climb, descent 

and climb yet in the Andes, up to 3600 m, then 

down to 980 m and then back up to 3100 m. 

The 60 km continuous descent from ‘Black 

Mud Pass’ at 3600 m took us nearly four hours 

of riding time to drop 2600 m of elevation, but at 

good gradients and sweeping corners we enjoyed 

the longest sustained dirt downhill of our trip...! 

We just couldn’t help but think we were about to 

pay big time for this on the way back up! 

The heat down at Balsas at the Rio Marañon 

wasn’t as bad as we had expected, in fact the 

rain had actually followed us all the way down 

but as soon as we started climbing out the other 

side through a desert landscape of cactus, wild 

donkeys and spiny plants the sun came out and 

we cooked as we climbed in the late morning sun. 

Lacking the energy needed to go on and with 

a mere 1000 m climb ahead of us, we ended up 

camping at the midway point above a farmer’s 

creek bed with the next stretch of climbing zigzagging 

its way up the mountain above our camp. 

The next morning we were both a bit more full 

of energy and tackled the final 1000 m to the top 

at 3100 m including those long but not so steep 

switch-back climbs. 

It was here that we met Peter and Miriam (a 

Dutch couple driving the Americas in their French 

Camper) for the third time on our trip, the first 

time in Baja California, then in Quilotoa, Ecuador 

and now in northern Peru. Unfortunately for them 

they had a run in with a cliff the day before when 

they lost traction on the clay roads and kissed the 

wall... Better than the other option, off the edge! 


Celendin 

After the pass at 3100 m we rolled down 

into Celendin and into the first cheap looking 

hospedaje ‘Hospedaje Ebe Nezer’ and got a huge 

room with three beds, enough space to hang up 

our wet tent, sleeping mats and gear for only 10 

soles (US$3.80) and best of all a restaurant in 

the courtyard with a trained chef who specialised 

in ‘tamales’, ‘humitas’ and ‘juanes’. As a result we 

learned how to make some good local specialties 

and ate plenty of them as well of course, a nice 

break from the mundane Latin American culinary 

world of ‘comida vegetariana = rice, beans and a 

fried egg’ we have experienced so far. 

‘Juanes’ (traditionally from the jungle areas 

of Amazonas) quickly became our favourite with 

ground up Yuca, flavoured with some sort of stock 

and oil, stuffed with cheese, kalamata olives, 

boiled egg and chicken (if you like some dead 

bird in your ‘Juane!’), very rich but delicious. I think 

we ate four each in our first afternoon sitting! 

Celendin itself was a hustling, bustling, rural 

indigenous market town that didn’t blink an eyelid 

and carried on ‘business as usual’ as we spent 

another day of recovery from our stomach bugs. 

The fashion in Celendin was very interesting: 

big straw sombreros are in in these parts of 

the highlands. Scrawny cowboys in dirty denim 

wandered the streets in groups with a drunken 

swagger wearing comically oversized sombreros 

looking like cartoon characters. The women too 

also wore the tall oversized sombreros (great sun 

protection for working out in the fields we figure) 

along with a woven skirt over the top of 1980s 

style school tracksuit pants with white sneakers 

and sports socks... Interesting and very flattering 

indeed! 

Then just a lazy double pass of 3200 m and 

then 3700 m to cross between Celendin and 

Cajamarca on more rocky but good dirt roads. 

Not a lonely road for us with kids joining us on 

their bikes and others running out to greet us from 

the local schools. 

Very much dairy farming country too, donkeys 

and horses loaded up with metal milk jugs on 

their way to the ‘centro de enfriamento de leche’, 

(milk processing plants) at various places along 

the route. 

Cajamarca... Atahaulpa y los Banos del 

inca 

By the time we reached Cajamarca we felt we 

had deserved a little break with the hard stretch 

of climbing as well as our stomach problems 

(hopefully) behind us, and the tough six days or 

so ahead of us to Trujillo via the backroads and 

Haumachuco. 

We soaked our bones at the thermal baths 

of ‘Los Banos del Inca’, 6 km east of town just 

as Atahualpa the Incan King had been bathing 

his war wounds fresh from the civil war with his 

brother Huascar, and was camped at the natural 

thermal springs when Pizarro and his Spanish 

troops arrived in Cajamarca on 15 November 

1532. 

Atahualpa was tricked into a meeting in the 

main plaza with the Spanish and ordered most 

of his troops to remain outside, only entering the 

plaza with 6000 men armed with slings and hand 

axes. When Atahualpa refused to take the bible 

offered to him by a Spanish friar, throwing it to 

the ground (maybe he just didn’t understand it in 

Spanish?), the Spanish attacked and massacred 

over 6000 indigenous people and captured 

Atahualpa. 

Even after the ransom of 6 000 kg of gold and 

12 000 kg of silver had been paid the Spanish 

were still paranoid about the possibility of an 

attack. On 26 July 1533 Atahualpa was led out 

to the plaza to be burned at the stake, and at 

the last minute accepted baptism (he was given 

the name ‘Francisco Atahualpa’) in return for a 

quicker death of strangulation and he was hung. 

Nice work Pizarro! 

Just a little bit of history for you on the 

conquest of the Incan Empire by the Spanish. I’m 

sure there’ll be more to come further into Peru...! 

Enjoy! 

(PS to other cyclists: if anyone wants more 

info on this route into Peru feel free to email us 

and we’ll send more details, or check out the 

route descriptions of the Hobobikers at . It’s well worth the pain ‘vale la 

pena’, trust us!) 

For full story and photos, go to . 

May – July 2010 >>>> 17

tAilwinD 

Cars, bikes, even aircraft, are going electric, and Adelaide has its share of electric bikes 

and scooters. 

“A new report from Pike Research anticipates that the global market for electric twowheeled 

vehicles — e-bikes, e-scooters, and e-motorcycles — will grow at a compound 

annual rate of 9% through 2016. 

“China is currently the largest marketplace for electric two-wheel vehicles, 

commanding 98% of the global market in 2009. China’s compound annual growth rate 

(CAGR) of 8.2% between 2009 and 2016 will contribute to Asia-Pacific’s sales of 78.6 

million electric two-wheel vehicles in 2016 (with a CAGR of 8.9% for the region overall), 

according to the report, ‘Electric Two-Wheel Vehicles Electric Bicycles, Mopeds, 

Scooters, and Motorcycles: Market Analysis and Forecasts’”. 

More at . 

You thought riding in the rain was bad enough. Now 

you can go cycling under water: 

Where French cyclists are concentrated 

Just one of the many designs from the ‘Retro Image 

Apparel Company, designer of high-quality, unique 

team style cycling jerseys featuring a select set of our 

retro images — and guaranteed to make you stand out 

in the pack.’ See them at . 

The wind giveth a little and taketh away a lot 

‘I ride my bike and mostly the wind makes me unhappy. On a very few days 

the wind is with me on the way to work and then changes so that it is with me 

again. But most days the wind is fairly constant. So, if the wind is constant 

then shouldn’t everything even out? (Even Stephen) ’ 

It’ll never fly. (The real R-34, a British airship, first flew in 

May 1919, and made the first East–West crossing of 

the Atlantic by air in July 1919) 

18

Support the stores that support us 

About Bikes 2/80 Onkaparinga Valley Road Woodside 

8389 7681 

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Aldgate Bike Shop 120 Mt Barker Rd Stirling 8339 5954 

The Battery Bar Shop 21, Adelaide Arcade Adelaide 

8223 6566 

Bernie Jones Cycles 239 Diagonal Rd Warradale 8296 9652 

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Bio-Mechanics Cycles & Repairs Shop 3/249 Wright Street 

Adelaide 8410 9499 

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8396 1069 

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8271 6550 

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1300 335 333 

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8223 1913 

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8641 0269 

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8725 6002 

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JT Cycles 266 Pultney St Adelaide 8359 2755 

650 North East Rd Holden Hill 8369 0550 

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391 Brighton Road Hove 8358 1500 

Why not just jog? Or is this a new way to go to the gym 

(presumably to pedal a stationary exercise bike)? To find out 

more, see . 


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The Penny Farthing Bike Shop Avanti Plus Port Augusta 

52 Victoria Parade Port Augusta 8641 1128 

Plympton Cycles 428b Marion Rd Plympton 8297 0312 

Ray’s Outdoors 61–69 West Tce Adelaide 8231 3633 

399 – 403 Main North Rd Enfield 8359 5866 

721 Tapleys Hill Rd Adelaide Airport 

8355 4333 

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Modbury 8264 6001 

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Super Elliots 200 Rundle St Adelaide 8223 3946 

Tailwind Cycles 40 – 44 Blackburn St Reynella 8322 6714 

The Classic Bicycle Shop 254 Pulteney Street Adelaide 8232 3330 

Trak Cycles 138 The Parade Norwood 5067 8431 5711 

Victor Harbor Cycle & Skate 73 Victoria St Victor Harbor 8552 1417 

The Great Moonbuggy Race is 

like Pedal Prix but different: 

 

It’s that way 

May – July 2010 >>>> 19

PHOTO: John Gibson 

THE FLAG GOES DOWN IT’S THE FIRST TO THE FINISH 

350KM OF THE MAWSON TRAIL. FLINDERS RANGES. SOUTH AUSTRALIA 

8-12 JUNE 2010 

$30,000 

LOCAL, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COMPETITORS 

PAIRS RIDE NON-STOP 

SOLO AND TEAMS OF THREE RIDE IN STAGES 

COMBINED WITH THE TRIPLE PEAK CHALLENGE, THIS IS THE ULTIMATE ENDURO 

FOR FUN-LOVING MTBERS, THERE’S THE PARALLEL OUTBACK EPIC 

EVERYONE FINISHES AT THE MELROSE FAT TYRE FESTIVAL PARTY 

OVER 

PRIZE 

POOL * 

INFO AND ENTRIES www.bikesa.asn.au 

rides@bikesa.asn.au (08) 8168 9999

BiCyCle SA

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