One more reason

April 16, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
4 Comments

I had to stop for a few minutes during my ride to work this morning.

As I was cycling over the Swan River across Windan Bridge I noticed a guy leaning over the railing watching something in the river below. I looked out to see a few dolphins splashing about in the water.

I continued across the bridge and once I got down to ground level beside the river I stopped to watch for a few minutes. Another cyclist stopped beside me and told me that he’s seen the dolphins at various places in the river three times in the past three weeks.

It was a marvellous opportunity to see these wonderful creatures enjoying the perfect conditions.

There are certainly a lot of reasons that I enjoy cycling to work – and this morning I added one more.



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Same place – different outlook

March 9, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
1 Comment

clock.jpgIt’s amazing how different some places can be depending on when you’re there. I’ve noticed that if I vary the time that I’m riding to or from work, even by half an hour, my surroundings can be quite different.

I can cycle at one time and I’ll mostly see other cyclists that are obviously heading to work. If I pick a slightly different time, I’ll see riders, walkers and joggers out to improve fitness.

It’s almost as if there’s a roster that no one told me about that maps out when different kinds of people can use the shared path network for different purposes.

It was quite different again yesterday. I don’t normally ride that route on the weekend but I had to head in to work early in the afternoon and everything looked so different.

This time it was all families enjoying a ride together. There were smiling children giving their trainer wheels a good workout followed by mums and dads on bikes that only ever see the light of day on weekedns. There were also large groups of people picnicking beside the river or just sitting and enjoying the view. Many of the pedestrians seemed to have lost all sense of direction as they wandered across the path. My bell got a reasonable workout as I warned walkers that I was about to weave past them. It was a very different atmosphere.

I wonder how much we miss by sticking to our normal routines. Have you varied your routine to find a very different outlook?

Maybe all we need to do to break the rut is to go to the same places but adjust our routines a little.



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Ride for Youth 2009

March 3, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
1 Comment

YouthFocus.gifYouth suicide, depression and self harm are very real problems in our society but we don’t often hear the shocking statistics. Thankfully, Youth Focus is committed to helping young people and their families

Youth Focus is a Western Australian, non-profit organisation with expertise in providing practical and effective support for young people, 12-18 years of age who are showing early signs associated with suicide, depression and deliberate self-harm as well as providing support for their families.

Youth Focus has been established for well over a decade and operates within both metropolitan and regional areas, servicing more than 600 young people each year and supporting some 160 families. In the last two years there has been a significant increase in demand for these services. As a consequence, Youth Focus has been unable to offer assistance to an additional 240 young people each year who seek their help. It is believed that this number will continue to grow.

This Monday a group of men and women will set out on a five-day bike ride from Albany to Perth to raise funds for Youth Focus in the prevention of youth suicide, depression and deliberate self-harm. One of those cyclists, Stephen Carmody, joined me in the studio today to talk about what the ride will achieve.

Stephen says he got involved several years ago after a close experience with suicide.

Witnessing the tragedy, despair and impact from the suicide of son’s good friend five years ago lead me to want to do something to prevent any avoidable loss of our young people.

The value of services such as Youth Focus cannot be underestimated. The training, teamwork and demands of the fundraising and the ride have been so personally enriching – I’m getting older but feeling younger.

You can hear my conversation with Stephen about Youth Focus and the Ride for Youth by clicking the play button on the Audio Player at the bottom of this post.

[audio:http://mpegmedia.sonshinefm.ws/feeds/MOR030309_1129.mp3]

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An interview with Lance Armstrong

January 22, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
3 Comments

One Australian blogger was given an amazing opportunity recently … the opportunity to interview one of the world’s greatest athletes, Lance Armstrong.

Unfortunately that blogger wasn’t me.

Thankfully, the honour of talking face to face with the seven time Tour de France winner was given to fellow Perth blogger, Karen Cheng.

You can read the details in Karen’s post, My Interview with Lance Armstrong.

I’m going away now to deal with my jealousy issues.



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Riders Choice Perth Criteriums 2009

January 15, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
2 Comments

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR INFORMATION ON THE TOUR DE PERTH (13th to 15th NOVEMBER) YOU’LL FIND DETAILS HERE.

crit.jpgThere’ll be some excellent cycle racing around Perth from Friday the 23rd to Monday the 26th of January.

Riders Choice Perth Criteriums 2009 is on its way with some spectacular racing around various Perth street circuits. The series is being run by the team at TriEvents and promises to be a highlight of the Australia Day long weekend. I’m looking forward to once again being part of the commentary team with Gary Suckling of Riders Choice. Gary is such a professional and it’s a real honour to work alongside him.

Criterium racing is the most exciting version of road racing. Each race involves high speed and intense competition, around a tight and intimate circuit. No rider is guaranteed a win and no spectator walks away disappointed, which sets the scene for a perfect week end of racing.

Perth Criteriums does not only focus on elite male cyclists. The aim of the series is to help build the profile of up and coming junior and female cyclists. Cyclists can participate in teams, with the opportunity to also win prize money at the conclusion of each race and the series.

Perth Criteriums is made up of four events over four days. The events are afternoon / evening races in four high profile locations – Joondalup, Leederville, Victoria Park and Perth.

The first event of the series gets underway at 6:00 p.m. in Joondalup on Friday the 23rd of January.

Western Australians are great supporters of this kind of cycle racing and there’s sure to be plenty of spectators watching each event. There have been a number of Perth Criterium Series over the years and they’ve all been nail biting spectator events. If you get a chance, get out and enjoy some fantastic racing.

Race 1: Friday January 23, 2009

City of Joondalup Criterium

Times:

6.00pm – Support Men
6.45pm – Open Women
7.30pm – Open Men

Route:

The start/finish line is located on Grand Boulevard between Boas Ave and Reid Promenade.
Heading north the course turns right into Reid Promenade and takes in the Reid Pr – Davidson Tce – Boas Aveblock before turning left into Grand Boulevard. The riders will complete a right hand U-turn over the purpose built traffic island cross over before straightening up into the finish sprint. This course will be fast and flowing and the pace will be on from the gun!

Other spectator activities

There are also many restaurants, cafes and bars located around the course which will give spectators prime viewing whilst enjoying the local facilities

Race 2: Saturday January 24, 2009

Leederville Criterium presented by the Town of Vincent

Times

3.00pm – Support Men
3.45pm – Open Women
5.00pm – Open Men

Route

Starting at the intersection of Oxford St and Vincent St the course heads south before making a sweeping left hand turninto Newcastle St. This is followed by a quick left hand U-turn around the traffic island and backoutthrough the taxi rank right in front of the Leederville Hotel. A right hand turn into Oxford St will take the riders back ‘up-hill’ to Melrose St where they will complete another U-turn to sprint for the finish.

Other spectator activities

The culmination of the Perth Criteriums is in the heart of the cyclists favourite area – the Leederville Coffee Stip! There are any number of coffee shops, bars and restaurants in which you can sit on the street and take in the event in style!

Race 3: Sunday January 25, 2009

Victoria Park Criterium presented by the Town of Victoria Park

Times

3.00pm – Support Men
3.45pm – Open Women
5.00pm – Open Men

Route

Race 3 starts out the front of the Victoria Park Hotel and heads West downhill. The riders will complete a tight but fast block around the block and heading back up the ‘hill’! Going back past the start/finish line the riders will complete a tight turn around before heading back past the beer garden! The finish will be uphill into the finish line.

Other spectator activities

The Beer Garden at the front of the Victoria Park Hotel can’t be beaten on this Sunday afternoon. With a clear view over the finish line and cold beer on tap – a perfect place to watch the furious action!

Race 4: Monday January 26, 2009

Perth Criterium

Times

12.40pm – Support Men
1.25pm – Open Women
2.15pm – Open Men

Route

This is a fast ‘hot dog’ style circuit along Riverside Dve – central to the City of Perth’s Australia Day celebrations! The course runs between Barrack St and Victoria Ave in an anti clockwise direction with the start / finish line at the midway point on the River side of the road.



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