Cycling in the ACT, not typically Dutch

When we moved to the ACT in February 2014 we were sure that we should bring our bikes because everywhere we looked, cycling seemed to be the way to get around. Soon after we settled in, the missus gave up cycling altogether and I was ‘thinking about it’. Why you ask? Well, all the promotion that the Visit Canberra office does is true and fact based, there are bike paths, you can quite literally go anywhere by bike if you have the energy for it and yes it is fun and a good way to stay in shape, but it is not quite the same experience as in the Netherlands, so think twice before you decide to bring your bike to only have it gather dust in your garage or storage space.

Define…. bike path

The Dutch bike paths are mostly well maintained, connect logically, are separated from car traffic and generally well lit. In my experience, the most cycle paths that are not in the city and not around Lake Burley Griffin show strong similarities to asphalt that just had a squadron of rampaging out of control Abrams tanks do donuts and burn-outs for 15 minutes before moving on with their business. The terms gravelly and tire puncture waiting to happen’’ come to mind. Then, remember that Australia is a really big country and things are far apart and there’s literally nothing but shrubs, trees and wild life in between. Oh and did I mention that you’re on the road with the cars with no separation? Try to imagine that on the A15 going into the Benelux tunnel. Scared yet?

Without the tanks, obviously!

I am NOT wearing that!

Yes you are. Unless you want to pay a huge fine, you will wear that helmet and maybe even make sure your lights work and then you might still consider a reflective vest because motorists, especially just-out-of-bed-got-my-mind-on-other-things motorists are not looking out for you and that helmet with adornments, your reflective vest and blinking light will at least tell the police where your body has landed after you’ve been hit by someone who should not have gotten a license to begin with.

And yes, you look like a dick, but I am sure you’ll appreciate it when you land headfirst and do not suffer massive brain damage.

I am so getting that bottom right one!

That’s not an incline, THIS is an incline

I am fortunate enough to have a very fancy 24 gear bike and while I like to challenge myself a bit every now and then, cycling in the ACT (or anywhere else in Oz for that matter) can be a bit of a vertical challenge. They say hill, I say K2 mountain, nut hey same difference! When you’re used to the Dutch flatlands, biking the Aussie landscape can be intimidating if not downright scary. I mean, going up a hill at 7-10% at 10km/hr can easily mean that you’ll be able to go down that same hill at 65km/hr. I did both and can tell you that the 65km/hr has my preference. In the ACT you’re either riding up a hill or going down one, even when you think you’re not. As soon as you find yourself downshifting a lot, you know you’re in for a treat on the way down.

Road outside our house...somewhere in Australia (still outside my house)

Obstacle course anyone?

In the Netherlands, most local governments actually make an effort to sweep the paths every now and then and community service projects make sure that littering stays within limits. In the ACT, not so much, but if you are open to new experiences, there’s a new one every few 100 meters. There’s the always creepy lonely shoes or toddler flip-flops, paint/oil spills, bricks, sheet metal, underwear (I kid you not), steel pipes, abandoned cars and parts, various types of roadkill and for some inexplicable reason a complete bedroom and sofa. Okay, those where right next to the path but you get the idea. The roadkill situation is also quite different in the Netherlands and a whole new aromatic experience when you happen to cycle downwind, but cannot avoid it in time and actually hit it. Yikes.

Oh, okay then....

‘Sharing’ the road

A strange thing happens to Australians, or maybe just Canberrans, as soon as they enter a 4-wheeled vehicle and close the doors. They become everything an average Australian is not; rude, impatient, pushy, territorial, unforgiving and a danger to themselves and others. In the Netherlands I did some pretty stupid things while riding a bike, including riding into a tree that was just standing there minding its own tree business but I never felt so unsafe as on the ACT bike paths.

Despite the ‘share the road’ campaigns, there must be something highly offensive about a cyclist having the nerve to actually use that same piece of asphalt. It is a level of resentment that astounds me. I mean, I get that some people would do well not to put on riding gear that really leaves nothing to the imagination, but it seems a bit harsh to push them off the road for just that, I mean, 1 second and you’re past them.

Yep, ready to roll

Mind you, I drive a car, I pay taxes for that piece of asphalt some claim to have bought with their yearly rego contribution, I just happen to ride a bike every now and then. I sometimes wonder if people actually realise you can see them and how they behave and also if they realise what would happen if they actually hit you at 50km/hr. Imagine 1,500 kilo’s of steel meeting 15 kg of aluminium and a human being…If not for the jail time for accidental death, just think about the bill of getting the dents out of your beloved Ford Falcon, replacing the windshield and redoing the paint job, that shit’s expensive bro!

Chuck, the patron saint of all indignant cyclists

 So why bother at all then eh?!

There’s something strangely meditative about powering on with nothing but your own body doing the work, the smells of a new morning (Is that a dead kangaroo? Yikes!), total darkness, the stars fading, the sun coming up and the peace and quiet. Also, the ACT bike paths are pretty much deserted during the day (and at 04:00 in the morning, but only crazy people cycle then, so best not go then) and really early in the day you can feel like you’re the last person on the planet. That’s a bit harder in the Netherlands. Some of the best views of the city and the land are free to enjoy if you get out there and wake up with the kangaroos.

This morning, not too bad huh?!

Stay safe and for goodness sake, keep to the left!