Tweed Ride – Monday 8 June (Queen’s birthday PH)

We’re resuming our social rides in style – with a Tweed Ride!

This time of year is fun to dress up in Tweed (and similar vintage outfits) as it’s definitely getting colder! It’s also World Bicycle Day this week (3 June) and we can reflect how far we’ve come (or not) in style and comfort whilst riding bikes, and how they’ve helped shape our lives over the last two centuries. And lastly, because we need a gentle ride to get back into the swing of things, so we’ll keep this one short and fun.

Gathering in front of the Royal Exhibition Building (opposite the Museum entrance) for some photos, we’ll pootle down Napier St to the Edinburgh Gardens. Then we’ll head west towards Melbourne Zoo. If anyone would like a photo outside of the house used for outside shots in Miss Fishers Murder Mysteries we’ll find it in Parkville before wending our way through the grounds of Melbourne Uni to return to Carlton. Before the end of the ride we may choose to stop for a coffee, icecream or other take away food/drink (depending on the queues) around the Lygon St cafe strip, before finishing back at the Carlton Gardens and Royal Exhibition Building.

Meeting time: 10am
Meeting place: Between the Royal Exhibition Building and Melbourne Museum
Ride distance: approx 10-12km
Ride duration: approx 2hr, depending on number of photo stops, queue at coffee stop etc

NEW RIDE RULES

1. You MUST keep at lease 1.5m apart at all times (unless you live in the same dwelling).
2. You MUST NOT attend if you are unwell in any way, or know or suspect you have been in contact with someone who has contracted COVID-19.
3. You MUST NOT handle anyone else’s possessions (unless you live in the same household). Yes, I know that it’ll be me who’ll be itching to line up or straighten bikes for a photo, but it’s hands off for the foreseeable future.
4. Everyone should bring their own
   • hand sanitizer
   • drink
   • snack/food (as required, although we will try to stop for take away)
5. Please RSVP for all rides. If your plans change and you need to cancel, please also let me know so we don’t wait unnecessarily. (This one hasn’t changed.)

What to wear?!
Don’t have Tweed in your wardrobe? Don’t panic; there are a lot of ways to get into the spirit of a Tweed Ride (aka Tweed Run) with modern clothes you might have.

Search for natural fabrics with interesting textures (corduroy wool, lace), clothes that you can layer, scarves, gloves, hats, stockings or thickish socks, leather shoes, suspenders, bowties, jewellery (real or fake) – all of this can pull otherwise separate articles of clothing together.

Hats can also really make a costume, but I would ask you to please be mindful of the law and wear a helmet when riding.

For more inspiration search Tweed Ride or Tweed Run on Google, Pintrest, Instagram etc.

Hope to see you then! : )

An isolated ride around Longford, TAS – A Brompton Story

Today’s contribution is from Tony, who lives in northern Tasmania. 🙂

In these isolated times I am cycling shortish rides around the Longford area.  I think it is not wise (or perhaps, even legal) at the moment to fold the bike up and take it to a more distance start point.

So this is my short local ride.  (Click on the image to enlarge.)

Longford, Tasmania

Tony’s local ride

As is clear from the gradient map, Longford is flat!  We are “blessed” with wind though so that makes up for any missing ascents / descents.  I started by riding the wide country town streets out to Back Creek.

Having checked the creek levels (up a bit after recent rains) I then headed south, towards the Tip.  Cycling past the dog park, there was little activity in there – another impact on restrictions on social groupings.  Next I rode past the brickworks.  This is the only brickworks in Tasmania and there was a little bit of work going on – house building sites still seem to be active so there is still a need for bricks.

At that point I turned north and headed back into town through an area used mainly for horse stables.  A turn east takes me up and past the Longford Racecourse.  Hence the area around here being used for stables.  Longford Racecourse is the oldest continuously used race course in Australia – keeping this record by having one meeting a year on New Years Day.  The rest of the time it is used for training.

Then I turned back towards the heart of the town – which is very quiet.

Down to the boat ramp on the South Esk river.  This takes me past the caravan park which is, of course, closed.  Only a few permanent residents have vans in there.  A few days ago the boat ramp where I am standing was under water.

The ladder top in the above picture is where I am standing on this ride.  Water levels have receded over the past week.

From the boat ramp it’s a short ride back home.  Nobody met along the way, nothing touched, hopefully no virus taken indoors, a good wash of the hands and a homemade coffee instead of a cafe bought one.

– Tony

Tony has his own blog and, prior to current coronavirus restrictions, posted about several trips he did on his Brompton. You can check them out here:

Brompton touring & camping (TAS)
A Ride from December 2017

A trip to Melbourne to have a Mountain Drive fitted
Part 1: https://tonyscycling.blog/2018/07/05/melbourne-sorry-this-is-a-long-post/
Part 2: https://tonyscycling.blog/2018/07/06/melbourne-just-a-bit-more/

******

Have you got a Brompton and a few photos that you’re happy to share? I’d love to hear from you! Email me (Dayna) at melbournebromptonclub@gmail.com and share your Brompton story with us!

*******

Brompton Tour de France 2018

6am, Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris

After 20 something hours of flight (who’s counting), we finally arrive in Paris.

Being early and knowing that we would be able to leave our gear at our hotel after 10am, we had decided to ride the 28km into Paris. The route had been plotted on Ride with GPS and we were confident.

Unpacking our Bromptons from their soft, well protected bags, we are delighted that they had arrived unscathed.  It was a good omen, this was to be a great adventure. We headed off to Gare Roissypole to catch a train 2 stops to Parc des Expositions. I had worked out that from here we could confidently follow cycleways all the way.

The sun was just coming up as we pushed our bikes out of the station, wow what a beautiful day to be in France. We headed off, spirits high, jet lag was not going to catch us today.

Our aim was to follow Chemin des Parcs for about 8 km and pick up Canal de l’Ourcq and follow that all the way. A few early morning walker greeted us with cheery “Bonjour” as we set off.

It felt great our tour was finally underway, months of planning came down to this. We were off to meet our longtime friends, Wendy and Graeme (recent Brompton converts), spend a day in Paris then travel to Toulouse and ride the Canal Du Midi to Bordeaux.

In the mean time Day 1 had much more to offer. Arriving at Hotel du Cygne we dumped our bags and excitedly greeted our friends. After a brief discussion we headed for a train station, we were off to Versailles for an explore, have Brompton will travel.

After a marvellous ride around the grounds and lunch by the Grande Canal, we headed off and rode back, picking up and following the Seine.

78km on our first day is one way to totally drain us of our energy and set our body clocks.

Bromptons 1; Jetlag 0

– Story & Photos by Stephen & Cindy –

If you have a Brompton story you’d like to share, please email it to melbournebromptonclub@gmail.com 😀