For those unfamiliar (me included) with what has been a cycling cult classic over the past 5 years, Melburn Roobaix is a cycle rally based on the French spring classic 'Paris-Roubaix' which is one of the oldest cycle races in the world.
Like the French version the route incorporates some of Melburn's longest and bumpiest cobbled pavé sectors, dirt tracks, cycle paths and finishes at the Brunswick outdoor velodrome.
Unlike the French version there are no prizes for first, second or third. It is not a race.
There was lots of lycra. There were long socks with dubious costumes-see below. There were many pairs of skinny jeans. No matter what sect of the cycling religion you follow, there were fellow bretheren. Join in the fun whether old and new, young and old, ladies and gents, on bling bikes or beaters; fixed or free, geared or singlespeed, one wheel or two.
I was decked out in a black long sleeve thermal and wore a classic green cycling top from Paris no less, paired with two pairs of gloves-black ones bought last weekend in Hobart under fingerless gloves patterned with cowhide, black jeans, scarf and my Nutcase "I love my brain" #8 ball helmet...........and my pink Diesel sneakers................check me out..................
For a chick who doesn't ride very often at all (last time I was on a pushie was to St Kilda from home and back again about a year and a half ago), my efforts surpassed my expectations..................over 5 hours we covered about 60kms and climbed some steep hills and sections of pavé(cobblestones) .................. 2 fabulous (experienced cyclists) that joined me on this adventure are to be thanked HUGELY for helping me with the cycling etiquette that kept me safe (out of potholes, eventually away from shattered glass and on my side of the road/path)...........................I misinterpreted hand signals early on, thinking that the pointing and spirit finger movements were pointing out scenic aspects.....................BONG BONG.................after riding through broken glass that I had been signalled to avoid - I had been looking at the ground to find what was of great interest but did not realise it was in fact the glass- I clarified the meaning of the non verbal gestures. I have added a call-out to the repertoire of cyclists......................cycling etiquette 101: when approaching a crossroad, the one in the front checks for traffic and calls out one of 2 things:- clear means all good to cross, stopping means.......it's not ok to cross! I have simply added an extra dimension to the call-out.................clear if you hurry..................the girls riding with me yesterday clearly understood my call-out! The pitch at which it is stated/shrieked/squealed indicates how quickly to hurry!
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