Bicycle riders in circles



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It takes a while to figure out the ins and outs of the circles that make up the bicycle riders in Alice. There’s a distinct pattern though.
 
There’s the Korean, Chinese and Taiwanese people, on second hand pink KMarties, These bikes are small so they suit the Asian physique. These people, who are hurriedly on their way or dead tired coming back from jobs in hospitality, do not greet.
 
They are in their own little world of who knows what and know where they are going and why. They usually carry a huge backpack and sometimes they travel in large groups.
 
Then there are the strong young men with legs like tree trunks who ride giant ten or twelve gear mountain bikes, only god knows where these Gods are going, they do not greet but merely ring their bicycle bell timely and threateningly to then zoof by in a confident manner.
 
Everything in between these two categories: Single Female Bike Riders, Married Men Bike Riders, Naughty Child Bike Riders, Confused Teenage Bike Riders, Shy Aboriginal Girl Bike Riders … you name it … they usually greet. As if all belong to the same circle.
 
Sometimes skate boarders greet too. Especially when they are in groups, for example at traffic lights. They seem to think briefly and then come to the conclusion that we are all open air wheel chauffeurs. They hesitate only a couple of second and then burst out in a charming “Hi!”
 
Ha! Life is good as a Single-Female-Bicycle-Rider-Who-is-Part-of-a-Secret-Society in Alice.

2 COMMENTS

  1. Another demographic: middle aged men / tradesmen wearing fluro, riding on the road against traffic, no helmet and appear to only be riding a bicycle because they lost their drivers licence drink driving.
    A question for you, why do people ignore the designated bicycle paths and choose to ride (dawdle) on the road?
    Prime examples of this are South Terrace, Barrett Drive, North Stuart Highway – some of the best bicycle paths you will find, flat, minimal glass (or cleaned regularly) etc.

  2. Alice was the best place for riding a bike. Dry and warm; flat in town, and plenty of wide paths and quiet back roads.
    I remember not having a car for over a year at one stage and saved so much money. Punctures were always a problem from glass and caltrops but that goo stuff did the trick.
    Scariest moment was when three purpose-bred roo dogs came bounding at me from a camp in the river one morning.
    I yelled my head off, swerved from the path onto the road along South Terrace and, luckily, the owners heard and called them off at the last minute. I think Australia has become less bike-friendly; comment pages are often filled with road rage induced spite and calls to ban, register, and get-off-the-road type opinion.
    I hope laid-back Alice can stay a cycling paradise.

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