Well,
the wife had to go to Sydney to attend the congress of the FIAF and give a
lecture on “Dutch Solutions To Clear Legal Obstacles”. She is a legal buff and
a leading authority on the subject. Best
part of course, company paid trip to Australia!
While
the wife did her thing, I had the opportunity to explore Sydney on my one. All
I needed was a road bike of good quality with the essential stuff to make a
couple of pleasant rides around Sydney. The best and most promising site on the
net was Livelo.com.au, run by Peter Branes. I ordered a nice alu Cannondale
road bike for three days, with Garmin 810, Kask helmet, water bottles, repair
kit and lights. Even a set of Speedplay Zero pedals were included, so no need
to bring my own pedals.
They
brought the bike to the hotel, Aidan near the Central Station, on the Saturday
evening instead of the Sunday and because it was a busy weekend for the rental
business. I received a carbon Cannondale EVO with Shimano Di2 size 54. A better bike then ordered by me, but who is
to complain. Within 10 minutes the bike was setup to my measurements and I was
good to go.
Sunday
morning I rode off early to affoid the heavy traffic in the inner city of Sydney
and to find my bearings in riding urban surroundings. Taxi’s, busses, cars… I
use to cycle on roads with a lot less traffic, so I had to adjust a bit. First
objective was Harbour Bridge. Followed by the Opera House and onwards to Bondi
Beach. I did decide not to use the GPS on the Garmin 810. Finding your way in an
unfamiliar city without GPS is an adventure. You never know where you end up or
what things lay in your path. For the same reason I did not contact local
riders to hook up with or planned a guided ride. I wanted to ride on my own in
a foreign city. I had time to spend and road to conquer. Of course I got lost a
view times, but that is the charm of it all.
The
second day La Perouse/Botany Bay was the main goal with a visit to Centennial
Park on the way up and back. I used the Livelo programmed ride up to La Perouse
to get me there without delay and to put some speed in the ride. Finding ones
way without GPS tends to slower rides. I had a nice speedy ride up to La
Perouse and enjoyed the view of Botany Bay. On the home run I visited the Park
where a 3,5km loop of car free road, named Grand Drive, makes an ideal exercise
round for cyclist within the busy city. I did some more City exploring on the
way home; meaning got lost a lot in a fun way and ended up at the Rapha shop
for coffee. There, I made the mistake NOT to buy the SKY British National Champ
shirt…sold out by now.
The
third and last day I planned a trip up North to West Head via Manly Beach. One
of the nicer beaches of Sydney, I think. Bondi has the name, but Manly is the more
beautiful one. Especially Sydney Harbour National Park and its views is a
winner. That ride was also not an easy ride for a flatland guy like me, but
worth every pedal stroke. And sitting on the Bella Vista Café terrace at the
Park with a double espresso and homemade cake, topped the day.
That
late afternoon, Peter came and collected the bike at the Hotel. Talking about
service! I think Livelo has the best service if you ever want to ride a bicycle
in Sydney. If you want they do guided tours as well. And the bikes are A class
and well maintained.
I
am a Specialized adapt…but the Cannondale was a perfect ride.
So,
thank you Peter, for making my stay in Sydney a memorable one!
Rork
Steijn
www.livelo.com.au
