The article doesn’t actually mention him, it’s actually about how Melbourne “is one of the top cities for riding a bicycle on the planet.”
Which of course is a fucking (bad) joke.
The article in print talks about Dan and Russell Collett, and Cadel Evans. The article about Melbourne being a biking city is not related to that photo, it’s just on the same page.
total fluff piece. but nice to see dan grinning eitherway.
and then there’s a sweet fixie a few pages further in. great day for bikes all round!
fuck, dan looks handsome there.
I have to stop reading comments
“The Beach Rd run, Port Melbourne to Mordialloc would have to be one of the great bike rides in the world, I’m always surprised it isn’t more promoted as a great travel destination.”
One of the great bike rides of the world… This guy has to get out a bit more.
haha so true.
Having said that I reckon a really nice part of cycling in Melbourne is the fact the air is clean! It’s something we really take for granted here.
Spotted celebrity Shifter ‘as seen in the Age’ Dan having lunch on commercial road today. Was totally going to ask for an autograph and a photo, but he was gone when I finished ordering my sandwich. I’ll have lunch at that place for the next four weeks and see if he shows up again.
Maybe if he shows up in track pants and without make-up I can sell a photo to the Age?
Haha, Dan loves getting constantly misquoted or poorly represented in the media.
Geez, I reckon Melbourne is a pretty great city for cycling. Better than any other I’ve ever been to, anyway. That’s not to say there isn’t room for improvement, though.
I’ll agree wholeheartedly. Melbz is tops for getting around by bike, you cats don’t know how good you have it (majorly envious).
Lulz
Melb is shit for cycling in. Cycle in any city in Europe and your opinions will surely shift.
Even the “dangerous” cities are better to ride in than Melb.
No stupid helmet laws, no aggressive-bogan-holden/ford-meathead drivers(Mr_dylzorg?), bike lanes everywhere, bike parking everywhere, cops aren’t fuckheads… The list goeth on and on
^ Yes but relative to Sydney, Melbourne is a dream
Yep. Anyone complaining about riding in Melburn should come and commute in Sydney for a week. It’s a barrel of laughs!
I kinda enjoyed it. So aggressive! So many fakenger opportunities!
Yes, that’s true but Melbz is still a great city to get around on by bike. I like riding in Canberra … it’s paradise for bike paths and planning but you don’t get a feel for the city as much and it’s a bit disparate in it’s layout. Melbz is easy (seemed to me) to navigate and get around, is relatively flat and there’s so much to see/do within a short bike ride.
Perhaps you guys see the humdrum and get bored with your commutes but as a visiting cyclist I was blown away at how much I could see and do in Melbz by bike. No map, not much familiarity with the city/roads but we rode all over (day and night) without any stress, really saw a lot of city’s interesting places and actually felt part of it. Mrs. Spirito and I both agreed that our lives would be quite different if we lived in Melbz and that thought of moving down just to be able to live more by getting around with a bicycle is a very attractive proposition.
Same as NYC. You can give someone a map of NYC and a bike and they’ll be able to see everything, go anywhere. Even without a map it’s pretty easy to figure out. Try that in Sydney or LA and you’d be dead or give up because it’s a shit way to get around.
i fucking LOVE riding in melbourne. it’s one of the best things about living here and why i doubt i’ll never move back to perth.
i grew up riding around sydney, my dad used to pick me up from school and I’d sit on a rolled up towel taped to the the top tube and then fly down parramatta road and king st in peak hour traffic, then years of scaring the shit out of pedestrians and motorists while riding bmx on the wrong side of the road hopping up and off everything and never obeying any rules and apart from being a bit of a fuckwit for a while there i never thought much of sydney being particularly shitty for cycling around until i spent a bit of time in melbourne,now im scared shitless in sydney! fucking buses,trucks on tiny roads,tiny roads with absolutely no bike lane or even a spare 30cm between car and gutter and the drains all love slotting in skinny tyres up there! aaaargh
wow, you just brought back a memory i never remembered forgetting…
truth…
we have it good here. its not utopia by any stretch (and i’d suggest that cycling in melbourne has two faces, inner-city and suburban - the former is way better than the latter). its the best city for riding ive seen in australia and its a lot better than many other cities ive seen elsewhere, but there are places where its excellent and others where it is sorely lacking.
every city has its pluses and minuses…i loved riding in sydney but i know that was because i am confident on the roads and enjoyed the ‘challenges’. i can see how the lack of infrastructure and driver awareness makes it a lesser city for day-to-day riding.
brisbane looks rad with all its hills… but i could see a pretty high bogan factor amongst other things.
td:dr - melbourne is great, but it could be better.
You can piss and moan all you like about how good it is elsewhere, and I agree that things could always be ‘better’ but I think people in Melbourne (and other AUS capitals) don’t realise how lucky they really are.
First world problems if you ask me. No point in complaining unless you are actually willing to take it upon yourself to raise the issues with the appropriate people for positive change. Now who is the right person I should be contacting regarding the street lighting issues on Swanston St, Melbourne?
EDIT: Perhaps there could be a thread with a listing of contact details for appropriate people in local city councils that we could use as a hub for ideas/change?