http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,21349199-23272,00.html
Burn fat, not oil
By Phil Hammond
March 09, 2007 12:00am
BRISBANE'S horrendous morning traffic jams of recent weeks must surely be
making people think of better alternatives to travelling 3km in 40 minutes
in a car.
Fortunately, Bike Week starts on Saturday (March 10) with a whole lot of
events arguing the case for more pedal power.
If you have a bike - any sort of bike - then prepare it for Ride to Work Day
on Wednesday March 14, when 1000 or more cyclists will be making their way
to Brisbane Square, at the top end of the Queen Street Mall.
After 7am, Bicycle Queensland will be giving away a Raleigh flat-bar road
bike and breakfasts of cereal, pancakes, flavoured milk, yoghurt, coffee and
juice.
If you haven't ridden into the city before, Bicycle Queensland has "bike
buddies" prepared to ride along with you for the trip.
The Bike Week brochure lists 34 starting points around the city for the ride
in, with meeting times.
If you would like a buddy, find out more by emailing [email hidden]
The other major event is the Great Brisbane Bike Ride on March 18 - a fun
ride which starts and finishes in Brisbane's South Bank cultural forecourt.
Riders follow the river loop and have the choice of 35km or 60km rides.
There's also a 10km family fun ride.
It's the full thing, with marshalls, police escorts, water stops and two
"tucker-stops" en route.
Registration is from 6am, elite riders leave at 7.30am and recreational
riders a quarter of an hour later.
The family fun ride departs at 8am. There are discounted fees for early
entry and it's cheaper if you are a member of Bicycle Queensland. Enter
online on www.bq.org.au/bikeweek07 or grab an entry form from your local
bike shop and get it to Bicycle Queensland in West End by tonight.
Bicycle Queensland manager Ben Wilson says: "If petrol prices continue to
soar - the real question is: can you afford to not cycle to work?"
According to the Australian Greenhouse Office, by cycling just 10km each way
to work instead of driving, you save more than $770 in transport costs and
1.3 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year.
"Cycling is the ultimate green transport mode - you burn fat instead of oil,
reduce your carbon footprint and save money," Wilson says.
"By riding to work even a few times a week you will start to notice an
increase in your physical fitness and what you save in parking fees and
petrol will soon add up.
"And interestingly, for city trips of less than 15km, it is often faster to
cycle than it is to drive or catch public transport.
"You get the added bonus that you have done your exercise for the day so you
don't need to find that time later to go to the gym."
Bike Week also has a cycle to the University of Queensland event next
Wednesday, a ride to school challenge, and tomorrow, a women's ride and
workshop, a come-and-try mountain biking session and an introduction to your
bicycle session, highlighting common problems.
Info: www.bq.org.au
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