Well, kinda sorta. I ride regularly around Albert Park Lake, currently
being transformed into the Formula One circuit for the race in March. I
used to ride exclusively on the gravel running/bike track but since
Lakeside Drive, the roughly north-south road that forms the eastern part of
the race track, passes very close to the lake proper, that part of the track
is now largely covered by grandstands and what have you, the resulting
zig-zag being perhaps suitable for mountain bikes and not much else. I
accordingly have been riding along Lakeside Drive itself, and incidentally
been having a bit of fun with the fools who try to block it off to all
traffic from 7pm onwards even though there's no reason to do so until the
complete road closure beginning March 1 (the race is March 7).
The other night I was a bit earlier than usual and arrived just as the
maintenance crew were finishing off putting the big, plastic barriers across
the road. Normally by about half-past seven at least one of them has been
shifted by a cyclist so bikes can get through, this being the only obstacle
to completing a lap of the lake, but as I said I was early. So, I went left
off the bitumen about a hundred metres before the roadblock, just after the
rowing club, rode past it until I came to a gap in the concrete fencing,
hooked back through it, onto the grass and headed for the road. From a
distance I heard cries of "Excuse me! Excuse me!" but I resolutely ignored
them, chortling inside because their ute was on the far side of the
roadblock from where I was and no council worker was going to run after me,
particularly since there's no actual reason I shouldn't ride on the road
apart from the organisers' arrogance and stupidity. The metal chain having
been removed from the small wooden posts that line the road, it was trivial
for me to lift my bike over the bunting in its place and ride off towards
South Melbourne.
When you get to the South Melbourne end you have two choices how you come
back around. You can get back on the gravel running/bike path around about
the soccer stadium and complete the lap as normal, or you can stay on the
bitumen, following the road which is to be the main straight and adjacent
bits. As it happens you don't have to follow that road all the way, once
you get past the car park and the swimming centre, just before the huge
grandstands start, there's a service road just off to the left which runs
behind where the pits will be and hooks up again with the road/race track up
the far end of the circuit. When I take the bitumen route I take this
service road.
As it happens, about halfway along the service road there is now a big,
orange metal contraption with one of those oversized "LED" displays (I know
they're not really LEDs but you know what I mean) and a speed limit sign.
Somewhere there's also a laser or a radar, and that's where I got caught
speeding. You see, the limit is 10kph and the first time I went through I
got a big "22". I was just a tad disappointed but it was my second lap and
I don't pretend to be super fit or anything so I wasn't pushing as hard as I
probably should have. Anyway, the other night I remembered my "22" and
pushed a bit harder and got a "26", with which I was well pleased. The
hard-core racers are probably thinking this is all a bit pathetic but I ride
a hybrid, with not only the expected differences in gearing, but also, since
I live in St Kilda, with enough locks and chains to sink a battleship, so I
reckon my laps count for more than theirs.
So, if you're in the area sometime in the next couple of weeks, why not ride
up this service road and see what your speed is.
--
"The central problem with the concept of the 'Axis of Evil' is that it
involves an assumption that the US is the 'fulcrum of virtue'."
Bob Hawke, former Prime Minister of Australia