On a more positive note...

I've been riding "Greenie", my recumbent trike (named for my late mother-in-law), for nearly 2 months, and the lift it has given me has been astounding! Yes, there is "new bike syndrome" at play but, the energy used to balance a bicycle, compared to how little is need for this, and mostly only in the form of slight weight shifts in tight, fast corners, is truly astounding!

There is also the fact that the recumbent posture allows for both spinning and pushing. As a 71kg and 182cm rider (bottom of ideal BMI), standing in the pedal is of less relative benefit to me than for, say, a muscular rider who weighs more, but the trike allows me to push against the seat back for climbing, and there feels like less knee strain in "braced" pedalling compared to an upright bike's standing-off-saddle posture. As a diabetic, I'm getting better glucose management from recumbent riding than I got from upright riding and better energy reserve at the end of a ride. For the first time in more than 5 years, 25km between meals (cycle touring pace and loading) feels possible and an acheivable goal. Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction has been a hard life adjustment on an upright. To some extent, that adjustment feels like it was never needed on my recumbent.

On public transport (my city has bike friendly metro rail network) it's got more advantages than disadvantages. Because our trains here are double-ended, disability access is at the working front and bikes go towards the working rear, but the spaces are essentially the same. An upright rider occupies very little less space, standing with their bike than I occupy sitting on mine. Also, a retired guy, like me, has the luxury of choosing off-peak travel times.

For the downsides...

The promised low wind resistance _feels_ like an overstated benefit. Maybe in a fully faired "velocar", like a Trisled Rotovelo, yes, but a touring recumbent trike, compared to an upright bike, is a difference akin to a Tesla's Cd compared to a Polestar's Cd - all in the decimal point. It's a mongrel to stow. The hope of flying with it is posing some logistical puzzles, although, it does break down enough to fit the major dimensions of a bike bag, but needs more padding and width than a conventional bike transport bag would allow. All in all, these are small and probably soluble problems.

So, I'm deeply looking forward to GCC this year and am hoping my neck surgery will be happening after October, not before. For the obvious reason, recovery time. Should this work out for me, the plan is to do a "bucket ride" like my GCC of 10 years ago, where I road from Melbourne to Sydney in 11 days. This year I plan to close another link - Adelaide to Melbourne, 750km. Train to Adelaide, 10 days on the road. (I've not got the daily stamina of 10 years ago, who does?) Then train home from Southern Cross Station.

Then, if I have more time to wait before surgery, maybe finish the month with the Great Southern Rail Trail, in Victoria's South Gippsland, finishing up at Trisled, in Morwell, for "Greenie's" 6 month service.

So, why is the trike called "Greenie"? My late mother-in-law was taken by MND last year and, as her bequest to my lovely wife enabled the purchase of this cycle, I honour one of the good'ns. A loving mum to my loving partner. A true and wise friend, not afraid to tell me like I needed to hear it when necessary. It's because of "Greenie," the person, that I'm returning to the GCC on "Greenie" the trike. "Greenie" didn't have cancer but MND is as awful as cancer and less treatable. "Greenie" admired my sense of adventure and community spirit and she encouraged me in these things. And next year, all going well with the neck surgery, I hope to be riding for Fight MND, in the same spirit I will be undertaking the GCC this year - plodding along, collection bucket atop the luggage rack, camping wherever the day ends.

Riding to add life to my days, and days to the lives of others.

Personal Security Warning

IMPORTANT NOTE: I advise anybody riding in the challenge to turn off the "Chapter" feature. As this identifies your town or suburb, if you ride a recognisable, expensive bike, this makes you a theft risk. In your profile, go to "Update my details", scroll down to "Chapters" and select the slider to "Off." I very much support this charity, but would not be a responsible community member if I didn't point out this potential security risk.

For example, I live in a very small suburb in my city. Because my ride is unusual and very recognisable, and my suburb is one of the smallest in town, that is a real risk. Please take the time to assess if you may be exposed to such a risk by being in a "Chapter."

I don't use Facebook, X or any of the "fediverse" socials for similar reasons. We literally give away too much data for no personal return, solely so the rich get richer at our expense and manipulation. That charities are being drawn into risky privacy practices is understandable, because of the reach they need, but also sad, because they are unintentionally contributing to the death of privacy and security in the name of good works.

Anyway, happy and safe riding, colleagues! --end rant--

Things That Are Up In The Air

I'm facing neck surgery, it seems, a dual laminectomy. I don't know the date or how long my recovery will be at this stage, but it may affect my participation. On the one hand, I'm marvelling at the fact that they can replace two damaged intervertebral disks with synthetic ones, on the other, I'm screaming inside my head, "NO NO NO NO NO!"

I'm assured the recovery is quick but, given I'm in my 60s, I keep running up against, "...but why would you want to keep cycling?" Ah, because it ads life to my days as well as days to my life! While my neurosurgeon hasn't expressly said anything, I sensed a kind of eye-roll when I asked him how soon I'd be back on the bike.

Hopefully the surgery will be soon and the recovery as quick as promised or after October. Fingers crossed...