About the bike

The coldest morning since the dawn of time in Melbourne this morning, 2.7 degrees at 8am, but it kept everyone indoors and it was sunny, so it was a pleasant run in.

More than the usual number of obstacles on the way in: including ice on the bridge at the start of the ride even at 9am! The abandoned Ford station wagon in Docklands is in danger of being declared a piece of conceptual art as it enters its second week blocking the cycle path. The Docklands Authority says it's the council's job to move it, council says it's Docklands job. I suspect it could be there a while yet. They only need to roll it back a metre or two to get it out of the way.

Work to build Bracks' Shack in front of Jeff's Shed (a new convention centre in front of the exhibition centre, is that a big dick contest or what?) has cut the cycle path, meaning carrying the bike up a flight of stairs. And then there's 10km speed limit signs all through South Bank. I can run faster than that.

Then for the final WTF? moment of the morning, there's the new cycle lane on the footpath in St Kilda Road. Half the footpath is marked as a cycleway for 100m, along with about 80cm of the road. So the poor pedestrians get cramped, the cyclists get the dubious advantage of a short run out of the traffic and everyone gets to puzzle over a very odd piece of traffic management. Thanks, but I'll take my chances with the cars.