email: jwhunt01@bigpond.net.au

Ph: 0419 617 148

I was a young man when I joined Bike North, full of energy and ready to race past the ride leader at every opportunity. Now, as a ride leader I am older, wiser and slower (well older and slower anyway). In the beginning I did the hard yards on my trusty no name, alloy, flat bar road bike in discrete grey livery, which perfectly matched my ability. Now that I am slower I have a nice blue (my favourite colour) Malvern Star carbon road bike to gain that extra 5 % up the hills. I am still dressed by Kathmandu, Aldi and Torpedo 7.

Everything useful I know about bikes I have learned or relearned at the hands of BN's patient ride leaders. I made nearly every mistake in the book (and hopefully learned from some of them) including:

Forgetting my helmet (lucky my head was not in it);

Overtaking on the left (sorry Fran);

Falling over at the lights (damn those clip ins);

Overtaking the ride leader (sorry Darryn);

Getting lost and found out west (sorry Scotty);

Going down a big hill with a pinched tube (lucky to be alive);

Breaking a valve stem while in a hurry to pump up a flat tyre (how embarrassing);

Breaking a chain while going uphill (thanks for the lift Keith);

Leg cramps on a hot day - no electrolyte (thanks for the tip about Gastrolyte)

Going to fast on the BNCC 5 gorges (sorry Malcolm) and

Having leaky spare tube (sorry Doug);

So if you're getting back into it and want to ride with a leader who knows every mistake in the book, join me on my favorite rides - anything with a gorge, mountain or motorway in it.