One way to tell the surf is good...

My buddy Woody, who's on an extended stay in Byron Bay, Australia, sent along this photo following yesterday's session. The good news is that the board's shaper, Michael Cundith, lives there. Funeral or repair job? Stay tuned, Woody says.

Hey! The Park is on a Top-25 List / And Other Year-End Posts

In a year-end post, our Australian friend Treadly&Me listed 30 sites that generated the most referrals. Research Trailer Park came in at ... All right! We cracked the top 25.

Treadly's site is listed as one of the links we like. His site is always worth a look.

A few other notable year-end posts:

* Giving the body and bike a break. RUSA Prez Mark Thomas explains his recent cycling hiatus. The explanation: an ailing ankle that now appears to be on the mend. Read about it here…

* Mileage Markers. Our pal Surly Dave explains why his ambitious mileage plans for the year have been scaled back to a manageable 6,000K. Here’s his latest post.

* Cycles of cyclists. The holidays bring families together. Chuck Lathe writes about a visit from his son and chronicles his efforts to pass along the cycling gene to the next generation. It's here...

Anti-cycling columns: a worldwide issue?

Ain't the Internet great? It has shrunk up our world to an extra-small.

I mentioned getting hits from Australian riders, including a Melbourne fellow who goes by the name "Treadly & me." He recently posted that fun "bah humbug" comment on the Audax Australia entry. Treadly has a site worth checking out. Lots of depth.

Here's the link. I've also added him to the permanent blog links.

Your quote of the day, courtesy of Treadly the philosopher:

Work is just something I do while I'm out on a bike ride…

It's interesting to note that the Oz riders face some of the same hate-baiting by journalists looking to drum up a little controversy.

Treadly's blog has a link to this anti-bike venom from one of their local commentators:

Has is it ever occurred to you that maybe bicycle riders don't belong in the city? It did to me the other morning as I crawled across the Story Bridge at about 12 klicks-per behind some stupidly smug, selfish git on one of those dumb-arse bikes you sort of lie back into like a recliner lounge.

Treadly also has a link to a commentary from a Queensland cyclist, who speculates on the damage from these anti-cycling messages. Here's the lead-in:

It seems to have become a favourite sport for journalists to stir up the anti-cycling underbelly in our society. The favoured method seems to be that of writing some sort of personal account of their own raging encounter with an ‘annoying cyclist’. The rage and hatred is often cloaked in what the author claims is humor.

In light of this commentary, I want to circle back and praise the remarks made by Mountain Times editor Jason Reagan regarding the Ron Fitzwater column that ran in his paper. That took guts.

Audax Australia

I've been getting a lot of hits lately from our Australian counterparts.

Suddenly, I got it: while we're heading toward hibernation in much of the U.S., the spring season is (excessive preposition alert) cranking up down under.

I just checked out the Audax Australia site and their ride calendar. Those guys believe naming the rides is half the fun. The other half is the ride description.

Highland Hell Ride
Uphill, downhill and some flat bits. Only one big climb similar to Alpe d'Huez.

Cafe au Lait, S'il Vous Plait
Take part in the Great North East Coffee Survey. Evaluate the fare in Wang, Yarra, Beechie, Rutherglen and Benalla. 4 X 100 km circuits from Wangaratta. Practice your French accent for 2011!

Really Silly Season Summer Solstice Ride
A truly silly ride - mix of Road, Fire Trails and Unsealed roads for a Summer Solstice ride to the coast (Broule) for a dip in the ocean. Bring your mountain bike or very sturdy tourer and lots of water.

ABBA 300
The ride is SO LONG, but come & meet your WATERLOO on the ABBA 300. ( Altona-Ballarat-Ballan-Altona) Just say I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO to come now and just try it The ride is SO LONG, but you can always send an SOS and ring your MAMMA MIA.

Road trip, anyone?