Breaking rules

Life choices

Posted on by fantomwriter

From the moment we wake up from our deep slumber, to the time we crawl back into our well made bed after a long day, we are forced to make multiple choices.

Some of these daily choices are as simple as what to have for breakfast. And for most people this choice is rather simple. Breakfast can be toast, cereal or just coffee. Personally, I get by with coffee until lunchtime, so I have one less choice to make. Then there is the tougher choice. What do we wear for the day? Jeans and tshirt work for me most days, but that’s not for everyone.

But these choices, as tough as we think they are, pale in comparison to some other choices we are faced with, and the descion we make can impact our lives, and the lives of people around us.

So as I sit here in the hospital waiting room once again in preparation for another operation, I need to make a very tough choice once I have fully recovered. Do I go back to road cycling and possibly be collected by another car, and this time, not live to tell that tale. Or do I stay on the bike path tracks and trails?

I keep getting told how truly lucky i am that I lived through a cycling accident involving a car and my carbon fiber road bike. I guess luck did play a part, and there was also lots of bad luck. But that’s in the past and I try not to dwell on it. Well, at least most of the time I don’t.

Once I recover from this operation, I need to think long abd hard if I will continue road cycling, or head back to riding tracks and trails to stay away from cars. Trucks and buses.

I know many people will say the choice is simple, get off the roads as it’s so much safer. Yes, in some ways it is, less cars and trucks and no angry cyclist hating motorists to hurl abuse and other objects at me as I ride past them.

But riding tracks and trails takes away part of the freedom road cycling offers. If I wanted to head north at a set of lights I could, or I could go whichever way I felt like heading.

On a bike trail, the options are fewer, so part of the freedom is taken away. Not that i can’t use different paths to ride on, it just takes away the one thing road bike had always offered me. Complete freedom.

In the past few months I have ridden some glorious tracks and trails. Some were easy, and in the last week i have discovered some tracks that have left me gasping for breath half way up. That’s all part of cycling.

After the operation I will have time to contemplate my future cycling routes. But right now, that seems like an eternity away.

What’s mine is mine…

Posted on by fantomwriter


With still a long road of rehabilitation ahead, I headed to the pool for another hydrotherapy session. The more the better I guess in this situation. So the physio keeps telling me. 

So after an hour of pool work, it was time to hit the showers and grab a coffee before continuing with the day. 

Now I would like to take this opportunity for a huge call out to the low life who stole my new ASIC runners from the Croydon AquaHub while I was showering. He also  took off with my water bottle. I should be thankful my wallet, phone and watch weren’t stolen. 


The other sad part to this story is I then had to get home in a pair of thongs which use in the shower. Not a great look, but they did the job. 

This was one guy who an opportunity and ran with it.

Hoping Karma bites him on the arse when he is out running in my shoes. 

Mistakes make us human 

Posted on by fantomwriter


With all the things we do in our lives, we are bound to make a mistake or two. Or, sometimes a lot more. We can normally let some of our mistakes slide by, while with some others, we need to fess up and take responsibility for what we’ve done.

It’s not always easy to own up to what we have done, but sometimes it’s easier in the long run to dig deep and confess. Rather than keeping it all bottled up and waiting for it to explode deep inside of us, and tearing us apart. 


One of the hardest things to do is to admit to a friend or a loved one you have made a mistake that can change everything you have. 

The longer it takes to admit it to yourself, and then to others you have screwed up, the harder it will be to get over it and continue making amends.

Take the plunge and own up to your mistakes. It will change your life, And hopefully for the best.

Breaking rules 

Posted on by fantomwriter

There are times you just need to break out of your shell and do something you know isn’t always right. As was the case on my morning ride along the bay and up to Point Nepean.

The road stops about 3 kms short to the most westerly point on the Mornington peninsula and to some sights only seen by a getting there on foot or by shuttle bus. No bikes allowed! As if…

Well, today was the day I would finally see the sights it had offer. A few of the guys I ride with have been down there and recommended the short sharp ride for the views.

The very quick ride down was a little more painful than i anticipated as I mis judged a corner and ended up in a pile of soft sand. No damage to the bike and a cut and bloodied knee for my efforts.

Finally at the bottom, the views were incredible as was the atmosphere of just standing so close to the breaking waves and the feel of the light breeze in a place where I knew I shouldn’t be.

The ride back was harder than I expected, and by the time I reached the top, my legs were burning and felt every downward stroke of my pedals. But the pain was worth the view and the serenity.

Some rules are meant to be bent a little, and not broken.

AC/DC – Breaking the rules