Celebrities ride for fun and fitness

Celebrities ride for fun and fitness

It can be difficult dealing with the cooler months across Australia, especially when getting the bicycle out of the shed and going for a ride through the local neighbourhood. But many Australians are looking to the two-wheeling pastime as a means of transportation - and daily exercise.

Michael Pascoe, one of Australia's most respected and experienced finance and economics commentators, said cycling to work is a growing trend and a very welcome one in Australia's car-obsessed culture. Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane are just a few cities that have "Ride to Work'' events to encourage people to get out of their cars. "If we can take people from the front seat of their car, put them on a bike and have them do 15 minutes twice a day, five days a week, that is a tremendous improvement in overall health,'' said Pascoe. "If people put five dollars in a jar every time they rode their bike to work, they would retire richer, healthier and younger.''

Neil Mitchell, who admits to being car-dependent for most of his life, has also made the transition. He rides from one of Melbourne's suburbs. His partner already had a car and it didn't make sense to pay for insurance and parking for two cars. He decided public transport was fine, but realised he could ride his bike. "It was a phenomenal financial savings,'' said Mitchell, a high-rating talkback announcer on radio station 3AW. He even travels to meetings throughout the day on his bike: "It's quicker than hailing a cab.'' What may have started out as a monetary decision quickly turned into a lifestyle choice with many benefits. Cycling to work has helped to whittle the one-time overweight Mitchell into trim and fit cyclist. "And the bum is in good shape ... when people comment, that feels so good,'' he said with slight embarrassment, adding that no one ever commented on his derriere before his daily cycling ritual.

"My job doesn't allow me to - or I guess I'm using this maybe as an excuse - to go to the gym on a regular basis and work out. Riding guarantees me close to an hour a day exercise and it's not taking away from time that is geared for other things. It's fitting in the health time. I have to move from place to place and I can use that time as opposed to driving a car or sitting in a cab and actually get some exercise.''

Others can't give up their daily cycling fix. Michael Duffy, who presents Counterpoint on Radio National and is a columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald, cycles to work come rain, shine or hail. "Cycling on the road is possibly safer than commuting the same distance''. Duffy said, "Riding to and from work every day was a wonderful and convenient way of making exercise part of a daily ritual." He also mentioned there are three things people needed to include when incorporating fitness into their lives: strength, flexibility and endurance.

"(Cycling) definitely helps with endurance and probably helps with leg strength. If you do stretching before and after your bike ride it probably helps with flexibility,'' he said, emphasizing that wearing a helmet, having lights and travelling on relatively easy roads and paths, as opposed to driving on freeways, make cycling a very safe form of exercise.

Mitchell, Pascoe and Duffy all agreed the simple effort of riding a bicycle to and from work results in better cardiovascular health, keeps diabetes in check, helps with osteoporosis and overall mobility. As a bonus, Duffy said the ride to work wakes him up and the ride home helps him leave work at the office. And it allows him to feel as though he's doing a little bit to cut down on the smog that often chokes Sydney.

cfsmtb wrote:

snip ...

> Others can't give up their daily cycling fix. Michael Duffy, who
> presents Counterpoint on Radio National and is a columnist for the
> Sydney Morning Herald, cycles to work come rain, shine or hail.
> "Cycling on the road is possibly safer than commuting the same
> distance''. Duffy said, "Riding to and from work every day was a
> wonderful and convenient way of making exercise part of a daily
> ritual." He also mentioned there are three things people needed to
> include when incorporating fitness into their lives: strength,
> flexibility and endurance.
>
> "(Cycling) definitely helps with endurance and probably helps with leg
> strength. If you do stretching before and after your bike ride it
> probably helps with flexibility,'' he said, emphasizing that wearing a
> helmet, having lights and travelling on relatively easy roads and
> paths, as opposed to driving on freeways, make cycling a very safe form
> of exercise.
>
> Mitchell, Pascoe and Duffy all agreed the simple effort of riding a
> bicycle to and from work results in better cardiovascular health, keeps
> diabetes in check, helps with osteoporosis and overall mobility. As a
> bonus, Duffy said the ride to work wakes him up and the ride home helps
> him leave work at the office. And it allows him to feel as though he's
> doing a little bit to cut down on the smog that often chokes Sydney.

Can this be the same Michael Duffy who wrote an anti cycling rant
in the SMH on 3rd December last year?

http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/o...422105845.html

Seems a big change of heart in four months. Who did he meet
on a road to Damascus?

--
beerwolf (remove amphibian to reply by email)

Great interview with another cycling celebrity Mark Webber - http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/...04/mark_webber

In article <cfsmtb.25jal0@no-mx.forums.cyclingforums.com>,
cfsmtb <cfsmtb.25jal0@no-mx.forums.cyclingforums.com> wrote:

> Celebrities ride for fun and fitness

Now where's my calendar?

;-)

--
Shane Stanley

NEIL MITCHELL?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?

I'm gobsmacked.
Shall read it again....
Nope. still gobsmacked
It must be 1st of April

In article <flyingdutch.25k5nb@no-mx.forums.cyclingforums.com>,
flyingdutch <flyingdutch.25k5nb@no-mx.forums.cyclingforums.com> wrote:

> NEIL MITCHELL?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?

Bit of a give-away, wasn't it...

--
Shane Stanley

Speaking of celebrities, yesterday I emailed Melinda, the new General
Manager of the Amy Gillett Foundation (info AT amygillett.org.au) and
suggested she ask Jason Akermanis to help out with the PR program on
cycling safety. She got straight back to me and said she would try to
catch up with Akers in Brisbane. Others might like to lend some
encouragement. Akers has got lots of cred amongst the general public.

Donga

>said Pascoe. "If people put five dollars in a jar every time they rode their bike to work, they would >retire richer, healthier and younger.''

....or in my case, the bike shop owner will retire richer, healthier and
younger. The jar never fills up!

Donga

"Shane Stanley" <sstanley@myriad-com.NOSPAM.com.au> wrote in message
news:sstanley-97575F.10504901042006@eth00.pnews.internode.on.net...
> In article <flyingdutch.25k5nb@no-mx.forums.cyclingforums.com>,
> flyingdutch <flyingdutch.25k5nb@no-mx.forums.cyclingforums.com> wrote:
>
>> NEIL MITCHELL?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?
>
> Bit of a give-away, wasn't it...

Yep. I got sucked in alright.

--
beerwolf (remove amphibian to reply by email)

On 2006-03-31, cfsmtb (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
>
> Celebrities ride for fun and fitness
>
> It can be difficult dealing with the cooler months across Australia,
> especially when getting the bicycle out of the shed and going for a
> ride through the local neighbourhood. But many Australians are looking
> to the two-wheeling pastime as a means of transportation - and daily
> exercise.
>
> Michael Pascoe, one of Australia's most respected and experienced...
> Neil Mitchell, who admits to being car-dependent for most of his life,...
> Others can't give up their daily cycling fix. Michael Duffy, who...

Not valid, as it was posted before midnight! Hence, I demand that
this be made true now!

--
TimC
I like the US government, makes the Aussie one look less dumb
and THAT is a pretty big effort. -- Craig Small

yep, well I had dear Mista Mitchell's 3yAWn mate Nick McCallum admit to me he (Nick that is) was a cyclist...but then is he a "celebrity"?

and I quote :

"I already ride a bike myself and I love it!I have supported ads illustrating the need for motorists to look out for cyclists and motorcyclists and recognize,as I said on air last week ,cyclists do reduce traffic congestion and pollution.I have no problem about the need for motorists and cyclists to co-exist."

yep the same Mr Nick McCallum

Nanodrive was fave of ours!

Happy March 32nd, we all must remember to laff at ingrained stupidity now and again. Lifted the piece from a excellent Canadian 'lets get into cycling' article and rejigged it. Just a little bit.
http://cfsmtb.blogspot.com/2006/04/c...d-fitness.html

"flyingdutch" wrote:
>
> NEIL MITCHELL?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?
>
> I'm gobsmacked.
> Shall read it again....
> Nope. still gobsmacked
> It must be 1st of April

Yep, I was sucked in well. A very witty story, well done cfsmtb.

April's only just starting now in the USA, so keep an eye on
http://sheldonbrown.com/humor/index.html for Sheldon's annual product
revelation :-)

--
Cheers
Peter

~~~ ~ _@
~~ ~ _- \,
~~ (*)/ (*)

"cfsmtb" wrote:
> Nanodrive was fave of ours!

I was really taken by the Real Man saddles. Where can I get one?

--
Cheers
Peter

~~~ ~ _@
~~ ~ _- \,
~~ (*)/ (*)

cool...

and Gerard Knapps boy's and girl's contribution is at :

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?...r01newsspecial