When I was 26, I would jokingly refer to my bike as the CWM (Cross Wind Missile). I'm not 26 anymore...

About Me

My name is Dean Russell and I raced road bikes and some track endurance in the 1990s. I stopped racing in 1999 when I was 26. After almost thirteen years of being a lazy slug I decided to put my sorry backside onto a bike seat and have another crack at racing. This blog chronicles my journey from being completely unfit and overweight to becoming one of the oldest Elite A grade riders in Queensland...and then slipping nicely back into Masters racing.

Wednesday, 12 December 2012

My Response to Daniel Meers' Article in The Gold Coast Bulletin

If you haven't read it already, here is the link:


I have a real sense of sympathy for our cycling sisters and brothers on the Gold Coast at the moment, after this provocative and inflammatory piece of journalistic tripe was published.

Let's imagine and pretend for one second that Mr Meers has some legitimate concerns and gripes about the cycling fraternity on the Gold Coast. By writing his article in the way he did, he has genuinely denied himself an opportunity to have his issues listened to in a respectful and productive way by the cycling community and all authorities who work to support cycling. Epic fail...

Here are some examples:

THE time has come to declare war on cyclists.

What about: I see examples of poor cycling behaviour and I believe it is time for someone to act.

Enough is enough. Motorists need to start manning up and being vocal about the issue.

What about: Motorists with genuine concerns need to contact the police.

Make some noise people, win the roads back before something really bad happens. And believe me, it will.

What about: If enough people with concerns about cyclists do something meaningful, like writing to cycling lobby groups or contact the local police, dialogue may start about cars and bikes sharing the road in a safe way.

So Mr Meers, all you have done is vilify yourself and create animosity, anger and a potentially violent situation on the roads. You should be genuinely ashamed that your actions, that potentially could have improved things on the road, have now put lives at risk. Nice work.

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