Duck duty, malaise, and lack of concentration combine to diminish posting today. Bear with me. Today’s “photos of readers” features Chris Taylor, whose story is indented.
Here are two photos of me. I tried to find photos that showed me in different aspects. I couldn’t find a reasonable one of me as a Fire Brigade member, so here’s one as a dancer, and one as a cyclist.
On the first of May, Morris dancers from all around the world go out before dawn to dance as the sun rises. I’m a member of the Canberra side, the Surly Griffin Morris, and this year of course we could not meet as usual, but we still danced in isolation, them met online for a virtual team breakfast. This is me in my tattercoat trying to keep warm after dancing up the sun at home.
Second an older one of me riding in the L’Etape Australia ride in the Snowy Mountains. This is on the climb up the Col de Beloka, about 80 km into the 120 km ride. If it looks like hard riding – that’s because it was! But I completed the ride in just 6 hours, so was pleased with that
You made me go off and learn about Morris dancing!
After the Mount Lewontin post, I initially read the second sentence as “Bare with me”. Not sure that would be a Photos of readers post I could handle…!
The Canberra Morris Dancing gear looks much cooler and more fun than what I’ve seen in pictures from the UK!
I am driven to speak up for our British morris dancers, an unbelievable body of gaily garbed ne’er-do-wells. An image search will show you them in all their madcap variety.
Very colorful. Would not be the same in black and white. Had to go look this one up.
One of the main drivers of British colonialisation and the accompanying cultural appropriation is that otherwise we would have been stuck with celebrating Morris dancing and museums filled only with Huntley & Palmers biscuit tins.
Another comment fail – that was meant to be a reply to Frank at #3.
I am more interested in the bike pic than the Morris dancing, although ‘Surly Griffin’ is clever. (Canberra is on Lake Burley Griffin). Kudos for the ride – I notice some of the riders are actually walking up that hill, so it must have been tough.
I wonder who took the photo. If it was an “official” ride photo it would be a bit humiliating to be snapped walking! Being “overgeared” is a big mistake. I remember doing an organized multi-day ride when I was young and very fit and thought I could handle anything. There was a 20%+ grade and the lowest gear I had was a 42-26. I didn’t stay riding for very long. I wasn’t alone trudging up on foot.
I’ve walked up enough hills now to just be disappointed, and not ashamed any more!
The climb is just less than 3km (1.86 miles) long with a total rise of 300m (990ft) at an average of 9.9%. But the first 0.5 km is at 15%. It gets a bit easier in the middle – just after the point where the photo was taken.
Serious climb! 🙂
I didn’t understand it, then looked it up and understood. Well played young man. Keep riding.