So it is the end of May and down south it is starting to get very chilly!!
This month is all about bikes, riding and getting out and about...
Anton makes talking about Safety... serious & fun!
I talk to Finny again about Workplace Injury and Compensation...
and be sure to visit the website for lots more stuff.

I’m not sure if I have mentioned this but do you know I can ride a bike?

I ride a handcycle which is a 3 wheeled hand powered bike. I use it mainly for exercise, but I also go for a ride with my family on some of the rail trails we have near us.


My bike is a bit wider than a 2 wheeled bike and one of the issues I’ve had in the past are I struggle to fit through traffic chicanes that are designed to slow people down before a road crossing.

I normally take someone with me that can help to lift my bike around the chicane.

Recently I mentioned this to the local council Disability Advisory Committee (DAC) and I spoke with the person responsible for the trails and explained my issue.
They agreed to meet me at the trail and I took my bike and showed them the issue.
They took some measurements and pictures.

A short time later I received a call telling me that they had made some changes to the chicanes and they’d like my feedback. I went for a ride and they had made modifications that allow me to ride through the chicane unassisted.

I can now ride the trail by myself, which is great but there’s more...

The modification was recently entered into the DSR awards (Disability Sport and Recreation) and won it’s category for Recreation or Open Space Infrastructure.

Awesome job to the Yarra Ranges Council and to the DAC.

Note: If you would like to watch the actual awards the link is below...about the 47min mark you will see the presentation of this award and a small video from James.  Victorian Disability Sport & Recreation Awards

While I’m on a bike riding theme I wanted to let you know that I took my wife and daughter for a ride recently. It was a Sunday morning and great weather so we loaded up the bikes and went to the Warburton Trail.

Ok so you are all thinking…

Awww that's so cool that James can ride with his family, but I do want to ask you to think of this…

• A handcycle costs much more than a 2 wheeled bike, my bike cost $10,000
• It’s harder to load a handcycle onto a car/trailer (Sometimes need help)
• If my daughter or wife falls off their bike I am limited to how much I can help them as I can’t get off my bike
• If I get a flat tyre I have to try to fix it while sitting on my bike
• There are some places that my bike cannot get to (see story above)
• It’s just not the same as a "Normal" bike

Now don’t get me wrong here, we had a great ride and my daughter rode 14km, I was so proud of her. But the point I’m making here is that as much as I can do things in different ways, it's not the same as I should be able to do them if I was not in a wheelchair.

Just think for a second about some of the ways that an injury would change your life!

Don’t hurt yourself... It’s just not worth it.