Arthur Anderson – MCCC Lifer

Arthur Anderson MCCC Life Membership

WHEN he was 41, Mildura anaesthetist Arthur Anderson was concerned about his health ? so he took up cycling to get fit.

After 19 years as a member of the Mildura Coomealla Cycling Club (MCCC), Arthur has just been awarded a life membership for his long ?services to the club and the sport of cycling?.

?I was putting on weight and having a stressful job, I decided to do something about it.

?My work includes anaesthetics, intensive care, helping ladies having babies with pain management, occasional trauma and the inevitable after-hours emergency commitments.

?I was always interested in cycling as an activity and tried it in my first year at university in Sydney.

?I had to give it up due to my commitment to do medicine and the risks of cycling in Sydney traffic were too great.

?A student colleague of mine at the time was having trouble assembling his bicycle wheels, so he sold the parts to me.

?I put them together and started cycling in Sydney, that only lasted six months, but it put the desire there, which stayed with me for the next 20 years.

?Once I joined the MCCC, I found I was getting fitter, losing weight and enjoying the camaraderie of the members as well as the cycle racing.

?I?ve been in Mildura for 29 years and cycling for 19 ? before cycling I managed to play A Grade squash for a few years before I did my shoulder in and had to give it away.

?The friendships I have made here in Mildura, especially through the cycling club have helped me cope with the daily stresses at work and have helped keep me here in Mildura longer than I would have been otherwise.

?Presenting me with this life membership award has touched me and I appreciate it deeply,? he said.

?I feel it is because I?ve been helpful and motivating and hopefully, setting a good example to young and old cyclists alike.

?The club runs a summer and winter program ? the winter is predominately road racing (40km plus to 100km distances) either handicap or scratch racing.

The summer competition comprises mainly criteriums or time trials? which we stage at the Aust-Link site next door to the airport, which makes it very safe for the juniors and the time trials are generally conducted around the riverside circuit.

?Cycling in Mildura is a lot safer than cycling in a major city, once you’re five minutes out of the city centre there’s very little traffic and far less road rage.

?Our biggest worry on the roads here are the occasional magpies, but we get to know where they are.

?I?ve won a few races over the years, far fewer in the last 10 years, but have, and still do, enjoy the spirit of competition.

?Once you reach a certain level of fitness, it becomes enjoyable to ride hard and fast.

?There is a lot to learn in cycling ? it’s not just a matter of jumping on a bike and going for a ride.

?You?ve got to learn about how your body reacts, how to train, how to position yourself on the bicycle ? if these things are done correctly, you avoid minor injuries.

?I particularly like is the technical aspect of cycling.

?I?ve designed and built many pairs of wheels and now I’m making bicycle lights ? I make a brighter rear red flashing LED (light-emitting diode) light ? it’s another interesting hobby.

?My other hobbies include building hi-fi speakers ? it’s like furniture with a practical purpose ? beautiful timber veneers finely sanded, stained and oiled to a smooth satin finish.

?Photography and fiddling with computers is another pleasant way to enjoy some free time.

?We no longer have immediate family in Mildura, our three children, Nicholas, 33, James, 31, and Stephanie, 25, are busy working from Sydney, Montreal, and Mackay in Queensland.

?We plan to retire to Newcastle in the first half of 2011 to be close to family members,?? Arthur said.

?My reservations there will be finding a cycling club offering the same degree of camaraderie as here in Mildura.

?When I get there I?ll do a few races and find out which club I want to join and hopefully find the safety of training is not too much of an issue.

?I hope the MCCC continues to grow as it has (many juniors are now participating) as it is a healthy and enjoyable activity.

?Even if you?ve got bad knees you can still cycle because it’s not an impact sport as is running,? the medical man said.

?I hope in the future, Mildura authorities will improve safety for bicycles by providing ?bicycle-only? lanes with a more ?Amsterdam type? atmosphere.

?It would work well in Mildura, given our flat terrain and grid road/street layout.

?The ideal environment for Mildura cyclists would be an outdoor velodrome which would encourage kids to progress from BMX to cycling in a generally safe environment ? which Mildura did have in the old days,? the ?pedalantic? cyclist said.

This story appeared in Saturday?s Sunraysia Daily 09/10/2010.

www.sunraysiadaily.com.au – Arthur Anderson’s cycle of life

Congratulations Arthur!

(Say g’day to James for me)