![\"Arthur](\"https:\/\/thehippy.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/20101013-arthur_anderson_951508.jpg\" "\\"Arthur")
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WHEN he was 41, Mildura anaesthetist Arthur Anderson was concerned about his health ? so he took up cycling to get fit.<\/p>\n
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?.<\/p>\n
?I was putting on weight and having a stressful job, I decided to do something about it.<\/p>\n
?My work includes anaesthetics, intensive care, helping ladies having babies with pain management, occasional trauma and the inevitable after-hours emergency commitments.<\/p>\n
?I was always interested in cycling as an activity and tried it in my first year at university in Sydney.<\/p>\n
?I had to give it up due to my commitment to do medicine and the risks of cycling in Sydney traffic were too great.<\/p>\n
?A student colleague of mine at the time was having trouble assembling his bicycle wheels, so he sold the parts to me.<\/p>\n
?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.<\/p>\n
?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.<\/p>\n
?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.<\/p>\n
?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.<\/p>\n
?Presenting me with this life membership award has touched me and I appreciate it deeply,? he said.<\/p>\n
?I feel it is because I?ve been helpful and motivating and hopefully, setting a good example to young and old cyclists alike.<\/p>\n
?The club runs a summer and winter program ? the winter is predominately road racing (40km plus to 100km distances) either handicap or scratch racing.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
?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.<\/p>\n
?Our biggest worry on the roads here are the occasional magpies, but we get to know where they are.<\/p>\n
?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.<\/p>\n
?Once you reach a certain level of fitness, it becomes enjoyable to ride hard and fast.<\/p>\n
?There is a lot to learn in cycling ? it’s not just a matter of jumping on a bike and going for a ride.<\/p>\n
?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.<\/p>\n
?I particularly like is the technical aspect of cycling.<\/p>\n
?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.<\/p>\n
?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.<\/p>\n
?Photography and fiddling with computers is another pleasant way to enjoy some free time.<\/p>\n
?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.<\/p>\n
?We plan to retire to Newcastle in the first half of 2011 to be close to family members,?? Arthur said.<\/p>\n
?My reservations there will be finding a cycling club offering the same degree of camaraderie as here in Mildura.<\/p>\n
?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.<\/p>\n
?I hope the MCCC continues to grow as it has (many juniors are now participating) as it is a healthy and enjoyable activity.<\/p>\n
?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.<\/p>\n
?I hope in the future, Mildura authorities will improve safety for bicycles by providing ?bicycle-only? lanes with a more ?Amsterdam type? atmosphere.<\/p>\n
?It would work well in Mildura, given our flat terrain and grid road\/street layout.<\/p>\n
?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.<\/p>\n
This story appeared in Saturday?s Sunraysia Daily 09\/10\/2010. <\/p>\n
www.sunraysiadaily.com.au – Arthur Anderson’s cycle of life<\/a><\/p>\n Congratulations Arthur! <\/p>\n (Say g’day to James for me)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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 … Continue reading