Author Archives: Kath Bicknell

Riding with heroes: Aus Gravity Enduro Series Round 5

Stromlo Enduro-2
Podium! L-R: Vanessa Thompson, Claire Whiteman, Rosie Barnes, Jaclyn Schapel, and me, stoked to finish in fifth. Photo: Matt Molijn.

Enduro is getting increasingly serious. Last weekend in Canberra I saw a guy in full Lycra and compression socks pushing his bike up the hill to save energy for the descent. He then took the smooth tarmac the rest of the way to the top instead of the fun, punchy singletrack that goes to the same place.

Commonwealth Games cross-country representative, Andy Blair, was heckled for looking too downhill, before swapping to his Swell-Specialized skinsuit for the second timed run. Take that hecklers.Continue reading “Riding with heroes: Aus Gravity Enduro Series Round 5”

The Era, the Rumor Evo + other highlights from the Specialized 2015 launch

2015 Specialized Women's Range-19
29″ wheels make the overall height of a bike quite high. The low standover on the women’s models makes it easier to throw a leg over the frame. Photo: Mick Ross.

It’s an exciting time to be a mountain biker. Trail networks are rapidly on the up, participation is growing so fast it’s becoming mainstream and there are more choices for equipment than ever before. For women, this growth means more companies are establishing a range of bikes that meet the diverse needs of female riders.

Specialized are a brand who have been developing a women’s range long before other companies have felt confident in selling to this half of the market. Their 2015 range takes the research and product development of years past, and pushes the boundaries of bike design heading into the future. I was wrapped to be invited to the 2015 Australia and New Zealand product launch on the Gold Coast this month to report on these new bikes for Flow Mountain Bike.Continue reading “The Era, the Rumor Evo + other highlights from the Specialized 2015 launch”

Teaching Performance Practices at NIDA

A lot of the work you see on this website comes from the world of cycling. What many people don’t realise is that the background to my professional work in the cycling and media industries comes from spending most of my life studying theatre and performance.

Earlier this year I joined Dr Robin Dixon and Dr Chris Hay in the Department of Performance Practices at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). This department does the ‘theory stuff’: Performance history and analysis, unpacking scripts against their original cultural and historical moment, looking at how big ideas from those time periods come through in the art that was being created alongside them, critical thinking and theoretical tools for describing work that’s happening right now.Continue reading “Teaching Performance Practices at NIDA”