A Cyclist's Life in Tenerife (Canary Islands)

More than a year ago, a topic about Tenerife and the environment came up on the Sun4Free forum. I’ve had this article lying around as draft version, so I thought rather than delete it, I’d publish «as is».

Lets assume that you’re absolutely correct in your statements. What do you suggest that we do to stop the emissions of CO2 in Tenerife? Stop encouraging visitors to the Island? Ban all tourism? BIG savings on emissions with no aircraft coming in. Stop all unnecessary activity on the Island? No pleasure trips by car, bus motorcycle or bicycle?

Here’s what I managed to dig up:

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates aviation contributes just 3% to total global emissions of CO2, compared with the 25% pumped out by power stations.

So since I was asked directly, here is what I would introduce:

In the short term (6 – 18 months)

• Firstly introduce a new green Tenerife website outlining all of the measures that are going on.
• Give each resort hotel a «green energy rating» based on their use of electricty, ability to reuse and recycle, etc.
• Introduce transit lanes on the highways
• Make all the coaches use biodiesel if they aren’t already and equip them with bicycle racks
• Target vehicles causing excessive pollution.
• Run several prizes for the most environmentally friendly small businesses within several different categories … ensure they get more exposure through the media.

offer small loans & grants

• Provide small loans & grants for the most environmentally friendly new business ideas
• Educate people via the media about how to recycle and why it is worth the effort

In the medium term (2 – 3 years)

• Introduce a Solar Panel rebate scheme for small businesses…
• Introduce 20¢ tax on each passenger flight. Use this money to plant trees for each flight elsewhere, not necessarily in Tenerife (each tree will save ~1 tonne of CO2 in it’s lifetime)
• Promote the use of scooters as a more economical & environmentally friendly form of transport.
• Encourage carbon-offset websites like this one www.greenfleet.com.au

In the long term (5 years +)

• Prioritise the construction of the North-South train link.
• Phase out petrol hire cars and phase in hybrid vehicles such as the smart car

Tags: Inspiration., Island Life by Dr. Leslie Brown
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Hi Leslie!

We aro so sorry
We should put off our arrival till summer because its a crisis here
my friend lost work
so…its changed all our plans
but i hope we will do smth to change the situation and make it better for ourselves
thanks a lot for your efforts
and hope to visit Tenerife in summer or next year!

Hello,

Don’t worry – there is a crisis all over the world … it’s global … for example one of the weeks in January I had just one bicycle rented! Normally I have 5-10 or more bikes rented then, if not more. Luckily last month [February] was okay.

My Spanish partner also worked for Iberia and her work contract expired early and is now unemployed. Unfortunately she isn’t entitled to unemployment benefits because she hasn’t worked more than 365 days… incredible! Where I am from -Australia- the goverment automatically helps us when we don’t have enough work.

Anyway, that’s one of the reasons I sent the last newsletter – it’s times like these that we have to work harder than ever, especially if individuals & businesses want to survive. Instead of complaining about the crisis and wondering about why the economic situation is the way it is, I always try to maintain a positive, optimistic attitude for the future and keep working to find new clients. I’ve found that it certainly helps if you have clearly identifiable and reachable goal.

Thanks for your email & hope to see you one day in the future training in Tenerife!

-Leslie

Tags: Inspiration., That's Business, The Bike Guru by Dr. Leslie Brown
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Spirulina is a microscopic freshwater plant that grows in America, Mexico and Central Africa. Spirulina contains an unusually high amount of protein, between 55% and 77% by dry weight, depending upon the source.

It contains more bio-chelated organic iron than any other whole-food. Bio-chelated means that the iron will easily be assimilated into the body. Spirulina has 58 times the iron of raw spinach and 28 times that of raw beef liver. [Read more →]

Tags: Inspiration., Spoke Bed by Dr. Leslie Brown
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Kukuxumusu is one of my favourite Spanish designers, founded by Mikel Urmeneta their zany creative director. The name «kukuxumusu» meaning «flea’s kiss» in the Basque language. His cartoon designs are incredibly bold, colourful and original and are not that well known outside of Spain.

Kukuxumusu prints almost always feature a stylised animal with themes most often about Spanish culture; raising humanitarian & ecological awareness with simple messages; mountain expeditions; humorous cartoons displaying the animal’s own unique perspective; animals interacting with one another; sex and drugs; violence is never represented in the images. There are even a few references to Mt Teide and the Canary Islands.

By far the most prominent character is the iconic blue cow; sheep also appear regularly as well as other easily identifiable animals such as: bulls, primates, monkeys, donkeys, camels, polar bears, penguins, whales, birds, amphibians, lizards, chameleons, mosquitos, grasshoppers and other insects, etc. Love hearts and fried eggs are also common.

I guess they are similar in approach to Mambo graphics in Australia but these are a lot cuter and a little more subtle. You can support them by buying any of their clothes and accessories online at www.kukuxumusu.com. There’s also a shop selling some Kukuxumusu stuff here in La Orotava if you happen to be in the area. Alternatively, you can even contract them to make a custom design for your business or charity organisation!

I hope you enjoy the following slideshow gallery images:

Tags: Inspiration. by Dr. Leslie Brown
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Leontien Zijlaard van Moorsel is one of the most successful and versatile female cyclists of modern times, competing in both track and road racing events. She was born in Boekel, the Netherlands in 1970. One of the best looking female riders both on the velodrome and in the peloton, she is well known for her make-up, lipstick and painted nails.

Between 1990 and 1993, she won 4 world championships. During that time she also won the French Tour de l’Aude Cycliste Féminin» twice before suffering from depression and anorexia nervosa in 2004. She then made a comeback in the late 90’s overcoming her mental ill-health to win a further 5 world championship races between 1998 and 2003. At the Sydney 2000 Olympics she was one of the most victorious athletes, winning three gold medals and one silver in various cycling disciplines. [Read more →]

Tags: Inspiration. by Dr. Leslie Brown
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One of my goals when I was a teenager was that I never wanted to wear a suit and tie. I resented the very idea. It was too conformist. Too conventional. Illogical & impractical I also used to think. In that sense, I’m living my dream by never having worn one, although financially speaking, this was definitely not the wisest career move. As far as finances go, I’ve since realised it’s much easier said than done to make your own money.

It goes without saying that I like to make my own choices. I choose what my priorities are, when and how I perform tasks. I am my own boss. What I do not like in the feeling of insecurity. I’m living alright, but the dream has not come easily. In fact, I’m not 100% convinced that it’s even arrived!

When I was younger I got suckered into starting a Ph.D. Worse still, I was persuaded to continue until the end. It took 5 rather miserable years to finish. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed my undergraduate Materials Science degree immensely, but I liken the Doctorate to being tortured in prison. I needed a change.

«Have you ever attempted to be yourself
when everybody wants you to be someone else?» – Powderfinger

[Read more →]

Tags: Inspiration., That's Business by Dr. Leslie Brown
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How to lose fitness:
I don’t know what happened to me in the last year. I seemed to lose all motivation for riding my road bike. It’s the same old story: you turn 30 and your belly starts to accrete fat molecules like an asteroid belt orbiting a big planet. So here’s a little spur-of-the-moment article I’ve put together that can possibly help loads of people.

I was so busy with www.Tenerife-Training.net & www.BikeNode.com, I didn’t get out as much & gained at least 5kg body mass in the last year (and none of it was muscle). Probably it was more like 7-10 kg, but I conveniently forgot what my starting weight was (~67kg?). All I know is that, suddenly one day I hopped on the scales and the little dial moved in a manner in which I’d never previously witnessed: it lurched forward and then backward and then forward again, swinging like the pendulum of a miniature grandfather clock, giving me enough time to realise that I’d definitely gained too much weight. By the time it settled I wasn’t happy about the decision to weigh myself. At this point, I could only imagine the level of guilt truly obese people feel. [Read more →]

Tags: Inspiration., Learning Curve, Mental Anguish by Dr. Leslie Brown
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With the petrol prices rising, the energy crisis looming, and the state of the environment deteriorating, I thought it was time to compile a list of zero emission vehicles (ZEVs). First I’d like to say that I’m pretty pissed of that the internal combustion engine is still with us today. I remember when the Australian government told us about 15 years ago that they’d be «phasing petrol cars out». Phasing them out my arse…!! Anyway, it is my hope that one day, the combustion engine will become just as unpopular as analogue electronic equipment now has, and that zero emmissions vehicles will be treated like the new wave of «digital» equipment. I hope that people will laugh at things like exhaust pipes in future. Fuck hybrid vehicles altogether I say… they’re like dual VCR/DVD drives.

Note that I haven’t included hybrids or alternative fuels in this list, as all of them still emit greenhouse gases. I also haven’t included any prototypes, impractical or uneconomical cars. The majority of these production cars you can buy TODAY, the remaining few that aren’t are slated for production within about a year, so you can at least reserve with a deposit. I encourage you to leave a comment if I’ve ommitted any ZEVs from the list: [Read more →]

Tags: Inspiration., That's Business by Dr. Leslie Brown
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I recently watched this video of an elephant drawing a ‘self portrait’. I was amazed. I was also amazed at some of the responses this video provoked on youtube. It really opened up a can of worms. People on one side were saying how cool it was, others were protesting everything from to «stop animal cruelty!» and «it’s a robot hoax» to «he’s following the outlines». I’m sure this has already been said, but is this any different from the way that some humans paint by numbers? [Read more →]

Tags: Inspiration., Vida Enigmática by Dr. Leslie Brown
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Whenever I see this following video clip, I’m simply amazed at the intricacy of each animation scene. This is one of those things I look at and place into the «I couldn’t do this any better not even in my wildest dreams» category. I haven’t had the opportunity to see the movie yet though. Apparantly they’re remaking Akira into a live action film in 2009. I don’t see how they can do better that this though. I would have been blown away had I seen this at the time it was released when I was 11.

Akira is a 1988 Japanese animated film set in a neon-lit futuristic post-apocalyptic Tokyo in 2019. Akira is regarded by critics as one of the greatest animated films ever made. One of the reasons for the movie’s success was the highly advanced quality of its animation. At the time, most anime was notorious for cutting production corners with limited motion, such as having only the characters’ mouths move while their faces remained static. Akira broke from this trend with meticulously detailed scenes, exactingly lip-synched dialogue €” a first for an anime production (voices were recorded before the animation was completed, rather than the opposite) €” and super-fluid motion as realized in the film’s more than 160,000 animation cels.

Tags: Inspiration., Mental Anguish by Dr. Leslie Brown
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Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) is a mental disorder of which the primary symptom is the inability to concentrate. While the symptoms are widely accepted, the causes are disputed. Conventional studies of this disease have focused on brain’s ability to produce dopamine, food additives such as colourants, genetic research and environmental factors (including alcohol, in utero tobacco smoke and lead exposure). Meanwhile, the actual treatments are even more controversial, ranging from medication (including stimulants and anti-depressants), to counseling and behavioural therapy.

But recent studies describe a new form of ADHD treatment; how strenous exercise can reduce the symptoms of ADHD, without the need for medication: [Read more →]

Tags: Inspiration., Mental Anguish by Dr. Leslie Brown
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This is a special guest article written by Jonathan Donnelly of Northern Ireland. Late last year, he hired a road bike with us for 6 days here in Tenerife, successfully scaled the 2300m climb to the base of Mt Teide and was then keen to try out a mountainbike for the first time in his life! This is an amazing story because in April of the same year, Jon was a self-confessed computer gaming addict tipping the scales at 103kg. Thanks for the inspirational article Jon!

-Dr. Leslie Brown

Inspiration Part 1.

In my area of the world the authorities that be are mad keen to get you active! A while back there was this campaign called Go walking, it’s the thing to do… to get fit, lose weight, de-stress.

With facts and figures about how much you can lower your risk of heart disease etc. it all looked very boring and did not appeal to a Gladiator like me killing mad mosters that drop purple gear with my super powers in my virtual world (google ‘world of warcraft’).

Go walking, it even had a theme tune, and a spin off called «highway to health». The problem with walking is unless you change your scenery often it gets rather boring I know I did loads of it ‘til i was SICK of it.

It seems to me like a form of exercise that i term, «just for the sake of it». Or «I have no sport I’m good at so I’m gonna walk for exercise» and «I’m too fat to jog». [Read more →]

Tags: Inspiration., Learning Curve by Dr. Leslie Brown
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Bikes these days are all about fashion. The fashion changes just like anything else. Just look at sloping geometry. Carbon seat stays. Ergo bars. Compact cranks. White carbon and painted white carbon. Integrated seatposts. If you want to be a fashion victim, go with the flow. Mrazek aim to be different. To not follow fashion. I think they’ve achieved that.

Mrazek is art. And like art, whether it pleases you or not is very subjective. It’s your choice, and there are thousands of other «cookie-cutter» frames to choose from.  Some people say that they ride as well as they look. On the other hand, if you don’t like the way they look, you might not like the way they ride. And vice versa. [Read more →]

Tags: Inspiration., Spoke Bed by Dr. Leslie Brown
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The band is Powderfinger. No it’s not from Tenerife, not even from Spain or Europe… but all the way from Australia (like me). This is the sort of music that gets me going… it just rocks and nothing more needs to be said.

Tags: Inspiration. by Dr. Leslie Brown
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Amaral is a very famous Spanish pop/rock band almost unknown outside Spain. Amaral originated in 1997 in Zaragoza, in the North-East of Spain. The band consists of Eva Amaral and Juan Aguirre. The following videos are in fact the first three tracks of Amaral’s third album, Estrella de mar (2002).

Sin ti no soy nada (without you I am nothing), music videoclip:

Morirí­a por vos (I would die for you), music videoclip:

Toda la noche en la calle (All night in the street), acoustic version:

Tags: Inspiration. by Dr. Leslie Brown
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OK, he’s finally added me to my myspace profile after a loooong delay, so here’s my tribute to Mario Cipollini! I’m not going to bore you with his long list of race performances which you can easily get elsewhere. Wikipedia cites the following:

Mario Cipollini is an Italian professional road cyclist most noted for his sprinting ability, the longevity of his dominance (his first pro win came in 1989, his last in 2005; 191 victories in all) and his colourful personality.

Although he was an adept sprinter, climbing was not Mario’s forté; despite entering the Tour de France 8 times and winning 12 stages, he always dropped out before the race even hit the mountains, casually slipping into the back of his team support car… no, he was never going to be a real overall contender.

His competition results aside, he takes top honours for the best dressed cyclist both on and off the bike. When riding, he is well known for his outlandish lycra skin suits… my personal favourite is the zebra pattern he wore in the days when he was sponsored by Specialized. Off the bike, he has extravagant taste in designer clothing, owning literally hundreds of formal suits, ties and shoes. Yes it seems to be true: Italians must have a 6th sense when it comes to STYLE!

Those that have met or interviewed Mario Cipollini say that he is very charming, tall (190cm) and handsome. Along with that long fringe of hair, he is reputation as both the «Lion King» and «Super Mario» are well deserved.

Tags: Inspiration. by Dr. Leslie Brown
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ITER refers to the windmill farms as «Parques Eólicos» not «Molinos» as you might think. And unlike the fake, stationary molino that was built not far from my place last year, these ones actually work! There are three such wind parks located at Grandailla & Arico in the South of Tenerife, with a combined annual energy production of 36.764 MWh/year. These are enough to effectively reduce the petroleum consumption by 3170 tonnes per year, which is what would have been used to generate the same amount of energy from conventional means.

They may all look the same, but ITER uses aerogenerators which are supplied from several different manufacturers: Vestas, Ecotecnia, Made, and Enercon. They’re currently experimenting which ones are the most suitable (offering least noise & superior performance).

Interestingly, Spain already generates the highest proportion of it’s energy from wind energy (compared to other countries) and the new industry is booming. [Read more →]

Tags: Inspiration., Island Life by Dr. Leslie Brown
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It’s not often I post an article in both the «Inspiration» and «Island Life» categories simultaneously. But looking out the bus window earlier last month, I noticed a strange series of dark, tilted platforms located in an arid coastal region of Granadilla. They’re only visible from freeway TF1 for a few seconds. To my eyes, it appeared to be a vast series of solar-cell panels forming one giant array.

Well after doing a bit of investigating, the project turns out to be called «SOLTEN«, constructed and operated by the Instituto Tecnológico y de Energí­as Renovables (ITER). My hunch was correct: SOLTEN is reportedly the biggest photovoltaic solar power station in Europe, so I’m really suprised I haven’t heard about it before!

The SOLTEN solar installation was initially expected to consist of 150 solar energy modules; each module was comprised of 576 photovoltaic solar cell panels distributed in 24 rows and yielding up to 100 kilowatts of electricity. The installation was expected to generate a total energy capacity of 15 Megawatts of power. Source.

Instead, SOLTEN has been conceived in two steps, SOLTEN I and SOLTEN II. The photovoltaic solar units ultilised in the SOLTEN project are fabricated by Kyocera, ITER, Yingli and Solarworld. The good news is that the energy that is generated will be connected to the local electricity grid, which is managed by Unelco-Endesa.  [Read more →]

Tags: Inspiration., Island Life by Dr. Leslie Brown
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You’ve probably already seen this as it is one of the most watched videos on youtube. I really love this video! I lived in Sydney for 28 years so it is even more special for me as I recognise all the locations where it was filmed.

Tags: Inspiration. by Dr. Leslie Brown
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People often ask questions like: «Who is your idol?». I don’t have any true idols, but yes I do find inspiration in some people. Sarah Ulmer is one such person. A New Zealand track cyclist legend, Sarah Ulmer broke the world record in the qualifying event for the women’s 3km pursuit time trial competition. She then came back to smash the world record during the race. Announcing her retirement from professional cycling in November 2007, Sarah Ulmer now focuses on her own online business, after launching sarahulmerbrand. This is a very comprehensive website with its own line of clothing plus lots of other quality content for cyclists.

Her achievements are many; here are a list of accomplishments (Source: famous New Zealanders): [Read more →]

Tags: Inspiration. by Dr. Leslie Brown
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