The Ride Stuff

MARK MCKEOWN TAKES IN THE TOLL-FREE VIEW RESERVED FOR CYCLISTS ON THE HARBOUR BRIDGE DURING A PEDAL-POWERED TOUR OF THE CITY. Bonza Bike Tours

The (october) Plan

Pedal power Go green and get healthy with the City of Sydney Spring Cycle. The charity ride has routes for all levels - all finishing at Sydney Olympic Park - and money raised from registrations benefits MS Australia. October 19. $60, or two adults and two children for $125. Starting points vary. www.springcycle.com.au.

The Land Beyond Vine

Louise Southerden ventures past Mudgee's renowned wineries and discovers its natural treasures.

Wheel Good

Rob McFarland finds the perfect way to burn off calories while tasting the delights of Mudgee.

Spin Through The Sand

Some places just aren't for your average traveller particularly untamed destinations where package tours rarely venture and things don't always go according to plan. But we know that some of our readers have a strong adventurous streak. This occasional series is for the adventurers and for the rest of us who like to read, from the comfort of our armchairs, about the things that others dare to do . . . this week ANDREA LOBBECKE cycles across the desert sands of Namibia.

10,000km Bike Ride In The Desert

Helen Leudar judders through the rugged red heart on a mountain bike. IT was those three magic words that finally persuaded me to say yes . . . back-up support vehicle. I'd been reluctant at first to venture out with an outfit called Remote Outback Cycle (ROC) Tours it all sounded too much li

(cohen Live)

`Cohen Live: Leonard Cohen in Concert' (Columbia). IT'S been a long time between live drinks for the man with the leathery voice and deft way with words - 21 years after `Live Songs' he's back with a collection of his best recorded during two tours coinciding with the release of `I'm Your Man' (

Autumn Days Of Wine And Roses

OF ALL the Australian wine districts, the picturesque and the prosaic, Sydney's nearest - the Hunter Valley - is the most tourist-oriented. You can stay in inexpensive, self-catering cabins or international-calibre luxury. There are package tours. You can fly, bus or drive. There is even

Clashes As Strike Shuts Down Dhaka

DHAKA, Sunday: Protesters fought sporadic stone-throwing battles with police today as a renewed general strike closed shops and offices in the capital of Bangladesh. The streets were empty of traffic other than a few pedal rickshaws and Government buses. Police described the inciden