Dream it! Believe it! Achieve it!

On By Sharron YaxleyIn Europe

I am a goal oriented person. I feel lost without goals. With a goal, I feel a sense of purpose. I have something to work towards. It captures my imagination and keeps me focused.

When I do not have a goal, my mind wanders aimlessly and I feel unchallenged and demotivated.

This trip was a goal borne from a variety of circumstances and possibilities.

I trained for this goal. I trained hard. I was doing between 600-800 km per week on my trainer on Zwift. Some knocked me for doing it on the trainer rather than the road.

However, there is also a second goal. I am currently the leading female zwifter in the world, distance wise, and on track, barring injury, to be the first to attain 100,000 km. I am in the top 20 all timers ( ie. only men ahead of me), out of more than one million riders.

Some have said “you are lucky” re our touring trips. It is not luck, it is perseverance despite what obstacles may present themselves. To quit, or make excuses, is easy.

Lessons have been learned from this trip….mapping, routing, accomodation, things to carry and not carry…none are major…more ‘tweaks’.

There are a few other trips in the planning pipeline, so the dreams will continue. The goals will be replaced with new ones…fairly quickly too!

I wanted to show you this picture. Some may have noticed these bands in pictures on this, and other trips.

I wear these for all of my ‘in real life’ rides ( ie not Zwift). They have meaning for me, as blood, sweat and tears have encased them.

A few years ago, my dear daughter Hannah, then aged 20, set herself a challenge. In one day, she rode a massive 337 km, with a group of other riders, in Tasmania.

Tony and I were the support crew.

She chose to raise funds for two charities dear to her. The Amy Gillet Foundation and Beyond Blue. She raised around $5,000

Amy Gillet was set up following Amy’s death, as the result of a careless, inattentive driver, crashing into the Australian road team during a training ride overseas. The Foundation pushes the safe sharing of road message.

Beyond Blue supports anyone suffering mental illness.

I support both organisations visibly by wearing these. I support their ethos, and I guess I regard these bands as good luck talismans.

Road safety is important to me. I ride, along with others that I love and care about. We all need to share the roads patiently and responsibly. Your patience and temporary inconvenience might just save my life, or that of someone else I (or you) care about.

Mental health. Tony and I have both had depression and anxiety in our lifetime. I have had one of my children suffer. We have seen first hand how some sweep it under the mat, like it does not exist at a time that support is needed more than ever.

I for one, will continue to fight that attitude. I have nothing but sympathy. The suicide rate is unacceptably high, and if I can help one person then fantastic.

I have reached out to strangers and helped. One I reached out to, I now regard as a good friend.

Tony and I now prefer smaller group events. We both feel uncomfortable and stressed in larger groups. We won’t attend such events anymore unless critically necessary, as we don’t enjoy them. They stress us. That is us, looking after us!

Cycling gives us a peace of mind. The relative quiet of the country villages and roads, not the noisy impost of impersonal cities.

The journeys will continue.

To those who liked my links on Facebook for the blogs, to those who actually read the blogs, to those who liked and commented on the blog (on my blog page), to my new blog followers….I thank you.

We do look to see who reacts positively as we see that as a form of support and encouragement, for what was, without a doubt, the hardest challenge we have undertaken, during one of central Europe’s worst ever spring weather.

Until my next trip and blog,

Love and hugs

Ooroo

Xxx

40 thoughts on “Dream it! Believe it! Achieve it!”

  2. Jenni

    Sharron and Tony you are amazing and I have thoroughly enjoyed the blog. Your courage, persistence, photography and sense of humour has kept me entertained.

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  3. Jen

    Well done you two! You both train so hard to attain your goals. Thoroughly enjoyed your trip from the comfort of home and look forward to your next adventure.

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  4. David Hutchinson

    Thank you for the ‘journey’! Didn’t seem that hard really, from the comfort of my own home – and I didn’t get wet either! 😀. I have followed this tour right from the start and am amazed that it went so quickly. It was a great read each day and I found myself looking forward to the next instalment. I hope it will put me in good stead for my first solo tour, starting next week, from Munich to Prague. I fly out of Brisbane on Sunday.

    Additionally, for what it is worth, after I finish the bike tour, I will be joined by my wife and we are going to Cesky Kruminov for a couple of days, solely as a result of reading your blog. There you go 😀.

    Anyway, thanks for your efforts. I look forward to hearing of your next adventure.

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  5. tony casson

    Wow! What a journey. I also followed the blog all the way through & found it fascinating. Congratulations for seeing it through & look forward to the next one.
    See you on the bacon rolls ride soon.😃

    p.s I was still waiting for Jag man to make another appearance 😂

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  6. Ali

    I had a huge smile reading this but also a tear too. Sadness tinged but your support and ethos know no bounds. I salute you both and have enormous respect.

    I’m also proud to have you as a friend thanks to Zwift. I can’t wait for you to attain that crown and see the million ‘ride ons’. It’ll be so very well deserved and I’ll be chuffed to bits for you!

    Safe travels home and here’s to the next adventure xx

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  7. Ali

    I had a huge smile reading this but also a tear too. Sadness tinged but your support and ethos know no bounds. I salute you both and have enormous respect.

    I’m also proud to have you as a friend thanks to Zwift. I can’t wait for you to attain that crown and see the million ‘ride ons’. It’ll be so very well deserved and I’ll be chuffed to bits for you!

    Safe travels home and here’s to the next adventure xx

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  8. Andy Brockbank

    Nice Comments Sharron. I endorse everything you have said and following a MTB crash in February I haven’t ridden (in any format) and my will to get back is seriously under challenge. Probably couldn’t have come at a worse time heading into the depths of winter, cold, windy, wet and short daylight hours. Jury is well and truly out as to the future.

    Enjoyed following your exploits and recognised some of your destinations – Split and Cesky Krumlov. Well done both of you.

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    1. I am sorry to learn of your accident. I had no idea. We could organise a time for you to come around and I will ride with you on Zwift…you could use Tony’s trainer, me on mine…and I will just ride with you…if you would like. Thankyou for your positive comments… 😊

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  11. Paul Little

    Sharron and Tony, true Tassie Devil spirit, congratulations, some people will only have one challenge in their life, the school x country, not many challenge themselves a you do, to go out of your comfort zone. It will be interesting to see how good / bad you feel Sharron when you get back to Zwift. P.S. hope the builders have finished your extension & have not left too much mess.

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    1. The cross country yes, that used to challenge me. I guess life changed post depression and anxiety and I became a ‘better’ person….changing more to keep doing what motivates me…too many funerals! It will take two weeks to readjust to Zwift based on past experiences…kind of different riding style…..😊

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    2. Week 4 and I am just catching up on my correspondence – tough first few weeks back – reality check, jet lag etc but getting back into the swing of ‘normality’. The extension is finished but need the painters and fitting out!!

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  13. And here was me thinking you were just a ‘gaol’ oriented girl!!…. shame on me! Well done with your epic adventure ol’ girl. Deb & I have followed your blog with great interest each day. You have had a lot of tough days- but still got up and pushed through – a great achievement and some interesting places explored. Look forward to the next epic instalment……. don’t burn the motor out Swift thingy in the mean time eh!

    Mark Mob. 0418 336476}}}

    >

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    1. Thanks Mark…Gaol never on my agenda…do they have Zwift? Our thinking is broadening now for other trips…..we do love it in CZ, great friends there and so unspoiled in so many ways. Thanks for your support and encouragement, ima, appreciative 😊

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    2. Another goal is never to experience gaol! Yes we certainly had some weather challenges on this trip but it adds to the memories!! The next two trips are on the mapping board as we speak xx

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  14. Noeline Durovic

    To Sharon and Tony two remarkable tenuous cyclists whom turn dedication and love of a goal far beyond. It seems there is a mixture of bravery and love that supports and bonds you both. Our world is a wonder and your ride is a vision we were privileged to share..I have one question; from beginning to end how many Ks,,did you accomplish? I ask this question in the belief of each km accomplished of such a ride was more than an accomplishment of great magnitude in distance. Your dream your support of your safety and care for your selves – each other .. and others makes each km..precious to life living.. Thank you God Bless xxxx

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    1. 3,300 km were achieved, 8 countries – less than originally planned due to the tweaks made with all the bad weather that we experienced. Yes, it has been great to share this adventure with Tony. When we first met, he ‘only’ ran and I asked him if he would do some cycling – and look where it has taken us!! Thankyou for your continuing support xx

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  15. Esther

    Sharon and Tony…I can relate really! Thank you both for your inspiration and keeping it real…XOXO….knowing that you are not alone is huge… big….❤️

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  16. Beautifully written Sharron ( & Tony).
    What an adventure. I have enjoyed it!
    I am also very goal driven and always like to have something to train/prepare for, be it a cycle trip or a mountain marathon.
    Let me know when you are coming to the UK!

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  17. great blog period, best of luck with your causes, I can relate to the anxiety because in the course raising two kids in silicon valley and working long hours at 20 companies in 32 years as a software guy anxiety and stress caught up with me as I aged and could not handle the stress gracefully compared to when I was young. been using the smart trainer more as it has group rides which are social and silicon valley has more and more vehicle traffic with each passing year. being retired there are not too many cyclists in the real world midday. meet a lot of Aussies on zwift which is great because my midday is your morning. one of my causes on quora besides universal healthcare (I sent my son thru medical school here in the USA which is pricey) is universal basic income as I spent much of my working career automating the jobs of others which is the most profitable activity on the planet. one day sooner than you think we will get past the point where humans work for a living. there is more to life than working such as caring for each other, life is short.

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    1. Yes – life is far too short really to try and achieve all we want – and yes $ is so kind of what we get caught up in a spiral of earning – have you seen any of the Allan Watts video’s? he has some really powerful messages. Thankyou for sharing, I do appreciate it!!

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