Yakkablog is dedicated to the bike adventures of Sharron Yaxley. I am a 55 year old psyclepathic ambivert living in Turners Beach, Tasmania – the island state of Australia.  By week day I wear professional looking clothes claiming to be an accountant/project manager /program manager for the state government in the area of economic development.

Out of hours that all gets tossed out the window and forgotten,  and like Superman I metamorphose into something else and don lycra and hop onto my bike. Maybe some think that such public flaunting of lycra wearing should be stealthy and surreptitious – however, I beg to differ!

I first started riding a bike as a child, predominantly as a form of play with neighboring friends.  Later I used the bike as a form of transport to visit friends who lived further away.

Bike riding took a back seat in 1980 after being involved in a grass skiing accident resulting in a significant knee injury – I tore my ACL, medial ligament and medial cartilage, necessitating a knee reconstruction and 2 years of rehabilitation to be able to walk with out a discernible limp. Since then I have had a further 3 knee surgeries, including the removal of the lateral cartilage in September 2015.

In my twenties I produced 4 children in 5 years, dedicating myself to their upbringing, school and sport, simultaneously juggling full time work leaving no time for Sharron.

I rediscovered riding in 2007 – purchasing a cheaper mountain bike and really just pottering around halfheartedly.

Later that year I travelled to England, where I rode from the source of the Thames River, in the Cotswolds, following the meandering river path, ending up at the Thames Barrier past  Greenwich. The average daily distance was around 32 km and I thought that was a lot!

Enthused by this adventure, I ultimately progressed onto bigger and bolder trips necessitating a significant improvement in my overall fitness levels.

In 2013 I fulfilled a longer term ambition to ride from Lands End to John O’Groats – some 1750 kilometres, averaging around 80 km per day.

In 2015 I rode from Calais to the Mediterranean, finishing up in the medieval citadel of Carcassonne, averaging around 100 km per day.

In 2016, I rode 2200 km, and climbed over 20 000 metres with a prologue ride in the Chilterns (England), London to Venice, and then 3 days in Tuscany.

2017 saw me spend one week in Bordeaux, then ride across the Pyrenees to Bordeaux.  A shorter trip, but a necessity for 2018 plans.

2018 – where do I start?  New Zealand at least twice – some pending trips there, followed by the mother of them all, Trans America – 6500 km, 52000 metres of climbing!

I am probably as fit as I have ever been in my life – I ride every day – it is a passionate love affair!