Shorter blog today as I spent a good chunk of it catching up with two special friends that I first met back in 1985 in the Maldives.

I travelled by train up to Basel and just literally rode around looking for the Cathedral…as then I would have my bearings. The Bahnhof is set well back from the Rhine River.

In the process I found a sign that said France. So I followed the signs.

So here is France, a nice little park with signs pointing to towns and villages in three countries.

When I had enough of France, thought I would be bold and dash over to Germany for a while…over this bridge.

I did not hang around Germany long as I needed to be back in Switzerland, at Sissach around 2 pm (ish).

Basel is very attractive from the river.

I did toy with the idea of riding to Rheinfelden and doing a loop back to Sissach, but….Basel was inundated with a large women’s running event. police had blocked off lots of intersections ( all the ones that happened to say Rheinfelden).

I also got to have a chat with a Swiss policeman (making a habit of this these days). This one told me in German that I could not ride my bike, even at about the 10 kmh I was doing…I needed to walk….

Time was getting short and when I stumbled on another section of the course I thought, stuff it….head to the Bahnhof.

That too was not technically easy. I found a Swiss Information shop,  opened the door, wheeled the bike in only to be told by a young whipper snippet that I needed to leave my bike outside. I asked could I just grab a map and go, but no…I could not have a map unless I left my bike outside, in a busy street, unattended.

Being astute, I figured he was not a bike rider!

I left without a map.  I found a McDonalds and tried to hook into their free wifi, but nope this store did not had free wifi ( what is going on McDonalds!?) but a Museum did. I figured out where I was, and where I needed to go.

Basel beat me today!!

Final views of Basel, near where I was lost…

On another train to Sissach. Checked the village out.

Found Ralph and Sandra’s home, remembering this from my last visit ( it is their neighbours).

I had a lovely afternoon and evening with Ralph and Sandra. It is ‘only’ 20 months since my last visit, and I have promised to visit again…with a son living in Basel that is a promise I hope to keep, along with the same promise to Mirek and Sarka.

It is so neat having friends in Europe you can visit, experiencing different cultures and their local beauty.

Here is a map of my three country visit.

Another day is done. Farewell!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I studied maps and weather forecasts over my massive breakfast. The weather looked best in the west so I decided to head to Neufchâtel  my destination the day I fell. Unfinished business!

I trsvelled to Bern by train and then a second to Neufchâtel. Bikes are well catered for.

I had no maps for today, but my idea was to ride around Lac du Neufchâtel, so keep the lake to my left, within sight, and all should be cool.

The train station is at a much higher level than the lake so I just headed downhill.  It was when I was at the bottom and started pedalling and trying to change gear I realised my bike had not come out of my accident unscathed.  I was pretty sure I had a rear derailleur issue.

I found one bike shop but it was closed, they were attending that Bike Expo I saw being set up in Solothurn yesterday.

So I did what I knew would work…I went to the main road and found a BMC lycra clad cyclist at the lights. He spoke no English but with finger pointing and  face pulling we understood each other.

He took me to another bike shop…back up that hill and he even carried my bike for a fair distance as with his fiddling, it had jammed the back wheel.

Fortunately for me Kenny from Cyclerc was willing, despite being fully booked, to look at it, and he even had the spare part ( I do carry derailleur spares with me so my spares are intact).

Kenny had spent three years in Australia.

Off I peddled later than planned ( now after 11 am) but at least I could pedal. Back down the hill.

Views from my waterfront track are below…there are not many across the lake as it was so hazy and smokey looking.

I found a cycling track along the lake, through a caravan park. It turned towards below. I was meet by a boom gate, but could tell many  went around it. But have a closer look…..

I stood, looked and contemplated, not really sure what to do. I thought there is no way a cycling path would cross an airport runway.

A car came up behind ( dual purpose track!), pressed a button and the boom gate opened…so I followed him, giving a good look  to my left and right, and skywards!

That was a new experience!

I arrived at this lovely village with stone walls and a cute sign.

And another track through forest.

I climbed up a hill providing some scenic rural views.

More pretty fields and walls.

I eventually arrived in Yverdon les-Bain’s, a spa town. It sits at the south west extremity of Lac du Neufchâtel. It is an old Celtic settlement that later became a Gallo-Roman camp. The focal point is Château d’Yverdon.

The plan had been to follow the lake back to Neufchâtel, but I changed my mind and decided I might as well ride to Lac Lucman ( Lake Geneva) and Lausanne.

In one town, Chesaux (?) there was a huge festival on. They had covered up direction so gns ( handy NOT!) so I stopped and had a glacé ( signage that does attract me!)

There were street performances including this one with guns and a rope tied wench who got tossed into the dray pulled by two donkeys.

I desperately needed a water refill. Plenty of alcohol for sale, but water was hard to find until I found the local fountain.

From here I had a few hairy moments en route to Lausanne. Small country roads I could not find, major ones I could including an 800 metre tunnel….I held my breathe and hoped for the best…

Lausanne is also having major roadworks currently with lots of deviations. Eventually I found my way down to the foreshore and lake.

The city was founded in the first century as a Roman lakeshore settlement, but for safety reasons the inhabitants moved to higher ground on the hills above the lake.

The city is the home to the International Olympic Committee and boasts an Olympic Museum and countdown clock.

This hotel would suit me right now with my rib discomfort.

The lake foresaw is incredible as the backdrop of mountains is jaw dropping, but camera does not do justice given haze, my abilities etc.

What to do? Well it was a nice day, let’s keep riding around the lake towards Vivey and Montreaux.

There was a cycling lane too on the road.

I love the way they grow grapes anywhere. Quite steep slopes.

A small vineyard winery jammed in with a waterfall adjacent.

Vevey is pretty, and this day boat cruised by.

A nice building interrupted by the yellow tent and sun angle.

Montreaux is a busy city, the weather was nice, just keep riding. Château de Chillon loomed, and was my latest destination.

It is set on a rocky spur on the eastern lake shores, and is heavily visited. It was built for the Dukes of Savoy and later used as a prison.

It was now 6 pm and I was a fair distance from Bern…and the trains on this line not that regular. I decided to call it quits and dash the nearest station to wait…..Fortunately it was not too long.

The first part of the train trip back to Bern was magnificent as it was high in the hills overlooking the lake with the mountains now very clear. Photos through train windows rarely work so they are etched in my memory.

These are a couple of the less crappy ones.

A great ride, great weather. I knocked up 117 km no maps.

Here is my route.

Tomorrow I head to Basel as I am having supper with friends. If the weather is ok, I’ll take my bike and do some riding.

 

 

I slept fitfully courtesy of two reasons …firstly I had noisy neighbours in the hotel…4 me  in one room drinking and yahooing. Secondly, my rib really ached.

I was up early for breakfast joining my noisy neighbours who were pretty quiet and  looked seedy.  I needed to be at the hospital by 9am,  and yes got there with ten minutes to spare.

Totally impressed, all 3 of my teeth were restored, so they look ‘normal’ again! My credit card is not so intact paying out lots of Swiss francs.

I caught the train to Solothurn, renowned as Switzerland’s most beautiful baroque city.  The city was founded by the Celts.  Many of the buildings were constructed from 1530 to 1792.

The town is truly beautiful, perched on the banks of the Aare River.

The first building I stumbled on was St Utsen Kathredale, and found the door to the bell tower open, with a sign stating 3 Swiss francs, but no one to collect. Up I went, all 200 plus steps.

This was one of the bells I passed on my way up.

Continue reading “Recovery” →

The alarm rang at 3.30am…I was in denial…surely not?

Aagh, reality check! I got up and dressed quickly to find that Mirek was up and dressed AND had cooked me scrambled eggs, toast, coffee and fruit on the table! Woah, he does 3.30 am better than me. No competition.

Mirek kindly dropped me off at the airport in plenty of time for my flight. The photo above is my last view of Prague before the plane turned to head towards Zurich.

I was met at the airport by my son Ben, and we headed off to the train station to travel to Bern, the capital. We headed to my accomodation and dropped my gear off, and then had a wander around the city.

Some photos of Bern below:

I am a chocolate lover, and Switzerland is famous for chocolate too. The shop below seems a match made in heaven.

Ben is not a huge fan of having his photograph taken, particularly holding mum’s bag….mind you, his bag is bigger than mine!

After a restless nights sleep I discovered there is a plastic sheet directly under the sheet….that will not be there tonight!

It was raining and the forecast was not great for most of Switzerland. Checking the radar I decided maybe heading towards Neufchâtel might be the way to go as that area looked better rain wise.

I had some fun navigating a variety of trails and roads through villages. This trail was pretty, although made my bike very dirty as the track was wet.

The tulips were flowering off the side of the road here.

Then when you get lost, these signs are useful!

Even the cycling paths have railway crossings with barriers.

A cute village where I took a wrong turn.

Ending up in a very picturesque square in Aarburg.

Now unfortunately this is where my riding adventure stopped! I had about 85 more km planned…..except that I came off my bike on the cobblestones, where there was a lip, slipping and face planting directly onto the stone.

As I lay there I knew there was damage as I could feel chunks of chipped tooth in my saliva and my tongue immediately identified the three teeth damaged…bugger!!

I hurt in other spots including my chin, jaw, rib, thigh and thumb joint….but my bike??  It fell on the rear derailleur side…the chain was off, the seat was askew, the contents of my front bag strewn around, and the steering out of alignment by a country mile. But it was intact and nothing major!! Relief!!

A small crowd had gathered and there was much discussion in German…when I spoke they were wanting an ambulance. I said no, I was fine…just wanted a bike shop.

Well I was not fine…but really just wanted to have a cry on my own…feeling somewhat sooky…

I fixed up my chain, seat and steering and decided I would ride to the hospital as I knew I needed to be checked out. I had passed by the hospital only 1-2 km earlier so knew where it was.

Dirty bike entered the hospital with me. The staff there were marvellous, so kind and caring. After being checked by the doctor who wanted me to have pain killers (I refused), they transferred me via a non emergency ambulance to University hospital in Bern who were better equipped to check my jaw and teeth issues.

Down in the ambulance bay my bike was placed in the back and off to Bern we went.

I have had X-rays on my jaw and teeth, temporary treatment on 2 teeth, need to go back tomorrow for longer treatment on my third tooth. I am on stronger painkillers now as the dentist said it would help with inflammation and help reduce the chance of infection.

I am disappointed I did not get to finish my ride. DNF!!

My bike is traumatised but ok! It could have been worse!! There is a decent mark on the derailleur.

The next two pictures kind of make me laugh…only kind of, as I took them as I walked down from where I fell bawling my eyes out. I had not yet sorted out my bike, yet here I was with my camera clicking!

On strava, if you blow this up, you can see where I fell and turned and wandered around the square, then headed to hospital.  You can then see the vehicle movement to Bern.

So tomorrow is another day. The adventure will continue…maybe a shorter one given I have an appointment in Bern, then I get the bill…we will see just how expensive medical treatment in Switzerland is then….my credit card is ready!

I also hope the swelling and bruising on my chin improves in time for the wedding photos on Tuesday…I feel like Elephant Woman!

This final photo is outside my hotel. Zwifters will ‘get’ this… apologies to everyone else.

Another chillaxing start to the day provided me the opportunity to catch up on blogs and respond to some messages received. I think my body is starting to ‘normalise’ as I awoke about 545 am so sat outside in the early morning sun enjoying a few cups of coffee, while the Horak family slept.

Mirak is very clever having built the house himself ( he is not a builder), and developed this backyard, which included hand excavating and removing many many tonnes of soil to create the sunken garden.

Sarka is the keen gardener, as on a number of mornings I found her out tending her garden.  She is very proud to report that there are 10 cherries on the trees along the back fence!

The plan today was to drive out to Hrad Korkorin for lunch, and then Mirak and I would ride home.

Hrad Korkorin is yet another impressive Bohemian Castle constructed in the early 1400’s only to suffer severe damage during the Hussite Wars.

Today it stands magnificently perched high above its dominions.

We enjoyed a lovely traditional Czech meal. Mine was a spinach crepe, with beetroot and apple salad. Although I should have known better, I also succumbed to a tiramisu.

The restaurant famously boasted this giant horse, the work of many craftsmen and women.

I visited the toilets….and learned the name for men and women…this was the men’s loo…

So here we are dressed for a ride and ready to roll, including Sarka and her new skateboard.

We started on a plateau so immediately descended and then climbed again…that is when I regretted the tiramisu…I was pretty sure it was going to be leaving my body as I climbed the hill with cold legs and lungs…Sharron, Sharron, Sharron when are you going to learn!

The road through the forest was narrow ( two way) but very scenic.

So we descended again to ride along the gorge, with Hrad Korkorin high above. There were so many families out riding.

This has been a consistent feature in the Czech Republic. The number of cyclists of all genres and capabilities has been astounding.  The roads are narrower, yet the car drivers would be by far the most patient and respectful I have ever encountered.

We stopped at this really cute lake along the gorge.

Directly over the road from the lake is this renovators delight. In its hey day I am sure it was magnificent boasting a fantastic lake view.

We left the gorge and littered along a myriad of country roads.  I am glad Mirek knew where he was going! We stopped at a little village for an icecream…but Mirek, found this instead.

The pub was intriguing. The only sign of life in this quiet village was at the pub. The old fellow in the photo below has an electric trike. He came for a beer and a smoke…

As we neared Celakovice there were fields and fields of yellow flowers. I am pretty sure it is rapeseed (canola), that is also grown along the north west coast of Tasmania.  In Czech this flower is crushed for the oil, which is added to fuel to make it ‘green’ and more environmentally ‘friendly’.

We arrived on the opposite banks of the Lube river via a series of dirt trails, walking across this pretty pond.

Another great ride came to an end.

The Czech Republic is a beautiful country to ride in.  Having now ridden around 480 km in my short stay here, I am blown away by the beauty and variety.  Sure there are some very pot holed roads, but there are also some excellent roads and cycle trails.

I felt safe riding on the roads and did not experience one abusive driver, or anyone buzzing me closely.

Will I be back? Absolutely. This visit came about based on a promise I made Mirek last year when I participated as a member of the Aussie Battlers in a 24 hour event.  Mirek wrote to me asking me to put an Aussie team together.  I was like ‘no way..24 hours ?  You have got to be kidding me’ !?!

History shows that I sought out the three most crazy zwifters I knew who were Aussie, who had endurance and perhaps as crazy as me. So I approached Tim Searle, Steven Fielke and Matthew Double.

Without hesitation they agreed and we won beating other teams that included the super awesome Andy Jackson ( aiming to break the world indoor record) and Chris ‘Hoppo’ Hopkinson..

As a result, I agreed to coffee in Prague, 2019. I delivered, one year ahead of schedule!!!  No one can say I don’t live up to my promises!

So my stay here has come to a close.  I am writing this blog as I sit in Prague airport, having arisen at 330 am! My flight is at 1025 am, but Mirek needed to go to work, but insisted on driving me to the airport ( opposite direction to his work).

I am not good with farewells… however,  I have promised to return and Saskia (senior) and I agreed this is not farewell…it is SEE YOU LATER!

Whilst waiting at the airport Mirek sent me the following photo…he told me I would need to buy some new shoes in Italy…

So Czech Republic….I will be back! Need to collect my boots!

.

I slept very badly after yesterday’s epic ride. I was physically tired but my body seemed to want to keep moving…needless to say I was a bit sluggish and needed coffee!

I showered early as Eliska needed to be at school by 730 pm for a school camp. For us this was to be farewell. I was sad, as she has been a beautiful little friend, with such a kind, generous soul….I shared many hugs waiting for the bus… it is not the best photo as the fence is in the way ( in fact, the bus still had not arrived so not our final, final farewell).

It was quite entertaining watching the bus driver try to pack the bus with all the luggage, as the teacher had forgotten to order the trailer…and there was a lot of luggage.

So it was a take it easy, chilling kind of morning (watched the hilarious film Tour de Pharmacy, a black comedy about drug taking at the 1982 TDF starring Lance Armstrong, Kevin Bacon and Orlando Bloom.

Saskia( junior) was home today so we went for a bike ride! A little one to town and back for lunch. A massive 6 km return trip.

Beautiful river views of the Lube.

We went to the restaurant we had visited on my first night. All of town seemed to be there, so a good sign!

The result…my dish is a traditional Czech one. slice of beef, sauce with dumplings ( sliced).

Icecream is very popular in Czech, so we had one heading home. I’m kind of liked the statue adjacent to the icecream shop.

The local playground just a few hundred metres from their home.

The plan for the evening was to attend a burning of the witch festival, with hundreds being held all  over the country.

We walked to the first one, with our own little witch…

We walked past strawberry fields being watered. It is a pick your own business, that will open in about one month.

The public burning was quite well controlled with the fire brigade in attendance…

We then walked down the river path…

..arriving at a private witch burning session.

This local group were very happy and festive. They had a little camp fire, and the men were having macho competitions…like turning massive tree stumps up, getting in the river to swim across…none of this was alcohol fuelled, of course….

I met the irrepressible Tomas, who had plenty of stories to tell in English with a very wicked sense of humour.

So the end of another great day in CZ. A rest day that was really needed.

Is this the real life,

Is this just fantasy,

Caught in a fantasy,

No escape from reality,

Open your eyes,

Look up to the skies and see….

Being in the Bohemian section of the Czech Republic today was the day to pull out the famous Queen song as I knew it was going to be EPIC ride, just like the song.

My longest ride ever on a bike outside is 161 km ( 100 imperial miles). Today the plan was much further.  We were to head towards the Czech border with Germany and Poland…in fact, to within 20 km of both.

Tomas, Katka, Milos joined Mirek and myself for breakfast ( with Mirek heading out early to buy rolls etc). We were soon joined by (another) Mirek as we were about to leave.

I had no idea where I was as we turned left, right, left….totally disoriented but I knew we were heading for Jested, and occasionally I could see glimpses in the hazy distance.

The Czech language is also a tad tricky, so village names are difficult to get your tongue around, let alone remember.

The weather was gorgeous, a perfect spring day. No wind, and a forecast temperature in the high twenties.

It seemed that we went through villages each 4-5 km, stopping at one around the 50 km point for the first morning coffee.  It was a regular stop for this group.

Little Bohemian pastries costing around 10kr ( 75 cents aud)  were just a little tempting.

There was a second stop some 30km on for liquid refreshment. This town was very popular with walkers and cyclists heading to the local castle some 10km or so down the road.

The castle was impressive set in a beautiful forest setting. It came complete with its own catapult.

We then headed into the forests, following beautiful streams, amazing geology and just really relaxing, cool and beautiful. I think one of the riders told me the name for the area, in English, is Czech Paradise, and that it was.

 

Some climbing in paradise…

First and only puncture of the day…

I got caught eating whilst waiting ( and resting).

I particularly liked this little detour.

It started to get hillier as we headed to the high point of the day Jested, which is at 1012m.

We were all running low on water so another stop was necessary. It was over 30 degrees by now and fluid consumption was heavy but necessary.

Loved this vehicle on the side of the road.  Tomas told me it was an old Russian police car, from when Russia was controlling the country.

The climb to the top was a steep pinch as can be seen from the climbing graph.

There is the destination…getting closer now.

The climbing gets tougher through the forest. This guy on a scooter seemed to make it look easy though.

Near the top there is a saddle, lots of people, amd a traffic light that was showing red ( steep road ahead). Turns out the light is always red and I had to ride the last 600 metres weaving around people walking up and down the hill.

I was very pleased to get to the top!

 

From the top we are a short distance away from a three country border with Germany and Poland. The above photos are looking towards both.

It was 5 pm when we left the top, having eaten and filled up,with fluid, and recovered enough for what was to be over 90 km to ‘get home’ still. When I started descending I had completed around 150 km.

A great descent, with the guys inevitably flying at incredible speeds…the girls were a little more judicious!

We stopped briefly to stretch at the 200 km point, and then it was moving again, all being conscious of the deteriorating daylight hours left.  Our aim was to be back in Celakovice by 9 pm ( dark then).

This final stop is another regular one for this group. The ice cream shop…always time for ice cream regardless of light.  The queue was impressive as it was literally a small shop front with a serving window, but really nice Czech soft serve mixes.  I had chocolate and banana.

Another 30 km or so and we were back in Celakovice safe and sound, with a few beers (cider for me) to celebrate what was an awesome ride, over brilliant countryside, with a fantastic bunch of fellow cyclists.

This is one of the things I so love about my cycling….meeting like minded people who have the same passion, spirit and love of the many beautiful sights and challenges, being able to celebrate at the end, together.

Somfor me, this Ride was HUGE…I have never ridden that long and far on the road.

i am pretty sure tomorrow will be a rest day….I think I have earned it!

Continue reading “Bohemian Rhapsody” →

The day started off splendidly relaxing outside enjoying the sun at breakfast time. The day was looking great.

The plan was to drive south to Karstjeln Castle, one of the Czech Republic’s more famous ones, founded in 1384 by King Charles IV.

We drove to the castle and walked the 2 km up the hill, with our bikes as we were not comfortable leaving them in a public car park, from the bike safety perspective.

The Castle was certainly impressive, and was established to hold the Crown Jewels.

 

The King’s bedroom had a door in the corner that had steps leading up to the floor Queens quarters. It only opened one way…so the Queen could not enter..only the King could head up, if he felt like her ‘company’.

The castle afforded some great views.

After checking out the castle on an organised tour, we walked downhill with the bikes. Walking downhill  is frustrating…riding it would be easier. But we did stop for icecream.

Back at the car park it was a quick change into bike gear and off we went.

We did not leave the castle until after 3.30 pm, so it was going to be a later evening ride.

We were headed for the hills via a very shady and majestic forest.

We got a bit lost a couple of times ending up on tracks like this.

As time was marching on, we decided not to continue with this path but to double back to the main road, and follow the river back into central Prague, or Praha as it is known in the Czech Republic.

I was feeling quite peckish by now, and noted a fruit and vegetable vendor off the road, so we turned back and purchased drinks and fruit.

Oh, they also sold light beer…never too early I gather! Ha ha.

As we entered central Prague we were on an incredibly busy shared pathway.  This city must have the greatest concentration of roller bladers in the world. Whilst it slowed our trip, it was great to see so many people and families out walking, riding, roller blading.

We ended up riding on the dreaded very old cobblestones not designed for bikes, with wide gaps. We were also surrounded by thousands of people hanging around the river bank. Progress was painfully slow.

We arrived back quite late, knocking off just over 100 km.

A great second day in the Czech Republic. Tomorrow looms as a record breaking one for me on the road as a small group of riders will be here for breakfast, and we are heading towards the German and Polish borders to climb the highest point in the Czech Republic.

Until then, I need some sleep!

 

 

Well one full day in the Czech Republic and it has exceeded my expectations.

As we came in to land in Prague the flight path was over the city.

I decided to spend my first full day doing the touristy stuff and caught a train from Cekalovice into Prague…fortunately Saskia and Mirek helped me out with this note and some kronar…

Worked a treat and I scored a return train ticket into central Prague.  Once there, I was blown away by the incredible architecture. The camera was going click, click, click and I will just show a few here. 

This style is very representive of the overall architecture.  Of course there are really old buildings too.

There are museums galore, art, history, communism, Jewish…and then this….

I walked down to the Jewish sector, which has an amazing history, if not somewhat shocking.

There are over 100 000 Jews buried in layers in this small cemetery, adjacent to the old synagogue.

I crossed the river to head to Prague Castle.

I climbed the old stairs to the castle finding yummy refreshments on the way.

At the top there was solid security with metal detectors to enter the castle precinct.  An amazing complex, hard to get a decent photo as the buildings are large and I could not get the distance away.

The interior of the cathedral was beautiful.

I wandered over to the oldest vineyard in Czech Republic

Had lunch at a restaurant just outside the castle precinct offering nice views over the next hill and park.

In one of the castle squares it looked like a scene from MASH.

Watched this chap reverse recycling.

Noted well armed military…

I walked through the park with the observation tower then back down the steep hill.

I walked to the John Lennon wall complete with an incredibly good Lennon busker.

Crossing the Charles bridge provided great views of the city and river.

Wandered up to Wenceslaus Square, where the Russians made their big entrance into the city many years before.

My quick walking tour came to an end after 22 km, as I needed I get back and get ready to ride! Tomas arrived and the three of us set off on predominantly country roads ending up in a lovely spa town Podebrady for a quick snack.

The water is naturally carbonated, and Tomas warned me  not to drink too much as it can go ‘right through you’.

Heading back home after a great 63 km Czech prelude.

Tomorrow we head off to check out  large Czech castle, and then ride back.  Czech Republic has the highest density of castles of any country in the world.

i look forward to it…I am feeling somewhat tired still from jet lag, but too much to see and do!

In life we all face challenges. When I was 18 and a student at University, I desperately wanted a windsurfer.  They cost about $850 back in 1981. I mentioned it to my mother who without drawing breathe declared “you won’t be able to buy one”.

I remember sitting down and thinking “I will prove you wrong”.

Within 24 hours I acquired three jobs ( bearing in mind that I was full time at University).

I took on a Wednesday morning paper delivery starting at 5.30 am. I commenced working at a rambling family home, on a farm owned by a medical specialist and his GP wife, babysitting their children for 20-30 hours per week.

The piece de resistance? I enlisted in the Australian Defence Force as Reservist. I was attracted by their two week recruitment camp, as that would pay around $275…

The Army were very interested in me. I was a girl at Uni, therefore officer potential. They asked me to sign for six years versus the minimum three. Sure  I thought!

I went home at the end of that day feeling pretty chuffed…acquiring three jobs in one day, I had my windsurfer savings plan in place… oh, but I had not considered my parents reaction to their eldest, usually sensible daughter having enlisted …for how many years???? They were less than impressed, but powerless to do anything about it…the Australian Defence Force vs my parents was never going to be a contest..

The experience was great…I got exposed to tear gas ( decided never to be involved in a riot as a result), shocking stuff! I got to fly in an Iroquois helicopter (used in Vietnam), lived with my SLR for a few weeks, stripping it down, cleaning, reassembling, fired submachine guns ( nicer to fire than the SLR), did 24 hour triage setups in freezing cold winters, peeled more potatoes than I care to remember, marched heaps and heaps, with lots of “about turns”, “attention” and yes, I got my windsurfer.

So in 2015 when I got told by my orthopedic surgeon I would not be able to ride more than 5 km, that same “oh yes I will” attitude kicked in. It was a Sam Newman “oh really” moment…

I continue to uphold the same attitude. Until the day I am no longer drawing breathe, I will fight to the best of my ability to live life to the fullest, filling it with positive fun and people. If I manage to motivate others to fill their life with adventure, all the better.

LIVE ON!

Ah, so you ask what is the point of this blog….yes, I am heading off on another cycling trip…Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy…

Czech Republic is meeting and staying with a Zwift friend and his family, and some riding as Miroslav recovers from a broken arm. I wanted to break his arm last year after he somehow convinced me to enter in the Australian team for the 24 hour event (Australia won!). Miroslav stopped at about 330 km and sent me a photo of him having a beer, whilst I was still slaving away ( I did just over 600 km).

Then I fly to Zurich, then train to Bern for a week of solo riding and my son Ben’s wedding.

Back to Zurich to meet Geoff, a Bike Adventures friend from Mudgee (Australia) who will start riding seriously jet lagged! He is a doctor so he should be able to take care of himself! Hopefully he brings a suture kit with him too, as I’m prone to falls in gravel, as the scars on my knee attest to.

We are bike packing to Italy via Germany and Austria, climbing mountains out of Innsbruck and into Italy.

We then hook up with a 12 night Giro d’Italia tour, ending up in Rome.

Tough gig I know.  So I have a new bike bag..quite nifty as it includes a stand to assemble and disassemble.  I’m a bit nervous about reattaching my rear derailleur and I always have issues reinserting my back wheel.

Many thanks to Tony for his incredible patience in teaching me what I needed to know…hopefully I don’t stuff up!

I am now happily sitting in the Qantas International Business lounge…having just had a meal here.  I am very fortunate in having a lifetime membership to Qantas lounges around the world. I make the most of it!

My flight to Dubai leaves in just over 2 hours.  A 15 plus hour flight with 3 hours in Dubai. I will chill out and have a shower in the Emirates Lounge. Then it is about 5 or 6 hours to Prague.

Long haul flights are hard….I don’t sleep on planes, despite being able to just nod off on the home couch without issue! Quite frustrating.

So until I write again, I hope you all have sweet dreams,

Ooroo