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

I often start to feel a little melancholy near the end of a tour…pleased that I am close to achieving the target destination, but sad that it is coming to an end, and life must return to a different version of normal.

After eating my breakfast and packing my gear it was farewell to the farm stay.

The first 30 km was relatively flat. I started with no wind! However, that was short lived!

I had decided to stop and stretch my back every 10-15 km today, regardless of whether it was in spasm. That worked really well as I did not have nearly as much pain, nor did I consume anywhere near the number of painkillers today.

I was going to be on the State Highway 12 then State Highway 1 all day, with fast traffic whizzing past. I had three close calls today…only four for the trip,  but three in one day! EEEEK.

My first close call was just before Ruawai, so decided I NEEDED a coffee, as it was too early for anything stronger. Upon departing the bakery, it has started to drizzle, and within a few km I was getting wet!

The rain would hit me three times like that during today’s ride…fortunately it never lasted longer than 10 minutes or so.

From Riawai I turned in an easterly direction, as I needed leave the west coast of North Island and align myself with the east coast as I headed towards the final destination of Auckland.

There were a number of hills to climb and descend from the 35 km point, as well as passing through a number of small towns. Some views.

I should have considered stopping at Maungaturoto as had some nice looking cafes, but thought I’d hold out for the next town of Bryan’s…..

This caught my eye above a shop in Maungaturoto.

Arriving at the ‘town’ of Bryan…. I was disappointed. All that was there was a highway T junction and a closed down business for sale.

I was now heading south, and I rode through Kaiwaka, and I am pretty sure this house can be found there…and yes, I am pretty sure it is a house, as there were no signs  up indicating it was a pre school, crèche or similar.

I was keen to get to get to Wellsford as I had passed through there on my first day, having stopped at the Blue Cat. I was hoping they would still be open as I knew they made a great iced coffee!

I loved the entrance display to Wellsford, I had to stop.

Yes, the cafe was open, and yes I enjoyed my iced coffee and real fruit icecream….

I was only 7 km from my accomodation so I dilly dallied for as long as possible ( ie. the cafe was closing!).

Leaving Wellsford, I noted that there was another welcome display, but this time, with pigs.

I would not mind one of these, but I might look a bit conspicuous with one strapped to my back, and then, if I fell it would not be pretty!

At the bottom of the hill I turned right into a country lane, and groan, it is loose gravel.

Now I have done well so far.. every tour I have at least one fall..I like to collect scars as momentous of my trips. if possible, I then like to scar that scar…mostly fallen on loose gravel as a result of braking…

So when I said I groaned, I really did! It was uphill, loose with larger drifts. At the top of the first hill a car coming the other way stopped, and the guy asked if I was Sharron…yep…he was the accomodation owner…he told me I had the wrong tyres for this road…ooh yeah, I knew it too…

Very slowly and judiciously I worked my way up and down the gravel arriving at Barry’s with about 99.6 km on my Garmin…would I do another 400m to even it off at 100 km? Nah..could not be stuffed!

So, the last night….what will tomorrow bring?

Yesterday, all our problems seem so far away…so after our solo adventures yesterday a new day, new destination.

Leaving Taihape via the giant gumboot we headed into the French restaurant for some breakfast. The ride from town launched straight into a decent climb and woah, that breakfast came back to haunt me.

The first 20 km was scary, plain and simple. We were climbing lots on a busy highway, B Doubles one after the other, little verge. We were buzzed closely by multiple trucks and cars!

The first picnic stop provided welcome relief and a nice view.

Below is an example of a tuck and the verge!

More views from the picnic area, safe haven.

It was a welcome relief to leave the highway and head towards Rangiwhahia and Manuwatu. The gorge was brilliant.

The road weaves around following the river with undulating climbs.

Another picnic zone with information re the local area.

The picnic table ensured I could have another table shot.

One of the day’s highlights was the sheep moving along the road. It took some time to pass by us as they were taken aback by us and we moved off the road to try and encourage their movement.

However that was not good enough for this Kiwi sheep. The farmer waved at us to cross over the other side of the road and into the ditch.

The sheep passed and the farmer stopped to talk to us. He said he could see we were trying to do the right thing but that many tourists don’t. Locals know to get right down into the ditch!

Sheep rules!

We rested under the large English trees at the Cross Hills Garden Centre where the cafe is only open October and November.

We followed up with a cool drink in Kimbolton, a somewhat unusual town. I quite liked the tiles at the local toilets produced by local school children.

After purchasing some provisions we had a lovely tea and picked flowers on the way back to the motel to brighten the room up!

So only two days remaining. We have been in the road for 7 straight days and covered just under 700km!

Today was interesting…brilliant view to start!

The mountain was to dominate the first half of the day, so here it is again, different angle.

After Horopito ( 21.4 km) things got interesting as I lost Sue…I was waiting at the 26.9 km point where the ride bore left… but I will admit I had my back to the road for a portion of my wait.

Eventually I realised she must have gone straight ahead… only thing I could do was to give chase. I did for 4.5k  but then was concerned…. what if she had headed left after I took off??

I flagged a car down asking them to keep an eye out for her.

I went back to the junction and repacked and re balanced the rear saddle bag as it was misbehaving! I ate my prepared bacon roll…hmm… what to do.

My mobile phone had jammed up after getting out a couple of quick messages and wanted a passcode to re enter. It was not my phone so tried a few options.. fail.

Knowing Sue had notes in her bag and a sensible head, and it was a glorious day, I headed off passing through Ohakune looking for her bike! No luck so headed towards Waiouru. A few km before the town a cyclist caught up to me.

He works at the local army base and lent me his mobile to hotspot my iPad. There was a message from Sue! I did rather fancy an army chopper though for an aerial search!

It was a really hot day so I stopped and grabbed an icy pole and some water,  before cruising up the road and finding the local army museum.  I fancied the second one for driving on NZ roads to keep me safe! Should do the job… one previous owner, low mileage on the clock.. fuel economy??

The road out of town was very fast and busy. Not a big fan of highway riding even though you have to do a bit at home in Tasmania.

I was quite relieved when i turned off after 20 km to take the back road to Taihape via Spooners Hill. Really pretty with unusual hills.

Taihape is the Gumboot capital of the World! Appropriately they have a large gumboot! I am still a big kid at heart!

Dinner was at a fabulous French restaurant. Great meal. We ordered two desserts and agreed to share. So we established Standard Operating Procedures for dessert sharing. The desserts, were awful! Ha ha ha

Bit of a shorter blog for yesterday’s ride. I had wifi issues meaning I could write o’r post.

The title of the blog today is a line I have borrowed from zwifter friend John Paul Musumeci as it sums national park area appropriately.

After a fantastic breakfast at a local bakery, we sadly farewelled Taupo. We both enjoyed the vibe! We both could happily have stayed longer 

Following the lake for a reasonable distance provided great views but you could not really relax too much to enjoy as there was a fair bit of quite close traffic buzzing past far too closely.

We chose to stop at Turangi (48 km) for a few reasons. We were in need of coffee, it looked like it was about to rain, it was cold and we had a decent climb ahead of us.

We cruised into the Pink Cadillac singing the words of the famous song. Funky cafe with retro everything including crochet knee blankets!

Leaving Turangi we headed towards the Whakapapa National Park. Road climbs steeply the notes said and yes it was an accurate description.

When I climb I don’t stop hence no photos until it levels out,

The Tongariro Crossing is a day walk across the three volcanoes in the region looking into the craters. The Lord of the Rings red volten scene was filmed here. Sue will be back to do this!

We had tea at the local pub sitting outside taking in the view! Great way to finish a brilliant day’s riding.

Today was a brilliant day on the bike. I totally love New Zealand and all it has to offer.

Sue had breakfast in bed today prepared by her trusty co-companion. I questioned the breadcrumbs between the sheets and she laughed and said she was not sleeping in the bed that night.

Sue also learned today that chamois creme should be applied to the chamois!

The day was overcast but more importantly there was no rain and no wind!

Leaving Rotorua we passed a couple of geothermal pools, with steam rising in the early morning.

We were predominantly on very quiet and beautiful back roads all morning. It was so peaceful and you could hear an occasional cow and the birds chirping.

However the serenity was broke  when Sue did not see me stopped at a navigational point continuing on the wrong road. I sprinted off at full steam shouting her name at the top of my lungs. Solid workout I must say! It turns out Sue had heard a noise but thought it was a sacred kiwi bird with an unusual call. It was just me….screaming Sue, Sue…

Yesterdays severe storm damage was evident in many sections.

We had a short section on the highway before stopping for some lunch. The nearest miss of the whole trip to date was from a guy in a blue truck that had the motto on the back “Live the life you imagine”. I wondered whether his was hitting cyclists as it seemed an oxymoronic statement given how closely he threatened my existence.

When we stopped for lunch I mentioned it to Sue and she had a similar experience. Found the truck just before lunch at a service station. Registration very clear!

As we were leaving the Bull Ring Tavern we met Tony from Manchester, England who also works as a cycling guide for an English touring company. He was laden with 40kg of gear and is in New Zealand for 3 months.

Tony also got buzzed by the same truck! 3 cyclists in a few km!!

We were thankful that we only needed a few more km on the highway before turning off into Tirohinga Road. This signalled an afternoon of climbing rolling hills in beautiful agricultural countryside.

At around the 74 km point we were both low on water. The afternoon was quite hot and humid. Sue had stopped looking,for water at a closed Maori Community Centre.

We rode into a cadet training centre well off the road. It seemed abandoned but had a functioning water hydrant. Maybe I should fill up that empty new bottle I bought yesterday sitting pretty in my bike, ha ha ha!

Upon leaving I experienced my first mechanical. I had dropped my chain and it was jammed underneath the black tool box on my bike. Sue had the sensible idea of turning the bike upside down. Yeah!! It worked and off we headed with 4 black greasy hands!

The next 8 km were to be the toughest of the day. Hot and a decent climb. Thank goodness for the water!

Then it was predominantly downhill to Taupo. First view.

Closer to the lake.

Then finally…

So we checked in, ripped our cycling clothes off and went straight into the lake. Bit fresh but lovely. We then bummed around on the beach in the sun, with the magical snow capped mountain as a backdrop. So European and majestic.

We sat on the deck of the hotel and ate our takeaway dinner.

Sue and I are both in love with this place! Dont expect us home anytime soon!

Finally this is what our bedrooms typically look like. A Chinese laundry. We will be cosy tonight too as we have to share a bed for the first time….and you can see me doing this blog too.

 

 

“To ride a bicycle properly is very much like a love affair, chiefly it is a matter of faith – believe you can do it, and the thing is done; doubt it, for the life of you, you cannot” .

H.G. Wells, Wheels of Change, 1896

I was at a family function recently, celebrating the 80th birthday of my father in law Geoffrey.  There were a plethora of family members present that I had not previously met.  As I sat there, I could see these “older ladies” looking at me.  I guess they figured out who I was, but I was not able to match names with faces.

One by one they ventured up to meet and greet me.  One asked “Are you the energetic one?”  I laughed, and said “Yes!”

I have had many a laugh to myself since then, but truth be known, I like it!  I mean, let’s face it, there are heaps of worse things I could have been labelled!

I guess, at 55, I am energetic.  I am a lot of other things too.

I am an exceedingly resilient person with a very soft heart. I have faced and survived difficult times.  I don’t have the love and support of my birth family but I survive despite! Is that easy? Heck no!

I hide behind a façade – I am tall for a woman, with a  strong, fast speaking voice complemented with a quick thinking mind.  I also have the ability to do a lot in little time due to being well organised (mostly!) and often cannot understand why people can’t keep at my pace.

Cycling is how I cope with life.  My day starts early, often around 5.20 am and ends around 10.30 pm.  I have a very busy job requiring considerable juggling, conjuring and prioritising.

I ride to keep my mind free and calm as that ensures I can take on all the day will throw at me.

Since I met Tony in 2009 and he started cycling we have had numerous cycling adventures together, having now cycled in England (3 times), Wales, Scotland, France (twice), Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Italy and Singapore.

In the next 12 months we will add France (again), Spain, New Zealand and the USA.

 

By any measure, I train hard – having averaged 600 km per week for quite a while now.  The last two months have seen me train solely on my wind trainer thanks to the cold and wet Tasmanian winter, and a bushwalking accident that resulted in tearing a tendon in my foot (making it very painful to de-cleat out of cycling shoes).

Cycling on my windtrainer is also very social and global, as I ride with others on a wonderful platform known as Zwift where you can talk to others, ride with them casually or in events. Because my windtrainer is what is referred to as “smart”, when I ride up the hills, it gets harder, and downhill, just like in real life, gets easier.

I have made virtual friends with cyclists  from all over the world, with wonderful names such as Baron Evil Von Braid (Edinburgh, Scotland)  Getoff Mylawn (New York)  Ed ‘Cleatless’ Ray (East Sussex, England), The Badger (Sydney),  MacDeer (Tumut)  and so on – and me, well I am “The Mink”.  Tony is “Old Man Mink” and my daughter Hannah is “Mink Junior”.

In just over five weeks time, the next touring odyssey commences.  Not as long and arduous, but there are some challenges en route.  We will fly to Bordeaux, France, via everywhere (Devonport, Melbourne, Singapore, Dubai, Madrid, Bordeaux).

We will have 6 days in Bordeaux to de jetlag, reassemble the bikes hoping that our babies have arrived 100% intact, and then we hope to do a number of rides in and around Bordeaux – or what I refer to as “The Prologues”.

I have already mapped out a number of day rides to take in the Arachon Basin, St Emilion and other spots along the Garonne.

We will then meet with the Bike Adventures crew to undertake our touring ride to Barcelona.  Technically an easier trip than any of our previous touring trips with shorter days.  Of course there is the little issue of the hilly spot between France and Spain, otherwise known as the Pyrenees.

I will blog the trip, day by day, subject to internet accessibility.

But folks, there is more.   Christmas will be spent in New Zealand riding from Mt Cook to the Ocean.

This all leads up to the mother of them all, Trans USA – an 11 week journey travelling across the USA, starting in Florence (Oregon) finishing in Yorktown (Virginia).  A mere 7500 km!  We will be doing this under the helm and guidance of Bike Adventure’s Steve Wesson (LeJog 2013, L2V 2016) and Kim (France 2015). There will be 10 other riders in our group including Colin (LeJog 2013).  This time next year we will be nearly a fortnight into the trip.

So my motivation at the moment is to build up my fitness and endurance for Trans USA – the fitter and healthier you are, the less chance there is of injury.  You also enjoy it heaps more if you are not stiff and sore!  As most know, I have my physical challenges with 4 x knee surgery and exercise induced asthma being higher level issues that I strive to not let get in my way.

Per H.G.Well’s quote, I have that faith!  I believe in me and my ability to work through the challenges ahead.  I am confident because I know I have put the work in. I cannot control car drivers, the greatest risk of all – I have to keep my fingers crossed on that one!

We have now ridden over 2000 km since leaving Australia and most people might think that is enough. Bike riding is such a great way to see a country. You get to see, smell and hear so much more than you possibly could in a car or bus. So after having two days off the bike and travelling from Venice to Florence by fast speed train ( up to 250 k /hr), we prepared for our final fling before heading home.

Arriving in Florence we were ‘greeted’ at our hotel by a female with an unfortunate disposition who proceeded to make life as difficult as possible there for a while but we were able to get through the situation although our bikes needed to be housed elsewhere in Florence and we needed to pay 16 euro for that. So we scootered our bikes around to the commercial garage and got a bit of a feel for Florence.

A pretty awesome city. This is the view from our bedroom window.

 

 

 

 

Very well guarded too.

Inside the duomo it is massive. The dome is particularly beautiful.

This morning after breakfast we carried our bike gear around to the commercial garage to collect our bikes. We need to cart all our clothes, toiletries etc for 3 days on our bike. The bike will be significantly heavier, altering the balance and making hills slower and harder.

We headed down to Ponte Veccio which is where our route started. We had walked along the bridge last night amazed by how many jewellery shops lined both sides of the bridge.

It was a very slow few kilometres getting out of Florence in the early morning crazy Italian traffic but we eventually hit quieter roads where we could relax more.

The morning was quite cool and overcast but the forecast did not mention rain. By the 30 km mark it was spitting and we stopped for a coffee to see if it would blow over but it looked like it was going to hang around so we pootled on.

The hills were certainly more difficult with the extra weight on the bike so we just chugged up. Some photos from the ride:

We were so pleased to arrive in San Gimignano as it was only 7 degrees Celsius and we were a bit damp and certainly cold! We were met by the nicest lady. Total opposite of last night. The hotel building was constructed in the 1500’s and has an awesome cellar area that has been excavated.

San Gimignano is apparently one of Italy’s best preserved medieval towns, standing on a hill overlooking the Val d’Elsa. The town has ancient Etruscan origins fro  3BC and is named after the Bishop of Modena who saved it from barbarian hordes in 370 AD. After becoming a free commune in 1000 the village flourished. Within its newly built city walls noble families vied with each other in the construction of magnificent towers as residences. By the end of the 13th century there were 72 towers. 13 remain.

We also met friends for each in this most unlikely of locations for a catch up. We met James and Kirsten on Qamea Island, Fiji over Christmas-New Year. They live in Sydney and have been travelling predominantly so James can play photographer having just completed a photographic tour including Dubrovnik, Slovakia etc. Just wondering where our next exotic location catch up should be??