Post Tour Down Under recovery

What a big week! My recovery included some relaxation on the lounge and a sleep in... probably more than the actual pro riders were able to take!

For 2009, we had the pleasure of looking over more than 175 people over the course of the week. This included 110 people on Friday, the day of the Mutual Community Challenge Tour in Angaston. We enjoyed a private function for lunch at the Feist & Feist Building on Angaston's main street, only 400m from the finish line. This was actually the first function held in this building, as it has been newly renovated, and it was great! An ice bath out the back and a physio upstairs meant that all could really relax and get the legs in working order again after 155 km ride (for some).

Highlights of my week were:

Lance Armstrong
Of course. Who could disagree that Lance's comeback race meant big news for Adelaide and the Tour Down Under. It really amped the general public's interest in the race, and looking out for that black helmet with yellow highlights during the race made it that much more fun. Listening to Lance the person speak candidly at the Legends' Night Dinner was amazing. Whilst anything to do with Lance Armstrong could be passed off as being cliche, in reality he really doesn't disappoint. The man's got guts, he's got brains and he's a real human being.

Allan Davis
He's been here in Adelaide for every single edition of the Tour Down Under, amidst all sorts of dramas in terms of teams and controversy and has still managed to stay strong and this year, finally pull off the overall win. He won three stages (Stage 2, Stage 4 & Stage 5) and took the overall ahead of a class field including two-time winner Stuart O'Grady in second place, 25 seconds back, and former winner Martin Elmiger in 4th place.

Club Tour
This is a really great extra. Club Tour pass means you get exclusive access to grandstands for the Down Under Classic and the final stage, as well as a Club Tour dinner which was held in the Adelaide City Council Tour Village, and included great interviews with Race Director Mike Turtur, young star Jack Bobridge, and the voices of cycling Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin. Then hanging out in the Hilton afterwards meant getting up close to riders and past cycling stars!

A tiring week, and not the best time to get sick with the flu (yuk!) but a fantastic week.

We can't wait until next year!

Desert Dreaming

While I'm at it, here are some shots from our Desert Dreaming trip, which we have just returned from. This year, despite a mini-heatwave a week or so before our trip started, it was quite cold - even during the day. Still, the desert was wonderful and wildflowers were blooming.


Preparing morning tea for hungry riders. Fruit cake, mixed dried fruit & nuts, apples, biscuits, tea, coffee, milo...


I was stoked to have my sister join us and help out around camp, and she was stoked to be riding (my bike!) until the saddle soreness started to kick in.


This is our dinner cooking in the camp oven at Old Andado Station, what a beautiful place to be watching the sun set. I know why Molly Clark still tries to sneak back there when she can.


Me watching while another dinner is cooking over the coals. Peter is an amazing camp cook and his meals are always delicious.


Our borrowed mascot, Moe, and I are in the Painted Desert. It is so much brighter in real life. The colours were amazing, and there was actually a green tinge to the ground below.

Cape York snapshot

Seems like such a long time ago now! That's what happens when you go from one end of the country (Cape York) to the other (Adelaide) and halfway back again (Simpson Desert)...

We had such a great time with a really fantastic group of people, and while things were busy busy busy, we managed to still soak up the absolute stunning beauty of our surrounds.

Here's a few snapshots...

We were treated to a night of amazing dance and culture, presented by students at Djarragun College. Here are some of the young guys who are from Cape York country.


Running tours, particularly for large groups, can sometimes mean you don't have much time to look around, because you're always looking after the group's needs. Here is one example of when I was glad I put down the tea towel and walked the 50 metres from our campsite at Cape Tribulation to the beach for the sunrise. Picture perfect. Looks so beautiful it's almost a cliche, except when you're standing there with the warm morning breeze and the lulling ocean, it's very real and almost overwhelming.


Camping with 40 people is mayhem! But organised chaos at that. Arriving at camp means a bustle of activity begins, with tents, mats, sleeping bags and luggage going everywhere. Sleeping in a swag means you can pick a quiet spot (away from the snorers!).


Not everyone made it across dry. One of the river crossings on the Bloomfield Track, right in the heart of the Daintree. Crocodiles? Hmmm... Well this rider made it out unscathed! The couple on the other side got their kodak moment too.


Another creek crossing, this time on the road from Laura to Jowalbinna. After riding across this creek, everyone took some time to soak up the deliciously cool water and soothe tired muscles.


And finally, this is me driving across one of the deeper river crossings.

Fun!

Hanging out in FNQ

We're here working in our 'office' in Cooktown, the last town on the east coast of Australia on Cape York.

In the past couple of days we've travelled through the World Heritage listed Daintree Rainforest, along the most insane track I've ever been along - the Bloomfeld Track. I've never been on a track so steep, and my heart was pumping even just from driving it! We're here supporting a cycle challenge through Intrepid Challenges, for a great group of people from KPMG. These guys raised almost $200,000 for Djarrungun College, an awesome school for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids.

We spent and inspiring two days with the group at The Farm, a facility being developed by the College, with the assistance of the funds raised by KPMG. It was an amazing time and we were treated to cultural dancing by Aboriginal students from Cape York, the eastern Torres Strait islands, the western and the northern island groups - each with a distinct style and tradition. What was most inspiring was the pride in which these young people danced the dances handed down through their elders - and it's fantastic that the school is fostering and nurturing this cultural pride.

We're off on the Battlecamp Track now, which I hear is also pretty hairy...

PS Yesterday I spotted a 2 metre long taipan, and also some gorgeous blue Ulysses butterflies... nice!

Nice reminder.

Even when you love your job, there's moments of frustration and I admit to finding myself at the point of thinking, I wonder what it's like to have a quiet job and a normal life? Instead, we've got something which we created because we're passionate about the outdoors and discovering new places, and actually I'm pretty stoked that I can call this my 'job'!

We've got this trip happening in the Daintree next week, and I'm heading up to Cairns tomorrow, and it's just hit me that hey, I've always really wanted to go to the Daintree! and in the middle of all the frantic working and emailing and looking after the office and all that super hectic stuff I realised that THIS is why we do what we do.

We also had a great weekend just past, taking a group of American uni students down to the Coorong for an 'Aussie' orientation. It was freezing cold, but such a great, relaxing weekend! Gordy was our host, and is a passionate Ngarrindjeri man who loves sharing his culture and the culture of his people. One of the highlights was a basket weaving workshop with Aunty Ellen at Camp Coorong - literally everyone was hooked.

A 'herstory' of cycling?

1. In the 1890s, one-third of those in the market for a bicycle were women.

2. Cycling aided the shift from tight corsets and long dresses, to shorter skirts and bloomers - much more sensible to cycle in!

3. In 1894-5, Annie 'Londonderry' Kopchovsky is the first woman to ride around the world.

4. The first womens cycling world champion was crowned in 1958 (50 years ago).

5. Susan B. Anthony commented: “Let me tell you what I think of bicycling…I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride on a wheel. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance.”

6. The bicycle was considered by some to be a threat to the 'proper' social order. Women were travelling more freely and away from the surveillance of her husband!


7. Women cycled in the Olympics for the first time in 1984 (24 years ago).

8. The first mountain bike world championships were held in 1990, in Durango, Spain.

9. This year there are 37 professional women's road cycling teams registered with the UCI (cycling's world governing body).

10. Cycling group 'Women's Mountain Bike and Tea Society' (WOMBATS) was formed in 1984 to provide a supportive and nurturing environment for women who like riding off road, but weren't sure how/where/who with.

Just a short break.

Don't get me wrong, I love my bikes. No seriously, I love my bikes, I love riding, but for some reason, we are spending a little time apart. I think it's healthy for any good relationship, that you can spend some time apart and still love and respect each other as much as ever. And it's not that I'm NOT riding, it's just that there are other things, or should I say, another thing [singular] that's come between my two-wheeled friends and myself of late. And what could possibly come between a girl and her two-wheeled friend? Her four-legged friend, of course.

Lately, the first thing that I do when I get out of bed is, rather than pulling on my knicks and donning my helmet, I find myself slapping on my trackies and shoving a cap over my morning hair. Instead of water bottle, spare tube and pump, I pick up tennis ball, plastic bag and lead.

Please don't judge me, cycling comrades, for I am now the owner of (or rather, I am now owned by) a bouncing, licking, energetic and fur encrusted creature, otherwise known as Canis lupus familiaris.

His name is Toby. And with all the bounding, unstoppable energy of a kelpie, I find myself walking (or, running!) morning and night, and sometimes noon, to try and match the vigour this creature on the lead beside me.

Kind readers, I've just found a new training partner. He lives nearby, he's always ready to get out there and he doesn't judge me if I miss a session - needless to say, with his eager eyes and waggly tail, I hardly ever do. Although he knows he'd be faster than me if he had the chance, he holds back and keeps to my level, subtly pushing me that little bit more to keep up.

And you know, I think my bikes understand. They know that they'll have me for life, as Toby also must know... They know I'll always be girl+bike, even when I'm more girl+dog. They've loaned me out for a short space of time, knowing that they'll get me back more eager (and fitter!) than ever.

I'll just have to teach Toby to run alongside us.