This is Emma Ringer's blog, where she chats about all things related to women and cycling! Follow as she travels around Australia (and the world!) in her quest to encourage more women to love the thrill and excitement of riding a bike.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Have a look at this guy, dancing his way across the world. Such a simple concept, but amazingly executed! Why didn't I think of this? (Probably because I can't dance...)
I just happened to stumble across this book, my friend said she'd just picked up a copy and realised it was me on the cover! And so it is. From my former days as a journalist at Bicycling Australia, which also involved impromptu photo shoots :-S
Anyway here it is. Not sure what the actual book is like, will have to track down a copy! Adelaide is in the middle of a heatwave at the moment, with temperatures over 35 degrees celsius for 10 days (and still going). It's realistically been closer (or above) the 40 degree mark, which makes for a pretty sweltering March. Looking forward to a cool change! But I'm sure then I'll wish it was warm.
Speaking of warm weather, we're gearing up for our cross-Australia trip, the Bike 'n Wheels Expedition, which leaves Adelaide on 9 April headed for the Gulf of Carpentaria. There's been a fair bit of rain in the Channel Country so it should be nice and green!
More updates about that trip later...
Hopefully you're riding more than I am at the moment :-( ~ girl-minus-bike
Want another magazine to quench your thirst for cycling adventures? This time grab yourself a copy of NZ Adventure Magazine's Feb/Mar 2008 issue. Head to page 26 for our story 'Mountain Biking Through the Dreamtime', with a 5-page article about our Desert Dreaming cycling adventure...
Flick your way to page 115 of the latest (March/April 08) issue of Outdoor Australia magazine, where you'll find 'The Next Step' feature on cycle touring, written by one said girl+bike. The story is titled 'Learn the Contours: Travel for the self-propelled' and features great pics from Peter Solly (and some by me) in a 6-page spread.
In totally unrelated news, Adelaide has festival fever, with the Fringe Festival underway and the mainstream festival about to kick off. We caught a great show the other night, Tom Tom Club, a fusion of beatboxing, DJ-ing, drumming and acrobatics in a high-energy show. Great stuff. Makes me want to be an acrobat, too.
Can't wait to do some more exploring. There are purpose built camps for paddlers along the river banks, and I'd love to spend a couple of days kayaking the river. It's beautiful.
Can't believe it's already mid-February, the year is now well and truly underway and I'm just starting to feel like I'm ready for (last) Christmas... Sad but true! Back in the office now after 2008 started with a blast! I managed to slip back to Wollongong to catch up with my family over Christmas, before Peter, myself and our friend Karen spent a few lovely days along the Great Ocean Road. Our New Year was spent relaxing in Port Campbell, where the sun set over the harbour, a spectacular way to end 2007.
Tour Down Under: What a week! We had some great people come across to Adelaide from Melbourne, Grafton NSW, Auckland and Wellington NZ to join us for the week. It was an intense week and we packed a lot in! We also spent a bit of time relaxing in the Lobby Bar of the Adelaide Hilton, the hub of the TDU, spotting our favourite cyclists and various other celebrities. A little bit of good-natured stalking went on as well but I won't mention any names, except to say that if Robbie McEwen ever goes to Wellington, he'd better watch out! haha
And although I managed to sneak a pic with Mr McEwen, I'm afraid to say he wasn't as happy about the whole thing as we were. He'd had an average day of racing and had just been informed by his team manager that he had to ride back to Adelaide. Needless to say he cheered up considerably later that night and was most obliging to pose for photos in the lobby.
Our Great Ocean Road jaunt over New Year was practice for the 'real' trip which took place straight after the TDU. We again had a most fantastic group of people and had an awesome time on our bikes, swimming, walking, canoeing and eating (eating and more eating!).
This photo was taken on top of 'Big Whitey', a huge sand dune just before Cape Bridgewater. It was like being in the Sahara, with stretches of clean white sand spread out before us. Running down from the top was much more fun than climbing up!
The Glenelg River was definitely a highlight, we spent a day paddling canoes from Princess Margaret Rose Cave down to the rivermouth at Nelson. Bodensee Peter & I managed to find a good technique and cruised along rather nicely, despite the roaring headwind that afternoon. I would definitely love to spend more time paddling the Glenelg, the designated campsites make kayak touring a very tempting holiday (or tour) idea.
In between all of this I managed to get a couple of stories off to both NZ Adventure magazine (they also publish Curl and ASL surfing mags), and Outdoor Australia mag. So look out for upcoming issues of these.
And now, it's back in the office - we've just about put our 2009 schedule together and it's looking very nice indeed.
One thing I'm looking forward to is waking up to views like this...
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.
