My Dirty Secret.
It is 11 am Monday morning. I have 1hr to write this, well that is my goal!
It's a blog about my bike, it's a dirty secret I have. I take my road bike on the dirt and I do it deliberately and often. Yes, I have a CX bike, and 3 mountain bikes but this bike...well she is good.
She is Avril the Avail. Available for anything.
Her birth name is Liv Avail Advanced Pro - what a mouthful!
Earlier this year I had my eyes on adding this versatile bike to the stable.
She has disc brakes and a much comfier riding experience than my racing roadie.
In my mind I was envisaging multi day tours, bike packing, off road gravel grinding style experiences and big days in the saddle. Avril has done it all already.
My alterations were to drop the handlebars to slammed, I do like a low position in the front end and cut off the steerer tube popping out. The other one was to change the tyres over on the tubeless ready wheels to the Schwalbe G One Speed 30mm tyres, tubeless of course.
Bike Matters in Torquay helped me out with these 2 changes, oh and nearly forgot
Being Fit and Able for anything that comes my way
The Story of the Surf Coast Trail Marathon.
Back when I was 16 or 17 I did a 10km fun run around Eastern Gardens, it hurt like hell. But somehow I would go out for for random runs even though I was fairly bad at it. No talent scouts ever tapped me on the shoulder as I plodded my way around the streets of my neighbourhood of Whittington. I was not Lee Troop who was also pounding the pavement at the same time and is only 1 month younger than me. He ran so good he went to the Olympics
The 2017 Cloudride Bike Packing Experience
Its has been 7.5 weeks since my crash resulting in concussion and memory loss, time off the bike and all that drama at Easter on the Monaro 1000 Cloudride.
My biggest regret is not riding along and giving myself 7 days to complete it, instead rushing in head first trying to smash myself and race it.
The entire region is amazing, so many pictures I wish I had taken, so many places I wish I had stopped and soaked it in.
To be honest I am not at all excited about writing about it. The ride itself was quite big, consumed a
2016 - The Year of Being Uncomfortable
FOREWORD:
You might need to take you smart phone to the toilet or read this on your tea break over 2 coffees, much to divulge. Apologies in advance.
In 2006 I started my journey proper on the bike, pushing boundaries to improve my skills and fitness, intrinsically motivated. Yet somehow people were looking on and taking an interest. I have always wondered why and I have come to the conclusion it’s because I tell the truth, I am just an ordinary person that has sucked up my hard times and made them good times. I have succeeded despite my
Avoiding the Victorian Winter with my bike
Norm and I returned home from Europe on the 30th July, for me it was after nearly 7 weeks of sunshine, bike rides, looking after other people, sleeping as much as I could and enjoying my time doing something different to the normal grind.
Its now time to share where I went, who I did it with and the finale that was 4 days in Paris.
Opportunity comes from time to time and its in saying Yes that it becomes real.
David and Emma from Top Bike Tours asked Norm and I to do guiding work for them in 2016, for me
