Tell us a bit about yourself.
I live in Perth, Western Australia. Western Australia . Perth is the 6th windiest city in the world and is 5 hours from Sydney by plane .
What is my favorite thing about Western Australia ?
The climate it never gets really cold, so there are not many days you can’t ride.
How did I get into riding?
We moved to Perth from Scotland 17 years ago with my 3 kids . The 2 boys were into athletics, so I took up running . Unfortunately, I developed an Achilles injury so decided to buy a road bike to maintain my fitness . Joined a group and never looked back . Just fell in love with cycling .
My bikes ?
I am the proud owner of 5 bikes . I have a road bike , a dual suspension mountain bike , a hard tail mountain bike , a time trial bike and a road bike that is attached to my indoor trainer for zwift ( I use zwift 1-2 times a week after work for fitness ). I have had all sorts of adventures over the last 9 years . I have travelled ti Victoria to ride a fondo called the 3 peaks, participated in a ride around Loch Ness in Scotland and mountain biked in Tasmania . I have done criteriums and road racing . At the moment my main focus is learning to mountain bike and I take part in time trials
The Munda Biddi Trail:
My biggest adventure was the Munda Biddi Trail which translated from aboriginal is path through the forest . The trail is 10,045km with 10,000m of climbing . The terrain is a mixture of gravel roads, forest trails and single track . The trail runs from Mundaring in the Perth Hills to Albany a sea port town in the South West Region .There are many ways to ride this trail as there are huts every 30-50km so you can pack your bike and sleep in the huts . The ammenities are basic but you can get water and a toilet ( drop toilets no flushing ) Australia is a massive country largely un populated so lots of areas totally off the grid . My husband and other friends offered to support us by carrying our gear . We opted to ride the trail over 10 days and booked accommodations along the way . This meant we had some long days of riding. The weather gods were kind . No rain and no really hot days.
Biggest takeaway from the trail?
My biggest takeaway was the variety of different landscapes . As we travelled South the forests change , there were many beautiful fragile wild flowers that will be gone as soon as the Summer gets hot . Your mind empties of all the stresses and you just focus on the scenery .
Multi-day adventure advice:
I recommend that you do train for the adventure . If possible get out on your bike and ride back to back . We prepared by doing a few weekends away . Don’t underestimate how tired you will feel some day. I had a real low day on day 8 of my journey but just keep pedaling Also if packing get the lightest gear you can afford . One big takeaway for me was if anything had happened we were completely off the grid and had no way of getting help . I am now going to buy a satellite messenger device.
Next adventure:
I haven’t got one yet but it’s Time Trial Season so I’ll focus on that.
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