Louella Harley
Name: Louella Harley
Occupation: Full-time mum, office manager/bookkeeper for
family business, volunteer.
I'd love to meet: Any (or all) of the Chaser's War crew, but Craig's the cutest.
When and why did you become interested in cycling?(See following story)
What do you think you get out of cycling? Fun, fitness, friendship and a warm feeling when you replace a petroleum-powered trip with a self-powered one.
On average how many kilometres do you ride a week and with whom? 200km, BBTA (Brisbane Bicycle Touring Association) members, other friends and myself.
Describe your most memorable ride? Probably Brisbane to the Gold Coast last year when I set out to ride back as well and didn't know if I'd make it, but managed to.
Give us a description of a ride you would rather forget?There's no bad riding. There's only good riding and great riding.
What is your favourite post cycle beverage? Japanese green tea.
What is your favourite cycle energy food? Raw nuts, dried apricots, naked ginger, pastelli
How do you cope with cold winter mornings? Not really an issue in Brisbane
Is there anything that can be done to improve the on road relationship between cyclists and motorists? Heaps I'm sure, by people more expert than me. As I see it though, the more people riding the better for everyone.
What advice can you give those who are thinking of taking up
cycling? Ride with more experienced people and soak up their
knowledge. Get your bike fitted properly.
Experience has taught me: Listen more, talk less (not that
I always do it).
Who inspires you the most? Nelson Mandela.
What is your life/cycle philosophy? Life: give blood, protect our planet. Cycle: I think I can, I think I can.
I often daydream: About having time to daydream.
When I am not cycling; I am on my computer, doing household chores or playing tennis.
When all else fails: Family and friends will be there.
I've just had a birthday and in lieu of presents, I treated myself to a couple of charity bike rides.
This isn't the first time I've done this. Seven years ago, as a non-cyclist, I decided to ride 400km for my 40th. It was to be a one-off, you know, the I've-got-to-do-something-to-prove-I'm-not-over-the-hill thing. But, as many others have found, cycling gets in your blood and now, three bikes later…
The first of these two rides was raising funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Starting in Brisbane, a couple of similarly addicted friends and I drove 860km west to Cunnamulla. Then, along with about thirty others from all over Queensland and NSW, we went by bus 460km west again, so we could ride from Cooper Creek, the edge of the desert, back to Cunnamulla over the next three-and-a-half days. The arrival of a crowd from Ballarat, via their wildly circuitous route, pumped our numbers to nearly 50.
The riding was lots of fun - long, flat, straight stretches of road with only low-growing mulga and gidgee scrub for miles around providing spectacular views from horizon to horizon. This country is stocked in acres to the sheep, never the reverse.
The road was bitumen but mostly only one lane wide. An occasional bend in the road was cause for comment. Not least the turn after 100ks on day 1 into a heady southerly for the last torrid 20.
Day 2, the toughest at 143km, had hills, well pimples maybe: long, gentle climbs, followed by long, gentle downhills, but nevertheless steeper than anything the Barcaldine people get to ride back home. And a nigglingwind persisted from the side and the front.
We learnt that the faster you go over cattle grids the better, though they still shake every bone in your body, and we stopped and got right off the road for the road-trains. Better that than have them move over, throwing rocks and dust up at us.
The night-sky was not quite as spectacular as I had hoped due to a full moon, but the sunsets more than compensated.
There's no mobile phone reception out there but there was a public satellite phone in most places to keep in touch with home. You can even text from some of them.
By Day 3 the legs knew the drill and the kilometres flew by in a rhythmic blur.
Day 4 was a doddle - just 70ks into Cunnamulla just in time for lunch. We regrouped a kilometre out of town, then rode in as a whirring pack behind the local fire engine, lights flashing, sirens wailing, local school kids out lining the streets.
It was over all too soon, euphoria mingled with sadness. Ten hours in the car later, I was greeted by a gorgeous bunch of paper flowers handmade by my 13-year-old daughter, 100+ emails that had accumulated in my inbox, and a nagging feeling that I wasn't quite ready to return to the daily grind of the real world.
A three-day, 450km ride from Brisbane to Crows Nest and back was setting out the next day and the organiser most kindly accepted me as a late entry.
This ride had a dual purpose: to raise money for the Cancer Council Qld and, just as importantly, to raise awareness of prostate cancer. Spearheaded by an amazing 15-year-old boy whose dad is in remission from prostate cancer, this smaller group of around 20 tackled this much hillier course with zeal. It was a tad daunting to learn the only other female rider has a coach!
On the first day, after 100km of gentle undulations, we faced 40km of climbing. The next two days brought perfect weather and (mostly) propitious winds as we traversed hills, hills and more hills. Three surprisingly tough climbs tested us in the last 30ks of day 2 when the aforementioned kindly organiser tried a new way back to Crows Nest. Even the strongest riders were heard mumbling about this.
How sceptical was I when told that soaking in ice-cold water could soothe aching muscles? A trip to (and dip in) the stunning granite-fringed waterhole at Crows Nest National Park, and I'm convinced.
The friendly proprietors made our two-night stay in their clean, modern motel a delight. And now there was no moon to spoil the night sky as we walked the kilometre or so downtown for dinner.
What is the attraction of multi-day, supported rides?
You meet interesting people from all over the place - everyone has a story. You can raise funds for good causes. You get a buzz from the physical achievement. And, for me, it's a holiday. My family (Neil and three teenagers) are wonderful but as the mum, family holidays are still work: planning, organising, preparing meals, keeping things tidy etc. On cycling holidays, I don't cook and I only have myself to look after. I come back with a broader perspective on life. What's important and what's not worth sweating over are somehow more sharply in focus.
Where will it be next year?