Life and love as a cycling tour guide
Enjoying my time with Wide Open Roads in the Alta Badia, 2022
When I started cycling in my early forties, the thought that cycling would end up as a full time career was the furtherest thing from my mind. Like many women, I had not had the opportunity to ride bikes while my children were young, and when a friend suggested going for a ride with him, I jumped at the chance. Shall we say I fell in love with it and haven’t looked back.
Fast forward towards my fiftieth birthday, where I had planned a trip to Switzerland and France with some friends to have a cycling holiday. It was during this time that I fell down that long well of passion over European cycling and I hoped that one day, I would have the opportunity to return.
Unfortunately the world had other plans with Covid. I started working as a coach with friend and mentor, Deborah Latouf at Spin Doctor Coaching, and patiently endured the many lockdowns we had in Australia.
In early 2022, I went on a weekend gravel trip with The Gravel Cartel. Little did I know that it was to be a turning point in my life. Unfortunately for Kent and Michelle, the owners, we had a hideous start with torrential rain and all manner of mud. Although conditions were better on the second day, one of my fellow riders was struggling. Feeling that I could help her by sharing a few tips gleaned from my experience teaching road bike handling skills, I volunteered to ride with her. It was intoxicating to see her gain some confidence over the few hours we shared together. To see her smiling from ear to ear, had me smiling too. I finished the weekend feeling excited, and all kinds of inspired, that my knowledge of the sport had changed someone’s experience for the better, and I commented to my husband that if ever I had the opportunity to work as a guide then I would jump at it.
That opportunity came earlier than expected with a post in a Melbourne cycling group looking for a guide for tours in Italy and France. I approached owner, Clare, with the overenthusiasm of a dribbling St Bernard, and to my delight, she chose me for the role, which involved some riding, some driving of the support vehicle, making afternoon teas, managing riders to make sure they all arrived at their final destination safely etc. She warned me that there would be some days that would be very trying and that I’d get quite tired, however, for the most part that hasn’t been my experience.
It was a joy to be able to immerse myself in everything Italian for the prep, and when we started the tour, I felt like I’d “come home”. What a joy it was to ride with the guests, help with the van and luggage, negotiate Italian roads, and work in a role where you arrived well organised, but were also continually having to think on your feet to ensure that everyone enjoyed the amazing rides, scenery, food and culture.
Since 2022, I have been part of six (and counting) tours for Wide Open Road Cycling, and its sister company, High Country Women’s Festival, where I help guide and coach a women’s cycling weekend in Bright, Victoria annually. Part of my guiding and coaching role is to help encourage our women to believe that they can achieve epic adventures on the bike - and what a great feeling it is to see them succeed in their endeavours, while improving their climbing and descending skills at the same time.
This year I have also partnered with Pat and Grace Fitzpatrick, with their amazing company, Ride International Tours, kicking off with the Tour Down Under in Adelaide (and at time of writing, about to head to the Giro’DItalia and Tour De France).
There are several aspects of guiding that I enjoy. In a nutshell I’m..
inspired by sharing landscapes and cultures that make my heart go “boom” and my mind leave town with fellow cycling enthusiasts
overjoyed to see riders, particularly women, overcoming their fears and hesitations about their ability or fitness levels and conquering epic cols
dedicated to a relentless pursuit of excellence in customer service and love nothing more than seeing lots of smiles and hearing plenty of “war stories” on the daily from our customers
driven to inspire the world to fitness, one pedal stroke at a time
keeping my mind active by immersing myself in the French and Italian languages as much as I can - work in progress but love this aspect of learning
When I’m not on tour, I’m helping riders get ready for the holiday of a lifetime with coaching and programming that gives the most ‘bang for buck ‘ and that fits in with work and family life as well as coaching racing cyclists, triathletes and endurance multisport athletes.
If you are interested in joining me for an epic adventure, please visit the below sites to learn more.
Descending the mighty Col Du Tourmalet