State: QLD
Sport: OFFROAD MOTORCYCLING/ENDURO
Sporting Accomplishment: 6x QLD CHAMP, 2x AUSSIE CHAMP, 2013 INTERNATIONAL SIX DAY ENDURO (ISDE) WOMENS CUP TEAM CHAMPION AND 3RD OUTRIGHT.
How did you get into your sport: I grew up in the bush near Gympie and it was just the weekend thing to do. My Dad and Brother and all their friends would go trail riding and I hated being left at home so eventually I convinced Dad I should get a bike, and then I started competing locally and then it has just evolved into my life…
Hardest thing about your sport: For me: Finances.
But in general: – the length of some of our events. At the ISDE you are on the bike for 7-8 hours a day for 6 days and if the weather turns bad or you are having bike troubles or battling with an injury it can feel like an eternity and becomes a battle of the mind and body; or
– the difficulty of the courses. At the Enduro World Championships the tracks can be so hard with big hills, rocky creeks, deep ruts and logs that I have nightmares about them for weeks after the events.
What does your regular training week consists of: Six days a week both on and off the bike. Obviously, on bike training is the most beneficial as I am getting the fitness and improving my technique. But it is costly to ride and not always possible to find someone to ride with so I spend a lot of time on my Rocky Mountain, Yoga, core sessions and having the boss they to kill me at the gym. =)
How do you keep motivated: Riding is fun! So it is pretty easy to keep motivated with on bike training but it is still good to mix it up by riding with different people and going to different tracks.
And I keep motivated with off bike training much the same; Mix it up.
Goals (Future Plans and Career expectations): This year will be my third attempt at competing in the Enduro World Championships. I have suffered from injury the previous two years and have not finished the whole series yet. If I can get the money together to get there again this year then my goal is ‘head down bum up’, put in maximum effort 100% of the time and get a podium finish in at least half of the rounds… or better. 😉
Best piece of advice you have been given: No matter how hard you are doing it, there is always someone doing it tougher!
I got told this just before my first World Enduro. It didn’t mean much to me at the time but half way through the event I was stuck down in a gully in Spain, it was pissing down rain and the entire 60 km loop was one big deep slippery rut and I realised what he’d meant… I was at my wits end but I’de just passed a girl with a broken wrist on the side of the track. She had to give up, I didn’t. So keep on pushing!