Karen
I have ridden bicycles for as long as I can remember. My earliest memory of riding a bike was when I was 3 years old and decided to ride my bike into town. I got one and a half miles down the road before my mum pulled up in the car and caught up with me. She was so angry (and scared) and I remember her throwing my bike into the boot of the car and telling me to “GET IN THE CAR”! I was not an easy child for my parents and this was just one of the stunts I pulled, hence her frustration.
Throughout my childhood and adulthood I have used a bike to commute from home to school / work. I brought my first mountain bike in 1992 and promptly broke my collarbone crashing off it 6 weeks later. I have dabbled in triathlons, road and mountain bike racing, horse riding and hiking. I love the outdoors, travel and adventure so combining a bicycle with travel over roads less travelled is my idea of an ideal holiday.
I am lucky enough that I met Tony six and a half years ago and he feels the same about bikes, travel and adventure (he is probably more adventurous than me). He is the ideal travel partner and amazingly after almost 6 months living in each other’s pockets he is still the person I most want to spend my time with.
Tony
I was exposed to the playground of the outdoors throughout my childhood. This mainly involved tramping (hiking) and fishing. As kids I remember disappearing in the mornings to explore the neighbourhood parks and beaches and as long as we were home for dinner everything was good.
This desire to ‘see what’s around the next corner’ has stayed with me…but the corners just keep getting further away. Tramps became challenges to see how far or how fast it could be done. They got higher and more remote. The mountains and outdoors are definitely my happy place.
Spread through this there was a bit of a competitive streak so I dabbled in off road running, multisport and rogaining events. I was never first but always gave it a good nudge. Endurance events were what really spun my wheels. My philosophy was ‘the more it hurts the more fun it is’.
Although riding bikes has always been there I didn’t get my first real mountain bike until 2007, but just love it. After meeting Karen in 2012 our riding morphed from mountain bike parks to longer and more remote self supported adventure riding. Our bikepacking adventures were born.
I’m lucky to have a wife who has a similar philosophy to me…albeit with a few more coffee stops. We are also a similar pace which helps keeps things on track.
Why are we taking this journey?
Life is short and we plan to make the most of it while we have the health and resources to do it.
The Things We Do For Fun 