some Q & A about some things in my life from when attitude tv was doing some filming for the attitude awards
back in september? of last year part of the team from attitude tv who do the attitude awards came and did some filming for the tv show and the awards- part of the filming was being ask some questions in fount of the camera - as it's not the best way to ask me questions as i like to have time to think what to say and how to say it so i ask if they could send me some of the questions on the email so i could do the here on the blog - so here are just some off the things they ask me about-
- What made you choose to live a life on the road?
there are many things i could say so here a few of why i live on the road
i been living more or lest on the road full time for the last 7 years before that time i would spend any thing from an over night to a few weeks on the road then after my dad passed away in 2004 my mum got a bus to set up as a motor home - once that one done she renting the house out so now i had now where to live as i was still living with my mum at home - because of how my disables are i find it very hard to read people so don't tend to fit in well any where in the longer term (more then a few weeks so at that time i could of tried to fit in with flatmates (what was very unlikely to work out) or move in to the bus with my mum (what i ending up doing from time to time like now as im typing this im staying with her as i work out what next in my life) or the other thing i could do was to go on the road by bike going around the horse events over summer time -so this is what i been doing for the last 7 years — i don't have the money to stay in one place (and with no real way of getting a paying job that pays well that i could stay in one place ) some times i help out friends for a few weeks here and there thought i have to be cafull not to over stay my welcome and to make sure of what people expace of me when i do stay some where
- What is so special about bike riding?
many things-a way to get some where , fun (not so fun when the weather is bad thought ) sport , a way to met up with friends and to meet new ones, a way to get and for staying fit
- Do you ever get lonely?
some times.. even thought i travel on my own i met new people (and some times chauch up with friends) along the way in small towns in on the side of the road in the country and end up having a chat (i tend to try to stay away from large city’s when i can as i don't tend to do very well in the larger city’s )
over the years on being on the road i have over time gotten used to being on my own at night and even most of the day -i do keep an eye on face book (when my phone works any way : ) to see what (and where) my friends are up to so that helps some times when i do get lonely as well as having a few good friends that i can call and talk to
- What is a normal life?
What is normal any way? It seem's that each one has they own thoughts on whats normal for then - for many people what I call a normal life is very out side they way of thinking of how one should be living they life - for me living on the road for the last 7 years? (I lost count some where along the way : ) is very normal - some times i might stop for a week or more in one place other times each day is a new place to see - yes living in a tent over winter can be hard but one can get used to many things when one puts they mind to it (yes i do get ice on the tent some times so i just wait until it mets off then get back one the road if im moving on that day ) - i lost count of how many tents i used the years they tend to last about a year some more some time less then there are time that i have stayed in place besides tents - in peoples houses, the odd shed or stable and even odder places over the years so what i call ever day life is very diffice then some one that has a 9-5 job and a house in the city - some times i wonder what it would be like to have that as a way of life
as for being disable - well as i have away been disable in some way i don't know what it would like not to be disable that said some of my disables have come latter in life -like my head injures so i have some idea what its like but its just the way things are for me now so its just normal for me thought it would be nice if there was more um understanding about being disable and getting help when i need it and not just put in to hard basket as what tends to happen
- What is that you love about horses?
horses are just part of my life - they are not just some think i do but more part of who i am - - they don't tell stores about you behind you back and will soon tell you if they like you or not i find that i under stand horses a lot better then i do people and so tend to get on with then a lot better
- How do you help at events?
many difficult jobs at events - what ever needs doing ( beside driving as i cant drive or writing as my handwriting is offing unreaderball also I try to keep away from having to used a radio as people have a hard time understanding me on them ) so for dressage events i help set up the event and run the test papers back to the office + many other little jobs that need to be done
for show jumping i help set up the jumps and pick up the jump poles as the horses knock then off as well as helping to change the jump course after each class = other jobs that need doing when i have the time - many days at events work for me starts at sunrise and lasts to sunset (or even longer some times )
i been helping at horse events for around 9-10 years doing any where between 5-10+ events each year - lately i been doing more dressage events then show jumping as well as the odd 3 day event (the taupo 3 day event was the last event that i help at back in may-around 9-10 years ago it was the first horse show event that i help at : )
- What is special bike you have here?
it's a bike friday pocket llama? hand made in the USA by green gear cycling it's a folding bike with 20 “ wheels that has been set up just the way i want it with bar end shifters on H bars with aro bars with low step over frame (very easy to get on or off the bike and very low gears with clip-less pedals ( as if i don't have my feet clip to the pedals my feet tend to come off the a lot (not reamend as i tend to come off the bike when not clip in as i don't know where my feet are in 3d space - some time i will do a post on the blog on the why and how of my bike set up as it's a some e what odd set up over my many years over getting around by bike in the past i have had to make do with bike by changing many parts of the bike ( my last bike that i had before i got the bike friday was a Mt bike (that was my dad’s bike but as did not used it much i ending up with it )only the frame , seat-post and hander bars was un changed - that bike went um walk about at leaven A & P show in 2008 (yes it was storling from beside my tent ) many of the people in the horse world did fundraising to get me a new bike with the bike costing some around $3000 (as my bike is one of the only ways i can get around i tend to relay on it a lot: ) - i do have a mt bike as a back up bike but it's no where as good as the bike friday and still needs a lot of work playing around with difficult ideas on the best set up (the mt bike tends to get used when i go off road on trails to rught for the bike friday ( my bike friday can do some light off road trails but is more set up for touring, training and the odd fun ride : )
- Having dyspraxia, How do you manage to ride?
by having my feet clip to the pedals (so my feet don't come off the pedals until i want then to , the low step over hight frame helps as well as a few other ways the bike is set up - it’s taking many years of riding and lots of very hard work to get to where im at now with the bike riding where i don’t fall off so much (well most of the time as there are days that i sill tend to fall off a lot so when they days happen i try to stay off the bike )i don't know or remember when i first starter riding — there is so much that i cant seem to remember doing in my life just bits and pieces here and there(maybe dur to the 7? head injures i had over the years or because of the dyspraxia - who knows? )
- What do you put in your blogs?
about my life on the road (my blog is called life on the road in NZ ) i tend to post stories about life on the road , training ridings , the odd fun ride - keeping in mind some of my “ fun “ rides are over 200+ km long done over 1-2 days longer ones like the taupo 640 km ride was done over 3 days so what i call a fun ride most people would call it being crazy . some times i do post on the blog about other things - over the 2+years ? i been doing the blog -it has about 200 + posts on it now with many of the posts taking me more then an hour to type out and make more readable - over time the posts have got longer. when i do a post i some times try to add photos as well(i do horse and landscape photos in my travels) some times i get a few posts out each week other times it may be a few weeks between post’s - im trying to get back into working on the blog as well as doing suff for a book (yes after many of my friends told me i should do a book im now slowly working on doing a book )
- Why have you chosen to do the extreme endurance ride around Taupo?
Because I can thought I don't know if I can give a real ansaw to why- there is a quote that I saw in a book called RIDE by josh kench that I been reading that sums up ultra cycling well its “Those who do it can’t explain. Those who don’t do it, don't understand” peter Cole (i hope i got that right -let me know if it needs fixing )
for me its seeing how far i can push my self on the bike- i cant do many sports and out of the ones that i have tried over the years ultra cycling seem a good fit as i tend to spend a lot of time on the bike also as i never seem to get sore legs on the bike (even after doing the 640 km 4 lap taupo ride with 80 km/h head winds at times in 2011 my legs was fine - i did have a sore back thought that was dure to bike fit issues -im still working on bike fit issues' as it can be hard to get the right bike fit as i most of the time i don't know where pain of a miss fit is coming from)
with the type of fun rides i do there are not that many people doing it maybe some where between 20-100 people in nz (im not sure of the number) some do it as a race and others do just to finish (like me- i may not go fast but i can ride all day and into the night : ) the riders tend to know and help each other out with the training and on the rides -
with me its some what harder as there don't seem to be many disable ultra rider’s out there so theres lest help with when i have to try new or other was of doing things to get around things that i cant do the way others do things like bike fit , bike set up and how riders do the rides - i cant seem to ride a road bike like ever one else (i did try one for a few weeks but had to many issues with trying to ride it day in day out so went back to the bike i had at the time)
riding late at night at 1 am when there is just the odd car on the road it's a differ world out there on the bike on long rides
even thought i did a D.N.F (did not finish) at taupo last year as i picked up some ash in my eyes so could not see very well (read the taupo ride report for more info on that here on the blog) I am planing to be at this years 8 lap 1280 km taupo ride - as long as i can get some issus work out - like a getting together a support crew for the ride and getting in better training in this year to be a lot fitter (and maybe faster? ) and if things going more or less to plan i should finish the ride this time - its not going to be a easy ride (even for me who never seems to get sore legs on the bike : ) but I will get there in the end : )
