Linda is my name, travel and tourism – eco-friendly and sustainable and preferably at a slow pace – is my game. I LOVE being in the great outdoors thus my penchant for scuba diving, kayaking, hiking, biking and now eBiking. I was reminded recently in a quote by Albert Einstein that “life is like riding a bicycle, in order to keep your balance, you must keep moving”. The Coronavirus pandemic has certainly taken us all a little off balance, and many of us have had to rethink our lives in terms of movement. We’ve been forced to slow down, restrict our travels, and whilst this has been very challenging both mentally and financially for many, especially those in the travel and tourism industry, there has been a unexpected and positive flow on effect in reducing the carbon footprint of many people and has enabled to the planet to take a short breath. I’m sure we’ve all seen those images of the Himalayas being seen for the first time in parts of India.
Sustainable travel translates to finding ways to travel respecting nature and the environment. What better way to do this than on a bike. I have completed many multi day rides on standard pedal and people powered bikes around the world. Australia from Taiwan to Tasmania, and have hired eBikes on many of my travels, most particularly in the Bavarian Alps in Germany, and New Zealand where the “hills” can be a little challenging to say the least. I’ve always loved that little bit of extra “oomph” provided by an eBike climbing those challenging hills. And as you know, the best views are always from the top, but you have to get there first – and that’s where an eBike becomes your bliss machine. Whilst travelling in New Zealand, we hired eBikes to ride the trails around Queenstown in the South Island, and then completed the Otago Central Rail Trail, also on the South Island, for 4 days from Clyde to Middlemarch – and what a spectacular ride it is – passing through stunning New Zealand farmland, gorges, mountains and some of the most welcoming country towns I’ve come across anywhere in the world. We then travelled down to the very south of the South Island, took a ferry over to Stewart Island and explored this natural wonder on eBikes – a brilliant opportunity to experience the wildlife and landscapes at a slower and more suitable pace.
I’ve been riding bikes forever, as a bicycle tourist, and whilst I loved the idea of an eBike, and spent many an hour on them whilst travelling around the world, I’d resisted purchasing one for home – come on, “I’m too young”, “I’m too fit”, “I don’t need the assistance – Im tougher than that – or so I thought!! The countryside around the Tweed Valley in Northern New South Wales, Australia is stunning, especially when viewed at bike pace, however its not nicknamed quot;The Tweed Alps" by bike riders for no reason. When you live at the bottom of one of the steepest inclines in the Tweed Valley, which way you turn when you come out of your driveway is a big decision. I could climb this hill on my non powered bike, however it was never an enjoyable experience. Granny gear and less than walking pace was the best I could manage, and there was always a feeling of sheer exhaustion once I hit the top, thus my penchant to always turn left. Being able to turn only left out of my driveway however severely limited my biking options from home, thus my bike rack was often used as transport me and my bike to the start of whatever ride I wanted to do. Using my car to go for a bike ride? Hmmmm.
So when the Coronavirus pandemic hit, and I too was grounded and found myself with more time on my hands as my work evaporated, I took this as the perfect opportunity to explore more of my local area, and made the decision to purchase my own eBike and thus use my car less – and what a bliss machine it has turned out to be. Since April, my eBike has travelled with me to Hervey Bay in Queensland to witness the spectacular humpback migration along the East Coast of Australia, to the Tenterfield region in the Granite Belt area of Northern NSW to see amazing grant country formations and rocky outcrops and vistas which stretch for kms. My eBike has also provided me with so many opportunities to explore the stunning Tweed Valley. Discovering my own backyard and unearthing the joy in the everyday on my eBike is, for the moment, my new normal – an unexpected grounding but one which provides mountains of pleasure, a pleasure I’m delighted to be able to share. I have now travelled over 3,000 kms on back roads in the Tweed Valley region of New South Wales in the past 4 months alone.
Besides enjoying the great outdoors at a slow and sustainable pace, fitness has improved dramatically as riding an eBike allows me to maintain an elevated heart rate for longer periods, resulting in fantastic endurance fitness. I am reminded constantly of the words of Tim Winton in his book “Island Home” – “Seeing the country by car you may think you are in the landscape but really you are in geographical limbo enclosed in your steel cocoon. When I see cyclists grinding away, we are each travelling through the landscapes, these mad bastards and I, but surely their experience is deeper, more authentic. They must absorb things I miss entirely”. So so true.
BY LINDA CASH (IG @AGIRLANDHER_EBIKE)
www.agirlandherebike.com.au
