Well, last week I finally took the plunge. I actually booked my flight to Australia....now what?! There's a whole bunch of little details that I really don't know about, but I'm hoping someone who happens to read this will be able to help me out.

Basically, I decided to go to Oz by process of elimination. Option 1-->go back to school, veto that. Who wants to sit in a classroom and then go work to pay for tuition in my spare time? Option 2-->repeat this year by working and training. Hmmm, another 6 months of long training rides in the rain and cold? Not so appealing. Option 3-->Travel somewhere hot and sunny and ride all day long. Alright, I think we have a winner.

 Now comes the logistical problems. Where should I live? Is the terrain up to snuff for training? How about the race scene? What's the best way to get a job? Vaccines? Bike transport? Oh the list could be endless!

 My coach from last year recently moved down to Canberra and said I was more than welcome to crash her place. Beautiful! Until I looked at a map and saw that the capital is oh, at least a 2 hour drive from the beach. Now that just won't do! If I'm flying all the way to Sydney I have to at least get back out surfing!! (As long as a shark doesn't eat me, or a jellyfish sting me, or some equally scary sea creature attack me.)  

So she recommended the city of Wollongong. Pretty little industrial/university town about 45 minutes outside Sydney. And all on the coast:) Apparently it has wicked climbing, so I'm automatically interested. Has anyone been down in that area for training? Got any suggestions on a better town or is that one going to suit my needs for a few months? I'm thinking of just renting a room from a big house of students and then hooking in with them to go on road trips.

Maybe I should back up a little here. I keep mentioning this training thing, but that's a pretty broad term. In terms of labels, I'm a Cat. 3 racer, or so I'm told I'm just sandbaggin and should move up to Cat 2 (don't know about that). But I race with the "big girls" anyway since there aren't enough females to really separate the categories. Women's racing is strange in that way, you're either riding with the beginners or the pros. No in between. So all you gals out there, grab a bike! It's good fun and then we can fill out the field a bit. In terms of results, got a few top 10 finishes at Superweek and BC Cups this year. Nothing too crazy. I'd really like to work on my crits this year. I'd love to climb all day, but show me a long flat road and I'll try to hide my whimpering. Ok maybe a bit extreme, but I'm going to be looking for some speedwork (ie a weekly race series like the Tues. niters) out there if anybody knows of one. I know there's a track in Sydney, but a) it's sketch (my buddy got held-up at knife point out front), and b) it's far away. So we'll just see about that one.

In terms of time, I train anywhere from 10-25+ hrs a week and do lots of cross training. Since I'm a roadie, that includes the mtn bike. The road season ends and the mountain bike racing begins when I get to Australia, so I'm planning on adding that to the mix. I have no idea what the trails are like in Wollongong. I'm told I won't need my dual suspension out there though. ANYway, I don't want to be so focused on training out there that I miss out on some cool trips. I had to take a few weeks off the bike this season, (not by choice:( darn crashing). I think it was a good thing though because I'm still rarin' to go for racing, (even though everything wraps up at the time trial in Squamish this weekend). So if you know of some cool spots to go ride or hike or rock climb or whatever, let me know and I'll plan on that too!  

 What else...oh yah-->work! Is it pretty easy getting a job out there? I'm told being a Canadian helps that part a bit. I've worked a ton in cafes, a bit in bike shops, and have been dabbling in machining the past few years. Lots of people just pick nuts and fruit, but after being on the bike all morning that doesn't sound so appealing. I'm into trying something totally new though.

 Don't worry, I'm almost done. But I've still got 2 issues to figure out. One is medical insurance and vaccines. I don't want to get bit by some ridiculously oversized spider and not be covered, (but I really don't think that'll happen beacuse I'll already be on the other side of the house. Wease can attest to the fact that I have a stereotypical, irrational fear of spiders). Bats, rodents, snakes, that's all good. I've actually had most of those as pets before. But I've heard of this one spider that likes to hide on the visor in the car. Imagine you're driving along the highway, and then pull down the shade to get the sun out your eyes and you have THAT staring at you! I think I'd end up in a ditch if that happened to me. Of course it's one of the biggest, and not poisonous at all. Go figure. Blah. Alright moving right along.

BIKE TRANSPORT!! I don't want my babies to get dented and scratched beyond all recognition. Retail value between the 2 bikes is going on $7000, a titch more but I'm afraid to think of that. Replacement isn't really an option once I'm there. I've packed many a bike box, so that isn't a worry. Any tricks for that one though? I know those baggage handlers are oh so gentle when they see something marked "fragile." I'm not sure how to get me, my bike, and my backpack around the airport and to the city. I'm hoping to hook in with the airport pick-up service at the University, but since I don't really know anybody there that might not work. I sat on hold with the airline for over half an hour hearing conflicting reports on how much extra it's going to be for 2 bikes, and how much they cover for the bikes if they're damaged. That's when someone suggested that since I'm traveling alone, and I want to get some sort of travel insurance for the bikes (if that exists), that I should take only one with me and Fed-Ex the other bike out once I have a place to stay. Grand idea...I think.

SO, that was a whole lot of random rambling. I used to plan everything down to the most insiginificant detail. Now I like to go with the flow, things tend to come together a bit better I've found. But I'd still like a general picture of the race/work/house scene down there. So I'm pluggin in a contact form at the bottom for any suggestions. They'd be greatly appreciated! Or just fire off a comment, I'm sure someone else can use the info too.

T-Minus 5 weeks!!