WEMBO 2013: Australian Perspective - Part 1

I started the year with the best of intentions to race WEMBO. The compartment syndrome issues in my calves were dissipating, I was training hard, dropping kilos, feeling focused. Then a stupid moment trying to unclip from my pedals on a busy road and I found myself with an injured wrist.

That was February, and it wasn't until June-July that my wrist finally started to come good. By then I had lost a lot of focus, put a couple of kilos back on and really couldn't get excited about WEMBO.


It was sometime during this period between February and June that The Great Escape MTB started to interest me more and more and I started to wonder how I could best follow up on my promise from 2012 to contribute.

The place where Single Spyder was born.

 In the end, it was just a matter of taking the plunge, diving into that pool of unknown depth, and being confident that you have the skills to swim. Thus began a new level of communication between Australia, Catalonia and a group of people around the world all linked to Bob and Betty.

WEMBO 2012 was where our paths had first crossed...

My first vision of Freedom

...gifts and details exchanged...

...and promises made to visit en route to Barcelona.

The beginnings of friendship: Finale 2012

A strange twist of fate and a week later I had lost my bike to the Street Museum of Milan and was starting my bike trip across France on a train with a pair of panniers and an empty bike bag.

Were it not for the loss of my beautiful Shhhukran, I would not have been riding through Catalonia on an unfamiliar dragon...

Winding our way south through Catalonia - May 2012.

...nor would I have needed to go to Girona to visit a bike shop and get some new parts, nor would Phil and I have been exposed to a personalised tour of that city at the hands of Bob and Betty...

Catalan escort through the streets, history and culture of Girona.

...nor would we have come to be the proud owners of two Freedom Catalonia jerseys. There were many strange twists of fate in this particular part of my life, and somehow they resulted in me writing for this Blog, learning about the rich history of Catalonia, and ultimately arriving at a very clear decision about WEMBO 2013. If I was going to enter, I would be doing the race in Freedom.

Catalan escort to Barcelona on the newly single-ised touring dragon.

So while my first few posts were an unashamedly deliberate attempt to tempt our Catalan buddies over for WEMBO, I had already made up my mind to do this race for them, wearing their kit. But it wasn't enough that they provide me with a purpose to ride, no they also had to set the level of training in July, that then saw me reaching for goals I would never have dreamed to attempt in the midst of our winter with a full time job: 2000km in August!

I took on the challenge and entered September knowing that the fitness base was established, now only one question remained: how many Freedoms would be on the start line?

It was a close run race between personal circumstances, time, flights and the odd tumble off a bike. At this end we had twice given up hope that Bob and Betty would make it this year, and the second time, in that moment of quiet acceptance that not all things in life can turn out as you hoped, the email arrived with the details of their flights!

I cannot describe the emotion I felt in that moment. We went from a strange limbo-like state of mental preparations to an "all systems go" physical readiness. More than that though, I was super excited to finally be able to share our Aussie Single Speed culture with our Catalan friends. Behind the scenes we planned the key elements of their visit and organised a flag to welcome them at the airport.

Finally the stage was set and it was clear that there would be three Freedoms flying around Storm-Lo (it would have been four, but Phil's torso is a tad too long for the Euro-sizing of the jersey).

What I didn't realise is that I was also going to ride the race in Catalan style. It might seem to outsiders that the last few weeks have been largely about a Catalan experience of Australia. Don't be fooled! The spirit of Catalonia has touched down in Canberra and the old nation has mentored the young city.

The legend of the Australian lass accepting the Catalan knight's advice on the rules of engagement in 24 hour racing will be told another day.

The result however, was known before we turned a single pedal stroke: we had won! From Finale to Storm-Lo, we had ridden the Flow and already started to reap our rewards.

And this is just the beginning...