The temperatures are high here in Australia, as are our spirits. It’s been two weeks since our arrival. We’re still trying to find Bailey a cheap/decent bike. And a job. We flew with my bike and her skateboard which lands the energy demand of our primary transportation on my legs. Most days I ride solo to the course for my workouts, but when we go to the grocery store or any where else together Bailey holds onto the seat post of my bike and is pulled along closely behind me. Luckily she’s is skilled enough and the ground is flat enough for this to be a viable technique. We get a lot of funny looks.
Many of my trips land me in random places far from anything cool except for a slalom course. As most of our courses these days are artificial and can be built anywhere, they are often the only attraction. All too frequently the desire to rest and be close to the internet to stay in touch with family and girlfriend pulls me into my room where I spend most non-training minutes on my laptop. I’m sure that sounds ridiculous, but I’ve been living this lifestyle for so long that it’s easy to take the chance to travel and see new things for granted. Sometimes I even resent it. This year is and will remain different. Partially because my girlfriend is here and is not content to spend my non-training minutes with me on the laptop.
This past Sunday was my first day off. It’s a popular day to take off, and some friends were planning to go to the beach near Sydney and then into the city for sushi after. Roommate Chris, Bailey and I decided to jump in on the group adventure. Our excursion, lead by Italian friend and 2010 World Champion Daniele Molmenti, was awesome. We jumped off cliffs into the ocean, got sunburned through the overcast Australian sky, and gorged ourselves on great Japanese food.
In the words of Chris, “I’m not sure how much I actually rested today, but that was an amazing mental recovery day.” I guess the moral of the story is resting can be overrated and bringing people you care about along for an adventure is always worth the trouble it takes to tow them on a skateboard.