1. Tell us a bit about yourself:
Ex rower, rugby player and lifesaver, happily married to Marisa , with two boys Joshua 11, and Andrew 8.
2. What got you into cycling?
I’ve always had bikes from the age of five. My neighbours on the Gold Coast were keen cyclists heavily involved with the Nerang cycling club which had its own velodrome. I never had access to racing bikes back then (BMX was king, I saved up at bought a Peugeot BMX with blue tuffs) so these days its great to reconnect with the idea of flying along on a racing bike, something I always hoped to come back too.
3. How did you come to join the Easy Riders?
Your cousins in B2B were waiting at the SHB one night just before Christmas in 2011, I got a tow, and they mentioned ER to me. Satnav did the rest of course …
4. Tell us about your bikes.
When I finished rowing in 1999 I had a vacation in Jesolo (near Venice) staying with an Italian rugby mate I had played Rugby with. I went into a bike shop there to buy a gel seat for my bike, and came out with an Olympic master .The Italians drop gear at the end of a season (fashion is soooo important) so I got a GREAT deal!
Since then I’ve stayed loyal to the Italian Brand and have two Colnagos , a master ( to replace the stolen Olympic) and a CX-1.
5. If you could ride anywhere in the world, where would it be?
The north of Italy, Lake Como and the Dolomites.
6. Tell us a riding story.
When I got my Olympic master it was in April in the north of Italy , Which coincided with the Giro Italia, it was in town and I had no idea… back then I was a complete ignoramus ! I couldn’t even pronounce Colnago let alone ride one!
Anyway they gave me some shoes and I rolled out on the brand new Yellow Olympic master, turned right just as a peloton went past , so I hoped on and ended up riding some ridiculous distance with them (hours) with no idea where I was going or what they were saying. All I know was that I had got them excited (must of been the new yellow bike) and the pace went up, and up, and bye! see you later…..then I had to work out where the hell I was and find my way back!
7. Do you have any advice for the riders at the back of the ER peloton?
In rowing like cycling, the more you put in, the better you get, no doubt about it.
With that I had a saying for myself “the difference between a hassle and a habit is two weeks!” It’s worked so far!
8. Lastly, tell us something we don’t know about you.
One Sunday in the mid 1990’s after racing surf boats all weekend , my crew ended up at the Clovelly hotel in the eastern suburbs. There was a Miss legs competition, and in a time a sexual equality , I thought I would push the point for us poor guys and enter! The rest as they say is history! I bloody won the event (crowd scoring) which caused mayhem!