The beginning

Dugong in Love?

Sweaty palms, a racing heart, feelings of euphoria. Signs of The Dugong being in love? Well maybe, but not with a special dugong, instead with an amazing challenge: riding the WHOLE 2014 Tour de France route, end to end, one week ahead of the (other) pros.

The Dugong came late to the world of cycling (and via rugby union and triathlon, which I guess many cycling purists would deem the wrong way to arrive). Growing up sport, triathlon, cycling and the Tour de France were not on my radar at all (although in hindsight the roads in Alice Springs, Central Australia would have been just perfect for cycling).

So how did I arrive here?

In 2003 I caught rugby fever from my crazy Irish flatmate. Following an undistinguished few years of playing on and off I completely smashed my right ankle to pieces in 2008. The advice from my favourite sports doctor (Doc Fisher, senior) was no more ball sports, a relief for all involved given my complete lack of hand-eye coordination.

Triathlon had been (far far) in the back of my mind as a cool thing to do. Two teachers at my highschool were fanatics (hello Mr and Mrs Sharp), and a friend at work was a devotee (hello JMK). One problem, I couldn't run, or so I thought. So first I conquered the 5km (Australia Day, January 2010, thanks Kristy Rees). Then it was Darwin's 13km City to Surf (June 2010), and Darwin's Half Marathon (July 2010). What next? The Gold Coast Marathon (July 2011). (Notable mention - I also did my first triathlon, the Fernwood Women's Triathlon, a taster event, in June 2011).

Post-marathon I decided to run for "fun". Come my birthday in November 2011 there hadn't been a lot of running. The thought of another marathon did not spell motivation for The Dugong, so the obvious solution was the sign up for the Cairns Half Ironman, June 2012.

I heart triathlon

Unfortunately I didn't take to triathlon like Chrissie Wellington, but fortunately I found in the sport a satisfaction and enjoyment that I don't know how I went without for so long. From June 2012 to June 2013 there were three half ironmans (Cairns 2012 and 2013, Geelong 2013), two long course triathlons (Lake Bennett 2012 and MurryMan 2012), and many Darwin club events.

Mid-2013 I was selected to take part in the Dugong Relocation Scheme (also known as 'I'm heading for 30 and only have a few years that I can use the working holiday visa to the UK' scheme) and arrived on the foreign shores of the River Thames. After watching the Tour de France in 2012 and 2013 I was in love, and watching the 2014 race was a non-negotiable part of my plans.

A new challenge

But The Dugong likes to travel in a pod, and one day while looking for suitable travel-Dugongs she stumbled across a blog describing the Tour de Force. The rest is history in the making.