As the price of petrol moves ever upwards, sitting astride a bicycle suddenly makes a lot of sense.
The rigors of the recent Tour de France may not be your style, but thousands of Australians take to the saddle each week in every state. In this article we hear from two hinterland cyclists who regularly head off around the Range in rain, wind or shine.
Marek Malter took up cycling about 15 years ago literally to keep up with his wife. Libby had climbed onto a bike in 1994 to compete in the triathlon at the World Masters Games in Brisbane. The couple have been following each other’s rear wheel ever since.
Marek and Libby are enthusiastic amateurs but they have completed a number of vigorous rides including the Great Victoria, Great NSW, Great Queensland and WA rides.
Adventure gets into the blood of most committed cyclists. The Malters are no exception, having flown overseas with their Giant brand bikes. They’ve pedalled 1100 km across France from Bordeaux to Alp d’Huez, completed a 900km ride in Slovenia and sweated over their pedals in Laos. Their verdict is “Fabulous” says Marek. “Especially on European roads where we found cyclists were accepted with sensational courtesy”, he adds.
The health and well-being benefits of cycling are obvious to Marek and Libby who are pharmacists. There’s also the pleasure of meeting like-minded people from a wide range of backgrounds, ages and professions.
But lest you think they’re into pain therapy, the level of exercise out on the open road allows the freedom to indulge in calorific delights. In France for example no cafe stop was complete without sampling the delicious local patisseries.
On most weekends it’s not unusual to see squads of lithe cyclists pedalling up and down our hinterland roads. Marek and Libby despair at the rudeness of some motorists but the wonderful range of scenery and terrain makes up for honking horns. Their favourite weekend ride is a 50km circuit from Maleny out past the Showgrounds onto Wootha Road. A couple of hills out to the 9km mark to warm up, and then fabulous scenery overlooking the Glasshouse Mountains before a winding descent to Peachester. A rest at the fruit stall then off uphill through eucalypt forest along Bald Knob Road.
Back onto the Landsborough Road, whizzing through the Ice box, into Mountain View Road past Mary Cairncross Park and its chocolate box view. A right turn at McCarthy’s road takes them past Maleny Dairies and back into Maleny township.
The next ride for the Malters is a 27 day epic journey around Sulawesi in Indonesia. When asked why, Marek was quick to answer, “because it’s there! This is a brand new ride destination and we’ll be going into remote parts of the highlands, fortunately with a local language speaker”.
It’s never too late to learn to ride a bike. If you’re interested in exploring pedal power check out the Bicycle Queensland website www.bq.org.au.
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