The Weekly Rider - Andrew Humphris
Andrew Humphris is the La Velocita Weekly Rider! Based in the awesome costal town of Barwon Heads, Andrew has some fantastic riding on his doorstep.
But after a trip to Europe in 2011 He started his own cycling tour business called Bike France, and now introduces other cyclists to the amazing experience of riding in France.
One thing is for sure, Andrew loves to ride!
Name - Andrew Humphris
Lives - Barwon Heads Victoria
Dream Bike - Baum Corretto (you have to aim high!)
Favourite Local Ride - Barwon Heads to Queenscliff – It's not the longest ride but a cruisy 40km ride with awesome views of the heads going back via Point Lonsdale for a coffee stop.
My current cycling goal is... to drop another 5kgs and get under a 100kg before I head over to the Pyrenees in France late August this year. After having surgery on a ruptured disc last October, I blew out a bit due to the fact that I couldn't ride for 12 weeks yet I was still consuming the same amount of food. Mistake.
When I am on the bike I... often wonder if my set up is right and wish I was 5kg lighter.
How did your love of bikes come about - A few years back I bought my wife and myself flat bar road bikes for 'her' birthday present. I knew after a couple of rides on Beach road that I should've gone with a roadie so one month later I had sold the flat bar and had my first (of many) road bike. Overnight I had turned into 'one of them'!
Share a cycling memory - In 2011 I signed up for a 12 day, 1,100km cycling trip from Lake Como in northern Italy down to Nice in France via 10 big climbs of the French Alps including Galibier, Alp d' Huez and Col de la Bonnette.
As a big bloke over 100kg I knew it was going to be tough given my size and my fairly light training schedule in the lead up. The night before I was to fly out of Australia bound for Milan I had severe gastro and was still vomiting in the car all the way to the airport the next day.
Luckily I started to come good at the airport but two days later I found myself dying in the blazing heat attempting to get up the 20km climb of Simplon Pass in Switzerland. This day would've been the hardest day on the bike I can ever remember and there were many moments when I thought about throwing in the towel on just the 2nd day! L
Lucky for me I found a café about 5km from the summit and had a massive glass of the ol' black doctor ( coke ) and managed to get over the top. From that day on the climbs never got much easier but is still one of the most memorable trips I have been on.
I love to ride because... It is my time. I get to think, de-stress, exercise, relax, challenge myself (and my mates), socialise and travel overseas!
Although I am very lucky to be able to live and ride in a such great location here in Barwon Heads, nothing beats riding in the picture postcard scenery of France and Europe.
I'm taking a group over to the Pyrenees again in August this year so I can't wait!
Find out more about Bike France
