The Weekly Rider - Brooke Tully

Brooke Tully is the Weekly Rider. Brooke is an Editor at BikeExchange and Outdoria. She’s so committed to her new bike that she does not store it with her other bikes… in case light affects it. 

She’s surrounded by friends that love to ride. Family bike rides on Christmas morning and weddings with guest kits designed and big group rides the morning of the wedding… There’s no doubt about it, Brooke loves to ride.

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Words - Brooke Tully     Images - Jeff Curtes

Name - Brooke Tully

Lives - Bayside, Melbourne

Dream bike - is the bike I have just started riding. It feels like a dream to ride – my custom ‘hotter than pink’ painted BMC SLR 01

Favourite local ride… Kinglake – I love that it’s so close to town, yet so completely removed from the big smoke.

There’s a really enjoyable, gradual climb that you can make as easy or as challenging as you want, but the journey to get there has plenty of bites that can definitely get rid of a few riding cobwebs.

I also love that it’s so seasonal, each quarter you get a different experience. Finally, I love the wildlife. If you go early enough you’ll see countless roos, joeys and wallabies.

I once was riding with my brothers-in-law. They were in front (I was letting them off the hook that day - haha) and out of nowhere a kangaroo jumped onto the road and bounced alongside them as they cycled.

My current cycling goal is - to finish Three Peaks Tassie before the cut-off, and to do so feeling like I am not going to need to be rushed to emergency.

When I am on the bike I… talk a lot, and think even more.

How did your love for bikes come about? My love for bikes has always been there. I grew up on an orchard that is about 5km from town and so I would often ride in and out. I didn’t get my driver’s licence until my early 30’s so much of my life up to that point was getting around on foot or by bike. I really started loving to ride when I got into triathlons (am I allowed to use that word here?)

Share a cycling memory - Some of my most memorable experiences and proudest achievements involve the bike. I don’t think I can select a singular memory but I would say that they all usually include wonderful company with like-minded people, a great rush of endorphins, beautiful scenery… although I do probably see the Franky BP station and Mordy toilet block more than I’d probably like to… and quality coffee.

Actually just thinking about it some more there is one story I could tell… It took place almost a decade ago. I was riding on Beach Road by myself when I got sucked into what I later discovered were two separate bunches.

The group was moving probably low 40s, which for me is really fast. I was still newish to riding and I didn’t feel safe – the second bunch at the back didn’t feel like they were really solid riders. I made the decision to pull out, but just as I did so the lead rider in the first bunch indicated to a cyclist ahead that they were about to be passed. Instead of staying to the left, this cyclist (riding quite shakily and wearing head phones in both ears) turned their head right and their hands followed, effectively steering their bike into the group, and basically mowing them down.

Riders began to fall all over the road and because it happened so fast and I was still pretty green, I couldn’t react quickly enough. To my right were fallen cyclists, to my left was the gutter. All I could do was try to stop in time. But I couldn’t, and I ended up going over the lead cyclist, who was on the ground with an injured leg. I rode over her and then I crashed. I felt sick. The boys in the first bunch immediately rallied and got us off the road and warned oncoming traffic.

I was a total stranger to them all but one of them called my sister to get her to come collect me, and another one called his wife to come with blankets. We hopped in the wife’s car until my sister arrived. I was a bit in shock but they all kept talking to me and helped calm me down. We exchanged details and a few years ago I was MC at the lead cyclist’s wedding (her husband was one of the boys to get us off the road).

I am great mates with several of the others. It was a pretty sickening day that introduced me to some truly wonderful people.

I love to ride because… I love it for so many reasons, I am not sure I can list them all. Riding leads to friends, fitness, health, new discoveries and a constant and legitimate need to eat quality carbs.