The Weekly Rider - Claire Stevens
Meet Claire Stevens; General Surgeon, endurance biking superstar, and General Legend. She'll be very familiar to the Indy Pac dot watchers. We loved watching her this year, and she's applied for a spot in 2018. We can't wait to watch her dot again.
Clare Stevens - @Surgeononabike - Adelaide, South Australia
Photos by the incredible James Alderson @RogersBespoke
Dream Bike
Baum Orbis w Di2 and disc brakes, curve G4 wheels. Designed for my kind of adventures - road and a bit of vitamin G - seeing Australia (and perhaps a bit of the world) by bike.
What is your favourite local ride?
Ride anywhere at dawn and the road becomes automatically awesome... the Nullarbor definitely exemplifies this very well and the Great Ocean Road even more so.
Here in Adelaide, my fave local roadie loop is up Norton, across to Marble Ruins, down Montecute and back on the bike path by the river. It has the views, the countryside and one of the best descents in Radelaide.
What is your current cycling goal?
To continue to enjoy riding until I am well over 90!
When I am on the bike I....
Feel free!!! Yes, I also talk to animals, trees and sometimes people, sing, enjoy the view and occasionally let out a little noise of joy! I do like to say hello to other riders.
How did your love of bikes come about?
Riding bikes has always meant going on a little adventure. As a child, I used to go away on little expeditions to see things... and I still do.
Share a cycling memory
Gee! There are too many to share. Probably my favourite experience riding a bike has been riding the great ocean road a dawn completely alone after crossing the country to get there. So much loveliness.
I have this re-occuring image in my head that is completely fabricated from hundreds of ride memories... flowing smooth single track around massive old trees with colourful birds everywhere, a range of Aussie mammals that just know to get out the way, lovely rays of sunlight and sweet smells of the bush. That's what riding adds up to... a bundle of lovely outdoors moments.
I love to ride because.... Riding a bike is tops!
Tell us a little more about you
When I am not riding bikes, I work as a General Surgeon sub-specialising in liver and pancreas. For the next few months I am working intermittently while undertaking a research degree. This has meant that most of my days are spent either away riding, or chained to a computer knocking out research papers. Next year I will be back working full time at one of the big hospitals in Radelaide, so I am trying to make the most of the flexibility I have this year.
In a few days I will be riding the SM1200 - an Audax ride from Sydney to Melbourne over four days. I have submitted an application to ride the 2018 IPWR, but who knows if I will be granted an entry (or leave from work!).
