The weekly rider - Ashley Bleeker
Today we are talking to Ash Bleeker AKA 'The Hairy Eagle'. Part of the Melbourne based The Kings Men cycling club (more on The Kings Men in the future), The Hairy Eagle never gives anything less than 200% and appears to be constantly excited about anything remotely bike related.
Name – The Hairy Eagle
Lives – Generally above aerobic threshold
Dream bike – Anything with pedals (for my 2 year old daughter as she graduates from her balance bike)
Favourite local ride – The Kings Men FULL NOIZE – there is absolutely nothing else like it!
My current cycling goal is – to be fit enough in mid-October to put in a good performance at the GORC Classic. For those that haven’t done it – 6 man TTT for 120km around Lorne/Apollo Bay. With 5 of your mates, life simply does not get any better.
When I am on the bike I – Huh? What? Don’t distract me!!!
How did your love for bikes come about – I loved riding my BMX as a kid. As the youngest of three, and the only boy, my best escape from sisters/family was to go and spend my spare time on my bike cruising around the neighbourhood. At age 13 I could name pretty much every street is the 4 suburbs surrounding my house.
“the world doesn’t pass you by. When you’re on a bike, you feel every bump in the road, push through every slight uphill and enjoy the respite of every downhill, no matter how gentle.”
Share a cycling memory – I won the first ever A Grade road race I entered (Vic Northern Combine), spending 80% of the race in break with three of my mates and winning the sprint at the end. Sadly since then my win/loss ratio has drastically reduced…
I love to ride because – the world doesn’t pass you by. When you’re in a car, you travel too fast and you miss too much. When you’re on a bike, you feel every bump in the road, push through every slight uphill and enjoy the respite of every downhill, no matter how gentle. You know the hay is being made because you can smell the freshly cut grass, and you know what bird calls to listen for to indicate you’ve reached your favourite, deserted back streets.
