Mike On A Bike Ep6: Ingrid and Amaya Shaw

Ingrid and Amaya are two fast local ladies with big results and even bigger plans.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:05

Hey listeners, thanks for tuning in to another episode of Mike on a Bike. When I started this podcast, I made a list of the people I'd like to talk to, and Emmaya Shaw was at the top. She's a very fast rider across multiple categories, and as you'll hear, she has big plans for the future. To my absolute pleasure, I found out we'd be joined on the ride by Emmaya's mother, Ingrid. I've talked to Ingrid a few times at MTB events, and I really like her. She's super smart and yet quite spiritual in a completely unchallenging way. She's also crazy fast on a bike. I planned this ride as a trail ride out and back with a drink stop halfway, but of course it turned into an MTB challenge. It was my fault really. I think I wanted to show off our local trails. Ingrid and Amea are from Newcastle about 45 minutes from here, and now they have a small taster of some single track. I'm sure they'll be back for a Saturday Explorer ride soon. Next time I reckon there will be less talking and more sending. Let's get into it. Right, uh, you count to two?

SPEAKER_01 1:16

One, two, one, two.

SPEAKER_03 1:20

Oh, there's the musician in here.

SPEAKER_01 1:24

No, it's one, two, one, two, two.

SPEAKER_03 1:26

That's right. Well, we're too old for that stuff. Um today, my special guests on the podcast are uh Ingrid and Amea Shaw, famous local mountain bike racers. Ingrid, welcome to the podcast. Thank you, Steve.

SPEAKER_01 1:45

Thank you. Nice to be here.

SPEAKER_03 1:48

And of course, my other guest on the podcast today is Amaya Shaw.

SPEAKER_06 1:53

Yeah, that's me.

SPEAKER_02 1:55

Amaya, welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_06 1:57

Thanks, Steve.

SPEAKER_03 1:59

Think of all the places in the world where you could be right now that would be so much worse than this.

SPEAKER_01 2:04

Definitely.

SPEAKER_03 2:05

At home mowing the lawns. Where would you be?

SPEAKER_01 2:08

I would be in the bush. There would be trees. There'd be trails because I've been doing a lot of um on-road stuff, using the fernlee a lot.

SPEAKER_02 2:18

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 2:19

For training.

SPEAKER_02 2:21

How far are you from the Fernley?

SPEAKER_01 2:24

Uh about 32 minutes ride. A lot of our riding's been down to Caves Beach.

SPEAKER_03 2:30

Is there some hills where you can get away?

SPEAKER_01 2:32

Yeah, well, we can think on the way back from uh like the Jules Gates, we're kind of give it some there, all the way back to the top at Whitebridge. We're concentrating on cyclocross for a little bit now.

SPEAKER_03 2:45

Good.

SPEAKER_01 2:46

Yeah, so that that bike, my gravel bike, is the bike I use for cyclocross.

SPEAKER_03 2:50

Yep. It's a separate asparous. Do you actually ride on the road that much?

SPEAKER_01 2:56

There's little segments of it. We tried to avoid it at all costs, and I think that comes from like training over like a maze a bit older now, but when she was a bit younger, we would try and avoid the road. But I I have found just riding around probably in the last 12 months, everybody is giving us wide berth when they go past. Is that right?

SPEAKER_03 3:16

You feel like there's more there's more safety on road riding on the roads now.

SPEAKER_01 3:21

Yeah, than what there ever has been. That's great. Yeah, yeah. It's really lovely. Like it's people will give way to you, they'll wait behind you.

SPEAKER_03 3:29

And I feel like cyclists are a very observed group, if that makes sense. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? That that the rest of the community has got lots of opinions about what cyclists should and shouldn't do.

SPEAKER_01 3:43

Absolutely. Couldn't agree more. And usually there are opinions from people who've never ridden a bike before. So don't understand why we make the choices that we make.

SPEAKER_03 3:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:53

That people just aren't thinking of anything else but they're doing at the time.

SPEAKER_03 3:56

Uh yeah, because they're in their own world, they're not in yours. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:59

Yep, which is fair enough.

SPEAKER_03 4:00

Yeah. Because of the age difference between them, Ingrid and Amea don't normally compete in the same class. So I was interested to see if there was a competitive rivalry between them. I suspected there would be, but maybe it was a quiet rivalry. FYI, they would both lap me on any day, anywhere, any time, and I would probably have a heart attack if I tried to avoid it from happening. Now, Amai, the first question I'm going to ask you has a real contentious answer in it. Yes. But don't worry. No one's going to be listening anyway, alright?

SPEAKER_04 4:41

Alright.

SPEAKER_03 4:41

Who's faster, you or your mum?

SPEAKER_04 4:43

Uh.

SPEAKER_03 4:47

Wow, that's a long that's a that's a long pause.

SPEAKER_06 4:50

Me, I think. I hope. I reckon that'll decide this weekend in a cyclocross race.

SPEAKER_02 4:58

You in the same class?

SPEAKER_06 4:59

Yes, A grade, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 5:02

For the record, it was a mayor that took home the gold the next day. Ingrid, tell me, have you got a short list of wins from the past 12 months?

SPEAKER_01 5:14

Well, starting at the very top, and my most proud was winning an Australian title in March. Fantastic. CXCC at Mount Bulla and National Champs.

SPEAKER_03 5:23

National Champs, what and what's your category?

SPEAKER_01 5:25

Um, Masters 4 women. Going into that, that I'd had really good preparation. I was healthy. I've had all these other races under my belt, and now I want this one.

SPEAKER_03 5:36

Right.

SPEAKER_01 5:37

It was time.

SPEAKER_03 5:38

So no more practice.

SPEAKER_01 5:39

Yeah, that was this.

SPEAKER_03 5:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:41

Yeah. And you do finale.

SPEAKER_03 5:43

Australian champion.

SPEAKER_01 5:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 5:45

And do you have a um do you have a Australian champion jersey for it? Yes.

SPEAKER_01 5:51

Does Ozcycling send that to you, or do you have we got it at the time, so still in the podium warriors? You get them on the day for the podium, that's great. Super proud. And now it's just proudly tucked in my wardrobe.

SPEAKER_02 6:05

Right.

SPEAKER_01 6:06

Um, and I've got my medals hanging up. Special places, special rod in the bedroom, which I'm a school room.

SPEAKER_04 6:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:15

Um, and then that my jersey just when I'm getting my work clothes out of a morning, it just sits there and sometimes just kind of have a bit of a glance at it.

SPEAKER_03 6:23

I'm like, it just says go me. You did this. Yeah, yeah, I'm yours.

SPEAKER_01 6:28

Yeah, that feeling of that's great. Achievement, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 6:34

So tell me about your past 12 months.

SPEAKER_06 6:37

Um, very busy. Very busy.

SPEAKER_02 6:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 6:41

Uh raced a bit of mountain bike, raced a bit of road, raced a bit of cyclocross, went to Japan last year, as part of the National Like Development Academy for Oz Cycling for mountain biking.

SPEAKER_03 6:58

And how'd you go?

SPEAKER_06 6:59

I got uh second or third in the XEC, and then XCO I placed third.

SPEAKER_03 7:07

And you're happy with your results?

SPEAKER_06 7:09

Yes, very good.

SPEAKER_03 7:10

What about Oz Cycling? Are you happy?

SPEAKER_06 7:13

Yes, I think they were.

SPEAKER_03 7:16

I like talking to Ingrid because while we've both ended up living in the Hunter as adults, our origin stories are wildly different. Ingrid grew up on the much meaner streets of regional New South Wales, and I had a very comfortable white middle class suburban Sydney upbringing and played in the school brass band. We should be very different, and I like it that we aren't. Which one was the tough one? Your mum or your dad? Mum was in charge? Yeah. Yeah, I think that's pretty common. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:50

Yeah, mum's in charge. You could always, if you needed the softer approach, which is what I've turned into as the second sister of six, that if you want to just soften things, you just and talk things through, you come to me. If you want to hear it black and white as it comes, you go to my elder sister, Anna.

SPEAKER_03 8:08

Right.

SPEAKER_01 8:08

She'll just deliver.

SPEAKER_03 8:09

Okay. Yeah. I thought you were going to say Matthew.

SPEAKER_01 8:12

Oh no, he does that. That's why that's why Anna and I get along really well, my older sister, because I'm married to that.

SPEAKER_03 8:18

Right.

SPEAKER_01 8:18

They're they're very similar, actually.

SPEAKER_03 8:21

And will will he talk to her if he thinks that you need some straightening out?

SPEAKER_01 8:25

Yes, definitely. We only found out was it last night at the dinner table that they'd have conversations through the week about I don't know what, but I was talking to your sister today and she said this. That's exactly how it's delivered. And she will call Matt for advice on some stuff and to talk her down off the edge. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:41

He doesn't do that for me. I wait for him to send me inappropriate Facebook reels.

SPEAKER_04 8:45

Yeah. He's really good at that.

SPEAKER_03 8:47

He's great at that. Yeah. Yeah. Because what he I think what he likes doing is he likes winding up my lefty nature. We got on really well straight away, and we continue to be. And and I think I've said to you before that he's the most racist person I've ever met. But also his life experience is completely different to mine. But you know, amongst my lefty friends, I'm way too conservative a thinker, but none of them have ever had their shit stolen from them and had their bins emptied four times a week on the ground. None of them have ever had their local parks fenced off because that was the only way to stop them living there and shitting on the footpath in front of everyone. Tolerance is really easy until you have been treated poorly, and then you become very quickly intolerant.

SPEAKER_01 9:40

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 9:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:41

Yeah.

unknown 9:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:42

So I give him a break from being the most racist person I've ever met.

SPEAKER_01 9:46

Yeah. Well, he went to Kempsey High.

SPEAKER_03 9:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:48

And I went to Chatham High, which is in Tari, big state schools.

SPEAKER_03 9:52

And we saw the other side of the absolute opposite side of the world. From where I grew up, it was milk white.

SPEAKER_01 10:02

For years, I haven't run at certain parts of the day. I haven't ridden by myself. Nothing to do with cars. But it's just that constant. Yeah, it's always been in front of my mind. And that's why I've I've called on whoever's taking care of me out there. I've always called on that. Right. Yeah. Anime is a little bit, you know, it's the the age. When you've come home in the dark a few times and I'm literally on 360, like what she knows. She's she stopped, she stopped where she stopped at night. When she leaves at five o'clock in the morning, so I've been coming with you. I'm like, yeah, that's what Jeffrey lights up running, so she can stop there and she's going. And I'm like constantly watching the phone. Because of that fear, I have that fear. I've always had it, and I have now passed it.

SPEAKER_03 10:43

Right. Are you glad that the modern tools exist? Yeah. Would you rather have the tools and the that you know that kind of anxiety that they bring, or the anxiety that comes with absolutely no idea whatsoever, and we're just going to trust it.

SPEAKER_01 10:57

Oh no, I I there's yeah, I do love this. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 11:01

You'd rather be looking at five o'clock in the morning and check in progress. Yep.

SPEAKER_01 11:06

Or fresh on her peas, where's a mayor?

SPEAKER_03 11:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:10

Look her up, and you can pinpoint literally. I can we can see it's that accurate on ours that you can see what part of the house you are in.

SPEAKER_03 11:18

Do you like that your mum's got the tools?

SPEAKER_05 11:21

Yeah. Yeah, there's been a few times where I've ridden through Jasmine in the dark. And even though there's people around, I'm like, uh.

SPEAKER_03 11:37

Right.

SPEAKER_05 11:38

I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 11:39

I'd be like Someone's watching. Yeah. There's a confidence in that, isn't there?

SPEAKER_05 11:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 11:46

When I recorded this episode, I didn't know that Life 360 even existed. So much for my belief that I was in touch with the tech world outside this bike shop. In researching the app, I discovered that the CEO is Australia's highest paid executive, no surprises there, right? I'm sure that if I had teenagers I'd be a subscriber too. But it also occurred to me that there's a passive version of this app that's been in place for thousands of years and helps many people get through their daily lives. But I think I'd rather know that my child made it to work safely at 6 a.m. instead of relying on Jesus to do it.

SPEAKER_01 12:27

When I was um like 16 or 15, I started trifling.

SPEAKER_02 12:33

Right.

SPEAKER_01 12:34

When it I got the buzz for that when in team, when in a team, just a local race, and then I went, oh, I actually I really enjoy running.

SPEAKER_02 12:45

Right.

SPEAKER_01 12:45

Swimming I always had done, so I'm like, okay, I can put all three together. So I did that for until I was 23.

SPEAKER_02 12:56

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 12:56

And then when we moved to Port Macquarie, we had a friend who had some property out the back of Warhope. So he just used to head out there. So I didn't know that Jolly Nose even actually existed. Moved back to Sydney, had the kids kind of I was running and whatnot, staying active with them. And then I knew I wanted to, and Harry got a bit older, I get into something again, and I did a few races and Mayor. I think she had real interest in mountain biking with her soccer, and then I went, Oh, I I like this as well, I've always loved this. And then it just kind of took off from there. And the first race I did was the state champs, like nothing like throwing yourself in the deep end.

SPEAKER_03 13:39

And how'd you go?

SPEAKER_01 13:40

Um, I did very well actually, surprised myself. I came home with two medals.

SPEAKER_03 13:45

You've come from playing football and you made it a fair way through the footballers' ranks. So where did you get to?

SPEAKER_06 13:51

I was playing for the Newcastle Jets Academy for two years, and then I went down to the Central Coast Mariners in their academy, and I played reserve grade, which is like under 20s. Yeah, and I was 16.

SPEAKER_03 14:04

That must have been a physical challenge.

SPEAKER_06 14:07

A little bit. I was definitely by far one of the shortest people on the field.

SPEAKER_02 14:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 14:11

But that's okay.

SPEAKER_02 14:12

That's okay. What position do you play?

SPEAKER_06 14:14

I was a midfielder.

SPEAKER_02 14:16

Midfield, right over.

SPEAKER_06 14:17

And then I was doing a bit of cycling at the same time, and I don't know, my heart, I think, just was in cycling a bit more.

SPEAKER_03 14:25

You have a goal?

SPEAKER_06 14:27

Yes. What is it? Brisbane Olympics.

SPEAKER_03 14:30

Brisbane 32.

SPEAKER_06 14:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:32

You want to ride for Australia?

SPEAKER_06 14:33

Sure do.

SPEAKER_03 14:34

And which discipline?

SPEAKER_06 14:36

Uh XEO. There's a yeah, there's a pathway through old cycling. There was a Europe trip this year, and there will be next year as well. I only just missed out on it this year though. Yeah, they do a few of the junior World Series ones.

SPEAKER_02 14:52

Right.

SPEAKER_06 14:52

They do like everything over there. Racing, they've got to camp during when they're over there.

SPEAKER_03 14:57

Okay, so you've got a goal for the rest of the year.

SPEAKER_05 15:01

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_03 15:02

To improve to become part of that development squad.

SPEAKER_05 15:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:06

What does cycling do for you that football didn't? Amaia?

SPEAKER_06 15:12

I feel like there's so much more in cycling. Like soccer's just and football, like you play 90 90 plus minutes on a you know, a rectangle of the grass for that, and it's just the same thing over and over again. Pass, run, score, whatever. But I feel like, especially mountain bike, you've got so much more to do. Yeah, I mean, every mountain bike park's different.

SPEAKER_03 15:39

Yep, and then mountain bike is different to CX and CX is different to road.

SPEAKER_06 15:44

100%.

SPEAKER_03 15:45

Um, you've done a bit of road racing.

SPEAKER_06 15:47

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 15:48

Do you see a future there? Because that's where the money in cycling is, right?

SPEAKER_06 15:51

Yes, sadly.

SPEAKER_03 15:52

The only chance of making a career that will fund retirement in cycling, that's from going pro in in Europe in the world tour.

SPEAKER_06 16:00

Yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:02

Do you think you could do that?

SPEAKER_06 16:04

I think so, yeah. I definitely love mountain bike a lot more. Like I do enjoy the road. Yeah, last year was the first season I'd done road, and it was a bit hard to start off with to like find my feet kind of thing.

SPEAKER_03 16:17

What was hard about it?

SPEAKER_06 16:18

I think coming from mountain bike and mountain bike you're often riding by yourself, and then you go into a bunch of I don't know however many girls, and everything changes.

SPEAKER_03 16:30

Because road racing turns out to be a team sport.

SPEAKER_06 16:33

Yes, yeah, it does. I think the fitness and everything was there. I just think like tactically, and maybe I wasn't up with where those girls were.

SPEAKER_03 16:44

Yep.

SPEAKER_06 16:45

But I mean, still gave it a go.

SPEAKER_03 16:47

Were you gonna continue road racing this year?

SPEAKER_06 16:50

Yeah, I'll do a bit. I'm doing some like local crits and stuff down at Hairs and Central Coast. I've done the the junior road series down in Canberra like two weeks ago, and they had an under 19s race there as well, and went pretty well in that.

SPEAKER_03 17:05

And you're 18 now?

SPEAKER_06 17:07

I'm 17.

SPEAKER_03 17:08

17?

SPEAKER_06 17:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:09

Do you watch the the Jiro on the telly and the tour and and think of it?

SPEAKER_06 17:14

Yeah, I'm a big Matthew Vanderpol fan.

SPEAKER_03 17:17

It's hard not to be a fan, Matthew.

SPEAKER_06 17:19

Oh, he's a god, I think.

SPEAKER_03 17:21

Yeah. Do you think it's important to have female heroes?

SPEAKER_06 17:26

Yes. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:28

What do you think of Puck Petersy?

SPEAKER_06 17:31

Yeah, she's good. She rides the road as well.

SPEAKER_03 17:36

Yeah. And CX in the winter?

SPEAKER_06 17:39

Yes, yeah, yeah. She and Dad says I I ride like her apparently.

SPEAKER_03 17:44

Is that right?

SPEAKER_06 17:46

I I hope that's a good thing. I don't mean I think it's a good thing.

SPEAKER_03 17:50

Can't be bad.

SPEAKER_06 17:52

Um no, she's yeah, she's really good as well. We were watching uh cycle across highlights the other day, like women's.

SPEAKER_02 18:00

Right.

SPEAKER_06 18:01

And yeah, uh her and Jenny, I I don't know, they're my female idols in the cycle world, I reckon.

SPEAKER_03 18:08

Yeah, okay. If I asked you to say what is a Maya Shaw, what would your answer be?

SPEAKER_06 18:15

But I'm really chasing that elite sports person. That's what I want to be.

SPEAKER_03 18:20

You like school?

SPEAKER_06 18:22

I'm very sporty. I love my sport. School's okay, but yeah, not as good as a sport. I'm actually gonna leave school after this term.

unknown 18:31

Right.

SPEAKER_06 18:32

I'm gonna finish term two.

SPEAKER_03 18:34

Yep. And I'm gonna D do mum and dad know that, or is this your way of telling them that you've decided?

SPEAKER_06 18:40

Nah, they know. They know. Um, and I'll let me find a job.

SPEAKER_03 18:47

Right.

SPEAKER_06 18:48

So I'm gonna work, I'm gonna train for the next, I don't know, five years. Yeah, probably. Nah, hopefully, like, I don't know, the next year to two years.

SPEAKER_02 19:01

Right.

SPEAKER_06 19:02

And then when it's a good time, so hopefully, I don't know, in a year and a half or so, I'm gonna try and join the the feds. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 19:10

What is it about the feds?

SPEAKER_06 19:12

I don't know, I just like the action of it all.

SPEAKER_03 19:14

Like feels like a job full of action.

SPEAKER_06 19:17

Yeah, I want to be involved in that, like, you know, hands-on action kind of thing.

SPEAKER_03 19:22

Well, that's gonna happen after you've finished being a sports person. Oh you're gonna try and do it at the same time.

SPEAKER_06 19:29

I mean, I want to try and do it at the same time, but I think my sport will probably come first.

SPEAKER_02 19:35

Right.

SPEAKER_06 19:36

Um, you've always got a time for a career. Or, you know, to work.

SPEAKER_03 19:41

Yep.

SPEAKER_06 19:42

But there's there's only a certain time period you've got to be, you know, active and all this other stuff.

SPEAKER_03 19:49

So Except, except that isn't true. How long is your career? Let me ask you that. As a sports person. Do you already know what the answer to that is?

SPEAKER_05 20:00

No, not really.

SPEAKER_03 20:02

One of the guys that rides on my team is 33. He's still got another 30 years, right?

SPEAKER_05 20:12

Yeah, that is true.

SPEAKER_03 20:14

Because one of the other guys on my team is 65, and he's still fast. Cycling isn't just something that is you have to be over and done, and at 32, um, you're finished. Maybe you're Roman Bardet and you're finished in the Pro Tour at 36, but then you go on to be a gravel world champion and still earn a paying career from it.

SPEAKER_04 20:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:45

Tiff Cromwell, she must be 35.

SPEAKER_04 20:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:50

She just won another Australian elite women's gravel titles. She'll go to Worlds again, and this year she'll compete really strongly at Worlds.

SPEAKER_04 21:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:00

Because it suits her skills. Yeah, you're only 17.

SPEAKER_04 21:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:06

You got another 50 years of being an elite cyclist, if you want.

SPEAKER_04 21:11

Yeah. True true.

SPEAKER_03 21:16

Hearing Amea's thoughts about how an athletic career intersects with a professional career is really interesting. Her vision has her achieving elite performance and then moving on to something else, and my guess is that for highly visible elite athletes like the ones Amea follows, this is what Amaya thinks will happen once the spotlight is gone. But life rarely rolls in stages like that, and those driven sportspeople remain athletes for their entire lives while weaving a professional career into their cloth. This feels like a very normal piece of human nature, where we can see a practical example of how life works. Works right in front of us, but we're blind to it because our vision doesn't extend far enough. Ingrid is a mayor in 30 years, and a mayor can't see it yet. Now you've got a degree in education? Yes. And your specialty is, tell us? Music.

SPEAKER_01 22:21

Music. So I uh when I left school I went straight into a Bachelor of Music. Right. And I was double degree composition and piano performance. Right. So I finished three years, that was at Newcastle Con. And then when I was in my not even through my first year, I thought, who am I kidding? Of course, I would like to be a teacher because when I first started, I was a bit undecided, but that's probably just been 18 years old and not knowing any better.

SPEAKER_03 22:51

So your first plan was to be an artist?

SPEAKER_01 22:53

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 22:54

Right?

SPEAKER_01 22:54

Yeah. And yeah, so that was that was a very hard slog, those first three years. Lots of I don't want to do this, I don't want to be in this situation, lots of pressure. Was it the performance that I quite enjoyed the like the musicology side of things and the theory base because I that's what I knew.

SPEAKER_02 23:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:16

Um, but yeah, it was moments that I I thought there's not there's no part of me that wants to step out on that stage and perform in front of third year and fourth year performance students and then let them critique me. After that, I moved to Sydney, and there was just a newly formed Master of Teaching degree, so a postgraduate.

SPEAKER_02 23:41

Right.

SPEAKER_01 23:41

So I added on essentially for my fifth year, uh my fourth year at uni was Bachelor of Education and then a Master of Teaching after that.

SPEAKER_03 23:50

Okay, and which uni did you go to?

SPEAKER_01 23:52

Uh Sydney Uni and Sydney Conservatory. And I enjoyed that, it was a lot of fun. I think the because it it wasn't so performance-based, we still do have did have to do performance, but it was not so performance-based, and mixing it up with my kind of people at that time, yeah. So it was good. I used to ride my old bashra bike, used to call it. Matt built me up a just this um, it's like a track frame, but he put a brake on it. Right.

SPEAKER_03 24:26

Used to ride to uni single speed, a fixie.

SPEAKER_01 24:29

Yes, yeah, you had to ride a fixie in Sydney.

SPEAKER_03 24:31

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:33

So straight down George Street, locked it up, no one would want to steal it, which was the plan.

SPEAKER_02 24:39

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 24:40

I think I had a mongoose at one stage that also no one would want to steal. And used to rock up in my tights and t-shirt when all the other students of you know, full face of makeup. I'm like, all right, I'm here.

SPEAKER_03 24:52

Right, right here on my bike.

SPEAKER_01 24:55

That's right. I've spent three years of having to wear performance clothes and and now I'm not. I'm not doing that. So yeah, so I did my internship for my master's in Port Montcorry, knowing that we were moving up there. Uh, and then they made a position for me at the Catholic school up there. So I was teaching high school.

SPEAKER_03 25:16

Well, that's nice my first year.

SPEAKER_01 25:18

That was really lovely.

SPEAKER_03 25:19

So your first year of teaching high school, yes, and they made a position for you.

SPEAKER_04 25:24

Yes, that was great.

SPEAKER_03 25:25

How do you manage your performance? Are you heart rate, power meter?

SPEAKER_01 25:30

What do you do? Sounds really wanky, but just how I feel.

SPEAKER_03 25:36

Right.

SPEAKER_01 25:36

I feel like at 46 years old.

SPEAKER_03 25:38

Self-awareness.

SPEAKER_01 25:39

Yep, I know it enough enough. In my head, I've always been someone to be a finisher, so there's never, never a chance that I won't finish something, I'd have to be half dead.

SPEAKER_02 25:49

Right.

SPEAKER_01 25:50

And there's never a chance that I won't be constantly pushing.

SPEAKER_03 25:54

So if I think I'm backing off, yeah, I go for it.

SPEAKER_01 25:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 25:59

And that's enough.

SPEAKER_01 26:00

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 26:01

Well, it's clearly enough, right? Because state titles and national titles, yeah. Yeah, that works.

SPEAKER_01 26:06

Yeah. I've always been someone to uh step forward to a speed hump, not away, not run away from it.

SPEAKER_02 26:14

Right.

SPEAKER_01 26:15

Like a good challenge. Love change as well.

SPEAKER_03 26:19

You love change.

SPEAKER_01 26:20

Love change.

SPEAKER_03 26:21

That's interesting. Because there's not many people who will say that and be truthful about it.

SPEAKER_01 26:27

Yep. Yeah, no, I really, really do. I like I've just had to be flexible in my life. And sometimes plan A can't be executed, so I've got always B, C, D, E, F. I think the classroom has taught me that as well. It doesn't always go that way.

SPEAKER_03 26:46

Is the classroom tougher than the stage?

SPEAKER_01 26:48

No, I have a lot of fun in the classroom. Right. It's hard work, and I've got over 500 kids that I teach per week.

SPEAKER_02 26:55

Wow. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:56

And then ensembles on top of that, but it's it's it's I just enjoy it. I love the energy that you get from it. The kids that come to music, if they want to come and they're excited and they run to the door, then I feel like my job's 99% done.

SPEAKER_03 27:13

Yeah. Do you count yourself lucky that you're an elective subject? Yes. That everybody that's there wants to be there? Yeah, yeah. Or mostly.

SPEAKER_01 27:23

Well, the little people. So I teach preschool to year six at the moment. Oh wow. Yeah. So extra little people.

SPEAKER_02 27:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:31

And the joy that you can bring to them in their day.

SPEAKER_02 27:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:37

What's next?

SPEAKER_03 27:39

Ingrid?

SPEAKER_01 27:40

Uh, this cyclocross series.

SPEAKER_03 27:42

Cyclocross, I know. So state series.

SPEAKER_01 27:45

Yeah, yeah. And that'll take us through with the odd um state series cross country as well.

SPEAKER_00 27:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:53

And then we'll kick into uh October, usually, is the first race for the National Series. And then we'll rev up again for nationals.

SPEAKER_03 28:02

So nationals for XC, XCO?

SPEAKER_06 28:05

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 28:06

Do you do much social media?

SPEAKER_06 28:08

Not as much as a lot of other people.

SPEAKER_03 28:10

Right. Do you think there's power in social media?

SPEAKER_06 28:12

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_03 28:13

And not doing do you ever think that you're missing opportunities?

SPEAKER_06 28:19

Uh not really.

SPEAKER_03 28:21

Right.

SPEAKER_06 28:22

They're doing their thing, I'm doing my thing, I know where I want to go. Right. And some of my friends know where they want to go and some of them don't, but it's hard to hang out with people who are off the boil, right? Yes. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 28:37

Where they're just coasting.

SPEAKER_06 28:39

I've definitely got friends in the cycling world as well that um are like me, like know what they want to do, know where they want to go, kind of thing. But they're they're a bit more far away, so don't really get to.

SPEAKER_03 28:52

You only see them at races?

SPEAKER_06 28:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 28:54

Right.

SPEAKER_06 28:55

Which is a bit sad, but you know, it is what it is.

SPEAKER_03 28:58

But you're only 17, right? The opportunity may arise where you and two of those friends all go to Europe, compete, start looking for contracts.

SPEAKER_05 29:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 29:08

Because you're only 17.

SPEAKER_05 29:10

That's it. I'm 17.

SPEAKER_03 29:16

So the last thing I do in every episode is I ask my guest to leave themselves a time capsule message, right? What message do you want to send yourself in 20 years?

SPEAKER_01 29:31

In 20 years, I would say to myself that um you've remembered that life's not a rehearsal.

unknown 29:37

Right.

SPEAKER_01 29:38

And you're constantly on stage. That's what I'd say to me. Every moment of every day is on a stage somehow. Yeah. Live it because you don't get another take at it. It it is what it is. Yeah. And it's it's it's the thing at the time. Yeah. It's not the practice for it.

SPEAKER_03 29:54

Right. Live in this moment. Yeah. Right. Just do it. Do this. Yeah. Okay. Is there anything that you hope that you've done by then? That you haven't done yet?

SPEAKER_01 30:05

I just had a blast, really.

SPEAKER_03 30:06

Right, I just enjoyed it all.

SPEAKER_01 30:08

Yeah. Yeah, and and not be scared to not do something that I really wanted to do. Just do it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 30:15

In 2033, the year after the Olympics, write yourself a small letter. What do you want to say to yourself? You're going to be 23.

SPEAKER_06 30:26

I'd say if you've got a got a dream, chase it. Because as mum said as well, like you've got you've got one chance. Use that chance. I guess don't waste any opportunities as well.

SPEAKER_02 30:41

Right.

SPEAKER_06 30:42

Like, if you get an opportunity, take it. Yeah. Send it.

SPEAKER_03 30:48

Send it. Right?

SPEAKER_05 30:50

Um yeah. I reckon that's it.

SPEAKER_03 30:56

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 31:02

This podcast episode was made on the lands of the Wannaroo people. We acknowledge them as the traditional custodians of this land and pay our respects to their elders, past, present, and future. Massive thanks is due to our guests, Ingrid and Amanda Shaw, for making the trip out here to record the show. I also offer our apologies to Matt Shaw for mentioning him. He's a very private person, as we all know. I would like to list the authors, producers, sound recorders, editors, and directors of just what happened. But we all know it was just Steve, and it is able to stick it by old great teeth, and it's Matt Clark and the dog. In the next episode, Steve gets a sick drive with a famous bloke who was training for Gravel World James in October. Turn in for the chat with him too. On the marking above Facebook and Instagram pages, you can put your hand up to be in the next special episode we're currently recording. The subject this time is changed, and we're asking for your story. These episodes are fun to make, and we hope you'll participate. Funny story. Who is that? She asked me. Oh, that's just Steve, I said.

SPEAKER_06 32:12

Uh oh God, I think.