A PAN-AMERICAN PEDAL

TAPPING OUT ENDLESS EMAILS IN A CBD OFFICE, the thought of packing it in to hit the road was more than a little tempting. With fingers poised above the Alt and Tab keys, I scoured satellite maps for dirt roads and forests, plotting weekend overnighters and calculating how much leave was needed to cycle a lap of Tassie or grind gravel on the Mawson Trail.

These multi-day tours provided a small measure of escapism, but each excursion also fanned the fires of adventure-lust and the desire to be free of the working week.

My colleagues were tied down with mortgages, family, careers and the commitments of a life locked in. I was not ready for this path and, at the ripe old age of 26, decided that it was time to give retirement a trial run.

I handed in my letter of resignation and began cycling full time.

“On a cycle... You’re completely in contact