Hollie Avil – Gold Coast to Florida

I cannot believe it’s April already and my time in Australia is almost up! It’s the first time I’ve spent this long away from home. I’ve really enjoyed a winter out here and I think a long block away is something I’d like to do again. I’m lucky that I don’t get too home sick! The weather has been fantastic on the Gold Coast over the past couple of weeks. I think this makes it even harder to leave. I love riding and running in the heat! Here’s a recent run: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/164909976 

Last week I went to train in Noosa. My parents came across from the UK for a little holiday and were staying there. I drove up to see them and to check out another part of the Coast. I fell in love with Noosa pretty quickly! It’s a very quiet place, much quieter than the Gold Coast.  Also, I am a huge coffee fan and there are so many wonderful coffee shops there, my parents and I were spoilt for choice!

I loved the running in Noosa. They have a national park there that is fantastic. There are so many trails that are marked out and you can choose to run on so many different types of terrain! I did attempt running on sand, but that didn’t go so well. Maybe it just didn’t come naturally to me!

I really liked the riding in Noosa too! What’s great is that there’s so many cycle groups that you can jump in with. They are so friendly too.  I also found the traffic a lot friendly around Noosa. Sometimes the cars can be a bit aggressive on the Gold Coast. Cycle safety and awareness is so important when you’re riding out here, too many big cars and angry drivers. 

I’m off to America on the 16th April. My squad is going out there to base themselves in Florida. We have a few races planned over there as well as a training camp. I’m really looking forward to it!