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the Skinny lAtteS StOry<br />
Lynette Collins<br />
Four slightly neglected women whose partners<br />
all disappeared for countless hours each<br />
week to go cycling, finally had enough. Over<br />
coffee, wine and even more coffee a counter plan<br />
was hatched... This was the very modest birth of<br />
the Skinny Lattes.<br />
When we were forming our cycling group<br />
about seven years ago, we all had partners who<br />
rode with the Fatboys so we were looking for a<br />
name that was a bit tongue in cheek. Someone<br />
threw out the one liner, that ‘all women do, is sit<br />
around drinking coffee and talking’. Of course<br />
we grabbed hold of that idea and worked it. We<br />
now had four members, a lot of enthusiasm,<br />
very little knowledge and the grand idea that we<br />
wanted to look like a real cycling group. This<br />
needed someone to believe in us who would<br />
come aboard to help us with the setup of costs<br />
of printing a club kit. Roberto from Cibo Espresso<br />
was approached and after kindly listening to our<br />
plan agreed to come on board as the sponsor of<br />
the Skinny Lattes... It was a perfect fit. We loved<br />
his coffee, and he believed in us.<br />
In the early days heading out for a trip down<br />
the bike path to the beach or up to Paradise was<br />
about all we were able to do. Over months our<br />
confidence grew and as well as being able to<br />
tackle longer rides on the open roads we were<br />
attracting more like minded women who were<br />
wanting to find their feet and confidence on the<br />
bike. It seemed that lack of confidence was the<br />
biggest hurdle and early Skinny Lattes jokes<br />
seemed to include “How many Skinny Lattes<br />
does it take to change a tyre?” and there was<br />
more than a gain of truth to that. Now fixing minor<br />
mechanical problems mid ride does not throw the<br />
women and they do not hesitate to head out for<br />
a casual 120 km ride on the weekend. Rides like<br />
the Coast to Coast were once truly feared and<br />
approached like a major battle, now the women<br />
The Skinny Lattes arrived at Warland Reserve after participating in the Savings & Loans<br />
Coast to Coast<br />
think nothing of jumping into these rides and<br />
approach them with enthusiasm and confidence.<br />
It is amazing how many people recognise the<br />
Skinny Lattes and some of the younger ones<br />
realise that we could be their mum or in some<br />
cases their grandmother. It is one of the wonderful<br />
things about cycling, that age is not a barrier.<br />
In the past seven years Skinny Lattes<br />
have ridden the Alpine Challenge, they have<br />
raced at UCI Masters World Track and Road<br />
Championships both in Australia and overseas,<br />
they have completed untold challenge rides,<br />
and they have raced triathlons and have without<br />
hesitation spread their enthusiasm for cycling to<br />
other women.<br />
When asked recently why we ride, Skinny<br />
Latte Amanda Steels replied:<br />
“For the sound: the sweet, mesmerising sound<br />
of rolling tyres when you’re steaming along<br />
Military Road at 6:30 in the morning at 38km/h<br />
with a group of people you’ve never met<br />
before’<br />
“For the feeling: relying on instincts and giving in<br />
to what you know you can do<br />
“For the bond: the wondrous and innate feeling<br />
of complete trust in other cyclists on the open<br />
road for no other reason than they ride a bike<br />
“For the thrill: descents down Greenhill, tight<br />
corners through the Corkscrew, bunch riding<br />
through Glenelg roundabouts. No other activity<br />
in your day will come close to this<br />
“For the heart: not just to keep the heart strong,<br />
but to feel it beating in your ears, to completely<br />
physically connect with the natural world<br />
“For the convenience: a bike and a destination...<br />
or an idea<br />
“For the smell: salty winds on the coast, ripe<br />
fruit through the hills, dust to the north, pasta<br />
through suburbia<br />
“For the sport: fit bodies, spectacular scenery and<br />
a bike race. poetry in motion<br />
“For the culture: European-styled carbon, Arabica<br />
coffee and an Adelaidian twist<br />
“For the love: of all of the people I know, I love<br />
cyclists the best.”<br />
If you feel a calling to ride with the Skinny<br />
Lattes, please contact Lynette at .<br />
Bicycle <strong>SA</strong> Team Cleland Conservation Park tour — L – R: Russell Miatke, Christian Haag, Sam Drummond, Ben Woodcock,<br />
Chris Hutchinson, Kate Irvine, Michael Bridge, Holly Shires, Kay Davis, Luka Van Cauteren, Chris Beauchamp<br />
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