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ok.. My name is Harley Johnstone. I'm 26 years old and live in Adelaide, South Australia. I work in a bike shop. Ride, run almost everywhere. I don't have a car and don't have a license. I haven't caught a bus in 2 years. I am 6 ft and 65 kilos. How long have you been into the vegetarian/ raw food thing? I have been a strict vego (no exceptions) since April 2001. the ONLY animal product consumed since then has been honey. I still eat raw honey but am questioning its ethics at the moment. Today is day 154, 100% raw for me. NEVER felt better. life feels magical everyday. its a trip to find out what will happen in the next minute hour or week. its such a spin. I guess you have been riding bikes all your life? I have been racing bikes for about 5 years. before this I was sedentary and chronically ill. Asthma, chronic fatigue, depression, drug abuse, leukemia like blood condition etc etc. All this cleared almost overnight when i turned full blown vego and started thinking positively hard. Wow, what a turn around! so I imagine you must be way above average fit now then? I run marathons and can bench press my body weight. I am unbeatable in my state for 24 hour bike races. and hope to win the nationals this year. i finished first in Australia at the Paris - Brest - Paris 1243km bike race. I finished 55th out of 4000 competitors. obviously most people are there for fun but the lead group i was in take drugs and ride hard. I could have set a new Australian record with the help of pills but I refuse to dope. if i need a pill or vile to ride my bike up a hill then for me I'm a sad human and better off as compost. drugs in sport for those who don't know , is rife. I would like to meet an Olympic medalist who hasn't doped. I know all sorts of athletes and sports doctors. drugs work. simple. get your head out of the sand if you don't believe me and read 'positive' by Werner Reiterer. one of the best Australian books in the history of oz. And what's your plan? The plan is to ride around Australia. Solo and unsupported. Hopefully raw, I may slip and eat some rice and bean in the middle of nowhere, but I understand that raw is clearly the way to go - My fragile human mind will play tricks with me out on the highway and thousands of miles from organic fruit shops. Raw just gives me superior nutrition. Better than cooked vego and a million times better than meat n dairy. I demand the best therefore I consume the best when available. Have you done anything similar to this before? I biked 30020 kms in 2003 in preparation. i rode half the distance in the same time. - I raced in Belgium last year as an amateur, my lack of talent and dislike of drugs, quashed any dreams of a pro career in short distance cycling. so now its on to ultra distance. less drugs and more comraderie. Just exactly how far are we talking here? has this been done before, and if so, what's the current record? 57 days is the current record. 14 400km is the protocol distance. I have been discussing logistics with the current record holder, Perry Stone. Perry is a legend. Top bloke. I rib him about what he eats. He eats anything and drinks copious amounts of caffeine to keep going. He just got out of hospital with blood clots in his legs. I'm sure glad he doesn't eat good food cos he would be just unbeatable. He has a fixed concrete mind. Essential when doing ultra endurance events. How many kilometers a day does that work out, in order to smash that record? I have to ride 252km a day to equal the record. I plan to smash it or get smashed in the process. I have a lot of motivation, positivity and anger as fuel to get up on the cold wet mornings. headwinds, road trains, hot , cold conditions will only fuel me on more. I'm ready to rock, ready to smash through nervous breakdowns while cycling through some of the remotest roads on the planet. BRING IT ON! Can you tell us a little about what you enjoy eating most, and what you might get through on an average day? I eat mostly banana, date and fig, then greens, almonds, pistachio, macadamia , durian and baby coconut. I take no supplements. What is your reason for doing this trip.. your goal..? Any sponsors? I am doing this trip to promote vegetarianism and how the body benefits. - And the planet. I will be on TV, and newspaper. currently on Internet and radio. I have a few sponsors but it will cost not much so I have actually knocked back money. How and where do you plan to spend your nights? Nights will be mostly riding. - I had a revelation whilst eating a durian yesterday. If I dont take sleeping gear I will save grams and be forced to continue at night and sleep during the day on grass etc. that way I only sleep when absolutely neccessary. saves time and makes it sound more extreme! What kind of literature are you in to? I read anything true and absolutist. Nison, Arlin, Krok, Graham, Wolfe, and the rest. "Natures First Law" is aggressive, elitist, positive and intense. - Just the way I like it. Do you think there are any drawbacks to a raw food diet/lifestyle? Yeah, one problem with the raw food lifestyle is I find I try and do too much at one time cos I got so much more energy and focus.! |
