Rural Riders is the cycling equivalent of Surfing for Farmers.
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Winton dairy farmer Bart Luijten shares how cycling helps him keep fit and stay well on farm.
Bart Luitjen milks 450 cows and loves his farming and working outdoors.
He’s been running his operation since 2004 and works with another staff member to milk twice a day.
“I enjoy managing my own business and the variety of work you do as a farmer,” he says.
“It’s a multi-skilled job. It’s really busy probably from July till Christmas time, and after that in summer it slows down a little bit.”
The slower months are the perfect time for Luitjen to indulge in another one of his passions - cycling.
Luitjen has entered a series of cycle races in Otago called Gravel in Paradise.
He’s in the Ridestrong category for farmers and growers.
Luitjen’s always been a keen cyclist. He’s Dutch and grew up in a strong cycling culture.
This is his third season competing in Gravel in Paradise.
He’s also involved in a nationwide initiative called Rural Riders, which is the cycling equivalent of Surfing for Farmers.
“Rural Riders was developed for farmers who were living in the middle of New Zealand,” he says.
“We couldn’t get to the coast to go and surf, so we ride our bikes.
“So it’s basically the land version of surfing to farmers.
“Every Wednesday, we try and get a group of farmers to go and do a bike ride.”
Luitjen sees Gravel in Paradise as a great way to achieve a healthy work-life balance.
“I think it’s good to have interests outside of farming; that’s probably the main reason I enter.
“It clears your head, because you have something else to think about than just the farm all the time.
“You also get to do some pretty cool rides and go to great places, which is all part of it.”
He finds cycling’s also an effective stress buster.
“If you’re having a tough season, just getting out on the bike for a couple of hours can make all the difference.
“You’re giving your brain a bit of a rest from the farm.
“You also get to meet people outside of farming, and I think that’s a great benefit too.
“Even if you’re just riding with other farmers, you soon realise that if you’re in a tough spot during the season, other farmers are usually experiencing the same thing.
“You’re not just in it by yourself.”
He says cycling is a very achievable physical activity for people who aren’t necessarily into sport.
“I’m Dutch, so I’ve grown up with bikes my whole life, but I’m not great at other sports, so I feel biking is a really ideal, low-entry sport.
“As long as you can pedal and stay upright, you can do everything at your own pace.
“You can just go out by yourself, or you can find other groups to ride with and enjoy other people’s company.
“It passes the test of something physical that you can do even if you’re not an athlete.
“You can improve your fitness pretty quickly, too, if you just stick to riding.”
Luitjen says he racks up around 6000km a year on the bike.
“At calving time in August, I might ride once a week, but when I get into it over summer, it might be six or seven hours a week.”
These days, he factors his cycling into the way he runs his business.
“I’m just looking outside now and thinking, ‘oh, it’s nice today, there’s no wind, I’ve got someone else milking in the afternoon so I might just hop on my bike.’
“You’ve got to realise that some of the farm jobs can wait for another day and tell yourself, ‘I’ll get to them tomorrow,’ you know?
“I don’t find that hard, but I realise that other people might.”
He says the races aren’t a huge commitment.
“You just turn up on the day, and then it’s two and a half hours of your time.
“We’ll make a day of it with a group of friends and catch up and have a drink afterwards.”
Luitjen says last season was pretty challenging weather-wise, which made him appreciate leaping on the bike even more.
“It makes it harder to go out, but once the weather cleared up and I could get out more, you just start to feel better.”
A few years back, Luitjen joined a group of people on a cycle tour of the country in support of Farmstrong.
“That was an incentive for me to train so I could join that leg of the tour with them. That was the start of my biking, really.”
He’s been a committed cyclist and Farmstrong supporter ever since.
“I think there’s definitely a mental aspect to farming, and there’s always room for improvement there.
He says people are now talking about these issues, which is important.
“Everyone makes decisions in their own way, but sometimes if you feel like you’re getting stuck, it’s great to chat with mates and make a plan so you can keep moving forward.
“That hands you back a sense of control.”
Looking back at his farming career, Luitjen ponders what advice he’d offer someone starting out.
“This is an industry that still really rewards hard work, but having work-life balance is important too.
“It’s not about having lots of time off, it’s about quality time off.
“There are certain times of the year when I don’t take any time off, but there has to be some time available during a season when you can do other things or take a couple of days off.
“If there’s not, I don’t think you’re structuring your business in the right way. You can keep working, but it just makes the job a lot harder.”
Luitjen’s best tip for handling challenging times is to find something positive in the day.
“Sometimes it’s as simple as turning off the quad bike on a fine day, taking in your surroundings and thinking ‘oh, this is good’.
“You’ve got to appreciate those moments as well. You can’t just be head down the whole time.
“Sometimes you’ve got to step back a bit, take in the big picture and realise everything’s still looking good on-farm.”
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