UKI LOCAL Linda Cash didn’t miss a beat when COVID stopped her career in international tourism in March 2020.

“The bottom literally fell out of everything because international borders closed,” Linda told The Weekly. “My company Splasch mainly worked getting dive visitors to south-east Sulawesi and Wakatobi.

“Then everything just stopped. Indonesia and Australia really didn’t reopen their borders for tourism travel until April 2022.”

Instead of sitting around and bingeing on Netflix series for two years, Linda took her first two JobKeeper payments, bought an E-bike she named ‘Sparky’, and began riding.

“The Tweed is amazing!” Linda says with her infectious enthusiasm.

“It was the perfect opportunity to explore my own backyard when we were restricted to our LGA during COVID.”

Linda and her husband Phil lived on Christmas Island for 10 years before moving to the Tweed seven years ago.

“We have the most beautiful world heritage areas in the Tweed, and there are lots of back roads for riding,” she said.

“I love places like the rainforest along Urliup Road, Byrrill Creek, Round Mountain.”

On the weekend, Linda and Phil rode up the Tweed Scenic Rim to the Border Ranges National Park.

“We often stop at little coffee shops and galleries. No bike ride is complete without coffee!

“I love all the beautiful little village cafes and caravans in the Tweed. We like to contribute to the economy as much as possible, which is buying coffee and cake!”

Linda’s adventures go beyond the Tweed.

In early 2022, she set off to cycle over 1900km along the coast of NSW.

“Two friends and I had the idea to visit all the ocean pools in NSW from the Victorian border to here.

“We decided to raise money at the same time, and each chose a charity to support.

I chose the National Breast Cancer Foundation to support my dragon boat friends at Dragons Abreast Wollumbin.”

They rode through sensational weather for 22 days, then torrential rain, detours and washed-out bridges for another four days as the 2022 flood hit NSW.

They started from the Victoria-NSW border on February 6, 2022, and rode 1500km until they reached a caravan park in Coffs Harbour and floods closed the roads.

And to make things worse, thieves unscrewed the entire bike rack from the car and stole their E-bikes.

Undeterred, they eventually finished the ride from Coffs, cycling the remaining 409km to Tweed Heads in June 2022.

Their fundraising target was $3000, but they raised $14,715 for their three charities.

In 2018, Linda went trekking with four other locals for a month across the rugged Simien Mountains in Ethiopia. Two years later, the neighbouring Tigray broke out into armed conflict.

The group prepared for the rugged terrain and built up stamina by climbing Wollumbin twice a week.

“It still didn’t prepare us for the altitude!” she said.

They trekked with a guide and two porters to Lalibela and then into the Bale National Park.

“I really wanted to see an Ethiopian wolf! We managed to see one on my birthday in 2018. That trip was absolutely extraordinary.”

In late 2022, Linda was off trekking in Patagonia, and visiting the Antarctic Peninsula.

Linda has survived the pandemic, floods, theft and possible war, and come out smiling.

Luckily, work has picked up and she is back with Splasch, and her two major clients, Wakatobi Dive Resort and Ecotourism Australia.

You can follow Linda on Facebook (A Girl and her eBike) or on her website agirlandherebike.com.au