7th February
Cautious start to my crossing of the Australian continent. The journey is happening at quite a pace. The ride around South East Asia was quick and I nearly didn't do it, originally planning to ride south from Bangkok. Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia were revelationary in so many ways, and just as I try to assimilate and transcribe it as an experience I've moved onto Singapore and here I am already leaving Perth. There will be a book. Think of the blogs as my aide memoire.
Bit of Information
The reason for the speed of the journey is pure pragmatism. This world trip has a target duration of 8 months. The sponsors want me back - and so does my wife and family - nevertheless as a form of entertainment the sense has to flow, ideas must join up but the forthcoming book and feature film of the project will be more considered. Think of these blogs as notes for anything I might publish in more detail on my return. Riding 100 (160km) days, rising to 120 miles (200 km) days is placing constraints on how I want to portray this ride
The Road into the Shires
Pulled the tent down at 6am got away after a munch on yesterdays caramel slice and an avocado. Traffic busy into the Welshpool Road turn off and instead of heading on to the Great Eastern Highway like I normally do followed onto the 8 and then the Pickering Brook Road before turning east onto the 41. Just before the turn off I stopped at Yvette’s Cafe for a ‘mum-made’ fruit and nut ball - covered in mums thumb impressions - and a flat white for a very reasonable 7 dollars. When I mentioned, politely, how a plum pip nearly cracked a tooth the bald fella behind the counter laughed and said it was all part of the service and I wouldn’t be charged. I soaked up the rye humour while I rubbed my tooth, “next time I’m passing might I just order the pips” I said and he looked at me blankly. Meanwhile under the pretext of just charging my phone, I got everything out and charged the lot, the lights dipped when I put my bike battery on but no one seemed to notice except me.
Still, it was a comfy moment. Little did I know then how it would change. I lounged in one of the two comfy sofas one of which I sank into immediately falling asleep only to be woken by the coffee lady who reminded me of my purchase. The joys of being on the road, coach-life and coffee. Cafe's provided me with such important mid morning gifts. I was twisting my mind into a style of happiness that would carry me across the a Nullarbor. There had to be a point to it if only for the cake.
Yvette’s pot dogs sat on shelves waiting for an owner. These things are almost certainly purchased by elderly people. Maybe they need to dust things but for me it confounds reason along with the usual low standard community paintings, which patiently coloured free space on her vintage grey and green painted walls. Overall an eight on the cafe scale of greatness while all the time the day was heating up. I had to remind myself that this particular activity cannot be achieved climbing the north face of the Eiger but then that lasts an afternoon and maybe a night in a bivouac, my ride will take me 8 months.
Campsite at Brookton
Still unused to the vast distances between services I hadn’t filled my water bottles fully so had to drink what I had and in temperatures already topping out at 35 degrees centigrade I held out my bottle until a driver stopped and gave me some of his iced supply from a fridge in his air conditioned pick up.
This is a ride that travels hundreds of miles into a scorching headwind across a treeless plain in temperatures you can fry an egg on the bonnet of a car. Then maybe cycling will present a different context.,
Map of the Day