| Day: | 005 |
| Date: | Friday, 31 July 2009 |
| Start: | Childers |
| Finish: | Rockhampton |
| Daily Kilometres: | 328 |
| Total Kilometres: | |
| Podcasts: | n.a. |
| Journal: | No report |
Round Australia by bike - Day 005 - Childers to Rockhampton
Round Australia by bike - Day 004 - Aspley to Childers
| Day: | 004 |
| Date: | Thursday, 30 July 2009 |
| Start: | Aspley |
| Finish: | Childers |
| Daily Kilometres: | 302 |
| Total Kilometres: | |
| Podcasts: | Here |
| Journal: | No report |
Round Australia by bike - Day 003 - Woodburn to Aspley
| Day: | 003 |
| Date: | Wednesday, 29 July 2009 |
| Start: | Woodburn |
| Finish: | Aspley |
| Daily Kilometres: | 246 |
| Total Kilometres: | |
| Podcasts: | Here & here |
| Journal: | I discovered more bike problems (damaged rear wheel bearing) late yesterday and lost a lot of time last night and today sorting it out. I’m in the northern suburbs of Brisbane, about 35km behind schedule, but hopeful of making it up tomorrow with another short sleep tonight. |
Round Australia by bike - Day 002 - Kempsey to Woodburn
Round Australia by bike - Day 001 - Gosford to Kempsey
| Day: | 001 |
| Date: | Monday, 27 July 2009 |
| Start: | Gosford |
| Finish: | Kempsey |
| Daily Kilometres: | 355 |
| Total Kilometres: | 355 |
| Podcasts: | Here & here |
| Journal: | Got on the road at 10pm from the West Gosford McDonalds, farewelled by about a dozen friends. It was cold and drizzling and the bike seemed too heavy....maybe I bought too much food for one day. Headed north through drizzle and mist to the F3 Freeway, 10km away, and the drizzle stopped and clouds began to clear, though I could see lightning flashes up ahead for the next four or five hours and the road was often wet. There was a slight headwind, but I was making reasonable progress and decided to keep riding until I got to Raymond Terrace at about 100km. Stopped there for a short break in a bus shelter at 2am and watched a number of police cars flying by at great speed, but with no flashing lights. About 5km after I started riding again, the gear cable to my rear derailleur snapped and I was left with only 10th and 20th gear and no hill-climbing gears, which meant it was going to be hard work on the hills. I toyed with catching a train back home and restarting in a couple of days. I was concerned that to go on would make a very tough day (it was already going to be 355km with no sleep) and there would be a risk of injury. In the end I kept going with the idea of getting the cable fixed in a bike shop in Taree rather than try to fit the replacement I had in the cold and dark. The riding was OK except for the hills and some roadworks that gave me little room with lots of cars and trucks whizzing by. After Bulahdelah, where I had my second break, the hills got longer and steeper and I became really tired. In the end some hills were simply impossible to ride up and I embarrassingly had to walk. By the time I reached Taree at 9am, I was totally exhausted. I found a bike shop, Bourkes Bikes, where they were extremely helpful and sent me off for breakfast while they replaced the cable and housing for the princely sum of $10. I was on my way again at 9:45 and, though still tired, in much better spirits. The remainder of the day was spent crossing verdant floodplains grazing cattle, crossing big rivers, climbing over small forested mountain ranges and negotiating many roadworks as the authorities worked hard to duplicate the highway between Sydney and Brisbane. I was very tired, but not too bad, and finally reached Kempsey at 3pm, my original target time, pleased with a good day's work, but anticipating much stiffness and soreness for a shorter Day 2. |
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