Uluru Day 1 - Disaster

I was all set to go this morning and timed the departure to be just after the local peak traffic period with school runs etc. Saying goodbye to my awesome wife Carla and our cats is never easy, especially when she only just got back from a trip herself.

Off I went down the back local roads, the bike felt good and everything was running as smooth as silk, but there was a bit of a headwind right from the start. I always get terrible anxiety leading up to the start of a big challenge like this, but it quickly disapears as soon as I actually get going, so it was nice to be on he move finally after so much planning an preperation.

Getting out from a big city on a bike always has its challenges, and Melbourne is no exception even when one lives on the fringes. But after a couple of hours I was out in the fields west of Melbourne and heading gradually uphill and into that wind. It could be a mental thing but the pannier bags felt like sails resistant to forward movement, so it was a bit of work. Probably, I just need to get used to the heavier bike...

But on the back roads I only saw a few cars and only briefly crossed a main road before the incline increased as I ascended the Brisbane Ranges (nothing to do with Brisbane in QLD).

About 50 km in my old ankle injury started getting sore and I stopped at a bus shelter to check it out. And it was not good. After that stop, I couldn't put my body weight on it. The shoe felt all tight so I switched to thinner socks and removed the brace I was using. Hmm better but still not good.

Due a lunch break, I could either keep going but the only town on my route with a shop for water, was still 25km away and up hill. Or, I could detour off rote and go 4km downhill where there was a general store. I had no water left, so kind of had to take this option.

But getting back on Beatrice I had trouble even clipping in to the pedals…this is really not good.

With the darkest possible thoughts in my mind I got to the general store, got a coffee and some water and tried to think things through clearly. I msg'd my wife with an update. First thoughts were I would try and keep going, get to Ballarat and sleep on any decision. I could get a train back to Melbourne in the morning if it is still no good...Ballarat was the lats place on the trip with an easy way of getting backt o Melbourne.

So I tried to get back on Beatrice, clipped in in great pain and tried a few pedal turns going just KM down the road. Nope...there is just no way I should be riding solo anywhere remote like this…so with great shock realised I just have to abort this trip while I still can safely.

It's difficult to write any more about this so I will leave it here for now, and am awaiting a rescue from my wife, followed by a Dr visit tonight.

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The Next Day

I aggrevated a chronic sprain from last year. Although I have ridden some 7000km since that injury, perhaps it never fully healed and I had felt some warning signs leading up to this trip. It must be the heavy workload of a touring bike that is the difference. I'm told no cycling at all for 3 weeks, and back to physio followed by a potential visit back to the surgeon.

I am so gutted, so much prepation went into this, but it was the right call to pull out. Now I've got to decide what to do with this time off work, or to go back.

A Journey To the Centre

I begin today by acknowledging the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I will be passing through on this adventure, and pay my respects to their Elders past and present. 

Uluru is an incredibly sacred site for First Nations people, whose presence in the area can be dated back a staggering 60,000 years. Over this time many people both lived here, and travelled to the area for ceremonies. There are more than 500 indigenous nations across Australia, and in the Uluru region the Anangu people call this home. Uluru and its neighbour Kata Tjuta aren’t just rocks, they are living, breathing, cultural landscapes that are incredibly sacred. Known as being the resting place for the past ancient spirits of the region.

Since living in Australia I have dreamt of visiting this place, and what better way to do it than an epic journey by bicycle? So, I will soon set off on an ambitious challenge to try and ride from my house in Melbourne, to Uluru. As usual, I plan to do this solo and unsupported, but I will be taking some safety precautions, of course.

I plan to do this trip as much "off grid" as possible. By that I mean, I will avoid plugging into any power. I'm not sure how achievable this will be, but I will carry a single portable solar panel and I also generate a small amount of power from a Hub Dynamo on the front wheel. 

Intended Route

My plan is to ride an inland route. I have ridden the Great Ocean road coastline before from Adelaide back to Mebourne, so this time heading in the opposite drirect I intend to head into the interior:

• I'll head to Ballarat, over the big hill at Halls Gap through the Grampians, veer north to Horsham, then just west of the Little Desert National Park before crossing the border into South Australia.
• Once across the border it's North, over the Murray River towards Peterborough and into the Flinders Ranges. I'll then join a few bits of the Mawson Trail but only briefly, before the last settlement of Maree and the challenging Oonadatta track which will be the hardest part of the trip.
• All going well I then join the Stuart Highway for just a few days before turning West to Yulara, and Uluru at the finish. I'll fly home from there if I can. (The logistics are complicated, I may have to fly back from Alice Springs).

The total distance will be at least 2600km with a significant part of this being off road, especially on the 620Km long Oonadatta Track.

The Bike

I will need to be totally self sufficient, and that means that I will need to carry enough water, food and camping gear to get between supply points, and so that means quite a heavy load. Therefor, I decided against doing this "Bikepacking" style, although it is possible I'm too risk averse to do that in hot outback conditions.  

The good news is, I have Beatrice:

Beatrice

This bike served me beautifully well cycling acorss the Nullarbor plane. She is an absolute beast, can take a lot of punishment, can carry a heavy load and is a wonderful ride, if a bit slow. She is also very low maintenance.  The photo above was from a test ride today "fully loaded" to check my packing. This includes a 10 litre waterbag strapped onto the back.

Bagelnotonabike

What Are My Chances?

Its a long way and I'm not young anymore, but I have ridden many multi day tours before and know what I'm in for. Once I get used to the weight of the bike, the body should adjust OK. I have a few health niggles with dodgy knees and an ankle that did not 100% recover from a cycling prang last year. Hopefully those hold up...but both are manageable.

I did not do any specific training for this, but, this year I have cycled over 7000km already so have had plenty of time turning the pedals.

But the main thing here is the unknowns like weather and motorists. The Oonadatta track is unpassable if it rains, so I don't want to get caught out on that. Its also late in the season for this ride and it could get hot. It can also get very windy out there, and a will be a mental battle with its remote nature.

If things go severely wrong, I have a spot tracker with SOS functionality as an absolute last resort.

But on the whole I'm confident I've got a good chance. I cant wait to see the outback, and to do so in a way that connects me back to nature, and respects the area by minimising my impact. And I'm also very much looking forward to the isolation, and to totally get away from work life.

I will update the blog as I go, if possible, so thanks for tuning in!