Before the Ride
The pre ride BBQ lunch was held the day before the event on the shores of the Swan River in South Perth. It provided an opportunity to renew past acquaintances and to make new ones. Drop bags were checked in, clothing orders picked up, lighting checks made and final registration matters were attended to.
Drop bags checked in
Day 1
A cool to mild morming as Organiser Nick Dale gave a final briefing to riders before the starters flag dropped to send us on our way at 5:05 am. The first 10k was to be neutralised to contain the riders to an orderly progression out of the city along the impressive bike path that extends tens of kilometres to the south. The pace for this first period was very brisk by my standards and I chose to settle in at about 15 or 16 from the front. The peleton formation of 2 riders wide must have been of some concern to the occasional oncoming rider as they headed toward our snaking sea of bright headlights. Concentration, courtesy and predictability were key to avoiding any mishap but unfortunately accidents do happen and Kerri-Ann Smith crashed heavily on this leg and due to injuries had to withdraw from the event. The crash broke up the peloton considerably and I took the opportunity to take a short break, eat a little and then chose to settle into my own pace until the first checkpoint, the foreshore rotunda at Mandurah (73k) was reached at 7:45am.
From Mandurah it was through residential streets and a coastal bike path for about 20k before open roadway was reached. It was along this stretch I managed to drop my chain twice and so was annoyed with having an oily right hand.There was a welcome refreshment stop at the 128k mark on the side of the Forrest Highway and at this point I decided to shed some clothing layers as the morning had started to warm a little. As time went on however a strong head wind developed and a few rain squalls hit as I made slow progress through Australind and on towards Bunbury.The Bunbury checkpoint (181k) was in a foreshore restaurant and I reached it at 12:47pm and I was still feeling good.
I was still feeling good
For most of the leg to Busselton I rode alone fighting the wind much of the time. I hooked up with some other riders for a while but the pace was a little too hot for me but I did ride the last 5k into the Busselton checkpoint (240k) with Gary Baker from British Columbia.
At the Busselton checkpoint just past the famous jetty
The ride to Margaret River was easier as the wind started to diminish as the evening fast approached. The sun had set and it was dark by the time I made it into the town and I missed the turn towards the community centre like many others as it turned out. This checkpoint was not well marked and the lighting was poor but it was fortunate my wife was there to guide me in. That was 297k completed and it was now 7:00pm. I fuelled up on vegemite on dry biscuits and some noodles.
...and some noodles
Some distance out of Margaret River I started to lose some of the earlier zest and at a few points stopped on the side of the road for a power nap. This was to be the start of a longer night than I expected as I began to struggle with tiredness. The Alexandra Bridge Hall (334k) was a welcome break again but with the knowledge I still had another hilly 90k to go to reach Pemberton, and I was struggling, I was thinking its going to be a long night. That is how it worked out. I rode with Hamish Moffatt and Ian George for a while but I let them go as they were too quick for me. I was in survival mode now. I stopped for more power naps, so many I can't remember. Michael Bentley rode with me for a while approaching Pemberton. Once he had moved on I stopped and rested under one of the forest giants and contemplated the situation while I tried to get a museli bar down to raise my energy level. Two more lights approached and pulled up. Mick Creati and Frank Preyer stopped briefly and on assessment decided I wasn't going to move so they moved on. I did move and soon caught them and rode the last 15k to the the checkpoint deep in the forest near Pemberton (426k). It was 3:30am and it was very cold. The Pemberton Forest Stay was a series of weatherboard dwellings that were described by one volunteer as "rustic" . They were adequate for the purpose and I managed nearly two hours sleep before getting up and making some breakfast and preparing for the coming day.
Day 2
Readying to leave I realised there was some action down in a shelter area where egg and bacon was on offer in front of a smoky fire. I suspect it was about 7am when I finally rolled out of the checkpoint.
Day 2
Readying to leave I realised there was some action down in a shelter area where egg and bacon was on offer in front of a smoky fire. I suspect it was about 7am when I finally rolled out of the checkpoint.
Checkpoint within a Pemberton forest
As the night had been so cold I had donned plenty of gear for the first part of the day but it wasn't long before I was shedding layers. After passing through Pemberton on the way to Shannon National Park (490k) I found myself riding with Vincent Muoneke and Mark Thomas both from Seattle, Washington and fellow Victorian Rus Hamilton on undulating roads through scenic forest.
on undulating roads through scenic forest
In warm sunny conditions I arrived at the Walpole checkpoint (555k) at 1:48pm riding comfortably and confidently and looking forward to lunch. Oh that meat pie went down well!
Oh that meat pie went down well!
I made Demark (621k) at 5:51pm and thoroughly enjoyed a real coffee on the banks of the picturesque Denmark River. Before setting off I donned warmer clothes and relective gear, checked lights and directions for the final leg of the day to Albany. I rode the last part of the leg into Albany (679k) with Gary Baker. The last few hundred metres to the checkpoint involved a punishing climb to Albany Residential College our accommodation for the night. That wasn't the end of the climbing for the day though, my room was on the third floor! As it was only about 9:30pm I was going to get a good sleep and I needed it.
Arrival at Albany Residential College our accommodation for the night
Day 3
Heading to the Stirling Ramges National Park checkpoint
A few riders passed me before I arrived at the Stirling Ranges National Park (768k) at 9:20am. The wind was easing and the sun was warming the day up as we tucked in. The next leg entered into the wheatbelt and to the town of Gnowangerup and it was in rising heat. Road trains became more frequent but most of them gave me a wide berth. The biggest nuisance were tiny insects that either stuck to applied sunscreen on ones body or found there way into nose, ear or mouth.
On the leg to Gnowangerup
A sizable group of riders enjoying a break when I arrived
From Katanning I rode alone to Wagin (947k) and arrived just on dark at 6:49pm. The checkpoint was under the Giant Ram which was pretty hard to miss. The temperature dropped rapidly and I donned extra clothes a short distance down the road from the checkpoint.
The checkpoint was under the Giant Ram
A group of about of 6 of us headed towards the night stop of Williams but everyone seemed to have their own pace that they felt comfortable with and so yet again I rode most of this leg alone but did have Peter Turnbull from the UK for company for part of the leg. I was actually feeling pretty good when we pulled into the sporting clubrooms at Williams (1008k) at 10:20pm. It was here I made the judgement that I would not try and sleep at this point. My thinking was that the next day was forecast to be on the hot side with a northerly wind so I thought I would limit my exposure to those conditions as I generally function quite poorly in them. I freshened up by showering, eating and then putting on all the clean gear I had as it was again very cold and I was warned that Hotham Valley would be colder.
Day 4
I rolled out about midnight riding slowly and cautiously just wanting to make some early progress so I wouldn't have to endure a long hot 4th day. It was around 2am when I took a power nap on the side of the road, then another around 3:30am on the Lower Hotham Valley Road and once I was back on the Pinjarra Road around 4:15am I took a longer kip under a large tree on a soft bed of leaves. By 5am I was making my way down the road and having to occasionally get right off the road as log trucks honked their approach then rumbled past at speed. They didn't seem to show the same respect as the road trains the day before. On reaching a high point on a very hilly road I phoned my wife to let her know my progress and she said she had expected that I would adopt the ride through the night strategy.
I arrived at Pinjarra (1137k) at 8:10am and took an extended break and left a bit after 9am. I had a few navigational issues getting back onto the freeway bike path but I eventually got back on the right track and it was then head down with the smell of the finish in my nostrils. I now had the idea that I could actually finish inside 80 hours if I could average around 24/25 kph for the last leg into a stiff head wind. I kept it up for 3+ hours, I was constantly eating and drinking, thinking I was mad to be putting in what at this stage for me was a maximal effort. As South Perth approached my confidence grew that I was going to achieve my goal. I arrived at the finish (1220k) at 12:55pm in an elapsed time of 79 hours 50 minutes totally exhausted but absolutely elated to have finshed my first 1200k randonee.
Accepting congratulations
Thanks to Nick Dale for organising the event and all the volunteers involved with the ride and congratulations to all the participants from near and far.
