Day 21 – Rest day reflections in Norseman
Alyce
The last week since Ceduna has had some major ups and downs for me.
The first couple of days on the Nullarbor were absolutely spectacular. As mentioned in the blog we had good conditions and saw some absolutely spectacular views along the way. I think that the ride from Nullarbor Motel to Eucla was the most enjoyable ride I have ever been on. It was amazing riding along the sections where you could see the ocean from where you were riding and being able to pull over and you were literally at the edge of Australia.
But then, there were also some extreme mental challenges for me this week. This was the longest period without a rest day (7 days) and we had some of the hardest days of riding yet. On the day that it got up to 46 degrees and we had the wind in our faces there was a moment where I honestly didn’t know if I was going to make it. Luckily, I was able to pull through it but the final section was the longest 30km of my life getting through to our destination.
Although we had some hard conditions in the days after this ride fortunately I was able to get into a good headspace for the remainder of the ride.
Finally, conquering the Nullarbor was an amazing feeling. In the lead up I had been very nervous about crossing it but fortunately, I was able to get through it.
Mark and Dan have run out of time to get their posts up tonight but will update it tomorrow.
Mark
Well the Nullarbor is now behind us and, although it snapped at us a bit a couple of times, it never really bit as hard as I am sure it is capable of doing. I can hardly believe our adventure is almost over and I’m a little sad about that as I have been enjoying it so much. I have driven this route once before many years ago, but am finding the trip so much more interesting doing it on a bike. You sort of get to notice things a bit more and you actually “feel” it in a way that doesn’t happen in air-conditioned comfort behind the windscreen of a car.
We have pretty much abondoned all concern for actual “time of day” and are working on things like departing at first light and taking lunch after about 125km etc. We have witnessed some spectacular sunrises, felt early morning chill in the air to a degree we didn’t think possible at this time of the year, experienced heat up to 46 degrees, ridden in wind, rain, hail and more, and been blown away by the friendliness and support by most people we encounter along the way, many for just a moment as they wave enthusiastically whilst passing in the opposite direction.
We are a bit over road houses and the “meals” we have been having there and are looking forward to some good home cooking in Perth (where Alyce, Anita and I will be staying with Anita’s sister and her family for a while).
After months of agonising over things like what bike to ride and what set up to use we are delighted with how are bikes have performed. One puncture each with almost the whole country crossed is pretty remarkable too I reckon.
The terrain for our last 4 days of riding into Perth is likely to be a bit different to what we have had for most of the ride, and the schedule is fairly tough, but we are looking forward to it. We are hoping to arrive at King’s Park in Perth at about 2pm Perth time on Tuesday. Until then, I hope everyone enjoys reading the daily updates and I expect we will each be doing a “final wrap” once we have finished.
Dan
There is no doubting that the second half of this adventure has been markedly different to the first, to an extent far beyond what I would have imagined.
The Nullarbor was both challenging and spectacular, with each day different to the previous. The conditions and landscape seemed to switch around at random, although the quality of the accommodation and food at the six roadhouses where we stayed was the one (very, very poor) constant.
The challenges we experienced as riders were mirrored in the experiences of the support crew as they struggled to keep the fresh water supplies up, the morning teas and lunches interesting, and spent an outrageous amount of time in roadhouse bistros watching the second hand tick around on the clock as we killed time before dinner. Full credit to Anita and Judy for an amazing job thus far.
While I will be forever pleased to have seen the Nullarbor by bike, I am thankful to be on the road to Perth and only a handfull of days from home. It seems only yesterday that Harry and I were discussing the 24 sleeps until I get home, and now we are down to four.
