Day 26 – Straight up fun

Beginning of something cool

Ever since starting to plan the trip there is one day I’ve been looking forward to. Today. Someone (thanks PB) showed me a photo of them in front of the sign above. It was the first time I’d ever heard of the Nullabor, and it stuck me as a properly cool. Know it sounds dumb but the thought of riding 90 miles without turning left or right seriously appealed. London to Oxford and back without moving the handlebars, quite a thought.

Like it that much took a pic of myself
with it. Not sure why so serious

It didn’t disappoint. Was only out on the road just before sunrise, even though this will be the longest unsupported crossing of the whole trip (I’d been woken at 04:00 by the lady sleeping in a saloon filled with teddies parked outside started playing Elvis love songs. Odd place the Nulla). Probably should’ve been up earlier, but the snake yesterday has given me the willies, and I’m a little less bullish about rides in the dark now. Wet, but true.

The 90 mile straight starts right by the roadhouse. The wind was constant and straight up behind me and the temperature was down so low, I was almost cold at points. Perfect condition. Decided it would be cool to do the whole thing in on, so I got on the bike at 05:20 in the morning, and at 13:20 exactly I hit the first corner of the day. Other than mini stops to decant some water from the bottles in my bag, I didn’t stop cycling and didn’t turn the handlebars for eight hours cycling. Straight up cool.

It warmed up suddenly around midday, and one or two drivers were trouble, but basically I locked in and rode like almost robotically hour on hour. Trees last night where a false dawn, and it’s still vast open plains with odd trees here and there, but it never really changed. It was hypnotic. I lost the sense of time after a while. Your mind drifts all over the place with that little to occupy it, and I was glad to see another vehicles or hit a pot hole just to bring me round. It was an awesome thing to do, and a perfect conditions for it.

0.1mile before 1st turn

Once off the road started to twist again there wasn’t much to talk about. It was 25 miles of pretty basic riding, back onto rolling hills and thick forest. For some reason I still didn’t fancy stopping lunch, and pushed on through. With eight odd miles to go, I was starting to regret locking myself into a dumb macho challenge, but fate had one more little gift up it’s sleeve. Out of the haze came the eleventh cyclist I’ve come across heading East. A nice bloke called Peter from Cambridge who was onto his sixth month of a world tour. He whipped out a pack of ginger nuts as we chatted, and two saw me through perfectly to late late lunch at Ballidonia, the last remote roadhouse before I’m back into towns from tomorrow.

The run count of cyclists is three Japanese in a group, three French in a group, one Norwegian round the worlder, and four Brits (three of them round the worlders and one over 70). Makes you kind of proud, bar the bloke with the carriage, can only assume Aussies go for it in the cooler months. Still hoping to bump into the three ledgends everyone tells me are a few days ahead. Two 85 year old yanks on bikes, and a bloke who is walking across the country dress as a stormtrooper from Star Wars. Would really top off the trip to catch up with him tomorrow.

Because some people asked how long
it is. Big, but not Blessed

The Nullabor a strange old place no doubt, would make a fitting end to the crossing.

Miles: 112 – Caiguna – Balladonia

Breakfast – Standard

Lunch – Streak sandwich at 15:30 on arrival. No idea why I didn’t go for the chicken sandwich I had.

Snacks – Jelly beans and an energy bar. Despite the awesome young German family crawled along side me so they could all lean out the window to offer me lollipops from the front and back windows, decided this was enough sweet stuff for the day. Felt bad as the kids were so keen I take them.

Dinner – Pasta with chicken. Very bored of pasta (and not really a fan at the best of times) but does seem to work energy wise the next day.