ULTRA-ENDURANCE CYCLING IN AUSTRALIA
HOW DID THEY DO THIS: KILOMETRE AFTER BLOODY kilometre, day after bloody day … I am thinking of the ‘Overlanders’, intrepid solo riders who more than a hundred years ago would set off on their bikes alone into the unknown of Australia. So often I have thought about their dogged persistence, especially since venturing into ultra-distance cycling and bike packing at the inaugural 5,471km Indian Pacific Wheel Race in 2017, from Fremantle in Western Australia to the Opera House in Sydney…an event created to pay homage to the Overlanders.
The route? It is so not direct. It starts at the South Mole Lighthouse in Fremantle and ends at the steps of the Opera House in Sydney.
It includes desert plains, hills and mountains, bike lanes and steps; from major towns and cities like Coolgardie, Norseman, Ceduna, Port Augusta, Adelaide, Geelong, Melbourne and Canberra. It is a box set.
As for the Overlanders, their resolve and daring last came to mind as it was fatiguing as rapidly as my body, during one of the hardest days of the recent Versent TourXOz, a 650km off road ride from the Hann River Roadhouse, north of Cairns, to the Tip of Cape York, the northernmost point of Australia – a charity ride created to raise awareness for mental health and funds for the Black Dog
