by Anne-Marie Schelfhout

Created on: July 02, 2007

The big bike ride from Perth, Western Australia across the country to Sydney Harbor is a ride not for the faint at heart. A 4000 kilometer journey, pedal powering your way across the Australian Nullabor is certainly a big feat.
The journey normally takes roughly a month to complete, depending on how many miles you manage to cover per day.

This ride is not for the ill prepared! Careful planning and a lot of training with weights and long distance riding is essential.Having the correct equipment is a must. Especially gel filled gloves and a machine figured gel seat specifically molded for your bottom. A rubber tread speedy bicycle suited to hard, sealed road riding is also very important.

A fabulous support road crew is also necessary. The crew will need to have a two-way radio and you will need a wireless receiver to keep in contact throughout the journey.It is advisable that your plans be reassessed each day of the ride and good communication ensured. The road crew will mainly be traveling ahead of you to set up camp for you when you pull up from a hard day of riding.

The best time of the year to attempt the ride is from May to June. This is the cooler months in Australia and more advisable then the forty degree Celsius days that could occur in our summer months. If you leave it too late around July and August you may have trouble when you hit the Blue Mountains in Sydney as it could be snowing.

Watch out for the beautiful animals you may encounter. Goannas, snakes, echidnas, emus ,kangaroos and all the wonderful bird life are some of the things you may be lucky enough to see. There are many beautiful sunset photo opportunities and amazing scenic views throughout the ride.

Road trains are huge and they may not see you. The petrol tankers can suck you in if you are not aware of the suction power of fast traveling vehicles. Being aware of the dangers is extremely important and it is a good idea to wear fluorescent colored vests to stand out to all traffic.

This is fantastic, incredible life experience that you must not miss. If you love riding a bike and have adventure in your heart then you should give this challenging ride a go. Be prepared and you will have the time of your life!

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