Distance: Day 62 – 154km’s (my biggest day yet 7hrs 37min saddle time) – Day 63 – 60.8 km’s. Day 64 – Riding around syd – 50km’s

TOTAL KM’s So Far – 3,748 km’s

Avg Spd: 19.9 over three days (my highest yet)

Max Spd – 60.8

Saddle Time: TOTAL SADDLE TIME: 239hrs 33 minutes

Elevation: last three days – 2,400 mtrs

Quote: Believe in yourself….You are AWESOME – You have the power – You can do it

If there’s one thing I have learned from people I have met along this trip so far – the above is true – we can do anything we put our minds to

Song of the Day: Metallica – Astronomy – i’ve always loved this song – it’s a cover from ‘Blue Oyster Cult’ but it’s just a good kickass rock song with a good building melody. I think they made this cover because Cliff Burton (their bassist that died in a bus crash) loved this band a lot.

Album of the Day: Bon Iver – Bon Iver – it’s their second album and one of my favourites

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Hi all,

Well what a hard but great few days this has been. I don’t even know where to start. I could feel myself brewing a little bit the last couple days and I think i’ll place it to a few things……the non stop heat all day erryday, having to change my route and not having much to do along the route I was forced down, some shitty places to sleep and endless hills hahaha. Having said that I wouldn’t change anything – This is an amazing experience but it has been more challenging to stay super kind and patient these last couple days. You get the crooked with the straights with me – it is not all roses and great insta snaps and videos – I feel like you have to know the god and the bad with me or it’s not real.

Coming from Goulburn I wanted to smash it to Wollongong (150km’s) which will be a 12 hour day. That I did do…..I frikkn smashed it. My legs were pumping and my music was on the whole way (listened to some audiobooks as well). Its been so hot and i’m sick of my shirts being wet ALL day and night so I woke up at 3:30 and was gone by 4:30am with no shirt and boy was that refreshing. it was off until about 9am until the first load of sunscreen hahaha. It was a great day of cycling ito the Southern Highlands of NSW which I might say is absolutely beautiful…I only took a few piccies As it was raining and hot but have a look at this…..it is stunning – if anyone comes here I would recommend the Southern Highlands and the small towns that lie within them.

Things I seen along this 150km journey was a nice temple, beautiful ocean coastline and sweeping bends through a beautiful rainforrest like highlands….lovely little hustle bustle towns with farmers markets, great coffee, friendly people and also some busy highways riding in there too….oooh and a big potatoe hahah

What I also saw due to shouldering some extinguished bushfires was some towns that have been half levelled. Now I know how bad it’s been as I have had to keep on top of where they are and read about them and look at road closures etc but it has nothing on actually having to cycle through a town where the fire swept so quickly through that the tops of the trees are green and the bottoms black BUT half the town was levelled and it looked like there was no hope. I reckon for 40km’s I rode through just BLACK. I took my headphones out and just rode in silence feeling pretty overwhelmed to be honest. It’s another thing to actually ride 40k’s through what ripped through a few towns and smashed it through….I have no words.

Moving along. – I was proud and happy to have smashed 150 km’s for the day and arrive at my hostel. I want to break down this hostel experience because it took me two days to recover from it bwahahahaha….

let’s make it some dot points of the scenario here and picture I Just been riding 10 hours in a 12 hour day in total….it was hot as hot for 9 hours and the other 3 hrs bucketed down and I arrived really soaked.

• I called earlier and the lady said there’s plenty of room to store my bike in my room
• pressed doorbell – waited 5 minutes – nothing
• pressed again – door opened – bike doesn’t fit through front door – left in rain as I sign in
• signed in – a book – with a pen haha – $20 deposit for key and cash only for the room because ‘let’s fight back against merchant fees’ hahaha OF COURSE
• I had no cash on me (my fault) so had to go to ATM
• Goes to ATM…..Comes back – gives deposit…..
• Walks upstairs to see room of 4 beds and so tiny there’s no room to even turn around in
• sits on only spare bed and just sighs hahahahaha WTF – there is no room here for my bike at all
• goes up and down two flights of stairs 5 times To lug all wet gear into small room that smells like ASS! Socks and jocks hanging everywhere and shoes that smell all types of amazing (wait till I take my socks off hahaha)
• gets bike, walks around back and locks bike in the rain in a pokey back yard And gets bitten by a thousand mossies
• goes back into room, gets stuff for shower, has shower – nowhere at all to hang everything so it goes on floor and gets wet FFS haha
• goes to put food in fridge – fridge is full and no room
• power goes out
• is starving and want’s to eat
• lights go back on – cockroaches scurry away (not even joking)
• just wants some cutlery
• oh you need a deposit for a ‘cutlery’ set (WTF hahahaha)
• goes up stairs to get money for a god damn ‘cutlery set’
• Obtains said cutlery set and looks at bench and stove and gets put off and annoyed
• Rings bell as noone at counter – gives cutlery set back and obtains money back and asks what happens if I want to check out early and get my $20 back for my room key
• person thinks – and doesn’t know – I ask ‘can I just have my $20 back and leave key somewhere in the morning?’
• request denied hahahaha I had to go to bed before 9 (before front desk closes) and if I needed to go to toilet I had to put a towel in between the door and then I can checkout anytime And hand the keys in then and there
• I breathed LOTS of deep breaths….I was tired, hungry, Previously soaked for hours, frustrated, hot and had enough
• handed key in……went upstairs….ate some cold food out of my bag and Lied down – set my alarm for 3:30 am and said to self ‘i’m outta here man i aint staying here two nights’
• it was so hot – no AC and osquitos were running wild in the room – I could not sleep so I think I got 2 hours and then went EFFF THIS hahahaha – I packed up at 3am (probably woke everyone up) and took off at 4′. To Sydney……..about 70-80 clicks – I knew it would be hilly but also nice riding

So that’s my worst hostel experience….after my longest day hahaha it was hard to keep my cool that night. It was hard to knock another 4-5 hours after a 10 saddle time the day before also – i could feel I wasn’t reset enough and felt ‘impatient all day’. At one point the hills were 18-20% climbing and I screamed out “FARRRRrkkkkkk” hahaha and this lady ran out her house and asked if I was ok LOL…..we had a laugh Together and that actually helped me snap out of it. She offered me food or water which was super duper nice…I said I only had 50km’s to go and she went – that’s SO FAR man LOL……

So I made it to Syd and my initial thoughts of leaving the southern highlands and into the burbs of NSW are this:

• NSW drivers are crazy hahahah they DGAS
• I saw a few ‘fuck cyclists’ stickers hahahahaha that’s a first
• There are cars parked EVERYWHERE
• I’d rather be cycling in poland when a drunk truck driver was overtaking another drunk truck driver heading towards me haha
• I’ve never seen so many angry drivers yelling at each other to hurry up or get out the way or just be in such a rush
• there are no places to actually cycle on the road if you’re within 50km’s of the heart of Syd
• People do not care about cyclists here and I didn’t see many on the road at all except my crazy ass LOL
• Took me a few hours but as I got used to it I made myself like a car and put the headphones on and owned the middle of the lane (as I had my gear off riding around the city) and could keep up with the cars and as I did that – things seemed to gel a lot more as I owned my space. But still……geez this place takes a lot of concentration – as you head deeper into the heart of Syd though theres a few bike lanes but other than that – GET ME OUTTA HERE hahahaha

I spent the next morning having a great day as I got to see a good friend that I met in Launceston and have a good walk in the botanic gardens and also a coffee and lots of good chats…Thanks Jonathon you’re a good bloke mate and I hope we get to catch up in your place of residence when your ideas come to fruition because they will buddy.

I also took a helicopter ride in the heart Sydney (looking at manly, Bondi, the obvious, and lots of cliffs and harbours) and that was amazing – it was my first heli ride and I super enjoyed it.

I rode My bicycle around 50km’s of the city today – for free – no public transport or car To think of how to get somewhere and it’s such a great feeling to get around using my own horsepower it really is. It’s great to be a tourist in my own country from roughing it to absolutely not – As Jonathon coined it rightly so – this is a bipolar kind of experience (with all respect to people who have bi-polar) you know what I mean – tongue in cheek there but it’s a good description. So it’s a type -2 / bipolar kind of experience heheh.

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Ok all – That’s my shortlied but amazing journey so far – tomorrow is heading to a friends house where I can organise my trip to NZ and i’ve had a few q’s about this race so i’ll give you a quick rundown

• It’s called the Tour Aotearoa
• 3,000km’s of riding in 30 days from the top of the North to the bottom of the South island (I’m imagining about 10hr days approx)
• Some beach riding, MTB hills terrain, some road riding, some dirt road
• All unsupported and must take photos at each checkpoint and send to director
• I need to purchase a MTB and new bike bags but will take some camping gear but I must go super light so I can cover the distance quickly (this will be a challenge for me)
• I won’t be taking my ipad or cooking gear and half the stuff will stay behind
• I won’t be able to blog each day but will maybe piost some video updates when I can but will do a great montage when I get back
• I’ll blog a few more times before the race as I’d love to touch base with you all and let you know how it’s all getting on
• There’s 600ish entrants all in different starting waves over several days

Ok gang – see you all in a few days with an update of the planning for my trip and what the plans are…….i’m pumped to take some time off to get my bike serviced, do some shoping chores, organise my trip and just talk shit and chill to be honest.

any questions please hit me up – happy to reply to anyone who’s vaguely interested…anyone???? **taps foot**. Nobody> looks left looks right……. hahaha

Catchya all

Vanderpants OUT!!

Distance: 173 km’s – TOTAL KM’s 3,472

Avg Spd: 17.3kmph

Max Spd – 64.9kmph – this was fun haha

Saddle Time: 9 hours – total

Elevation: 1,650 meters

Quote: Are you following your truth or someone else’s?

I read something from a psychiatrist once that went along the lines of ‘we only need to remove the habits of negative thinking. It’s only necessary to remove that which is false’.
Or how Einstein put it…. ‘“Man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be.” – I’ll keep that in my back pocket every time those thoughts creep in.

Song of the Day: I listened to audio books and PS – don’t listen to podcasts which are about a missing person in a town in which you will go through – why do people continue to either warn me or tell me about murders and backpackers and tourers and all the bad things hahhahaha cmon people – tell me the good things.


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G’day you beautie’s,

well the last couple days have been simply put…..working around the heat and highways and that’s it…ok a bit of failed attempted sightseeing but that’s all part of it isn’t it. After that last little vid I woke up at 4am to beat the heat and off I went into the dark and rode like the wind.it was early but the people I met the Night before purposely woke up to say goodbye to me and offered accomm and a possible catchup later on in my trip for a ride or hike. Thanks Gals it was a pleasure meeting and chatting to you ALL NIGHT hahahaha.

On the way to Yass (i love saying that name over and over LOL) I met a nice person who stopped at the top of a big climb and continually offered food and water and we had a quick chat. Just amazing – I had to accept the offer of at least some biscuits because I wasn’t allowed to say no but I had everything I need haha. How cool are people right? Just stops and says ‘what do you need…water…food….a lift’….People are awesome

So althought the day was hot I got to Yass and it was like 40 deg’s and just way too hot to be sitting under a hot tin shelter and cook stuff so went to the fish and chip shop and ordered a fish burger and chips…the ladies were asking what was I doing looking at my maps and I explained what I was doing and they gave me my meal for free. So here I am, white with salt and wet with sweat, red faced, breathing hard, looking homeless and they say ‘it’s on us darl don’t worry about it’. On my tough days people just seem to pull through it’s bloody amazing.

Some people do anyway – the caravan park owner was nice but had no idea I think (must’ve been a relief manager perhaps). He put me in a spot with no shade (so i moved later LOL). Again, I couldn’t cook as there were ants and bugs bloody EVERYWHERE. Even in the camp kitchen and there was no shade so off to the pub I went and had a couple. There’s not much to do in yass (apart from say that name over and over in your head and LOL to yrself). So I prepared everything to leave early the next morning and I setup my tent the minute I had a bit of shade. it’s so hard sometimes sweating and being drenched from 4-5am until 9pm when the sun goes down for days on end. It gets really taxing and you gotta dig a little deep (i have a lot left though don’t get me wrong) and find ways to enjoy it sometimes. I’ve never had sweaty knees before but now, I could fill a cup just from the ‘knee sweat’ HAHA

fell asleep at 9pm after eating a warm can of baked beans, a muesli bar and some warm water – i really couldn’t be bothered and it filled me up. The next morning was another stinker so up at 3:30 this time and I knew I have about 5-6 hours on the road. I saw some beautiful scenery, lots of kangaroos bouncing along with me and these…..it makes it all worth while it really does …

So after 900 Vert climbing and 90ish k’s i rocked up in Goulburn and I knew it was going to be a stinker the next day and I got a $60pn room with an AC and when I say room I mean a room with a TV and an AC and a Bed – that’s all i need….no frills for me – just those three things thanks – i got the rest hah. I walked straight into the pub and before I even ordered this man said to me in what I would call the biggest ocha voice you’ve heard ‘Bloody hot out there isn’t it cobba, better you than me ayye, makes the ass’ole sweat i tell ya mate’. We had a good yarn and he was telling me about his farm and the dogs he has and how he trains them plus how much of his life they are. This man was full of stories – loved it. We shared a beer or two and that was it for me. Into my room and reset all my gear, showered then went for a walk around town. I organised a looked up a few things for the next day to make it worth my while and not sit around all day. I like to make the most of things when i’m somewhere – or so I tried……

• Big Merino – saw it – loved it – read the history of merino wool in australia – I did not know these things
  • 1807 – first wool was exported to Britain
  • The first Merinos (spanish) came to Australia in 1797 from South Africa
  • 1939 – Shearers were banned from enlisting in the war as wool was so important to it for uniforms and so many other things.
• Goulburn Brewery – CLOSED – although all reviews and website did not say this. I was looking forward to a tasting paddle haha.
• Goulburn War Museum – CLOSED – although all reviews and website did not say this
  
  So i rode around in the heat going ‘oh FFS’ hahahaha. All good – shit happens. I got more time to blog then LOL.
  
  Side Note: If you are an animal lover, i wouldn’t suggest going on a bicycle tour. I have seen thousands of dead animals in all kinds of ‘dead’ states. I start guessing and looking now to see where the impact was and cause of death haha. I’ve seen so many things come out of all orifices it’s not even funny. If I see a live one i yell at it to shoo it away before I arrive as to not startle it and then run into oncoming traffic and hence endangering me also. Or if there’s lotsa cars I just stop so I don’t startle the wildlife and go again when the cars go. Yes that’s an actual thing in Australia – safety to me on a bike is a car avoiding an animal and hitting me. Almost happened last night – a car coming my way – at least 30 kangaroos sitting in the dark on the side of the road, not hearing me, I hear a car (a long way away) and I shoo them….they jump away…i’m happy hahaha. The car stopped and said ‘be careful mate – there’s so many out this morning’. I said ‘mind your own business dickhead’………..No I didn’t say that hahahaha I said cheers and went on my way.
  
  
  Speaking of danger….I see SO many death markers on the side of the road also. I stop at everyone that I can and I like to read them and then quickly remind myself again what i’m doing and be greatful (and careful). A lot of them seem to be on a bend. As in, getting tired getting tired – long straight……getting tired……bend comes……hits bend. I’m not sure if this is actually the case but that’s my educated opinion from YEARS of research into motor vehicle accidents in Australia :-). A few trucky ones too last couple of days. Stay safe out there people – I see everything first hand riding a bike I really do. Rubbish, The animals large enough to write off your car (and i’ve seen a few written off on the side of the road), the locals, death markers, close calls, lovely people, angry people, people in a rush, people speeding, people going too slow, lovely tributes to loved ones, carelessness and last but not least I do Mostly see great people and good driving but just stating that – be careful on the road people – it really is more dangerous than you know inside that little air conditioned metal tin with your music on and that destination in your mind at 110kmph.
  
  I wanted to also mention truck drivers. I have had 99.9% of them (literally only 1 was a bit of a dick) and thousands have past me and have all been great and giving me space or tooting me if they are coming up my rear (teehehehe) and another car is heading towards me. Although i’ve already seen both vehicles it’s nice to know they are thinking of this stuff.
  
  Tomorrow i’m attempting 10-11 hours and another early morning to beat the heat AND get to the GONG and almost ready to relax for a bit so I can prepare for my NZ race. I need a bit of time as I need to research the whole route and purchase everything from sratch starting from ‘THE ACTUAL BIKE’.
  
  Have a great day everyone and thanks for reading my random thoughts and experiences
  
  Vanderpants OUT!!

Distance: 68 (supposed to be 44 but took a couple wrong turns due to google maps taking me through private property on dirt roads haha – i got to see beautiful scenery though so ‘shrugs’

TOTAL K’s – 3,298

Avg Spd: 16.4

Max Spd -53.8

Saddle Time: 4:06 – total ST – 214:50

Elevation: 650 mtrs

Quote: Instead of looking for new landscapes, use different eyes (Esther Perel)

Song of the Day: No Music today – an audiobook but mostly sights and sounds of Australia

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Hi everybody, Today, instead of an ‘I did this and that’ rundown – i’m going to do a ‘sights and sounds’ vid to give you an idea of the things i see and do on a day to day basis. Not all of the days are like this but you get the idea. If i had a different set of eyes I would say I didn’t see or do much today but looking back i’m so lucky to be seeing all the things i saw today and be able to take on this massive task of riding around Australia and NZ. What’s not in the vid is me stopping for lunch on the side of road, in dirt and under a tree, watching this curious tiny gecko approach me. Normally they run on the first sound of me coming but this one was curious and hungry so i gave him some food and water and he took it – almost out of my hands but not quite. he kept coming closer and closer. I was amazed. Is this someones pet I thought hahaha. That was my highlight today. I watched him as he stuck around for 5 minutes just watching me out the corner of his eye and when I moved a bit he didn’t even flinch. i’m talking about middle of nowhere here in whoop whoop or as my dad used to say when I asked him where he was going ‘Muckabummala’ he would say and I still don’t know what that means hahaha. Everytime I think of ‘middle of nowhere’ I think of Muckabummala. I wonder what kind of town that would be and would they have a great bakery there with the 1 beer he would have and the soccer on for him to watch?? Why was that Gecko so brave and what the hell was my dad talking about hahahahaha. Because that gecko was brave and curious he got the best meal of his life and some water that’s one thing I know. I saw nothing but landscape and a cpl cars all day and it ended in a tiny town of a cpl hundred with a cafe, fruit n veg place, a pool and a small servo. I did not expect that – Perfect. Enjoy my day in the life peeps. Vanderpants OUT!!

PS – this blog was entirely written and vid put together on my phone as I couldnt be bothered getting my Ipad out – how good is technology

Vanderpants REALLY OUT!!

SOUND ON! – sound starts after a bit

Distance: Two days riding and one rest (yesss) – 135 km’s –
TOTAL = 3,230 km’s

Avg Spd: 17 over two days

Max Spd – 50

Saddle Time: 8hrs on the nose – Total Saddle time so far – 210:44

Elevation: 1,250 mtrs – AND HOT HOT – felt like 50 degrees coming from the road

Quote: The important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle’ These are where we learn our lessons right?? I’ve always said that who I am through my toughest times really defines me and shows my true character. Reflecting back on tough times I think is really important and not to avoid it….that way we get to move past them and get stronger.

Song of the Day: Volcano Choir – Byegone – Just sounded so hopeful and flowy whilst riding along….check it out – Bon Iver is in it



Album of the Day: No Albums today – was mainly audiobooks and a couple songs and this one below kicks ass….

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Howdy readers,

It’s been a couple days and few hot ones at that (and more hot ones to come – some up to 43 so early starts and early finishes. This means 3-4am STARTS) blergggggg…..Anyway, I wanted to start by talking about that fact that this blog is becoming less about ‘i did this and I did that’ and more about the people I meet…they are really what’s been the most memorable so far. Well the things I see PLUS the people I meet and their stories. For instance, I was riding from Gundagai and Temporarily I was not in a good headspace e.g ‘i’m getting sick of this damn heat’ (i swear almost every day has been super super hot OR bucketing down with rain), ‘why can’t I get a place to sit down and relax (Flies or ants or something biting me)’, ‘damn my legs are sore’, ‘my feet are burning up from the heat on the road’, ‘these flies…..i’m a About to crack a fruity’ hahahaha so these are temporary things right but day in and day out they can get to you if you let it HOWEVER…..it seems as though someone always picks me up right at the right moment So far in this trip for instance, meet Paul and RJ….

I was starting to get a bit down then I saw this man lying down on the side of the road so of course I had to stop and talk to him and see what’s goin on. I was blown away with his story. Paul’s daughter committed suicide In Nov 18 at the young age of 32. Paul said he felt helpless and didn’t know what to do so he made himself a cart, grabbed RJ (short for ‘Real Joy’) and started walking. He said to me that he lost faith in humanity and over the course of his trip he is gaining some of that faith back due to all the great people he has met along the way who have helped him and it has also helped to the clear his mind more. People who have helped him improve his cart, give him water, help his cause, make a sign for him etc etc’. It is ironic that I was talking about this on my last post about ‘r u ok’ and having that conversation with the person next to you and to not be afraid to delve into what seems like a difficult conversation but really it isn’t……use those ears and mean it……life is short people. As I woke up and took off that ‘R U OK’ was still in my head from the blog before and then I meet Paul and RJ. Paul and RJ are walking from Adelaide to Canberra (parliament house) to raise awareness for suicide prevention (And mental health in general) and hopefully change a few things regarding awareness and prevention…..Thank you Paul for sharing your story with me…I felt quite emotional for some time after that and pedaled in silence and no more stupid thoughts were in my head about trivial problems we all have. There are three things that shut my mind up cycling from the day to day problems and they are…….Stories like this……..hills…….rain….Nothing makes my mind quiet and feel more greatful than keeping the positive things in life on the forefront of my mind. Paul said ‘it’s all about the what you choose to look at doesn’t it?’ – yes mate – 100% correct – i’ll continue to practice that thanks buddy.

If you want to see what he has been up to or sign his partition to stop suicide across the board visit here

Check out an article on what he is doing –
https://www.mamamia.com.au/paul-murcott-petition/

Sign the petition
https://www.change.org/p/austrailian-government-stop-suicide-across-the-board

My riding the last few days have been a mix of highway and small quiet roads. Learning from the things i’ve been reading – The Murrumbidgee River (meaning ‘big river’) 1,500 km’s – one of our biggest rivers And one in which i didn’t know much about has been a real little sneaky suprise for me – Gundagai have had a few floods In it’s history and i think it was 1852 when Gundagai was swept away and 89 people died (a third of the population). At times up to 12 meters.

It’s been amazing to cycle next to it for a few days and get a sense of how many people have relied on this for thousands and thousands of years. From Gundagai onwards, I look to my right and I see a dry deserted landScape and I look to my left and i see the lifeblood of the river running through the valley and like blood through veins I see a greenery that hugs the river and trees popping out everywhere it’s quite amazing to look at whilst cycling along in my own world on a minor road with hardly any traffic to speak of. Quite beautiful. As I said it was like looking at the lifeblood of the land and the veins of the country. You get a real good sense of how farmers rely on the water when talking to locals and seeing it first hand and slowly too.

as it’s so hot and the land is so harsh, stopping to cook a meal seems very unappealing and I feel like a bushman just pulling a packet out or a can of food and just eating straight from the tin e.g tuna, baked beans, beans in general, raw veggies to crunch on hahaha it’s now becoming just getting the nutrition in and not caring about the cooking factor hahaha. When I am in comfort I find myself cooking a nice meal and keeping some for the next lunch in bread or a wrap.

In Gundagai A couple came over and had a chat and asked if I wanted to spend dinner with their group and of course I was happy to a) have a chair to sit on haha and b) meet more people and eat food hahaha. A lovely group of people from Canberra and sharing stories again and having a few drinks and filling myself with food so thanks guys – had a great night but that 4am wakeup was pretty hard the next morning hahaha thanks again.

The next night was the same – Great convo – a group of caravanners who go to small towns who need the tourism $ and they were trying to get on the waiting list to go to Kangaroo Island to help out with fencing and cleanup…how cool is that…I helped him with some computer issues and before you know it…i’m in the group and laughing along and having a merry old time hahaha

we have some amazing people in this world people. There’s so many out there…I just have to remind myself to keep those glasses on as often as one can. i’m meeting so many people who are just ‘helpers and carers’ it’s been brilliant. Amongst the landscapes and the small towns etc, the people trump everything…..until i’m ready to escape for a bit of solo time on the bike again of course hahaha. It’s called a touring balance.

The things that stand out for me are the amazing little towns with such a life in them..you wouldn’t see it looking on the map. The old buildings, the stories that are now and was before, the locals, the chats, the pubs (7 of them in Cootamundra who knew haha) – I think 7 – there was 12 at some point haha. It’s been a very challenging adventure but I wouldn’t change it for anything – the pro’s far outweigh the tough times.

So the last few days have been a mix of hopping between towns, seeing some beautiful places and landscapes, meeting lovely people, suffering on the bike, loving the bike, stretching, eating, drinking, seeing where Don Bradman was born (great little museum in Cootamundra), waking up to beautiful sunrises and much more…The next few days will be around 38-43 degrees so I had to plot my water, towns and elevation carefully (with a mudmap that only I can understand hahah on the back of a napkin)

I was saying on Insta on Australia day that can one get any more Australian than an Australian riding his bicycle through Australia on Australia Day heading towards Gundagai, reading bushranger stories along the way (signboards) with a fly net on in the middle of summer – I THINK NOT.

I’ve also been outrunning smoke and fires and one started up again not that far from (far enough but a reminder that shit is still hitting the fan) me so I headed more north but still seeing smoke 100km’s away.

Had a great lunch at the RSL and now just chilling back in the caravan park prepping for tomorow e.g fixing bike (Rotating tyres, cleaning rims and brakes, chain clean, fix pedals etc etc) it’s amazing what this weather and road surface does to poor Thor – he is doing great though – I tell him that a lot when we talk.

This post was a bit allover the place but so is my mind and you just have to deal with it hahaha – see you soon peeps

Vanderpants OUT!!

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