EVENTS

One day in the second half of 2011 after wine had been taken, someone thought that it would be a great idea to do a charity cycle ride across Australia!.

It should be long distance, and Adelaide (South Australia) to Darwin (Northern Territory) seemed an ideal fit. The SA Police informed us that this was not a good idea since the road north of Adelaide was being improved and due to the weight of traffic through the roadworks was actually downright dangerous for cyclists.

Plan “B”. The ride would take place but would be from Port Augusta (SA) with a reduced distance of 2724Km/1702 miles.

It was agreed that the ride should take place the following year and PA2D2012 was born. The idea was posted to the various Denbury Boys sites to invite riders and charity donations. When the dust settled, the riders were to be Dave Clapson and myself George McIntosh both from White Swan. Tony Hargreaves (Iron Troop) and wife Jean would be our support on the ride and Bob Wathen (Kukri Troop) would be our comms anchor in the UK, in effect, our Rear Link. Joe Inguanez offered to set up a training camp in McLaren Vale for me to enable me to get acclimatised and some time in the saddle so, I arrived a month in advance. Very many thanks to you Joe.

Charities chosen to benefit from our fund raising were to be Bowel Cancer Australia MS Scotland.

Severe wet weather intervened in our plans so we agreed that we might as well move out of McLaren Vale, get on the road north and depart Port Augusta earlier.

The ride took place during the period 24 June – 21 July 2012. It was not intended to be a race or the fastest time ever recorded, the intention was to do it in a respectable time but above all, arrive in Darwin safely. We had rest days at Coober Pedy, Alice Springs and Katherine.

During this time, I celebrated my 65th Birthday and Dave dressed in suitable attire served me my birthday cupcake with one token candle alight while we were seated in the outback with a glorious sunset.

A routine was quickly established. We would wake early in the cold cold dawn, Jean would provide the breakfast of our choice, then Dave and myself in Dayglo jackets and flashing safety lights would wait by the roadside, waiting for it to become light enough for vehicle traffic to see us. Road trains were not the problem, the Police SA and NT had informed road users by CB Radio what was going on. Road trains would come up behind us and if it were safe for them to overtake, give us a couple of blasts so that we could prepare for the pull factor, if there was traffic coming the other way, then we got a couple of long blasts and dismounted and got off the road. What nearly did us in were the “Grey Nomads”, retirees who had spent their lives driving small town cars and were now behind the wheel of a Motorhome. Both Dave and I were tugged a couple of times by wing mirrors. After lunch each day, Tony and Jean would leave us and move to the next overnight stop, there they would either set up camp or book us into a cabin if we were at an official stopping park. When we arrived, the first task was to confirm mileage travelled, my bike mounted GPS, Dave’s wheel ticker and Tony’s mileometer on his 4 X 4. Then we would sent a GPS fix from our Satellite Phone to Bob Wathen who would translate it into a pin position on Google Maps for those who had asked to be able to track us.

Drinks and nibbles would then be taken while we observed the fantastic sunsets and Dave and I would fill our Camelbaks and leave them out to chill or more often freeze overnight. Lovely cold water on the road. So it continued, the average distance achieved would be 65 miles/105 km per day. Those of you who have met me recognise, that I am not built for speed, I do not cut into the wind like some other lucky devils. Our top speed achieved according to Dave’s mechanical bike computer was 31 mph/50 kph.

It was a fantastic experience. We have hundreds of photographs, I have selected only 16 as some indication of what it was like on the road. For me, there was a sense of sadness when it was over, but pride that “we had started and we had finished” the task we set ourselves.

We remain grateful for all the help and encouragement we got from Joe Inguanez, Bob Wathen (RIP) and especially from Tony and Jean Hargreaves, life would have been a whole lot harder without them and for the donations from Denbury Boys and others that went to two good causes.

Notes:
Do not accept challenges when you have been on the Vimto! It is really really cold in the outback at night but the stars are fantastic! I am astounded and to some degree disappointed that no one asks for my recipe of Sardines in Tomato Sauce Curry!!

George McIntosh
White Swan Tp
63-65