Welcome friends I know and friends I have yet to meet.

Two years ago a bike ride up the Great Central Road of Australia seemed a great idea. Only 1100 km, on a (mostly) well formed gravel road frequented by lots of tourists, trucks and busses.

A year ago, life got in the way and the trip had to be put off.

This year has to be it.  Now or never.

Preparation started back in June 2015 when I got over a funk and picked up the bike after several months of not riding.

The first significant ride was the CTAWA 100 km Achievement Ride with Michael. Made it home OK.

After a few 80 km round trips up the Perth freeway bikepaths to get a bit fitter it was time to tackle, in successive weeks the CTAWA achievement rides;

the 10000 vertical feet (5000 up/5000 down over 100 km, not stupid) in 8 hours – did it 7 hours, best time ever

the 200 km – the new route seems to be mostly 100 m hills

the 300 km – a lovely country ride from Midland to Calingiri and back, lovely, felt good so rode home from the finish

then again on the 300 km with Bruce – his rear derailleur cable broke on his new road bike whereas my old Sora-equipped Trek hasn’t broken a cable since doing the same on the 300 km the year before. A bit of fencing wire to fix and ride home to the finish.

Getting fit seemed to be taking a while so after a quickish blurt around the Perth estuary with Neville I signed myself and Chris up for the Perth ‘5 Dams’ ride as a final training incentive.

The 5 Dams is reportedly one of the 50 notable mass participation rides worldwide. It is a 240 km circuit of which the first 120 km includes about 5000 feet of climbing up to and out of the carparks of four of Perth’s hills reservoirs before a 120 km dash for the finish before the 12 hour limit expires. Bless the couple of Riders Club racers who dragged five of us the last 60 km home at 30 km/hr, all while they chatted on the phone and generally did not seem to exert any effort at all.

Now it is time to start the tour diagonally across Australia from Perth in the south-west to Townsville in the north-east.

The Grand Depart was from the Coogee Dome coffee shop on Sunday 10 April.

However, after a look Monday’s weather forecast of an inch (24 mm) of rain, thunderstorms and strong winds I made the executive decision to re-pack my gear.  This would obviously take all of Monday so I would not start proper until Tuesday, incidentally after the big rain had passed. And they say older folk lose their mental capacity!

So, tomorrow.