There are not too many roads to Sydney from Perth. No matter which way you look at it, it’s pretty much a case of heading out my front door in Perth and east towards the rising sun. I actually look out at that direction from my apartment and I have started to wonder what I’m going to encounter out past the hills I see from my living room every day. Long stretches of flat, straight roads no doubt. But also I think a landscape like no other. I cannot wait.
And the great thing is I am not doing alone. My friends Gill and Paul offered to support me across the Nullarbor. With their adventurous flair and impeccable organisational skills it’s an offer I was not able to refuse! Paul will also be riding with me for the first leg, from Perth to Norseman. In the months leading up to my departure their support has been incredible.
Mel, a friend from Castlemaine, Victoria, is then flying in to cycle with me from Esperance to Port Augusta, a massive part of the trip and all the more fantastic to have cycling company on the long stretches across the Nullarbor. Mel has swapped her running shoes for wheels and has been braving the freezing Castlemaine weather to train.
My brother Michael and his family – Katie and the boys Lucas and Sonny are then meeting me in Port Augusta, South Australia and driving with me for a week as I cycle across into NSW to Hay, where my sister Kate and her family – Chris, Jack, Pippa and Zoe – will drive with me for my final week towards Sydney. Alistair, a great long-time friend of my dad’s and avid cyclist, will then meet me at Richmond at the foot of the Blue Mountains, on my last day of cycling. His generous offer of researching a bike friendly route through Sydney’s labyrinth of streets and leading me in was one I was not able to refuse.
It’s a massive support from everyone and is doing wonders to help me wrap my head around this mad challenge I’ve set myself.
My journey looks a little like this (may the force of the tailwinds be blowing from the West) …
cycling4parkinsons.com 