Man vs. Machine?

Date: 20-03-2010 - 21-03-2010
Day 42-43: Wagga Wagga & Narrandera, NSW
Distance cycled: 100km

A missing screw here. A partially flat tyre there. Some rickety noises here and there. Our bikes are definitely showing signs of wear. These were some good excuses to take a day off and show our bikes some TLC (tender loving care) for the rides ahead.

It was not too long of a ride from Gundagai to Wagga Wagga, but it felt endless. We were famished when we arrived in Wagga Wagga yesterday. After settling down and freshening up, we went food hunting. One giant full-o-veggies-and-cheesy pizza and some drinks later, our tummies were happy but our muscles were not. Not to mention how our behinds felt. We decided to get some meal supplement shake (it’s called a Mass Gainer! Yikes!) to up our protein and carbs intake since there is usually no restaurants or cafes that we could stop for a good meal along the way.

Seeing some wear from our bikes and feeling the work of our muscles, the thought whether our bikes (machine) or us (man) will last longer came across our mind. Not just physically, the long stretch and sunny afternoons can sometimes be challenging for us also mentally. We hope neither man nor machine will fail until we get to Perth as we find ways to make both go the distance.

For our ride to Narrandera, we left around 6am. We rode across the town of Wagga Wagga enjoying serenity in this relatively larger town and learnt to appreciate the work of some keeping the town clean before the break of dawn. Equipped with sandwiches for lunch, we skipped brekkie at McD’s and pedalled out of town towards Narrandera. It was flat most of the way. The only downside was that if our legs stop working, we stop moving. Sue sometimes missed the uphill followed by a rolling reward. ;(

At around 3pm, we arrived at Narrandera. We even had a chance to take a dip in the pool at the caravan park before heading into the ‘Town of Trees’ of Narrandera! Sadly, we just missed the John O’Brien Blues Festival and... the opening hours of the shops (because it’s Sunday). So dinner was food from the deli again (from Coles).

And FLIES! There are so many FLIES!!

Destinations: [NSW] North Sydney - Heathcote - Coledale - Wollongong - Robertson - Moss Vale - Goulburn - Queanbeyan - Yass - Gundagai - Wagga Wagga - Narrandera

Hydrate, stretch and slap…

Date: 19-03-2010
Day 41: Wagga Wagga, NSW 
Distance cycled: 81km

It was a similar start to the day before. The hills that we have to climb were less. But it also felt like there were less rest areas. We made sure we hydrate and refuel, stretch and slap on enough sunscreen at every opportunity. 

When we had dinner in Gundagai at Niagara Café yesterday, Sue read an article about the first 2 kayakers to successfully pedal 3,500km across the Tasman Sea in 62 days. The owner of the café is friends with one of the kayakers’ father and he has been an avid follower of the expedition since day 1. It was a very inspiring story!

In some way, it also made our attempt to cycle across Australia seemed a little less daunting. Today, there were barely any rest areas to stop but at least we can pull over to stretch our legs after every hill we conquered or whenever we felt like it. Unlike the kayakers, it’s the ocean and only the ocean. They would probably have to risk their life and jump into sea for a stretch in the presumably shark-infested water. Yikes!

Destinations: [NSW] North Sydney - Heathcote - Coledale - Wollongong - Robertson - Moss Vale - Goulburn - Queanbeyan - Yass - Gundagai - Wagga Wagga