Day 108 – Quirindi to Armidale

This morning was not very fun, this afternoon was not very easy. The pain in my knee stole the show for the first three hours, closely followed by the wind which, as per usual, was not helping.

After stopping to grab some food, both of those problems faded. The wind died down completely and my knee felt only a bit uncomfortable. Luckily, Australia had a few mountains in store for me, just to be sure things didn’t get too easy.

I’m now in Armidale which is apparently the highest city in Australia. Considering that the majority of people in Australia live by the sea (for reasons that have become fairly apparent) it’s not actually very hard to believe, but I just thought I’d mention it anyway.

In short, today was slow and apart from reaching 11,000 miles, it didn’t really offer that much to write about.

After so many miles, spending hours on the bike has got easier. Despite the pain and the cold and the hills, waking up in the morning, it currently doesn’t really feel like there’s any alternative. I mean maybe it’s partly because I’m in the middle of absolutely nowhere but it just doesn’t feel like there’s anything else to do. I’m starting to feel as though riding all day every day is normal, and that life back in London or taking a day off is the unusual thing to do.

I’m as yet undecided as to whether I should give in to this notion. On the one hand, it makes my current situation easier, but on the other, I think it’s important not to lose touch. Furthermore, my knee has reminded me that it’s important not to neglect my body, even if my mind feels fresh…

…Not sure where that came from; think I better lower the tone a bit:

What’s the difference between yoghurt and Australia?
Yoghurt has some culture.

Distance: 108.3 miles / 174.2 km
Riding Time: 8:30:35
Av. Speed: 12.7 mph / 20.5 kph
Elevation Gain: 1968m