It turns out I hit 12,000 miles at the end of yesterday and I didn't realise until this morning. (That's two thirds of 18,000 for those not so mathematically gifted). I think reaching this milestone has had an even bigger mental effect than reaching halfway. The end suddenly feels much closer than it should. After Auckland, …
Day 117 – Wanganui to New Plymouth
Another big day today, and one not without difficulties. The wind was in my face for the majority of the day and had I not had my Dad with me, it would have made for one of the least enjoyable rides of the whole trip. The only real excitement of the morning was seeing two …
Day 116 – Wellington to Wanganui
So yesterday - as I mentioned - I wasn't planning to ride. This was actually quite a good thing because as it happened, our ferry from the South to North Island was delayed by 3 hours....for absolutely no reason at all it seems. So if you're planning a similar journey, do not use Interislander ferries, …
Day 115 – Kaikoura to Picton
Today has been good. Despite starting in some wet weather, the ride felt relatively short and I’ve now finished the South Island. I’m hopping on a ferry (which may well be delayed) tomorrow and then spending the afternoon in Wellington - so I won’t be riding tomorrow. Today has offered some pretty stunning scenery. Some …
Day 114 – Christchurch to Kaikoura
Despite starting later (due to the sun being lazy), I’ve actually missed out on a fair bit of sleep over the last few days so please forgive me for the shorter updates as today will be no different. The ride today was much better than yesterday. After leaving Christchurch, the traffic largely disappeared and the …
Day 113 – Timaru to Christchurch
Unfortunately today was not that exciting. I spent the day on a busy, and mostly flat road. The views of yesterday didn’t feature and I spent the majority of the latter half riding into the wind. Apart from that, it was fine. Having my Dad with me makes things considerably easier and I’ve had a …
Day 112 – Dunedin to Timaru – Start of Leg 6
I’ve got to keep this short as I’ve already written the Australia summary thingy this evening and I’m losing sleep. As a tribute to New Zealand and it’s people, I’m going to overuse the word ‘Awesome’… when in Rome… This morning was awesome. Riding out of Dunedin (and up a long steep climb) at sunrise …
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Leg 5 – Australia Summary
Where to begin? 5 and a half weeks riding… Sounds a lot longer when it’s said like that. So as I mentioned two days ago, the turn around between Australia and New Zealand has been very quick (I’ve already started riding and the update for today will go up after this). Because of this, I don’t …
Day 111 – Aratula to Brisbane
Today was good and I’m going to keep this short. The weather was good, I’ve had my knee diagnosed and my bike has received some much needed attention. I’m flying to Dunedin tomorrow and hoping to begin riding the day after so everything seems a bit rushed. I will aim to do a more comprehensive …
Day 110 – Tenterfield to Aratula
First off, I'd like to apologise to anyone who was offended by my yoghurt comment the other day. I'd like to point out that Australia has been my favourite country so far and I meant absolutely nothing by it. Treat it as a sign of affection; I was fairly (very) rude about the French but …
Day 109 – Armidale to Tenterfield
My knee felt much better today. This probably had something to do with the ibruprofen, but either way, it has improved. I'm feeling significantly more tired this evening than I have done over the last few days so I think a 7 1/2 hour sleep is necessary (more would be better but I've already missed …
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 …
Day 107 – Cessnock to Quirindi
When I woke this morning, my knee had really stiffened up. It’s been improving a lot over the last few days and by the end of yesterday I couldn’t feel it at all. The fact that it is now hurting in a different place is more than a bit annoying. It’s not too bad when …
Day 106 – Sydney to Cessnock
I really need to get to bed so I’m going to keep this short. I do owe a few thank you’s though. Firstly to Doug and Steph who fed me, gave me a bed and generally kept me alive yesterday. And took me round Manly, I had a great time and that’s definitely a place …
Day 105 – Wollongong to Sydney
London to Sydney done! Feels a bit surreal really. I'm now staying with my cousin and will be taking a day off tomorrow. I'm unusually tired so I'm afraid I can't really think of anything to write. I do however owe a huge thank you to Damian, John, Suzie and Jack for accompanying me today. …
Day 104 – Batemans Bay to Wollongong
I was woken up this morning by what sounded like a hurricane and I wasn’t really looking forward to heading out on my bike. After putting on everything waterproof I could find, I didn’t really get a very early start. In fact, by the time I did get going, the wind (which would’ve been behind …
Day 103 – Tathra to Batemans Bay
Today started off fairly warm which made a nice change. Other than that, it was very similar to yesterday - lots of hills and very little flat. None of the climbs were overly long but they were steep and there were more than enough of them. The sun eventually broke through the clouds and turned …
Day 102 – Cann River to Tathra
Upon leaving this morning, I promptly discovered that the previous evening's weather forecast had been lying. Starting off the day, whilst it wasn't raining, it definitely was not sunny and 10 degrees; instead it was miserable and nearing 2 degrees. The morning remained cold and there was little sympathy from the terrain. There was pretty much …
Day 101 – Bairnsdale to Cann River
First and foremost I need to say a huge thank you to Steve, Leanne, and Sam for looking after me yesterday (and much of the last week in Steve's case). I had a brilliant day off and I managed to get what was probably the longest sleep I've had since living in London. I also …
Day 100 – Mirboo North to Bairnsdale
100 days' riding done. Europe and India already feel like years ago. There have been a lot of miles since then and both of those legs feel like part of a completely different trip. Today started off cold... very cold. For the first 30 kilometres I was riding through a very thick mist and this …
Day 99 – Queenscliff to Mirboo North
Today started by saying goodbye to two thirds of my 'escort'. Richard and Ray: thank you so much for the support (moral and physical) it's really made the last few days pass with ease...which I wouldn't have expected considering some of the weather. Hopefully, following me wasn't too boring - I really do appreciate it! …
Day 98 – Lavers Hill to Queenscliff
Despite a rather cold first hour, today has been very good. The Great Ocean Road has provided some incredible riding and is definitely worth a visit. Even in the less-than-good weather, it was still stunning. Any cyclists thinking of coming over to Australia - around Adelaide is probably the place to be, but I thoroughly …
Day 97 – Portland to Lavers Hill
Today was warmer but still a bit wet. If any cyclists amongst you are in the market for a new rain jacket, I thoroughly recommend Showers Pass. I've done my fair share of wet weather riding on this trip and so far, have not been let down. The wind wasn't overly helpful either: it occasionally …
Day 96 – Penola to Portland
Today was cold and pretty wet. Despite the weather forecast saying 'showers', I was somehow soaked all day. I have discovered that even if it only rains for a few minutes; when it rains - you know about it. The wind didn't fancy helping me today either. Not all that much happened throughout the morning, …
Day 95 – Keith to Penola
Riding into Keith yesterday, the sign that listed tourist attractions mentioned - 'Land Rover on a Pole'. If anyone happened to research Keith (the place), you may have come across a similar thing. I'll admit, I didn't actually see it, but I have seen pictures so if anyone was wondering - it is pretty much …
Day 94 – Murray Bridge to Keith
As I mentioned yesterday, I am no longer on my own. The lack of panniers and the extra company has made today rather pleasant, despite the unpleasant weather. The ride was not without its frustrations though. I got the first puncture I've had in over 3000 miles. It's hard to describe the level of despair …
Day 93 – Adelaide to Murray Bridge
At the end of this trip I'm heading off to university where I'm told I may actually have to do a bit of work. Now, if that's the case, I hope I manage to be slightly more efficient than I am right now because if these blog updates are anything to go by, I could be …
Day 92 – Clare to Adelaide
I'm sorry but once again I don't really have time to write anything significant. I've arrived in Adelaide after a fairly wet day and am currently struggling to keep my eyes open. I have a day off tomorrow and I may or may not be posting a blog. Hopefully I'll get back on top of …
Day 91 – Port Augusta to Clare
I need to start by saying a massive thank you to Helen, Will, Olivia and John for putting up with me at dinner. I'm blown away by the generosity and have had a brilliant evening. For everyone else: this has to be a short one as I'm later than normal. The ride itself wasn't all …
Day 90 – Cowell to Port Augusta
I have come to the conclusion that Australia is too big. There's a lot of not-very-much for very long stretches and it makes writing about the day's events a rather difficult task. Well, difficult to make it interesting anyway. The ride today was, on the whole, pretty boring; except for the morning being slightly marred by …
Tom Davies RTW 