The two days prior to this ride were tough for me, physically and mentally.
Norseman to Balladonia pushed more of my limits. We adjusted what was to be a very long one day ride into 2 days with a break in-between, camping out with no amenities in any direction for more than 80 kilometers or about 50 miles. The break helped and hurt. Some extra time off the bike to refresh but not a very comfortable nights sleep.
We made it to Balladonia however and, at dinner, we were discussing the next days ride. As we talked Scotty was checking the map and realized we were at the western end of what soon would be the longest straight road in Australia, one of the most iconic road sections of Western Australia. It was also one of my top priorities to ride. I knew this section by legend and other ultra cyclists stories and I was determine that I would ride the entire distance planned ahead to the town/roadhouse of Caiguna, 182 kilometers (113 miles).
It’s amazing how much the mind can control what we can do physically. The mental part of this journey was a lot more influential in what I could do and how I could do it.
We had great weather, cool to start, low 30’s F but averaging about 65 degrees F, some tailwinds to ease the effort, fun people at the sign announcing the start of the straight section, Madison and her husband, who stopped to help us with pictures. Truckers who gave us as much room on the road as they could as they passed at going 100 kph while we rode at 25 kph. We finished the last 10k with some light rain and then a welcoming rainbow. Just another amazing day, unbelievable.
Video of the day is under MENU, as always or just click this link, enjoy
Excellent! So happy you were able to do this!!