Mission Accomplished

It has taken fifty two days, 3460km, one hundred and fifty tea bags, 11 bush camps and too many serves of two minute noodles, but Udeni has finally made it!

Udeni arrived at his destination in Melbourne around 4pm on Saturday afternoon, with his brother Chinthika, Chinthika's wife Budika and daughter Atara cheering, photographing and supporting him along the final 20km.

Udeni's final day of cycling was as tough as ever: 92km of strong 45km/hr northerly winds, dangerously hilly roads and rain so cold that it numbed his fingertips completley. Excluding rest days the break-down of Udeni's journey is as follows:

Perth to Normsman = 725km in 11 days
Norsman to Ceduna = 1210km in 18 days
Ceduna to Adelaide = 784km in 12 days
Adelaide to Melbourne = 741km in 11 days
TOTAL = 3460km in 52 days

Udeni's family will be flying to Melbourne this week to celebrate his amazing achievement. Udeni has completed his epic journey- now its up to you to help support his worthy cause! Any donations, big or small are greatly appreciated! Stay tuned to hear of further celebrations when Udeni returns home to Perth (via airplane not bike this time!)

The home stretch!

The last few hundred kilometres of Udeni's journey have proven to be tough: freezing temperatures, rain, slippery and hilly roads, not to mention 2 flat tyres! Despite these challenges, Udeni has enjoyed the many surprising encounters he has had on the road.

On his way to Balarat Victoria, his destination for the day, one of Udeni's bike tyres flattened. Due to the kindness of an eighty-year-old lady, Udeni was able to get a lift into town to purchase a new tyre (while hiding his bike in a clump of bushes), and continue on his way- only to get another flat tyre 7km from his destination! He walked his bike and trailer that 7km and was up til 1:30am repairing his tyres!

On another day, Udeni found himself being followed by someone in a car. The man turned out to be a reporter from the local newspaper, who wanted to take photos and write an article on Udeni's journey. Can't keep those paparazzi away!

Udeni also managed to get in contact with an old university lecturer of his that he hadn't seen since 1976, after speaking to a stranger in a pub who happened to know him! Though it may take two months to ride a bike across Australia, it goes to show that it is indeed a small world!

Goodbye South Australia!

After a well deserved break in Adelaide, Udeni has said goodbye to South Australia to embark on the final leg of his journey from Perth to Melbourne. 

The journey so far hasn't been easy: the distance, headwind and difficult terrain have definitely proved to be a challenge.  Heading into winter, Udeni's greatest challenge over the past few weeks has been the cold. Some days he has begun cycling in temperatures of 1 degree Celcius or less. Udeni's standard wear in these colder days has been 4 layers of pants (thermals, bike pants, skins and extra pants), three pairs of gloves, a thermal and cycling top and a balaclava- and it's STILL freezing!  

The challenges of his ride have however shown results: Udeni's power to weight ratio has increased, he has needed fewer and less frequent breaks (every 10km or so to take photos or write in his journal as opposed to every 5km) and he has had fewer muscle cramps. He's also about the weight he was when he was in high school! Luckily he has been having more frequent cooked meals now that he has finished the Nullabor (and the occasional free one from friendly hotel staff!) 

Stay posted for news about Udeni's home stretch! 

Bush Camping......

Udeni has been enjoying a variety of accommodation throughout his journey, including motels, road houses, caravan parks and even a cleaner’s shed when there was no room available. But the most interesting has been his Bush Camps. So far Udeni has set up Bush Camps 13 of the 37 nights of his journey to date.

When Udeni finishes cycling for the day and he is not anywhere close to a town he sets up camp under the stars, in a spot further from the road not visible to passersby. Sometimes when he can see rain coming he needs to act fast and quickly find a suitable site to pitch a tent, The worst situation Udeni says in bush camp is that if everything gets wet you risk getting very sick. He says that on the Nullabor the rains can go for two hours straight.

“Once I’ve found the spot I park my bike, unload it and then try to conceal it as best as I can. I need to clear the site including an area for my tent and a place to do my cooking. I then begin to pitch the tent and also take out anything I need for my meal that night. I’ve got to be careful how much stuff I leave out though, because there are bull ants everywhere. Once I had a problem where bull ants got into my tent- and they’re vicious!!”

When asked what he does for food, this turns out to be more of a mission than expected! “I try to start cooking two hours before sunset. My GPS gives me the time of sunset for my particular location. Using a Trangia (camping stove) I first prepare a soup and then my main course of rice and lentils (easy to carry and a substantial meal). I mix a sachet of tuna fish and add some seasoning and wash it down with a cup of green tea. During this time I listen to my radio- news and weather; one of the small luxuries I have (another is the little camping stool I carry, to sit on)!”

“Water is precious, so a wash is just a rub down with a damp face towel. Nights are freezing cold but I have a -5 degree sleeping bag which keeps me quite warm. I need ear plugs as it gets extremely loud on this road with trucks passing by throughout the night. The GPS has been useful because it helps me to plan the day ahead. It lets me check the profile of the route, how hilly it is, what the roads are like, the type of accommodation available and so on.

“I wake up at 5am every morning to an alarm because it takes a good three hours to get ready to leave in the morning; to prepare myself for the riding day and to pack the gear on to the bike in the right and most economical way. By the time I’m done with this and after a breakfast of two minute noodles, it’s around 8:30am and I’m ready for another day’s work!”