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!”

A true milestone: the end of the Nullabor Plain!

Udeni arrived in Ceduna this afternoon, thus officially completing the Nullabor Plain leg of his journey. It has been almost exactly one month since he started and to date Udeni has ridden over 2000km, in both extreme heat and cold, strong head winds and dust storms.

“The first 40km of today’s ride has been the toughest so far because of the strong East-West winds- I was almost blown off my bike! Luckily after that I changed directions around the Great Australian Bight and got a tailwind for the rest of the way, but the dust was pretty bad for visibility”.

Udeni’s arrival in Ceduna saw him receive a certificate for crossing in the Plain, and after two days of bush camps in the final stretch of the Nullabor, Udeni is looking forward to a good meal and an early rest tonight!

DONATIONS – Save a Heart & Save A Child Fund

We have now opened a new bank account under the name of ‘Bike Across Oz’ to receive donations for Save a Heart and Save a Child Fund.This is for the convenience of managing funds and to send acknowledgments promptly.

Please forward all your donations to the following account.

INTERNET BANKING:

Australia & Overseas:

· BSB Number: 066163
· Account Number: 10494013
· Account Name: Bike Across Oz
· Bank: Commonwealth Bank

Please indicate your full name in the ‘Reference’ space to identify your payment


CHEQUE:

Address cheque to: Bike Across Oz
Mail to: 45 Parkside Ave, Mt Pleasant, Western Australia 6153


SRI LANKA (in SL Rupees)

· Account Name: Save a Heart and Save a Child Trust Fund
· Account no: 320-2001-0000-0749
· Peoples Bank: Borella Branch

When you make a donation please complete and email/post the Donation Form to bikeacrossoz@gmail.com

Goodbye WA...

Today has been a good day for Udeni. He travelled 115km, and enjoyed his first bit of tail wind for the trip- making life just a little easier! He has now cycled a total of 1375km, with the next stop tomorrow being the small town of Eucla, which consists of a road house, a caravan park- and not much else. Eucla is just 12km from the South Australian border.

He says that his leg cramps are much better over the last few days thanks to some Advil and Deep Heat, however he is still not 100%. His muscle cramps mean that he needs to stop ever 20km to stretch, slowing him down further. Nevertheless, Udeni is happy and positive in spite of it all!

"Tomorrow I will have to climb a big scarp to the South Australia border and back up to the Nullabor plain. I've bumped into a small number of travellers along the way during the last couple of days- mainly truck drivers while I'm having my meal. Been getting good meals when I get to towns, I've been pigging out totally otherwise I'll lose too much weight! I've usually been having a big breakfast and big dinner, but not much during the day. You don't get hungry when you have greasy bacon and eggs for breakfast.

I'm in Mundrabilla right now. The place here is pretty basic- but at gold plated prices. It's very cold... all day long. The wind chill is the worst. Today I needed to wear four layers- cycle pants, thermals, skins and then leg warmers. Even though you're exercisng the wind makes it hard to shed the layers.

I haven't been able to find a washing machine since Caiguna so haven't been able to clean my clothes. But deoderant does the trick for now."

Lucky he's riding alone! When asked if he's having fun Udeni says that he's enjoying himself and that he's loving the challenge.

"Pack Mule": someone who is forced to carry heavy objects for no pay or gratitude...

Cycling across Australia with a support vehicle carrying your gear is no mean feat. But cycling across Australia having to tow along all your supplies is an even greater challenge! By riding solo and completely unsupported, Udeni is carrying over 50kilos on his trailer including:

- The trailer itself plus his Bob Bag which holds a sleeping bag, sleeping mat, tent, Trangia, food, medication, minimal clothing, bike repair kit and utensils = 25kg
- Water 16litres = 16kg
- Pannier bags [8kg each] =16kg
- Back pack containing water and other essentials = 6kg

The weight of this load is most strenuous when having to ride against the strong head winds of the Nullabor Plain (which is like riding up a seemingly never ending hill!). Udeni has had bad luck on this front and has been praying for a tailwind!

Satellite and public phone access is extremely limited across the Plain, but luckily Udeni is a very prepared man as well as an experienced cyclist. Throughout his entire trip, Udeni has and will be wearing both a heart monitor and a device called a ‘Spot’. When Udeni presses the ‘OK’ button on the ‘Spot’ an email and a Google map of his precise location is sent to specified friends and family. You too can follow his progress on the Blog map. There is also a 000 emergency button on the ‘Spot’ which we all hope he will not have to use!

The beginning of the loooong stretch: the Nullabor Plain

The second week of cycling has brought a sense of rhythm and routine as Udeni completes over 700km across Oz to date. Today Udeni reached Norsman, his first stop before the long, dry stretch of the Nullabor Plain. Udeni spent the day in Coolgardie/Kalgoorlie on Monday to rest, recuperate and eat his last steak and vegetable dinner for some time. Here Udeni had the chance to see some familiar faces, service his bike and plan for the next challenging leg.

‘I spoke to some people in Kalgoorlie who informed me about accessing water across the Nullabor Plain, which will be a main concern for this stretch. I will have to carry at least 10 liters with me, as well as enough food to allow me to camp in the bush for up to 3 days at a time before I reach any other form of accommodation. I have had to conserve water by rinsing my dishes with water and drinking it afterwards!’

Udeni has encountered a number of interesting people on his ride, including a like-minded man cycling to Darwin, and one walking across the Plain (Udeni’s wife Dammika is hoping he won’t get any more ideas!). The walking man was lucky to bump into Udeni, especially since he was out of water!

‘I will be out of contact over the next few days and am going to start the next stretch a little later in the day tomorrow to double check my supplies. Things have being going well, I am feeling good and any pain I may have is easily fixed with some Voltaran cream! I am well rested and am going to keep plodding along at my own pace…’

Week One

Udeni started his journey on Wednesday and at dusk on Friday evening he had arrived at Kelleberrin. He has travelled 259 kilometers (161 miles) to date.

"Today I had to start the day at 10AM and rode until 4PM. Tonight I should be able to find a backpackers' to stay in. No major obstacles today. When you see trucks coming the tricky part is that there's no room for two trucks parallel on the road. When this happens, you need to get off the road quick smart! It's a good thing I brought a rearview mirror.."

"As for the last couple of days, things have been going relatively smoothly, although I've been pretty sore! The hottest temperature so far has been 29 degrees. Yesterday the Kelleberrin Road House gave me a cheap stay and a complementary glass of house wine when they found out about what I've been doing. On Day One there were some issues with my rear tyre, which started leaking. This made it really difficult to get up the hill to Northam, with a huge amount of resistance on the wheel. Got this fixed though and now everything seems to be working well...

I'm looking forward to getting into a routine. The trailer on the back is slowing the riding down significantly, but it's still ok. At this point I'm carrying about 25 kilos on the trailer. Some sections across the Nullabor I'll have to carry far more water."

Tracking Udeni

Udeni is using a "spot" satellite messenger to let us know how he is during his journey. Simply by clicking the 'OK' button on his 'spot' device he lets us know his location and that is doing ok.

We will be regularly adding the updates to the blog to let you know his location. Simply click on the 'click to track udeni' link to track him with Google maps.

Day One

And so the journey begins! Udeni left his home in Mount Pleasant at 7 this morning and arrived in Northam (approximately 95km ride) this afternoon. Udeni's last night in Perth consisted of frantic packing in between visits from many well-wishers, followed by an early breakfast with many more. Thankyou to everyone who helped to send him on his way! Maps of Udeni's journey will be posted weekly to show his progress. Stay posted!

The Eve

It is 9pm on the eve of Udeni's journey and things are getting hectic. While Udeni is busy packing and planning, wife Damika is stressing out about what could go wrong! Udeni is set to depart his home in Mount Pleasant, Perth at 7am tomorrow morning- with a party of close family and friends sending him off on his way. Of course this event will be marked by the traditional kirri bath (milk rice).

Looking forward to tomorrow morning!

The Ride

Dear Friends

I am taking a well-earned break from paid work for a while and soon will be embarking on fulfilling a long held dream of mine, while raising funds for a very worthwhile cause Sri Lanka.

This Wednesday, 22^nd of April I will be leaving my home in Perth, Western Australia to undertake a solo and unsupported bike ride across Australia, to Melbourne. The journey will be across harsh and desert environments and would take over 45 days and cover over 3600Kms.

While striving to achieve this goal, I intend to raise funds for ‘Save a Heart & Save A Child Trust Fund’ to purchase a mobile echo-cardiogram for Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital in Colombo. According to the specialists, this is a piece of equipment that can save the lives of children with heart problems but is inaccessible due to lack of funds.

You can find the donation form here or in the download section at the top right. I hope you would support this worthwhile charity.

Please circulate this information among your friends and colleagues so that we could together make some difference to improve the lives of less fortunate children in Sri Lanka.

Regards

Udeni Gunasekera