It's late August and race time draws near, every day is a training day for the next month. Finally I think I have all the key details for the trip sorted, gear arranged and accomodation booked. It is panning out to be a pretty exciting trip.
After leaving Sydney it will take about three days to get to the start of the race, hopefully there will be time to get out on the bikes and go for a spin along the way or I think my legs will get pretty stiff after three and a half days in the car! I am looking forward to visiting Broken Hill again, and Coober Pedy. I still haven't managed to get that far west, so it is an interesting little town that I am looking forward to seeeing.
Some feedback from the race director Mark Polley has been really helpful in confirming what I already knew, and what I suspected to be true in regards to my daily planning. The race is the least of my problems, getting across the desert 100% is the only real goal for me to focus on. This will make sure I can maximise the money I raise for the RFDS.
In terms of fundraising, I really need to pull my finger out and hit that up again, I have sort of dropped the ball in terms of getting people to stick their hand in their pocket for charity. Hopefully I can get 10 dollars a km in sponsorship before I go.
After the race, Dreggsy and I are planinng on heading to Canberra for the Scott 24hr, and with a few days up our sleeve there is a bit of Australia to see. We drive straight past Lake Eyre, and right through the heart of the Flinders Ranges...look forward to photos of me banging around here on my bike!
Canberra will be a great way to finish the trip with a race on one of my favorite tracks, I can't wait - Bring on October!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
getting the details sorted...
Well time is quickly running out to prepare for the Simpson Trip. The truck has been my focus over the last two weeks, making sure that it is roadworthy for the journey, and kitted out for the trip. Passing rego was no major issue but it needed new windscreen glass, and a significant wheel alignment to sort out a few niggling issues.
The rear storage space has been divided up with a drawer system, although I wont actually drop in the rear drawer until I get back as I think the space will be more easily used as a large void for shoving stuff into. Thanks to my mate Paul Honeywill who gave me quite alot of help in getting the storage unit built up and installed, it was clearly not a one man job.
The recovery gear has all been checked out, and the guys at ARB St Peters have been really helpful in making sure that everything strapped onto the car will a)stay there and b)do the job is has been asked to do. ARB have been a great help in making sure the truck is set-up properly, and now I feel a bit happier to just pass over the keys and see it at the other end.
A meeting of the ride crew, last weekend, got alot of the little details sorted out and now we have three trucks carting 10 people and 6 bikes out to the race with an additional 850L of water, 500L of fuel, recovery gear, 3 fridges, 2 full sets of bike tools and work stands, camping gear, food for 10 for a week and everyones personal junk! Lucky I pack light!
Accommodation out and back has been sorted out, and I should have Internet or phone access for the entire trip, except the 5 days of the race. I will try and keep you up to date. Mark Polley, the race director has said that he will try and load the daily results up on the site via sat phone each night, so there you go, you will be able to keep an eye on how the race is going via the daily stats.
All I have left to sort out is my race food, the final service on my bike, ohh and a spot of riding if I can find the time.
The rear storage space has been divided up with a drawer system, although I wont actually drop in the rear drawer until I get back as I think the space will be more easily used as a large void for shoving stuff into. Thanks to my mate Paul Honeywill who gave me quite alot of help in getting the storage unit built up and installed, it was clearly not a one man job.
The recovery gear has all been checked out, and the guys at ARB St Peters have been really helpful in making sure that everything strapped onto the car will a)stay there and b)do the job is has been asked to do. ARB have been a great help in making sure the truck is set-up properly, and now I feel a bit happier to just pass over the keys and see it at the other end.
A meeting of the ride crew, last weekend, got alot of the little details sorted out and now we have three trucks carting 10 people and 6 bikes out to the race with an additional 850L of water, 500L of fuel, recovery gear, 3 fridges, 2 full sets of bike tools and work stands, camping gear, food for 10 for a week and everyones personal junk! Lucky I pack light!
Accommodation out and back has been sorted out, and I should have Internet or phone access for the entire trip, except the 5 days of the race. I will try and keep you up to date. Mark Polley, the race director has said that he will try and load the daily results up on the site via sat phone each night, so there you go, you will be able to keep an eye on how the race is going via the daily stats.
All I have left to sort out is my race food, the final service on my bike, ohh and a spot of riding if I can find the time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
