CEDUNA SA
DAY 71
SMOKY BAY - CEDUNA
49.27 km
Total Time: 09.00 – 12.00 (3h)
Time on Bike: 2h 10m 35s
Max. Speed: 39.6 km/h
Av. Speed: 21.3 km/h
I covered the final 40 km into Ceduna in just over 2 hours.
It would have been even quicker without 20 km of shitting uphill pinch between here and Smoky Bay.
This type of pain is strangely transient however and invariably has a habit of easing when the new destination is reached.
Nothing was different today.
And yet I still have a decision to make.
The weather is playing games, just to raise the level of temptation - what do I really want to do?
Heart says one thing, head another with heart and head together a necessitating nothing less than ubiquitousness.
I can head west – onto the Nullabor Plain – the wind is blowing ferociously in this direction.
This is contrary to the natural order, which dictates prevailing conditions from the west.
The Nullabor is an arduous, largely waterless, and sparsely catered for 1200 km long-haul.
A minimum 2 days by car; a conservative minimum of 8 days by bike – more likely 10 – 12.
There is basically nothing like it anywhere in the world, except perhaps the Stuart Highway between Adelaide and Darwin.
It is also not to be underestimated on any level - either an ultimate challenge or ultimate stupidity, fitting comfortably into both schools of consideration in my opinion.
To be honest, my heart says maybe or not really – it’s a massive long-haul and I really have to be psychologically and practically prepared for this one.
If not now, it will always be there later and there are basically other things I would rather do.
My head says why not, I’ve come this far – it is so close and so tempting.
The turnoff is only 250 metres up the road and away I go.
My ego says – Wow! Think of the kudos I’ll get for this one, and it will look pretty bloody impressive on the blog – let’s face it……
I’m gonna give it one more day.
My feeling is the weather conditions are not going to alter.
I will leave here in 2 days and I’d better be prepared to take it on into a fairly mighty headwind.
It was so hard out near the airport this morning, it was scaring me.
Or else it’s the Nullabor.
Sacrifice the beauty and originality of the Flinders Ranges, Yorke Peninsula, the Murraylands and Limestone Highway east of Adelaide.
All for the sake of a once in a lifetime long-haul and all I will do 1900 kilometres later is get on a plane in Perth and fly back to Sydney.
I guess this leaves the ball in my proverbial court……
Saturday, June 7, 2008
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