What to do next? – crazy idea number 2

The next option for ludicrous post-June plans is to go for a bicycle ride.

My brother and family are driving around Australia starting from July 1 and going North from Sydney. Therefore I could start from Perth around the same time and rendezvous with John and co. somewhere between Broome and Darwin. After the rendevous why not keep going for a full circle?

Or I could fly to Broome, and meet them, well somewhere between Broome and Darwin. Given that the road from Perth to Broome is apparently characterised by featureless nothingness, I’d be plumbing for that option.

I have a bike, and I recently invested in some toe clips, which look really cool:

I used them for the first time yesterday, and they are awesome – especially as it was my first time in clips. I managed to avoid the dreaded low speed crashes, finding them really easy to get in and out of. Riding up hills was suddenly a whole lot easier, and my average speeds increased.

So much for the clips. I’ll also need a more robust bike, a bit of luggage (less is more) and so forth. None of that is too hard – as a friend of mine Jodi, who has cycled around the world 1.5 times says – “just get on the bike and ride.”

As an aside, Jodi is pretty amazing – She once accused  Investment Biker Jim Rogers of being relatively soft when he motorcycled around the world, and when he challenged her back by asking “Have you ever been kidnapped?” she skewered him by saying “Yes. Twice”. I was siting next to Jodi at the time, and while there have been accusations that I was egging her on a bit, there were also about 20 others hanging in on the conversation….

Anyway, the other issue with bicycles, aside from my lack of fitness (which a bike ride would solve) and desperate boredom is, well, I’ll just let the photo below tell the story, and leave you with the thought that there are a lot of trucks on those long Aussie roads…