World Tour (Australia)

Daniele and Simona

www.becycling.net

It’s hard to believe but Daniele and Simona have already spent almost three years on the road with their #hobootleg! It looks like yesterday that we received an email from two guys who were planning something extraordinary: exploring the world by bike and reach the seven highest passes of the earth, one for each continent, dividing East and West Europe, South and North America. We want to celebrate this incredible adventure telling you the story of one of the most epic experience Simona and Daniele recently had in Australia. The second chapter of their amazing adventure across the world on #hobootleg is set along the legendary Oodnadatta track.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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The Oodnadatta track runs along the old railway lines that once connected Alice Springs to Adelaide. The train, that now runs on a different route, is called the Ghan as it was built up by Afghan people at the beginning of the 20th century. It runs in a very harsh environment, lots of desalination implants can be found along the route.

The old steam train needed water and the water here is not easy to find, not even nowadays! So since we can not rely on the implants we have to carry with us a total of 37 liters, enough for 4 days. Same goes for the food, no supplies along the track so we have to stock up as much as possible before starting it. We end up having incredible heavy bicycle, and pushing them on dirt against wind is a huge effort.

The road itself is not too bad, some corrugations, gravel and dip with deep sands gave us a hard time. But the worst was definitely the wind.

There are no mountains here and once the wind decides it has to blow from one direction it does it for days. 8 days, crazy strong head wind. Sometimes we could barely stand still! We were progressing so slow, no more the 7 km/h, keep wondering whether it was better to wait for a change or to keep pushing against an invisible enemy. But the urge for water and food made chose for the first option, and it drove us crazy.

It may sound like a joke but sometime you feel the urge to live a great adventure within another great adventure, and that’s what happened to us with the Oodnadatta track, 700 km of dirt road in the middle of the australian red center.

We’ve been on the road for two years and a half now, most people will think we might be bored of the routine of travel. Because, yes, there’s a routine, you can’t escape it.

Waking up in the morning, packing the tent and the sleeping bags, having breakfast and then starting cycling. What breaks the routine is that everyday you are in a different location, you cycle on a different road. What happened in Australia was that we were tired of cycling on paved (asphalted) road, we wanted to test ourselves on a more challenging route,that’s why we chose the Oodnadatta track. Long distances, no water and no villages. Just us, the corrugations, the wind and wild animals, that’s what we were going to face.

 
 
 
 
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When you go uphill you relentlessly accept the slow pace, conscious that soon or later downhill will start and you might speed up again. You know exactly at which kilometer your pain will end. Cycling against wind is a gamble. It might last for one day, two days or for 700 km, you don’t know. You just can keep cycling hoping that soon or later it will stop.

Despite the effort and the difficulties cycling the Oodnadatta track was amazing. The endless landscape, with red rocks and freshly grown flowers are unforgettable.

Wild red kangaroos and emu accompanied us for the whole trip, the first, more timid than the last, were ready to jump away and disappear as soon as you try to get closer. Lizards of any kind, warming up on the ground enjoying the tranquillity of the absence of cars. The amazement to find an oasis in the middle of the desolation, Coward Springs, the only place to collect water, thanks to water tanks with rainwater, and to have a bath in the mild tempered springs.

We’ve cycle dirt roads before in our trip, but not for 700 km and not so remote. The consequence now is we don’t want to stop! The direction of our journey will be more and more off road, along unbeaten tracks…

 

#BeCycling, BeExploring