Category Archives: Opals, Missiles, and Vino

Sixth section from Alice Springs to Adelaide

Bike the Outback, Great Ocean Road, Java Jive, Misc, Opals, Missiles, and Vino, Photos, Sections, Spice Island Hopping, Sumatra Sutra, Trans-Oceania, Volcanoes & Temples, Wizards of Oz

TO 2014 Dinner

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The Trans Oceania 2014 Cycling Expedition and Tour ended with a final Dinner for all riders and staff members in the dining room on the 25th floor of the Sydney Bayview / Boulevard Hotel.

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Here Andreas and Team awarded the full tour riders with Finisher Medals and surprised almost everyone on the tour with a personalized gift, characterizing her or his special appearance during the tour. A great event to complete this fantastic trip after 4 months. Even Sponge Bob ‘reincarnated’ after being missing since the blast in the Bromo Crater on Java back in September.

Bike the Outback, Great Ocean Road, Java Jive, Opals, Missiles, and Vino, Photos, Sections, Spice Island Hopping, Sumatra Sutra, Trans-Oceania, Volcanoes & Temples, Wizards of Oz

Finisher!

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After 120 days, thereof 93 days of cycling and almost 11000 kilometer on the odometer, I reached the final destination of the Trans-Oceania Bicycle Expedition 2014.

Sydney and suburbs, are the perfect place to rest and relax after such a long and exhausting tour …

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Bike the Outback, Info, Misc, misc, Opals, Missiles, and Vino, Photos, Sections, Trans-Oceania

Dry Weather Road Only!

DSC_0622_01You often find this kind of road sign in South Australia.

Why do you think a road in some parts of Australia is only passable during the dry season and not recommended to be used, once it has rained? 

Sure, the road might be flooded, but most 4×4 can run though it, if not too deep. Usually there are depth marker in flood areas, which indicated the water level. So there must be some other reason.

Well, it was all dry when I cycled passed it, thus I could not check it myself.

DSC_0551_01_01However the following road sign, which I saw soon after, may explain why it is dangerous to enter the road in the rainy season!

Can you see from what the motorists are being warned?hammerheadSo better don’t leave the car, when you get stuck in water on a flooded road  Winking smile

Misc, Opals, Missiles, and Vino, Photos, Sections, Trans-Oceania

Sleeping like a Rock

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It is breakfast time in the camp. All but 1 tent are already stored back into the duffle bags and riders enjoying a hot coffee and a delicious breakfast, ready to go back on the road. But who is the rider, enjoying an extended night of sleep in the cool Riverton camp?

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Still busy with the final cleanup in the background, the guy (let’s name him Eric) is almost ready to join the breakfast party.

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Note:
There is still more drill needed to get Bucket-of-waterEric ready for his Cairo to Cape Town tour next January. Otherwise we might find him still sleeping in his tent in the Nubian Desert in Sudan, when the tour is already on its last leg to Cape Town.
Tip: Subscribe to the TdA water bucket alarm, if you don’t hear the sound of your own alarm clock!

Opals, Missiles, and Vino, Rest Day, Sections, Trans-Oceania

Under New Management

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My French friends are just a day in town and the Schnitzel-Place is already being hijacked and put under new management …

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Let’s see what the cooler box will carry after the rest day.

Bike the Outback, Info, Misc, Opals, Missiles, and Vino, Sections, Trans-Oceania

Progress

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In 25 cycling days we covered the distance of 3169 kilometers to travers the Australian continent from north to South.
darwin-2-adelaide

But it is not over yet. Twenty more challenging and exciting days wait for us  to ride along the south and east coast of this vast ‘island’ to finally get us to Sydney.

73 cycling days since starting in Medan on Aug. 18th, with 8714km on the odometers for the full tour riders.

Bike the Outback, Opals, Missiles, and Vino, Photos, Sections, Trans-Oceania

Dead Man’s Pass

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What kind of test was this? We all survived the Outback, the warm coke and beer, the dangerous bugs and critters, the road trains, the brutal heat and gusty head winds, hangouts in roadhouses, cold and hot pools, … Why are we being sent over this pass, instead of riding the much shorter and flat road into town? Are we cycling zombies or still considered to be alive?

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If the Indonesian road builders had been trained by Australians, the whole country would be plastered with these ‘walk your bike’ signs.1-DSC_0627

No way I push my bike, unless it is to cross a river or alike.

Bike the Outback, Misc, Opals, Missiles, and Vino, Photos, Sections, Trans-Oceania

Certificate

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A TdA Surprise.

Today, everyone received a certificate to document the successful traversal of the Outback via the Stuart Highway on a bicycle. Starting in Darwin in the Northern Territory all the way south to Port Augusta, a 2786km journey in 22 cycling days through the dry and hot Australian outback.

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Opals, Missiles, and Vino, Photos, Sections, Trans-Oceania

Kangaroo Day

Today was kangaroo day. They showed up at almost every corner.

1-DSC_0503The Great Great Grandfather of all living kangaroos in Australia

2-DSC_0525‘Easter Bunnies’

3-DSC_0530On the run …

4-DSC_0531Bye Bye, and over the top

5-DSC_0546I can see you!

6-DSC_0547Skippy

7-DSC_0540As fast as I can, I come …

8-DSC_0541… to your rescue.

Opals, Missiles, and Vino, Sections, Stage Details, Trans-Oceania

Stage 72: South Australia

Jamestown to  Riverton
Date: 11-22-2014 Time: 05:28 h Σ Time: 404:08 h
Distance: 129 km Σ km: 8590 km Temp: 19/39°C
Up: 562 m Σ Up: 75298 m Down: 730 m
Calories: 2120 kcal Σ kcal: 182184 kcal  
Conditions: Tailwind for the first 110 km. The last 20 km to Riverton against the wind. Riding through grain fields and vineyards.

Leaving from Jamestown was easy: Setting the bicycle into the wind, and off you go. The tailwind blew us almost directly towards Adelaide. If it wasn’t for some photo stops, lunch at 72km would have been reached by not later than 9am. The first 60 km were on tar, the last 60km on compact and fine gravel; after lunch it was a nice bicycle trail on an old railway track, away from traffic. It was as if the kangaroos wanted to say goodbye to us. In the morning, all of a sudden, they showed up around every corner in the corn fields, under trees, in the grass and on the rocks. No time to store the camera away. This changed once I entered the wine area. At least I haven’t seen any in there. Seems they don’t like grapes or carry wine bottles in their pouches. After lunch we continued on a nice trail, the ‘Riesling Trail. It is built on an old railway track that cuts through narrow valleys seamed by pine trees covering the trail into cooling shade. It almost felt as if riding thru parts of the Black Forest, so dense and dark where the rows of trees. Several vineyards have wineries and offer wine tasting. However, my French friends stood me up with a meeting at a vineyard for a joined wine tasting, thus I continued to see, if I can find them somewhere else. The nice tailwind was over after turning onto the second trail, the ‘Rattle Trail’ in Auburn. Only about 20km to go to Riverton. I was arriving in camp very early; somehow unusual for me. Time to stroll through the sleeping town. Because it is a Saturday, Riverton was almost shut down completely. Only a deli and a bottle store was opened, where I could buy some pops and ice cream. Thereafter enough time to relax and prepare for the final riding day, which will lead us to Adelaide tomorrow, with another rest day, that closes the Opal, Missiles and Vino section. Some riders will leave us here, 7 others will join us.

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