cycling sections
An early morning start to the Devils Marbles, which were not in proper light when we passed them yesterday. Theefore I decuded to add another 22km to today’s distancecand return to the place at sunrise. The skies were still covered to the east, but enough light to turn the site into better colors.
Now I am chasing the group which left hours ago.
No worries, only 70km more to go today …
Tweet ##transoceania| Tennant Creek to Wauchope | |||||
| Date: | 11-02-2014 | Time: | 04:52 h | Σ Time: | 321:28 h |
| Distance: | 117 km | Σ km: | 6687 km | Temp: | 15/30°C |
| Up: | 128 m | Σ Up: | 70555 m | Down: | 139 m |
| Calories: | 1947 kcal | Σ kcal: | 147701 kcal | ||
| Conditions: | The first cloudy cycling day in Australia. Drizzle in the morning and much lower and comfortable temperatures. However the wind was facing us, and building and riding in pelotons was a great relief. | ||||
The weather changed during the rest day. Wind direction turned again to blow strong from south and the skies were totally covered. It rained during the night, and continued to slightly drizzle in the morning, which was a welcome refreshment for the riders. Unfortunate for my ‘a sunrise photo a day’ project there was no sun. So I took the first and only chance to take a photo, when the sun rays briefly broke through the otherwise dense clouds. For cycling the covered sky was a treat. With temperatures at least 10°C lower than on previous days, it was more like cycling in the European summer. The landscape was not very different to previous days. Only the darker red soil/sand from rain and the smell of the rain made a difference. The first 100 km was just cycling the distance, no other remarkable sights, that would force a stop. I cycled the first 45 km on my own, but joint a peloton that caught up to me for the rest of the day, sharing to break the wind and rotate for recovery. At 104 km the giant boulders of the place named “Devil’s Marbles” came into view. Time for a photo stop and for exploring the area. Impressive how nature built this setup. All formed by weather and erosion. At sunrise or sunset even more impressive – thus I decided to return to the place the next morning for sunrise, if the skies will clear over night.
The other riders will have a kind of cycling competition the next day– a ‘handicapped race’ – on the first 50 km, which probably allows me to return into the group by lunch and not stay too far behind. Going back to the marbles will add another 20 km to the total distance, which is no problem, because the official distance is only 100 km, early camp arrival guaranteed.
Cycling on the Stuart Highway in the Northern Territory is quite an experience. Not only the heat and wind can make your day and cycling a challenge, but also the so-called Road Trains, some longer as 50 meters and with up to 3 trailers. Definitely not easy to drive and handle. So far most of the drivers were very respectful with us and passed us in a safe distance. Nevertheless, one must be awake all day and listen to the approaching trucks to not be too surprised, of the roaring sound that would take you out of your day dreams.
It is also very important to stay as far left as possible and don’t make unexpected moves, as there is almost no way for the drivers to correct any errors. A too fast change of directions would cause the trailers to swing out wide and bounce for a while, if not completely getting out of control and knocking you and the truck off the road.
Eric is protecting his ‘starters’
Whereas Gerald has still got nothing, yet.
At the Tennant Creek Memorial Club
Tweet ##transoceaniaIt is 1pm, the heat is almost unbearable. I am already 150km into the 160km cycling day. Most of the riders are probably already in camp trying to find the best spot to setup a tent or booking an A/C room. No reason for me to panic and rush down the last 10km. With enough water remaining in the bottles and Camelbak I decided for another 12km detour into the bush land to visit a sacred site of the Warumungu Aboriginal people, named Kunjarra (The Pebbles). A red sand road leads me to a large area of big boulders also known as the ‘Devil’s Pebbles’.
An information board reads: “It is a women’s dreaming site, a sacred place since the beginning of our dreamtime (wirnkarra).”
I leave it up to the discretion of the reader to find out what the women may be dreaming of.
Find more photos in the following gallery
| Renner Springs to Tennant Creek | |||||
| Date: | 10-31-2014 | Time: | 05:55 h | Σ Time: | 316:35 h |
| Distance: | 173 km | Σ km: | 6570 km | Temp: | 16/47°C |
| Up: | 197 m | Σ Up: | 69931 m | Down: | 169 m |
| Calories: | 1566 kcal | Σ kcal: | 143211 kcal | ||
| Conditions: | As usual, not much of a change to the previous day. However, the wind was to our fortune and turned the ride into a fast and easy one – if there wasn’t the ‘little’ detour I decided to inject. | ||||
I never had such a fast, long solo ride on my mountain bike. I was last out of Renner Springs camp, because I wanted to take a sunrise photo at camp. Thereafter I went shopping for cold drinks and off I was, at least 15 minutes after the sweep and half an hour after the first rider. No problem at all, I was flying with the wind, average > 30 km/h. A few photo stops in the morning and by the time I reached the first refreshment station at 59km, I was no longer last. The tailwind carried me on to lunch and further towards Tennant Creek. I would have arrived at the new campsite at around 1pm, if I hadn’t decided to deviate from the original route. At 149km a sign indicated a sacred Aboriginal site ‘The Pebbles’ which I read about in my book and wanted to see at the rest day. It was still early in the day, but already in full midday heat. I checked to have enough water left to allow me for a 2 hours detour and exploration of the site. The site was only accessible via a red & dusty sand and gravel road. More then once I almost got stuck in deep sand, however I didn’t want to release air from my tires, as there was still more ride on pavement. I was sure I would be the one and only visitor at this time of the day – and it turned out to be true. No human soul to be seen, no animals, just the plain, hot rocks that form the place along a marked gravel path. After returning from the dusty 13 km detour I continued the original track into town. Campsite was mostly deserted at my arrival, as everyone was already gone to town having cold beers in one of the bars or booked a room somewhere. Tennant Creek hasn’t got a good reputation. My book says: ‘If it makes it into the news, then mostly because of alcoholism or vandalism issues’. It was Halloween night and the pubs were full and scary figures all around. We had dinner in the Memorial Club, which offers a free shuttle between camp and pub.
Left my helmet outside for a minute. Now it is full of bugs …
Finally, after 1 day without signal, internet is back to the Outback …
Tweet ##transoceania| Elliott to Renner Springs | |||||
| Date: | 10-30-2014 | Time: | 03:30 h | Σ Time: | 310:40 h |
| Distance: | 93 km | Σ km: | 6397 km | Temp: | 20/40°C |
| Up: | 197 m | Σ Up: | 69931 m | Down: | 169 m |
| Calories: | 1566 kcal | Σ kcal: | 143211 kcal | ||
| Conditions: | The needed short cycling day. Everyone arrived at camp before the wind and heat turned on. Almost no shade at camp, thus everyone hanging out in bar or at the pool. | ||||
We deserved a shorter cycling day, after the 2 long ones. Cycling was fast and lunch at 70 km reached before 9am. Only 23km more to go after lunch with favorable wind, which blow me into camp at 9:55am. Renner Springs is just a gas station with a caravan park in the ‘desert’, no mobile phone signal, no internet. The camp ground has almost no shade for our tents. So we all escaped from the heat into the bar, restaurant or the pool and did not return until the sun was low enough and the outside air much cooler. The landscape turned into a lower bushes and much flatter. However it still looks very green, although there is no rain – evergreen bushes and perfect tar roads, thus no dust. Tomorrow is another 160 km ride to the next rest day location.
How do you know that the next day is supposingly a short and easy cycling day?
Staff and riders are hanging out in the local pub at times they are usually already snoring in their tents 
| Daly Waters to Elliott | |||||
| Date: | 10-29-2014 | Time: | 05:58 h | Σ Time: | 307:10 h |
| Distance: | 153 km | Σ km: | 6304 km | Temp: | 19/44°C |
| Up: | 226 m | Σ Up: | 69734 m | Down: | 198 m |
| Calories: | 2676 kcal | Σ kcal: | 141645 kcal | ||
| Conditions: | Another long and hot day, with strong headwind in the final third of the day. | ||||
Strategy today: Try to avoid the heat in the afternoon and get into camp as early as possible. Well said, however the first detour was a visit the old airfield at Daly Waters. The hangar and the small museum was not so interesting and very run down. But the ride into the rising sun was worth the little deviation from the original track. The Wallabies were probably not so amused with the early morning intruder. It took me a while to close up with Henry and Nellie, and pass them, so I wasn’t last on the road anymore. The coke stop at 52 km was very welcome as the heat was already building up. Lunch at 89 km or shortly thereafter was the end of cycling for most of the riders. The heat was almost unbearable as the vegetation started to change into low bushes, thus there was hardly any shade to find. A rest place at 130 km with water tanks was used to cool down for the final 25km to Elliott. Andreas came with the truck to offer water refills and apples to the remaining riders on the road. The road was turning south-east again, which means directly into the strong headwind. I managed to stay below 6 hours for the 154 km and at 1:30 am I was cooling down in the refreshing camp pool, enjoying a delicious and expensive ice cream.
Dinner was again very delicious. Tofu, with mangos, rice and vegetables in coconut sauce. Mark is doing an excellent job to prepare vegetarian variations for me, as the only veggie on the tour.
Today I had my first encounter of the so-called ‘Australian No-Brainer’, a subspecies of the ‘No-Brainers’ found in other parts of the so-called civilized world. Whereas the road train and other motor vehicle drivers were really respectful with us cyclists in the past days, this road train driver passed me with the minimum space left, not to crash into me. It was on a long straight road, no other traffic in both directions, and this (I don’t use the proper word here) driver did not even consider to pull over the middle line of the road, but hooted on me and almost knocked me off the road. I don’t know what causes these guys to be so reckless and risk other’s lives, without reason. Obviously, no brain, no way to think about the consequences! Luckily it is a minority who reacts like this, but they manage to spoil the reputation of a wonderful country.
