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Bike the Outback, Sections, Stage Details, Trans-Oceania

Stage 52: Australia / NT

Katherine to  Mataranka
Date: 10-27-2014 Time: 04:17 h Σ Time: 294:30 h
Distance: 104 km Σ km: 5982 km Temp: 19/41°C
Up: 207 m Σ Up: 69258 m Down: 184 m
Calories: 1927 kcal Σ kcal: 136057  kcal  
Conditions: Deeper into the Outback, away from ‘civilization.

No need to say it was again hot and dry and windy and not much of a change to previous days. Strategy: get to camp before the wind blows you of the road! Luckily the road direction changed from east to south-south-east, turning the headwind into a less annoying crosswind. Lunch was at a ‘termite mount plantation’, a place that was sometimes cleaned from bushes and trees, but then occupied by hundredth of termite colonies. After lunch I was attacked by a bird. I was cycling along, when I heard a bird’s cry and a shadow following me. I turned around and I saw a bird flying over my head, obviously investigating the bugs on my helmet. The bird tried several times to get one of these. I got my GoPro ready and luckily got the last attempt recorded before the bird gave up.  All day no wallabies to see, only the smell of them. However those you can smell, you don’t want to see -  too many road kills. And usually next to the dead ‘roo’ is a dead bird. I wanted to see some caves along our route, but unfortunately the park was still closed when I arrived, and not to open for another 70 minutes – too long too wait for. Later I stopped at a world war II heritage site, with a Stirling Mill steam engine. A wallaby as hiding in the engine body, but jumped into the bushes when I get off my bike. Mataranka is a small settlement. Highlight is the nearby fresh water spring in a National Park. Unbelievable to find a river in the middle of nowhere with crystal clear water at 33°C. Even at that temperature a real refreshment. Many of us did the extra 3 km from camp to the river to go for a swim. Tomorrow is another long cycling day. 169km and only one coke stop en route. We will further change direction to go straight south, thus hoping that this will slightly enhance to wind situation. 

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Bike the Outback, Sections, Stage Details, Trans-Oceania

Stage 51: Australia / NT

2 Comments
Pine Creek to  Katherine
Date: 10-25-2014 Time: 03:55 h Σ Time: 290:13 h
Distance: 94 km Σ km: 5878 km Temp: 18/39°C
Up: 306 m Σ Up: 69051 m Down: 399 m
Calories: 1622 kcal Σ kcal: 134130  kcal  
Conditions: A short and fast day into Katherine for another rest day. Same conditions as last two days …

Now that we know that the gusty south-east wind is freshen up at around 10am when the temperatures raise above 30°C, everyone wants to make as much of the days distance in the early morning, to avoid going into the wind and heat for too long. Since there is almost no change in landscape and country site and no Coke Stops, there are almost no time lost stopping too often. Katherine is a little town, in the middle of nowhere, and the birthplace of Cadel Evans, an Australian professional racing cyclist and winner of the 2011 Tour de France. Not much to do in town, but some opportunities in the closer surroundings, like a canyon or the Kakadu National Park. Camp is on the Ibis Hotel, however little to no shade, so most of the riders booked a room. I am camping, however there is again little privacy as later arriving cyclists tend to setup their tents right in the space left between 2 others, although there is space available in the size of a large soccer field. Hope this is going to change soon and the craziness of camping like fish in a tin ends. There are certain things happening during such trips, I‘ll never understand. Humans are sometimes a strange species.

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Bike the Outback, Sections, Stage Details, Trans-Oceania

Stage 50: Australia / NT

Adelaide River to  Pine Creek
Date: 10-24-2014 Time: 06:13 h Σ Time: 286:18 h
Distance: 131 km Σ km: 5784 km Temp: 19/44°C
Up: 786 m Σ Up: 68745 m Down: 609 m
Calories: 2577  kcal Σ kcal: 132508  kcal  
Conditions: All day increasing head or crosswind making the second part of the day a real tough one in the increasing heat. Roads perfect, traffic considerably respectful on Stuart HWY.

The 50th cycling day!
You know you are in Australia when a less than 100m ‘climb’ is mentioned as the days ‘challenge’ on the whiteboard!

We took a scenic route out of camp, which extended the ride by an extra 20km. However it was really worth it. The red morning sun turned the landscape into a colorful painting; changing with every minute and the rising sun. Some of the creeks were actually running water and created occasional oases with palm trees and small lakes. No chance for a swim, as signs posted the message of crocs in the rivers and lakes. At one point there were bush fires next to the road, with birds flying low and diving onto the road to catch the fleeing insects.   The morning was astonishingly cool, just 19°C and the still low sun and trees produced enough shade on the roads for a while. The full heat was on after lunch.  And with the heat the wind sets in, getting stronger with every minute and always from SE.   As we are heading east, southeast and finally south we will probably never have a supporting tailwind, on the whole section down to Adelaide. Road-Trains were passing us, most of them with a respectful distance. Some of the 55m length, weighting 168t on 27 axels driving 104 wheels.  Even if the pass you in a controlled manner, their impact on the wind requires you to be very cautious at any time. The Lazy Lizard camp is in town, therefore no hike into the wilderness today.

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Bike the Outback, Sections, Stage Details, Trans-Oceania

Stage 49: Australia / NT

1 Comment
Darwin to  Adelaide River (Northern Territory)
Date: 10-23-2014 Time: 04:27 h Σ Time: 280:304h
Distance: 108 km Σ km: 5653 km Temp: 20/42°C
Up: 310 m Σ Up: 67959 m Down: 283 m
Calories: 2021 kcal Σ kcal: 129931 kcal  
Conditions: Warm to hot. Wind chilled a bit. Roads perfect. Not too much traffic on Stuart HWY.

What a change to Indonesia. It can’t be much more. All day flat. No humas on the road, except in ‘tins-on-wheels’ (trucks, cars and road-trains) and Stirling on a rented motorcycle. Once out of Darwin traffic reduced but speed of the vehicles increased. Heat was on in the late morning. Lunch was soooo good. What a difference to the Indonesian variations. I am missing coke stops and cheap beverages. Australia is going to blow my budget. 600ml Coke = 4.30$, mineral water 1.5l = 5.00$ (Darwin). It was too hot to see wildlife during the day, just cattle and an Emu. However in camp the wallabies were all around in the late afternoon. Now they are grassing in our camp around my tent.

Find photos here

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Sections, Spice Island Hopping, Stage Details, Trans-Oceania

Stage 48: Timor to Timor-Leste

Atambua to  Dili (Timor-Leste)
Date: 10-19-2014 Time: 03:56 h Σ Time: 275:37 h
Distance: 134 km Σ km: 5545 km Temp: 20/42°C
Up: 936 m Σ Up: 67649 m Down: 1232 m
Calories: 2838 kcal Σ kcal: 127910 kcal  
Conditions: The road in Timor-Leste was for a long time under repair, mostly compact gravel or worse. It was a very dry day and the bad road sections very dusty. Downhill in the morning to the

The final stage before flying out to Australia.

My morning started with a slow leak. When I left Atambua I found my rear tire to be softer than usual. I pumped it up and continued the 25km to the border, to not delay the border crossing. Luckily the border was still closed, with about 1 hour time before it opened. Time to check the tube. At first I couldn’t find anything, thus I suspected my French  friends to play a joke on my and released some air, when I was at breakfast. However when I checked the tire, I found a piece of wire which slightly went into the tube. I patched, got a spare from Gerald and was ready by the time the border opened. Process on both sides was easy. I didn’t expect it that easy after the slow process of the initial application 5 months ago. 30 US$ paid, bags scanned, reloaded to the vans and off we were into ‘new land’. I was probably the first German to enter into Timor-Leste via the land border – ‘history written’. The ride was fantastic. 3 short, but steep climbs in the morning, thereafter rolling along the shore all day. Strong, but cooling headwind made it a tough ride, but the peloton we founded after lunch helped a lot to finish the final 50 km in a comparable short time. However the 90 minute waiting time at the border and the 1 hour time loss, because Timor-Leste is 1 hour ahead, made it a long day. The landscape was beautiful and the people as friendly as on the other part of the separated island. It was a very scenic ride along the north coast. Azure sea and white beaches invited for a quick swim. Pigs, goats and cows were often crossing our ways and kept us alerted, not run into them. We got a lot of dust from passing cars, trucks and motor-cycles on the dirt roads. In camp I needed a steam wash together with my bike. Tomorrow is flying day. A short flight at 11:15am will bring us to Australia. In Darwin I have some important things to do, before I can actually get rest and work on photo selections and blog updates …

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Sections, Spice Island Hopping, Stage Details, Trans-Oceania

Stage 47: Timor

Kefamenanu to  Atambua
Date: 10-18-2014 Time: 03:56 h Σ Time: 269:11 h
Distance: 84 km Σ km: 5411 km Temp: 20/41 °C
Up: 878 m Σ Up: 66713 m Down: 891 m
Calories: 1781 kcal Σ kcal: 125072 kcal  
Conditions: Another short, but hot day in central Timor. Perfect roads through rural areas. Ups and downs, some as steep as 11%. Even with many stops I made it to town before noon.

The last stage in Indonesia. Tomorrow is border crossing into Timor-Leste.

The route was last minute modified from the original route, to have more rest before the last stage to Timor-Leste, which is said to be mostly on very bad roads and we could get stuck at the border, too.  The original route would have taken us along the north shore, but was 30km longer and more ups. Now we went straight inland through the hills to Atambua. The ride was comparable to the past 2 days. Changing vegetation and through clean villages with thatched huts and beautiful garden arrangements. Again too beautiful to just rush through.

I’ll definitely miss the people and the ‘Hellos’ once we are in the Outback.

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Sections, Spice Island Hopping, Stage Details, Trans-Oceania

Stage 46: Timor

Soe to  Kefamenanu
Date: 10-17-2014 Time: 04:00 h Σ Time: 265:15 h
Distance: 85 km Σ km: 5327 km Temp: 19/40 °C
Up: 1147 m Σ Up: 65835 m Down: 1600 m
Calories: 1714 kcal Σ kcal: 123291 kcal  
Conditions: A relative easy day. You can take all day to cruise through the rural areas and find something new and interesting. Lunch at 65 km, close to a public pool in the forest. Still quite some climbs. Again a dry and hot day.

The scenery continued like yesterday; riding through rural areas with thatched huts and nice village flair. People friendly and inviting. I received a lot of red lipped smiles from all the men and women, chewing on their bethel nuts. Their teeth and gum turned reddish. You could see them everywhere, if not just follow the red stains on the tar, where they spit out the fluids, wherever they walk or drive.  I first stopped at a school, when I heard a singing. Unfortunately it stopped immediately when I approached, but I could get a special performance after a lot of handshakes and photos with the kids and headmaster. Like everywhere in Indonesia, the scholars are like parrots. If you want them to do something, e.g. repeat a song and you sing for them they simply echo back what you do. This was my chance to teach them some German, so I transformed their Bahasa counting song into ‘counting in German’. At the school gate a guy was performing tricks with a ‘spinning top’, so I went there to see him. It was running on his finger, down the arm and on his forehead; later on my thumb. He became my bracelet brother, as he had more on his one arm then I could ever collect during all possible TdA tours. It was already an hour into the day and only 12km done, when Henry and Nellie passed me at the school. Although they were sweeping, they left me behind, without stopping knowing that I am never lost and don’t need to be babysit on cycling days. When I closed up with Henry, we both recognized that we ‘will not make it to camp *)’ at this special day, thus we decided to take it very slowly and enjoy as much as we could until the sun sets and we get picked up by the van. It wasn’t long after I left school, that I saw a woman in her hut weaving a tablecloth or alike. I ask if I could come closer and was waved in. Amazingly she did the pattern without a template, like the weavers I met in Ecuador. Her pretty daughter was always behind her watching what she and I did. Shortly thereafter a family was sitting in a circle in their backyard and with bowls filled with corn that they were pounding into flour. I was also invited to come closer and the girls were working for the camera. At another house a little girl was sitting in the dust below an ‘Angry Bird blanket’. I had to stop and take this photo. This part of the island is so clean, totally different to the rest of Indonesia we traveled. Here in the rural area to the east the people keep their houses and garden tidy and clean. No plastic or trash thrown away, the front yards swept, as if my sister-in-law was around with her broom. Must have been German missionaries from Swabia who not only brought Christianity to the country, but also introduced the ‘Kehrwoche-System’. It was a hot day again. Some of us used the opportunity of having a pool near the lunch stop, to cool down. Now we are just 1 day away from the border to Timor-Leste getting excited about the 2nd part of the tour.

Tomorrow’s stage is modified to a shorter distance, because the day after into Timor-Leste and Dili is said to be a tough one again, as we will probably face 60+ kilometers of very bad or none existing roads in the one of the poorest Eastern-Asian countries.

*) just kidding, it was only 1pm when I arrived at today’s destination, with loads of new impressions, which the ‘racers to camp’ do not have.

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Sections, Spice Island Hopping, Stage Details, Trans-Oceania

Stage 45: Timor

Kupang to  Soe
Date: 10-16-2014 Time: 05:35 h Σ Time: 261:14 h
Distance: 107 km Σ km: 5242 km Temp: 25/47 °C
Up: 1569 m Σ Up: 64688 m Down: 760 m
Calories: 2806 kcal Σ kcal: 121577 kcal  
Conditions: This was definitely the hottest cycling day so far, with temperatures exceeding 30°C at 8am and climbing into the upper 40°C at noon. The air is getting much dryer. Roads were perfect, some road works patches, and traffic o.k. after leaving Kupang and the morning rush hour. After 3 days of rest (besides some partying) it was good to be back on the bike and road.

And HE did it again! Cristiano found a route, which added another 1500m to our daily climbs – just about the average. On arrival to Timor everyone thought, that we were now out of climbing and into a flatter warm-up session to get adjusted to the soon to come ‘Australian profiles’. On arrival by plane, we got the impression, that the island is flat, no volcanoes or major mountains in sight – some thought were were high jacked to a different location but timor, but we accepted the new location. At the rider meeting we were taught different, when the whiteboard listed 1540m ups for the first stage on Timor! Lesson learnt: Don’t celebrate until you get the elevation profiles and route details! I think Cristiano will even find a 100km/2000m up route in the Netherlands Smile! The climbs were comparably easy, not very steep, but the final, long climb to get to Soe was right at day’s end, when the heat reached its maximum of 47°C! The ride was quite surprising. The island’s vegetation and climate changed with every mile we got into its interior. The climate changed from humid at the coast to really dry and hot further inland and as we got higher. Lots of water needed to wet the dry mouth. Also the countryside changed. Many times I was reminded on some parts in Africa, savannah and thatched huts, people with darker skin, however transferred back to Asia and into rice fields around the next corner back, as soon as water was available. Lunch was located at a partially dry river and right before the final 25km/750m climb. The kids are a little bit shy and tend to backup when I stop the bike to take a photo. Probably it is because they are not so used to ‘bules’ (white men). However, a few Bahasa words later they come closer and enjoy my sudden appearance. Besides the ‘Hello Mister’ or ‘Sir’´, I heard some ‘Hello Papa’ here and then! Surprisingly. Do I look all of a sudden that different and much older? Just before Soe there were some food and fruit stands along the road. I stopped to buy some mangoes, but the young girl insisted on ‘insane’ 25000 rupias a piece, which is almost the price I have to pay in Germany. So I left without a delicious afternoon fruit treat, and bought me a magnum ice cream at the town’s mini market, hoping that the temperatures go down a bit when the sun sets …

2 more cycling days in Indonesia and 1 day in Timor-Leste, before starting into the Australian adventure.

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Sections, Spice Island Hopping, Stage Details, Trans-Oceania

Stage 44: Flores

Bajawa to  Ende
Date: 10-12-2014 Time:

05:21 h

 Σ Time: 255:39 h
Distance:

125 km

 Σ km: 5135 km Temp: 15/42 °C
Up: 1098 m Σ Up: 63119 m Down: 2246 m
Calories: 2048 kcal Σ kcal: 118771 kcal  
Conditions: Cool in the morning on higher altitude. Hot in the afternoon approaching the coast. Scenic roads and smoking volcanoes, riding through fertile lands and dense forests.

After the 2 days of immense climbing this was an easier cycling day. Although there were no real big climbs, the coastal rollers at the last 30 km to Ende added up to 1100m at days end. The downhill in the morning to sea level was a treat. The active and smoking volcano Ebulobo was our companion for almost the whole day, as we seemed to circumvent him. As the sun moved higher the light got better and so the picturesque of the landscape. At one corner I was waiting almost 20 minutes for the riders to pass. Just when I climbed down from my view point, Henry and Nellie (today’s sweeps) raced by, stopped and Henry and I continued our ‘Indonesian Adventure’ of experiencing and enjoying the nature and colorful scenery of these diverse islands for  quite a distance. Dry and deserted areas changing into rainforest and fertile fields within miles. Here in Eastern Flores you can already see a touch of Papua, e.g. in the faces of the people. Almost all day I got the friendly, well known ‘Hello Miss/Mister’, ‘Bule-Bule’, or ‘Touri’. Only a few kids and young adults practiced their ‘bad’ English, with expressions I will not repeat. The ‘smilie ball’ at my bike seat post is always an eye catcher, when ever I pass a group I hear the giggling and a ‘bola-bola’. Motorcyclists passing me giving a ‘thumbs up’ with a big smile. Christian singing can be heard from churches in almost every village on this Sunday morning. I stopped at a church and was immediately surrounded by a large number of youngsters, which were outside the church and followed the ceremony via the speaker. The church was filled to the last seat. The whole village seems to go to church.  What a contrast to the churches in the western world, nowadays. Throughout Indonesia I have never seen an adult slapping a child. However here in the catholic part, an elderly man – dressed in a Bavarian (Barbarian) Bayern Munich shirt – had a long stick and used it to hit the kids, to chase them away. Although I told him to stop it and that all is o.k. (tidak apa apa) he seemed to like his whipping job . Is this the Christian influence? I never saw such ‘guards’ in the Muslim part of the country. After lunch there was a large portion of gravel on the downhill. The ride along the coast was stunning. The roaring of the waves that ponder onto the pebble beach and throwing the spray of water wide into the air.  At 1:30pm I arrived in Ende, took a short detour along the beach front to scan for opportunities to buy my Flores bracelet before heading up short uphill towards the airport where we stay in the only nice place in town. I had no luck at this time, but later this evening …

Too bad that we were on a tight schedule today and I couldn’t spend more time on he road. We had to be in Ende in the early afternoon, to load our bicycles and bags onto a truck, that carries it over to Timor on a ferry. We are going to fly to Kupang the day after tomorrow. So it means 2 rest days in Ende and another in Kupang, before we finish our Indonesian part of Trans-Oceania with 4 cycling days to Dili.

 

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Sections, Spice Island Hopping, Stage Details, Trans-Oceania

Stage 43: Flores

Ruteng to  Bajara
Date: 10-11-2014 Time: 07:21 h Σ Time: 250:17 h
Distance: 135 km Σ km: 5010 km Temp: 19/43 °C
Up: 2265 m Σ Up: 62021 m Down: 2178 m
Calories: 2911 kcal Σ kcal: 116723 kcal  
Conditions: Hot and very scenic. Roads perfect, except a 2km section, where Cristiano’s ants did not finish the polishing.

Another long, hot and tough cycling day. After yesterday’s 3200m up, we had ‘only’ 2200m elevation gain, today! However the ‘Big W’ wasn’t less of a challenge. It’s 25 km and 1200m final climb to Bajawa at the end of the 135 km stage, required the last energy reserves. The morning started with a quick 500m climb over a 1350m shoulder, followed by an endless (35km) downhill to sea level. What a relief for the legs, still recovering from yesterday’s workout. Several stops to enjoy the scenery and to take some photos slowed down my descend. Temperature climbed into the 40th Celsius, by the time I arrived at lunch, which was setup on the peek in the center of the W, to allow for an easy continuation before the final climb. Getting around the corner opened the view of the Indian Ocean and a giant volcano on the east side of the island. Camelbak and bottles were refilled in the last village before the ascend to Bajawa. Sulis waited with extra water at some point of the climb. My legs felt still strong and progress on the hill was faster than anticipated. At the 110km mark at already 500m I was passed by the van, which stopped around the corner to set out the ‘sweep’. Chelsea was the ‘lucky’ winner to attack the climb from this point, as the slower riders did not continue after lunch or finally got on the van at the foot of the climb. I continued my pace and reached the top at about 4pm. Bucket shower and a good dinner completed the day.

Tomorrow is an easier day to Ende, from where we fly over to Kupang on Timor. Only 1100m of climbs and more than 2000m of downhill. 3 rest days will give the body enough time to recover for the final 3 days in Timor and Timor-Leste before we head off for Australia and leave the Indonesian mountains behind …

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