So today, I drove to the coastal town of Bathurst, dropped off my rental car and got all my stuff out to assemble the rig and set off. That's when it dawned on me. I don't know the first thing about cycle touring! What the hell am I getting myself into?!
I loaded up the bike and put on my (brand new) cycling shoes and decided to do a few laps of the car park before heading off. The bike is so heavy with all that stuff hanging off it, I was wobbling around all over the place! And I couldn't get clipped in - holy crap, I've never used MTB cleats before and I'm about to do 6000km in them!
So once I'd done a few laps and not fallen off, I headed for the beach, via a small hill. I was in my lowest gear, cranking up it, sweating despite the cold air temperature, ready to be overtaken by a granny with a walking stick at any moment. I stayed on the pavement, which was safe from traffic but very potholey and at every pothole my front panniers came loose and I had to put them back. My bum was sore and I was out of breath and way out of my depth!
I pulled into a side road to sort my panniers and adjust my saddle and found a bit of downhill to get clipped in on - only to panic and swiftly unclip to avoid falling over if I had to stop!
After about 40 mins, I had wobbled the 3km to the coast and dragged my bike through the snow and sand for my starting photo. Then I turned around and headed to Anna's house (Anna and Kyle are warmshowers hosts putting me up for the night). Forunately the return journey was slightly quicker so there is hope.
I felt a bit of anticlimax starting the journey on my own but I got a message from Xodus wishing me well with a lovely photo of everyone! It was so nice, I felt a bit emotional seeing it. So that made me feel like my journey has begun. Thanks guys!
I arrived at Anna and Kyle's house to a warm welcome and some pizza. So I haven't done much riding today, but I think that's just as well. It's going to be a long journey!
[Photos tomorrow, I forgot to bring my camera's memory card to the coffee shop that has wifi!]
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