Preparation.
The plan was hatched after Peter (Knave) completed our 50CC. I felt I'd missed an opportunity on the double crossing, after that successful ride, and still feeling ok. Plans were in place for an attempt in November 2018 with Ed (ED535) over twelve months ago, but a 'roo strike put an end to that attempt.
The ride was based around a Moving Average of 105 km/h, which we achieved on the 50CC. The same fuel strategy, ride 300 km add fuel from a jerry can, ride 250 km refuel everything. Dividing the ride down to each day, as a leg, there were 4 legs of the ride with a planned 5 hours off the road, at Ceduna twice.and Scarborough Beach. The fuel strategy provided only three (15 minute) visits to the servos on each leg, with four (5 minute) jerry can refuels each side of those. There was a generous time buffer built in to the ride, I actually asked Jeff if he wanted to have an extra 2 hours sleep at Ceduna on the way back. He declined. Jeff and I had been in contact before he did the IBR, but there was a lot more correspondence after he returned. One of his requests were that he needed a receipt at Caiguna. Caiguna was not a stop on the ride plan, so I made adjustments to the start of the return leg, using the capacity of the VFR's 21L tank.
Nutrition: Breakfast each morning Oat Slices with an Up'n'Go.
Food before bedtime. A choice of canned spaghetti or creamed sweet corn. I carried 2 of each.
During the day. Mother Earth Baked Oaty Slices. (4 boxes 6 bars/box. Six bars were removed from their wrapping, each morning and placed in an open Tupperware container, in the tankbag, accessible while riding.
Hydration pack in the seat bag behind me. (adjacent the 2 jerrycans).
The adventure started on Friday 11th, I wandered eastwards to overnight in Yass, then a lazy run up the Hume to Sydney Town. On the way, I checked my fuel refill distances for the return leg, at the Birdcage Rest Area and then Sutton Forest Service Centre (Northbound) Found my way to my accommodation on Alison Road, Randwick. A bit of a dive, but only 6 km from Coogee.
Sunday morning, I did a dummy start, checking roadworks, and my navigation skills and found my way to Pheasants Nest, then found my way back to Coogee in the rain. Went into a tunnel, it was dry, but wet when exited. I don't have an aversion to riding in the rain, or at night, but together it's the “pitts” Returned to the digs and got a few hours sleep. The rest of Sunday was taken up with walks for food and exercise, three times to the Doncaster Hotel in Kensington. That evening I did get lots of shut eye. but only a couple of hours sleep. I may have been excited, even concerned I'd sleep through the start time.