(credit for all photos to Andrew Kerec/The Spine Tingling Ride) On the 27th of June Canberra rider Andrew Kerec set off from Steep Point in Western Australia, on only the second ever Across Australia record attempt. The first person to make the record was Caroline Relyea in 2021 at 83d 21hr 27m. Having experienced a bout of covid before the start, it took some time for Andy's body to adjust to the hefty workload of traversing WA's rough and remote tracks. While struggling along the brutal corrugations of the Gunbarrel Highway in the Gibson Desert, a carload of locals travelling the other way came across Andrew and, astonished to see a cyclist in the desert, told him "we thought you were a white emu!" 19 days after leaving Steep Point, Andrew reached the Northern Territory border, and two days later, Uluru. Across the bottom of the Northern Territory, and then into South Australia, Andrew was set for perhaps the most intimidating part of the journey, the sand dunes of the Simpson Desert. Among the expected sand dunes and spinifex, Andrew and his crew came across two very unexpected sights. Victorian runner Blake Bourne on an unsuccessful attempt to break Pat Farmer's record for crossing the desert on foot- And flooding on Eyre Creek, at the eastern edge of the desert- Andrew completed his crossing of the desert in just over 5 days, and after a short rest in Birdsville he headed on to a police escort and warm welcome into Eromanga. His determination to ride as little bitumen as possible lead to substantial detours off the beaten track, and some particularly adventurous station tracks in the vicinity of Cunnamulla. After another week of riding the red dirt of the outback gave way to the lush rainforests of northern NSW, and at 5pm on August 27th, the bike came to rest at Cape Byron. Andrew's priority for the ride isn't breaking records, but raising funds for charities Hartley Lifecare and SpinalCure Australia, and with over $160,000 raised so far that goal is certainly a success! In addition to being the first man to complete an Across Australia record ride, his time of 61 days, 2 hours, and 40 minutes takes an astounding 22d 18hr 47m off the previous record. What's more, after riding nearly 5,500km Andrew has turned south and is now riding back to Canberra! You can follow his continuing journey at https://www.facebook.com/thespinetinglingride, and donate at http://www.thespinetinglingride.com.au/menu.
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Few people would contemplate cycling more than 200km on their 53rd birthday, but for Brisbane teacher Lesa Ashford it was just another day on the first women's Around Australia record attempt. At first surprised, then incensed, when she found out there was no existing women's record, she soon made her mind up to become the first. After more than a year of training, she set off from Brisbane just after 6am on March 8th, International Women's Day. Despite rain and headwinds, Lesa made strong progress up the east coast, before favourable conditions across the top end allowed her to punch out more than 1,700km in just 8 days. Lesa in Mackay with former team record holder David Arnold (left) Brutal heat and humidity, followed by road damage and unrelenting traffic forced slower going through Western Australia, followed by the despair of headwinds all the way across the Nullarbor, and bitterly cold temperatures across the southern states. On one hand, Lesa saw little favourable weather along the way, but in another sense she had extraordinary luck, with the roads to Mt Isa and Fitzroy Crossing reopening just in time, and Category 5 Cyclone Ilsa destroying the Pardoo Roadhouse just days after Lesa had passed through. Lesa's incredible determination, along with the support of her crew, and many followers meeting her along the route, kept her going, and she finally returned to Brisbane after 92d6hr32m. Due to navigation problems Lesa came up short of the minimum 14,200km distance, with a total of 14,061.52km. After extensive discussion, the committee of current and former record holders agreed that as there were no previous women's attempts on the record, all other requirements had been met, and the discrepancy was less than 1%, the RRAA was satisfied the spirit of the record had been met and an exception was made to allow Lesa's record to be ratified. All future record attempts, both male and female, must meet the minimum distance of 14,200km, along with the other requirements. In addition to raising awareness of women's sport, Lesa's record also raised awareness and funds for first responders. RRAA President Lachlan Davis at the finish line in Brisbane, presenting Lesa with the traditional gold pocket watch in honour of her achievement. History of the record
For more than 120 years, "The Lap" has been the pinnacle of Australian road cycling records. Since Arthur Richardson departed Perth in June 1899, not to return for 245 days, words like "grit", "determination", and of course "madness" have been used for the tiny number of riders to follow in his footsteps. Richardson's record was to be the most short-lived in the history of "The Lap", as only a few weeks later Donald McKay, riding in the opposite direction, completed the journey just 2 days faster. McKay's record stood for more than thirty years until unemployed 22 year old Melburnian Arthur Wakeling slashed the time to 133 days in 1931. With the 30s being the golden age of long distance records, Arthur could well have expected his record to soon be beaten. Instead, it was more than half a century until 65 year old Jack Griffin lowered it to an even 100 days in 1985, followed the same year by 54 year old Ian Hay with an 80 day circuit. In 1989, Western Australian Rod Evans took the lap to a new level, with a time of 49d22hr31m. He would go on to be named Australian Cyclist of the Year after breaking the world 24hr track record. German rider Hubert Schwarz lowered the record to 42d8hr25m in 1993. Up to this point, there had been no official ratification of the records, with distances varying from more than 18,000km, to 14,100km. In 1996, the Charters Towers Cycling Club, preparing for an attempt on the team record, formalised the record with Guinness and Cycling Australia, setting mandatory checkpoints and a minimum distance of 14,200km. In 1999, Canadian Perry Stone took just over 15hrs off Schwarz's record, a time that stood until 2011 when Dave Alley of Brisbane set the current record of 37d20hr45m for a distance of 14,251km. The unsupported (upright bike) record stands at 51d47m, set by Danish rider Erik Staarup in 2008, the unsupported (recumbent) record was broken in 2022 by Irishman Bryan Taaffe with a time of 43d23hr1m over a distance of more than 15,000km. Western Australian rider Sacha Dowell, well known as the women's record holder for the over 1,000km Munda Biddi Trail, has now broken the record for the West Coast Wilderness Trail in New Zealand.
Her time of 6hr4m45s from Greymouth to Ross slashed more than 1hr45m off the previous record set by Louise Delaney in January 2016, and is only 2m32s short of the men's record. Shortly before 1am on May 17th, Irish rider Bryan Taaffe set off from Spencer Street Station in Melbourne, aiming to break the unsupported Around Australia record set by well-known long distance rider Peter Heal in 2010. The RRAA Around Australia rules (first recognised in 1996 by Guinness World Records and Cycling Australia) require a minimum distance of 14,200km. Heal rode a longer route of 14,913km, taking 48d 23hr 37m. Bryan started strongly with an incredible 529km on his first day taking him to Cann River near the NSW border. He rode over the Sydney Harbour Bridge early on Day 3. Before enduring heavy rain and cold temperatures through Northern NSW and Southern Queensland. The weather improved as he made his way up the Queensland coast, although poor road surfaces caused rapid tyre wear, and a buckled rim near Rockhampton. Through the heat of far north Queensland he developed severe pain in a hamstring tendon which threatened to end his ride. After one short day from Cloncurry to Mt Isa, and receiving medical attention, he fought back with a massive 450km stage to Barkly Homestead. Bryan struggled with severe heat through the Northern Territory and into the top of Western Australia, before being knocked off his bike by a bird north of Hall's Creek, causing significant damage to the bike, and extensive cuts to his arms, back, and legs. Again it looked like Bryan's ride might be over, but luckily Hall's Creek was one of four allowed drop points for spare food and parts, and with attention from the local medical centre and a huge serving of determination he was able to punch out 287km to Fitzroy Crossing the very next day. Heading down to the Pilbara the temperatures started to ease, and Bryan made strong progress, even having to sprint away from a chasing dingo! The brisk pace continued down the west coast, until heavy rain and cold temperatures between Busselton and Albany forced several short days to avoid dangerous conditions. As ever Bryan kept a positive attitude saying "I only have to cycle home now. When I was in Queensland I was still going away from home. I can see the end to this pain in 2 weeks. One day only at a time I will get there, whatever is put in front of me I will overcome it." While the rain cleared as he approached the Nullarbor Plain, the temperatures plunged to near freezing during the nights. No accommodation available at Caiguna saw him spend the night in a toilet block, and a loose water bladder lid meant riding 70km without water on Day 38. In less than 6 days he crossed the whole of South Australia and was in sight of the finish line. After 2 huge days back to back, Bryan returned to the Spencer Street Bridge just before midnight on June 29th, after covering a colossal 15,006km. His total time was 43d 23hr 1m, breaking Peter Heal's 12 year old record by 5 days and 36 minutes. As with his record breaking ride last year from Perth to Sydney, Bryan was raising money for youth mental health charity ALIVE, and at time of writing has raised more than $10,000. Praise has flooded in on social media with many congratulating Bryan on his "massive", "astonishing", and "unbelievable" achievement. On April 13th Ballarat rider Nick Locandro set out to break the 108.8km End to End and back record on the Ballarat to Skipton Rail Trail, set by Darryn Reed two years earlier.
A headwind on the way to Skipton saw Nick fall just 5 seconds short of Darryn Reed's record of 1hr42m8s, but he rode strongly on the return to break the Skipton-Ballarat record (set by David O'Doherty in December 2019) by 13m28s, and for the round trip his time of 3hr29m28s lowered the record by just under 26 minutes. The record ride was part of Nick's preparation for the Unbound 200 gravel race in Kansas on June 4th, where despite a puncture and difficult conditions he managed to finish 55th from a field of more than 1,200, and the 2nd Australian after Nathan Haas in 26th place. Since the late 1800s, cycling adventurers have criss-crossed Australia, but none had ever ridden straight across the middle, from Steep Point in Western Australia to Cape Byron in New South Wales. None that is, until Caroline Relyea. It seems extraordinary there could be any route across Australia still unridden. But when you consider the 6,200km of gruelling terrain, and two vast deserts that stand in the way, it starts to make sense. It also explains why it took eight years of planning, and more than 12 months of dedicated training, for Brisbane rider Caroline Relyea to become the very first person to pull off the daunting feat. Caroline and her partner Craig Humphrey set off from Steep Point on the 25th of April 2021. The deep, soft sand saw Caroline take a tumble after just 200 metres, but with no harm done they pushed on in the 37 degree heat. While the heat eased after several days, the sandy, rocky, corrugated roads were "pretty horrendous", and punctures from WA's notorious thorns were plentiful. Mechanical trouble stopped the support car near Meekatharra, but quick work by local mechanics had them ready the next day. Their schedule called for an average of 100km per day, a solid amount on sealed roads, and a tall order on rough 4WD tracks. In spite of the tough conditions they reached the NT border 2,200km from Steep Point, on Day 26. Just a few days after passing Uluru however, disaster struck. An unexpected gust of wind saw Craig hit the red dirt hard. "I instantly knew there was a problem" he said, and it turned out to be a dislocated shoulder which meant the ride was over for him. They were determined for Caroline to continue though, and reached the centre of Australia on Day 40. Or rather, they reached two of the centres, one the centre of gravity, the other the point furthest from the sea. Nine days later, covering all their bases, they passed another centre, the Lambert centre! It was then onto one of the most challenging parts of the ride, crossing the Simpson Desert. The freezing overnight temperatures and soft sand were a serious challenge, relieved by the astonished reactions of the 4WDers they met. Many said "We have to take a photo of you or no one will believe it!" After passing through Clifton Hills Station and Innamincka with the deserts finally behind, Caroline and crew made their way across southern Queensland. And eventually into northern New South Wales. Finally, after an incredible 6,336kms and 83 days, 21 hours, and 27 minutes, Caroline and Craig rode together up the hill to Cape Byron lighthouse, making Caroline the first person ever to cross Australia through the centre by bike. They also raised thousands of dollars for the Prostate Cancer Foundation, and Cancer Council Queensland. In an extraordinary coincidence, just a few days before Caroline reached Byron Bay, Samantha Lewis and Paul Cason left there heading west, on their way to becoming the first people to ride from Byron Bay to Uluru. Unlike Caroline and Craig, Sam and Paul rode without a support car, and covered 3,250km in 39 days 22 hours and 54 minutes. Congratulations to these history makers! In the early hours of Wednesday July 14th, Melbourne rider Bryan Taaffe set off from South Mole Lighthouse at Fremantle, aiming to break the unsupported recumbent record to Sydney. The record of 11d17hr8m had been set by well known long distance rider Peter Heal in 2009. His first day of riding saw him cover 385km to Southern Cross. Day 2 was a mammoth 538km to Balladonia Roadhouse, and after 453km on day 3, he crossed the border into South Australia on the 4th day, as he finished at Nundroo with 402km ridden. On days 5 and 6 Bryan rode 362km and 302km respectively, and despite a puncture and wet weather he managed 452km for day 7 to finish at Little Topar Roadhouse, 80km east of Broken Hill. Bitterly cold temperatures and rough roads saw Bryan's average speed fall on the first two days across New South Wales, but he still covered 379km and 306km for days 8 and 9. He was now at Dubbo, 400km from the finish line. Bryan now faced a huge climb to the top of the Blue Mountains, more cold weather, and headwinds, but he fought through for more than 18.5 hours to finally reach Bondi Beach. Bryan's final time for the ride was 9 days, 19 hours, and 30 minutes, an astonishing 45 hours and 38 minutes ahead of the previous record! Bryan made the record ride to raise money for youth mental health organisation Alive, and at time of writing has raised over $12,000- Perth to Sydney for Youth Mental Health (mycause.com.au) Congratulations to Bryan on his incredible achievement! While others were preparing for a relaxed weekend of Easter chocolates, renowned Brisbane rider Joris van der Tang was setting off from Wulkuraka near Ipswich, ready to take on one of the biggest challenges in Queensland cycling, riding the Brisbane Valley and South Burnett Rail Trails to Kilkivan and back.
Joris was the first person to ride the BVRT end-to-end and back in under 12 hours, and he set a scorching pace heading north. He covered the 306km to Kilkivan in just 12hr1m39s, more than four and a half hours faster than the previous record set by Dan Graham in June 2019. Along the way he also broke the Kingaroy-Kilkivan record set by Mike Zande in May 2019 by almost 15 minutes. Unfavourable winds and difficulty finding food cost time on the return leg, with Joris resorting to riding through the Kingaroy McDonald's drive through at 1am. In spite of these difficulties, and "everything starting to hurt for the last couple of hours", Joris returned to Wulkuraka after 26hr54m34s, an astonishing 11 hours ahead of the previous record of 38hrs set by Jason Black in June 2019. Previous record holders such as Mike Zande have been quick to congratulate Joris on his "epic" and "phenomenal" achievement. On the 21st of December, well known Brisbane record breaker Rebecca Stone set off from the western suburbs of Brisbane to Wulkuraka near Ipswich aiming to be the first woman to complete a "double end-to-end" of the Brisbane Valley and South Burnett Rail Trails.
The opening 160kms to Yarraman were uneventful, however vandalised signage on the link track to Kingaroy saw Rebecca riding in circles losing over an hour before resorting to the D'Aguilar Highway. After a short sleep near Murgon she tackled the most difficult section of the ride, describing the trail between Murgon and Kilkivan as "very overgrown and very rough", with her GPS registering 50 degrees in the sun. Despite a great deal of criticism over a number of years, and assurances the trail would be improved to a suitable standard, Gympie Regional Council continue to neglect this section of trail. The return on the link track went by without navigation trouble, but the substantial climbing had Rebecca exhausted, and torrential rain set in around Blackbutt. Another short sleep at Moore saw Rebecca on the home stretch, and despite growing fatigue and another extremely hot day she made good progress and reached Wulkuraka after a total of 53hrs51m! Not content with that, she continued to her home 25kms away, making a total of 682kms! The "double" has only been ridden by one other person, Jason Black, who set the men's record of 38hrs (starting and finishing in Kilkivan) in June 2019. Rebecca said it was "a brutal ride, I was very happy and relieved to finally be home", adding "I will be very happy if another female feels they can also try something adventurous". The new record comes after Rebecca broke 4 records on the South Burnett Rail Trail in a successful record attempt in August of this year. At 11:45pm on Saturday, Kin Kin rider Lachlan Davis set off from the Old Gympie Post Office aiming to better his 2018 record to Brisbane, and to break the Landsborough-Brisbane record set by Jack Walker in 1939.
10 minutes were lost to a flat tyre 28kms in which saw Lachlan reach Landsborough a little over 2 minutes behind his own record, from there mild temperatures and mostly flat roads saw him make good progress through to Caboolture. By the 140km mark Lachlan said he was "running on empty legs", and the final 45kms into Brisbane were "excruciating". He eventually reached the Brisbane GPO with a time of 6hr45m9s, 37m18s ahead of the 2018 record. The Landsborough-Brisbane stretch took 2hr43m9s, 19m32s faster than the 81 year old previous record. |