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.
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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! |