GLOBAL CYCLE EVENT

In a world increasingly preoccupied with throwaway materialistic things; where people are constantly busy earning money to pay for those things, or so their children can have those things;
This is the story of my dreams of travelling the world by bicycle. Because it's there. And because I dont want to die without experiencing the truly important things in life .

A sense of wonder and a sense of adventure.

Sunday 15 January 2012

I'm Over It.

I’m still here at Hamner Springs Village waiting for the weather to change. The trip has certainly taken a turn for the worse.  It’s quite surprising that things can change so much in the last push for home. And in an area that I really considered almost local terrain.
My Face Says it All. Stuck in a Bad Spot.

I don’t know what it is. Maybe mentally I was prepared for an easy trip over Lewis Pass and then getting home as planned. Or perhaps the last 12 days were too full on? Maybe I’m suffering from a bit of heat stroke? But for whatever reason I woke up at 5am this morning feeling like I’d just had enough of the whole thing and just wanted to get home and forget about the whole around the world thing.

The weather here has been continuous gale force head winds and scattered rain. I was going to cycle the alpine route today but Adi phoned and said conditions looked bad on the weather forecast. When I checked on the computer she was right. Gale head winds and showers including hail. Not conditions that I want to ride a touring bike over the gravel alpine road. Especially with my negative attitude. So today I sat it out again. Hamner Springs is an ok place to be stranded. It has hot pools (which I didn’t use to save money), food and the motor camp has all the amenities. This didn’t improve my spirits throughout the day because I miss Adi and a bit of company. And obviously I’m constantly asking myself whether I want months of this in the world trip.

Physically the two days off has given my blistered lips a chance to heal a bit. I always get cracked and blistered lips cycle touring for more than a week. I try to put lip balm on but it makes little difference. I’m lucky that this is really the only physical discomfort that I suffer. Maybe I should try a Buff over my mouth when I cycle in future.
That's Where I Want to Go. Doesn't Look Flash.

The weather for tomorrow is supposed to be good. If I’m lucky I may even get a light tail wind. A Southerly change was forecast on the TV weather and confirmed by the National Parks weather on the computer. The temperature outside has also fallen so it may be a nippy night in the tent. Anyway it’s going to be an early start and then I’ll see how far I get towards Nelson.

Tomorrow I leave regardless. But when I get home I have to ask myself whether I can endure the lonely life of the solo cycle tourist.

5 comments:

  1. You can do it Niel!

    chin up,

    Hot showers, good tucker and soft beds when you get to Melbourne!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yeah, chin up Niel, the new record is now 96 days only 190 miles/305 km a day…You can do it!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Niel,

    Here's support for what you choose to do, but *I* wouldn't race/tour. Now that said, if the gravel on the Rainbow Road was appealing, I might suggest something like the Great Divide race, instead.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey Niel lighten up, remember the goal is to experience the world by bicycle. Just take it easy and enjoy it. Don't worry about the time factor.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Jack thanks for the positive thoughts. I came right mentally the next day. But if i hadn't the positive comments from people would have stopped me from pulling the plug. I'll take you up on that Shower offer.

    ReplyDelete