For some people who aren’t familiar with motorbike riding, the idea of a 20,000 km journey in 100 days may not seem like a big deal. After all we are on motorbikes, it’s not as if we are cycling! Let me assure you, riding on average 200 kms everyday for 100 consecutive days is a gigantic physical and mental challenge. Riding a motorbike is dangerous; it requires immense skill and unbreakable concentration. Wheel2Wheel is also an “all-terrain” adventure, meaning we will be off-road on dirt, gravel, grass and who knows what else. Then there are all the ‘travelling’ obstacles to overcome, like sleeping in a different bed 100 nights in a row, or worse – not having a bed. How do we ever pack enough underwear or socks? How do we wash clothes or dry them when we are moving on to another location every day? …. And the biggest of all, when does my bottom ever get a chance to recover??
So with all that in mind, I have realised it is essential to complete a few training rides during 2010. Not only will that give me a chance to improve my riding skills, but also provide insight to the sort of equipment we are going to need (and not need), any uncomfortable issues we may encounter and generally how to best prepare ourselves physically and mentally for the journey.
The first training ride for Wheel2Wheel will start tomorrow. I’m delighted to have my old friend John McIntyre who is based in Sydney, flying in to join me on this trip.
See John McIntyre video
We will start our training ride from Noosa in Queensland, Australia. John has been riding dirt bikes for 35 years and will make an excellent training companion for this first outing. We’re not sure exactly where we are headed or how long we’ll be away …… it really is very spontaneous, unpredictable and exciting – just like Wheel2Wheel is going to be.
Subscribe to our Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/Wheel2Wheelchannel
Join us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wheel2wheel
Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/wheel2wheelteam