The Plan
2001 is time for another long bicycle tour. This time I will take a
year off and probably ride somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 miles. I
expect most of my riding will be in the USA, Australia and India with some
possibilities of New Zealand or other places. Currently, the trip is
structured as follows:
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The warmup, across the USA: During the first two months, the plan
is to bicycle across the USA from
San Jose, CA
to
Jacksonville, FL, roughly
following the Southern
Tier Bicycle Route
as mapped by Adventure
Cycling. I expect this to be a tough, but not too strenuous ride
that gives me a good chance to get both myself and my equipment in better
shape. Riding a southern route across the USA completes a rough
perimeter for me with rides along both coasts and the northern USA.
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The main course, around Australia: Start in
Sydney
and ride
anti-clockwise once around Australia. This route breaks down into
three roughly equal pieces of two months each:
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Sydney to Darwin: up the more populated east coast to Townsville or
perhaps Cairns. From here, inland across
Queensland
to the
Northern Territory
and Darwin. Once I'm in Darwin, hope to take a
short break and fly back to USA for a
high school
reunion (20 years, yikes!).
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Darwin to Perth: along the
Kimberley, past the deserts in the north
west and down the coast to Perth. I expect this to be the most
remote stretch with large gaps between water stops. Will need to
carry at least 20 liters of water in this part. Interestingly,
Australia is the most urban continent, as measured by the number of
people living in cities. This means a lot of wide open spaces
between those cities.
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Perth to Sydney, across the
Nullarbor
and then via
Adelaide
and
Melbourne
back to Sydney. Until Adelaide, this will still be
outback and remote.
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If all goes well, this route will take about six months for ~9000
miles. I have eight months allocated, so the extra time will be spent
either on some side trips (Tasmania?) or flying to New Zealand and touring
there.
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New Year's Eve, December 31, 2001,
Mauna
Kea:
At the end of the
year, I'll fly to
Hawaii
and try bicycling from sea level to the summit of
Mauna Kea
at 13,796 feet. This is the tallest point in the Pacific,
with road grades of 18% or more and an average grade of 10% for the last 15
miles (7500 feet in 15 miles). I suspect there will be some walking
uphill as well as bicycling and also that it will take me two or three days
to complete the climb. Anyone care to join me in ringing in 2002
from the summit of this extinct volcano? Full moon is 12/30/2001, so may
not be the best for astronomers, but should be dramatic and beautiful for
cyclists.
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The wind down, India: My precise itinerary is not yet
determined. If possible, I'd like to bicycle in India from
Chennai
(Madras) along the coast to
Mumbai
(Bombay). I'm still investigating
the perils and challenges of doing a solo bicycle tour in India.
Note: This plan is now revised. I will be
cycling through New Zealand over Christmas and New Years and fly to south India in
mid-January 2002 where I'll cycle until end of February. Mauna Kea
will have to wait for another trip.
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The trip has been timed so as to be in Darwin and the northern deserts during
the Australian winter, thus hopefully avoiding the worst of the summer monsoons
and extreme tropical heat. Plan is to leave San Jose on March 1st 2001 and
Sydney on May 1st 2001.
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