New Day Rising – Conclusion

Anticipation can build and build sometimes, until the thing you are anticipating is almost anti-climactic once it happens. Sometimes you have too much time to set expectations, too much time to form ideas in your head that might not match reality.

And that was this trip. All through the last contract I was looking forward to a multi-month ride after the contract finished. Once we had confirmation that we had received funding for another year of work in August, I was really excited about taking off on the bike for 3-6 months while we waited for all of the funding agreements and money to land. 

But then I couldn’t go on the ride. I had to spend the summer in pain with the shoulder injury and suffer through the hottest, longest summer I can remember in my 24 years of living in Oz (2013 was similarly hot, but I think this year just pipped that one – the heat certainly lasted longer at the end). The apartment I am living in was insufferable – any time temps got over 25C, it was very uncomfortable. Any time temps got over 30C, it was miserable. 

Without any insulation, a large brick west wall to capture the heat and radiate it back into the house all night, and large, thin windows… it was generally only about 3 degrees cooler inside than the outside air. The air conditioner could never get the inside temp below 27C if temps were over 32C.  There was no respite at night either. The temp in the house never got below 24C from November to late Feb when I left for the tour.

I was so desperate to get out of there and so desperate to salvage something of that multi-month ride. So even though my shoulder still had limited ROM and I had a fresh back injury, I just had to go ride.

And it was so good I did. It was hot the whole time I was away, and it would have been another miserable month in that apt in Albury. Check out the high temps for the days I was away below.

Ride Reflections

Riding with injuries turned out okay. It meant riding days were shorter than I wanted them to be. I was uncomfortable most of the time the first two weeks, but it did keep improving slowly as the month went on. 

Needing to get the rim re-tensioned sooner than expected threw my route ideas all out of whack. I also found myself waiting out rain and public holidays which gave me more rest days than I wanted… though this was actually probably good for my back. I rode more sealed roads than I had planned which aren’t as fun or challenging.  The ride was nothing like I had anticipated in all those months of imagining. 

However, there were some good things. I marked off some new roads on my map. My back was feeling pretty good by the last 10 days. The doctor said 4-6 weeks for it to get better – and that was about right, even with all of the riding, which wasn’t recommended. A bit beyond two months out now, and I only get some achiness if I sit, stand or lay in one position too long. 

The other really great thing was how well my body responded to the work. I felt like my muscle and fitness improved every day on the road, and my body was well up to the task if you discount the injuries. By the last 10 days, I felt really strong and like I had the touring fitness to do whatever I wanted to do. So, even though perimenopause is a bitch, my body still came to the party.  It’s just a shame I felt so strong and ready to tackle big days when it was time to go home!

All of the strength training in the gym really paid off. My grip strength is exponentially better. I could muscle the bike up the super steep grades over 20 percent with much less grunt than the 2023 tour. I just need to keep it up – building lean muscle mass is just about the most important thing to focus on from this point forward to be able to keep doing fun and challenging rides. Oh my goodness, do I ever hate going to the gym, but I go, and it has paid dividends. 

I also found a couple really nice, ideal campsites. I could have stayed at the Nicholson River one forever if they could helicopter in some food. The guys got some good floats. I ticked Jones Road off my list – it was sitting between a bunch of other roads I’d already ridden on my map and bugged me that it hadn’t been marked off yet. 

We also got the nice surprise of some unexpected beauty on McGuinness Creek Road. And I showed myself that even though I’m getting old, I’m still comfortable being uncomfortable and love to be outside 24 hours a day. I cannot see a future where I don’t want to spend nights in my tent. I am still extremely flexible and adaptable to the crap that happens on the road. I still don’t get flustered when things don’t go to plan (annoyed for sure, but not flustered). 

So here is what it looked like in the end… without the first bits of the ride from Lightning Creek to Omeo.

The Future

So what’s next? 12 months of work. My contract ends 30 April 2026. I must admit it feels nice to be back contributing my skills to society once again and having to think and figure things out.

Yes, 30 April shoots me out at a crappy time of year for bike touring, but that just forces me to head north instead of back to the mountains. I’m not sure what any of that looks like yet. 

I may end up heading back to see my parents then, if I cannot manage a trip somewhere in Aug, Sept, Oct of this year (the Border Control antics in the US are making me, and everyone else, nervous).

For now, I need to find a different place to live. I’m looking around but waiting for the right thing to pop up. I need somewhere less noisy and much more thermally comfortable. House hunting makes life a bit uncertain and hard to get into any sort of routine just yet until I’m settled somewhere new. 

However, I am working a 9-day fortnight in this contract. I work a bit extra each day, so I can have every other Friday off. This means there is the potential for a 3-day ride every other week. I really missed weekend rides during my last contract, so I am hoping a 9-day fortnight is the Goldilocks flexible working hours arrangement. 

The weather for May to July is forecast to have above average min and max temps and below average rainfall which means I might just get in some winter weekend rides this year.

More immediately, the weather looks perfect for this weekend. I’m looking at maps…..