Journal: |
Firstly, I have to thank everybody for the sympathetic and
constructive advice and support I have received through the Yahoo
Group, after describing my mechanical problems of yesterday.
I’m very grateful and apologise for not responding individually.
As a consequence, I decided to explore a couple more options before
giving up and heading home. However, a prerequisite was that
any solution would have to see me riding again on Monday, with the
loss of only two days, otherwise there is no chance of me breaking
the record.
Plan A was to find some temporary fix that would get me going to
the next bike shop (Broome, 1300km away and 40km off my route).
I asked around the campsite to see if any of the grey nomads had
some industrial strength epoxy resin. One guy had a lesser
standard but expressed doubt, on looking at the bike, that any resin
could be applied in a way that would solve the problem. The
alloy nut into which the pedal screws in the carbon fibre crank arm
has actually fractured and it’s very hard to see how you would apply
the resin to bind the pedal, nut and crank arm. I decided it
was not a feasible solution in the time available. Bearing in mind
it is the weekend and taking the bike to any nearby town (at least
225km away) for an epoxy bond repair has doubtful merit. I
have to get there, find someone who will do it on the weekend, and
then get back. The garage in Timber Creek is closed on
weekends and they weren’t much help yesterday.
Plan B was to find a bike shop in Darwin with a replacement crank
arm or crankset in stock and get them to ship it to Timber Creek on
the daily Greyhound bus that leaves Darwin at 7:15am and gets to
Timber Creek at 3:30pm on the same day. I also called Dan
Cleary from the Pushy Galore bike shop back home that supplied the
bike to see if he had any ideas and left it with him. I began
calling Darwin bike shops and none of the first five had a
compatible crank arm or crankset. I could get another brand
crankset, but it would likely require more tools, parts and
expertise than I had available on a Sunday in Timber Creek to do the
job. The sixth bike shop I called was Bike to Fit, an
Avanti/Specialized dealer, who had just been called by Dan on my
behalf to see if they could help. Unfortunately, they didn’t
have a compatible crankset either. I then asked what bikes
they had in stock that might suit my purposes, thinking that it
might be easier just to get a replacement bike. They had one
Specialized Tricross, the same bike I have now, but in the standard
version (I have the higher-end Expert). Simon, the proprietor
was very helpful and said he could have it ready to ship it to me
tomorrow on the Sunday Greyhound bus. I called Greyhound and
discovered their freight office is closed on weekends and that their
drivers won’t accept freight unless it is pre-booked. With an
hour to spare, I called Simon, said I would take his bike if I could
collect it late tonight or early tomorrow morning, and booked myself
a return ticket with bike from Timber Creek to Darwin. I then
hastily stripped my bike of as much of my customised gear as I could
in the time remaining, booked my room in Timber Creek for Saturday
and Sunday nights so I could leave gear there, and booked myself a
room in Darwin near the bus terminal for tonight. The bus
arrives at 9:30pm and I will then get a cab to meet Simon at his
shop, leave my current bike with him to ship home, buy the
replacement bike (swap my front wheel, which has a dynamo hub to
power my lighting and my rear “puncture proof” tyre….can’t swap the
rear wheel or crankset easily because the new bike is 27 speed as
opposed to my existing 20 speed), return to my hotel room for some
sleep and then catch the 7:15am bus back to Timber Creek. When
I get back in mid-afternoon, I will fit the new bike with the
customised gear I need – racks, lights, wiring, bottle cages, etc. –
hope to get an early night and be on my way by very early morning on
Monday. I had a minor panic when I rushed to get the bus from Timber
Creek because there was no activity indicating an approaching bus
service. I suddenly thought that I had assumed a 1:40pm
departure instead of a 1:20 departure and missed it. But then
it turned upJ.
If this all sounds complicated, then I can assure you that it has
been a lot more complicated than I have detailed here, complete with
a backdrop of frustration, depression, loss of motivation, and a
sense that I’m clutching at straws in a futile and faint hope of
continuing successfully. (The money I’m spending on the new
bike could pay for a trip to the UK next year to hike from Lands End
to John O’Groats, my next project.)
Even with the loss of just two days, I now have to average 314km
per day for the next 30 days to come close to the record.
During my first 17 days on this trip, I averaged 304km per day and
four hours sleep per night. I felt on the edge many times, had
several “foetal” moments (just wanted to curl up in the foetal
position on the side of the road and wait for my mother to come and
get me), and don’t relish the prospect of going even harder for
longer from this point on. There will be no margin for error
with respect to health, the bike or the weather. Common sense
tells me that too many things have to go right for success and that
I am now grossly over-committed in terms of goals and money. I
think that the most likely outcome is a few more problems, a falling
further behind schedule, and a gradual loss of motivation.
We’ll see.
I’m writing this from the Greyhound bus about 2.5 hours south of
Darwin and will send it when within range.
Thanks again for all the support.
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