In Cairns, after a long 30 hours of travel. Amsterdam - Dubai - Singapore - Brisbane (6 hours on the airport floor) and finally Cairns. It is a long way from Amsterdam to Cairns, and my body does not know if it is night or day! The good thing is that I managed to stay up until 9pm, and now cannot think straight. Jetlag...
I left Amsterdam on Monday (it is now Wednesday in Cairns) and was a cool over cast grey day, and arrived in Cairns and it is hot. No surprise and the locals are saying it is nit so hoit at the moment. e. On Monday morning before I flew out, Leah and I went for a spin in North Amsterdam. Long wind proof tights, heavy tops, full finger gloves and insulated booties (OK, I feel the cold), but you get the idea. Cairns, short sleeved top and shorts, and dehydration will be the challenge. The pic is of Leah in Monnickendam, mid ride. I forgot to add that it was dark for about half the ride, and the other half, it was grey. Sunshine here i come.
Below is the Drummond bikes outside our coffee stop. I had to add this, as sometimes when it is freezing and cold, you need a reward and a good coffee is all the motivation needed, well it is for Leah.
So why am I in Cairns? Well a few months ago, just before I did the Haute Route, when I was fit, and it was warm and sunny in Amsterdam, I signed up for the Crocodile Trophy. This is a race I have follow on Cyclingnews.com over the past 4-5 years and always thought it would be fun to do, well maybe fun... It is a 9 stage mountain bike race across the Australian outback, going from Cairns to Cooktown.
The easy way is a short 5 hour bus trip up the coast, instead, the race takes you over 950 km of some the hottest, dustiest, sandiest, and generally toughest outback countryside a sadistic race organizer could find. Well that is the description a past racer used to describe his experience. Then overlay camping everynight, camp showers, maintaining your own bikes and you get the feeling of what I am expecting. The other piece of advice someone said, and he should know as he had been a mechanic for a pro 3 times and raced it himself once, was to aim for survivial. If you think you are here to race, think again, as it is more about survivial. The heat, the camping, the day in day out of the dust, and did I say the heat. Now you get the feeling, and I am beginning to wonder why I signed up for it! A combination of racing/survivial and a big Boy Scout adventure. Well at least everyone else is playing by the same rules.
The race is 9 stages: Saturday 19th Oct to Sunday 27th Oct.
Stage 1: A short little 30km stage with 800m climbing. It is 5 laps of a past Mountain Bike Worlds course. Added bonus we get to stay in Cairns. A real bed, and air con for one last night.
Stage 2: Cairns to Lake Tinaroo 92km (plus 12km of neutralized riding). 2,500m climbing
Stage 3: Atherton to Irvinebank 111km and 2,700m climbing
Stage 4: Irvinebank to Mt. Mulligan 114km and 1,600m climbing
Stage 7: Maytown to Laura 87km and 1,300m
Stage 8: Laura to Hope Vale 122km and 1,200m
Stage 9: Hope Vale to Cooktown 56km and 1,100m into Cooktown and up the stairs to the finish line
Stage 9.5: the Cooktown after party, then bus 5 hours on the bus back to Cairns the next day.
So what am I doing for the next few days until the race starts. As tempting as it is to go and enjoy some serious beach time, I will be sorting out my stuff, riding a little, working some and generally getting myself ready for 9 tough days of survivial.
In theory, there is WiFi internet in each camp, so I will try and blog each day, and get a few pictures. The organization is also posting on Facebook, until Crocodile Trophy. My daily emails will also be posted on my blog at: http://mountainmaninaflatland.blogspot.nl. If you know of people who want to be added to my email list, email me their address.
Until the next blog, time for to go to sleep after a productive day today of putting bike together, finding the bike shops,and a short ride to flush out some of the jetlag.
Cheers from hot Cairns.
Hamish
Forgot to add, Leah (and I) have signed up for the Haute Route Alps for next year.
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