Deathmarch Australia! March 23-April 9, 2015

Well, it's actually happening this time, I bought a ticket. This could end up being just Beefa and I, like on the first Deathmarch. Join us if you dare.

My tentative plan is to spend a few days exploring Sydney, museums, restaurants, etc, then take in some of the pre-event on the weekend and bike off Monday morning along the Southern Highlands route. I was sold when I got to day 11 and read this passage:

My head game starts to falter. Days of strong headwinds wear me down, slowly taking the joy out of riding. It becomes more like a forced death march than a summer holiday.

Perfect.

We won't make it to day 11 though, the tentative plan calls for a support vehicle to pick us up on Thursday and complete the trip to Melbourne. Maybe Beefa will be driving if he's not riding, maybe some Sydney messengers will help us out on their way, I'm sure we'll work something out.

Then the race and party weekend, get a ride back to Sydney, and I wouldn't mind making that a two day trip, it looks like there a lot of interesting things to see along both of the major highways. The Princes Hwy meanders along the coast through a bunch of small towns. The Hume Hwy goes straight through the outback, passing lots of tantalizingly named forest preserves and national parks. Or so I've gathered from looking at Google Maps. Anyway, it would be nice to have the time to stop on a whim. And of course there's the team WRECK rule, If you see a roadside jerky shack you must stop, could be interesting in Australia.



Perhaps we will arrive back in Sydney with a day to decompress and lay on the beach before the flight home.

I feel like this has Trip of a Lifetime potential. It probably seems expensive now, and it is. My ticket was $1327 and even with sleeping in a tent or on a floor, food and beverage will be costly. Plus we'll be kicking in for gas (do they call it petrol? I don't know) and I'm sure we're all aware how difficult that can be to obtain, having seen the Mad Max movies.

Anyway, Team WRECK members, if you're thinking about going, maybe ask yourself "when we're talking about The Australia Trip in 5 or 10 or 20 years, do I want to be thinking man, I wish I had gone OR  I'm so glad I spent that money, so worth it?