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Monday, 11 February 2008 |
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By Nathaniel Hally of Westmeadows In late 2001 I bought myself a CBR1000 and headed off for a seven week road trip. Departing from Melbourne then to Adelaide, Alice Springs, Darwin, across to Cairns and back down the East coast to Brisbane, Sydney, then home. I had been riding for 3 years and had just over 50,000 road kilometres of experience before the trip. The trip was fantastic and I would recommend anyone doing it on two wheels. It was in the far North West of Qld that I almost came amiss. It was at least 40 degrees, my bike was fully loaded, I was drinking more water than my bike petrol and yet the heat still got to me. On this particular leg of the journey my eyes were extremely heavy. There was no shade to be seen to take a break, so I continued riding. On one occasion I closed my eyes for a split second and found myself on the opposite side of the road. I had to pull over and rest. With no relief from the sun, I laid next to my bike, leather jacket for a mattress, camel pak (water backpack) for a pillow and made the most of the shade from my front wheel. I sleep for about 20 minutes and continued my journey safely. I can't stress enough how important it is to stop when tired and take a break. Do it even if the conditions aren't perfect, as mine weren't. I arrived alive. |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 11 February 2008 )
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Monday, 11 February 2008 |
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Rider comfort is an important aspect of rider fatigue. Noise, cold and other forms of discomfort in wet weather can be minimised with a bit of careful pre-planning. Carry two sets of gloves. Leave one set inside your jacket to stay warm. If you stop for petrol in the rain, swap gloves. If one pair is damp, place them back inside your jacket and let your body heat dry and warm them. It's pretty difficult to keep boots dry. One way around this is to visit Melbourne's ski shops during summer. Pick up a pair of XXL cross-country ski gaiters out of the bargain bin that fit over the outside your boots. The ski gear is generally made to be form-fitting, so there shouldn't be any dangling straps to catch on anything. They will protect 80 per cent of your boots from the weather. Rain gets in everywhere. Buy a close-fitting rain set - anorak and overpants - and wear them underneath riding gear. Plan escape routes. If you're doing an extended ride and the weather is really bad, aim for a pre-planned place to get out of the weather and dry out or warm up. Friends and relatives are often quite sympathetic to a drenched rider showing up on their doorstep. |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 11 February 2008 )
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