I woke in the morning a little later then hoped, and under a blue sky I jumped on my bike, accompanied by my friend Dave, who had agreed to ride the last day with me, sharing in the celebrations.
We lathered on the sunscreen and zinc, and pushed out into the scorching air. Dave shot out in front of me and I struggled to keep up. The traffic was not too heavy, and we managed to weave our way through the back-roads to our resting spot - you guessed it - somewhere to have a quiet beer. Luckily Dave had worked at this fancy hotel before, because our shabby appearance would have otherwise spelled refusal.
The ride home was only a short 30km's, and before I knew it we were arriving in my home town of Sunbury.
By the time we were pulling into my street, Dave was beginning to fall behind and seemed to be struggling in the hot air.
My arrival was during the middle of a working day, so understandably there was nobody home when we rolled up the driveway. Dave and I took some photos and chatted for a while before a few more of my friends turned up for celebration drinks. My parents arrived home from work soon after and suddenly the air was thick with the smell of a barbeque and the sound of chatter.
And that was it. From the 12th of February to the 29th of November 2012 I cycled 21,251km's around the vast paddock of Australia. I spent 1,280 hours in the saddle, had 1 sore bum and grew 1 gorgeous beard.
The feeling of reward is strong, and the times of hardship not forgotten. The people I met, the landscapes I saw and the experiences I had made this cycling journey my trip of a lifetime. Something to remember and something to be proud of. I would like to thank my family and friends for their support along the way, but in particular I would like to thank my Dad - Peter - who spent countless hours helping me out whenever I had an issue. He always listened to my problems, calmed my worries and helped me through the desperate times. I couldn't have achieved success without you Dad.
Thanks to those who read this blog, I hope you enjoyed it and are perhaps inspired enough to take some small trips out on your push bikes.
Until my next adventure, Cheers
Tom Mackie
Becoming an all too familiar sight!
Dave's war paint
Dave all tuckered out
Home
Victory!
The End
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