Adventures of Coatesy

Photo of the day: Resting after a coastal climb, near Lorne, Vic, Australia

Today started fantastically with a 13km downhill from the temperate rainforest of Lavers Hill down to beautiful Johanna Beach. It was great to have Garry along for a few days. I didn’t see too much of him though, as he continued his attempts at the bicycle land speed record and my chicken legs battled to carry 120kg (the weight of me, the bike and all my gear) up various steep hills.
[read on]

Since I started cycle touring I have suddenly become very interested in the weather forecast. Especially wind speed and direction. To emphasise how important the wind forecast has become to me, I thought that I would briefly put into words some thoughts and emotions from the road to illustrate the key differences between a tailwind and a headwind.

Tailwind: “This is AMAZING, I love cycle touring. I think I might cycle around the world, I love it THAT much. Yahoooo! How good is this? I feel fantastic, look at all the beautiful nature, I just can’t get enough of this”

Headwind: “Why the FUCK am I doing this”

Photo of the day: A roadside treat, "Old Ocean Road", Vic, Australia. Today I cautiously pulled of of Port Campbell, ever on the lookout for yellow Hyundais. After one last look at ... [Continue reading this entry]

Photo of the Day: the "Twelve Apostles" at sunset, Great Ocean Road, Vic, Australia Today was officially the first day of the big bike tour. It was also the first day with ... [Continue reading this entry]

Photo of the Day: Omitted by popular request. When I told people that I was going cycle touring, one of the most common pieces of advice that I was given was "Make sure you get a comfortable seat". I have since ... [Continue reading this entry]

I could grow to like this cycle touring... Photo of the day: From my upcoming book "New uses for bicycle bottle cages" Now safely and happily back on the ground, today G and I ... [Continue reading this entry]

The Twelve Apostles from a light plane... Apparently in cycle touring circles they say "It's great to fly a bike route before you bike it". Now, I have never done ... [Continue reading this entry]