Release of dates for the West to East 2012 Downunder Bicycle Tour for charity.

The tour will commence from Perth the capital city of Western Australia on Wednesday the 1^st August 2012.  The tour will end at the footsteps of the Sydney Opera House on Sunday 2^nd September 2012. 

The tour will consist of 28 riding days at an average of 140kms.  You may think that this is a long way to ride each day, but the terrain you will be travelling over is mostly flat with gentle undulations.  This period of the year has been chosen to catch the prevailing westerly winds that cross our continent during this time of the year.  You can expect some very cold temperatures when we hit the Nullarbor Plains, so a good quality sleeping bag and tent will be a must to bring along.

The tour will be broken into 6 stages, with 5 rest days to rest those tired legs and to see some of the amazing sites this country has to offer. 

This tour is NOT a race although there will be the opportunity to take part in a ride against the clock on the longest straightest section of road in this country.  Some call it the race of truth. 

The tour will be supported by 5 staff.  A Tour Director qualified Chef, a former Olympic road cyclist and multiple medallist at world track championships, 2 assistants, and two vehicles to carry your gear from one side of the continent to the other.  One vehicle brings the luggage and kitchen equipment to the end of day campsite, so all you have on your bike is enough food and water to get you through the day.. The other vehicle gives support on the road and provides a lunch half way through stage.

Price: $5000.  AUS.  A deposit of $500 non-refundable deposit is required by the 1^st January 2012. There are limited spaces for this tour and a minimum number required for the tour to go ahead.  Please note this a ride to support a fantastic charity and a significant portion of your fee will go directly to help those in need.

We provide on cycling days an extensive breakfast of bread, cereals, fruit, and a tasty lunch will be awaiting you at the half way point each day. In addition, we will take care that you can recover with a nice cup of soup and tea/coffee when you get off your bike at the end of the day.  It will be the riders responsibility to put up/down their own tents each day.

The Chef will dish up a meal full of carbohydrates and all nutrients your body needs to get you through the next day.  You will not go hungry on this tour.  That we guarantee.  We do not serve food on the rest days as this gives staff a chance to take a break. The journey is supported by a bicycle mechanic.

During the tour we’ll be spending each night at caravan parks along the way.  However, you have the option to book a room/lodge at the park if you get tired of sleeping in the tent.  This of course is at the expense of the rider. This can be convenient on the rest days. We will provide you with information about alternatives.

For those of you who are interested in the London Olympics, the cycling schedule is as follows;

The men's Road Race will take place on 28 July, with the women's held on 29 July 2012.

The men’s and women’s time trials will be held on the 1 August 2012.

The men’s and women’s velodrome events will be conducted from Thursday 2^nd – Tuesday 7^th August 2012.

So, what do you get for your investment?

  •  Accommodation based on camping

  • Accommodation before the start in Perth and after the finish in Sydney.  1 night each.

  •  Breakfast, lunch and dinner ( during cycling days )

  •  Fruit, water, sport drinks, energy bars and soup in the afternoons ( during cycling days )

  •  Transport of luggage

  • Organisation of the tour.

  • A qualified first aid officer will support this tour.

  • Support by a bike mechanic.

  •  Daily detailed description of the route

   • West to East 2012 Downunder bicycle tour cycling jersey.

The entry fee excludes : 

   • Transfer to the start and from the finish of the tour.

  •  Personal health- and travel-insurance

  •  Food on rest days plus dinner on nights before rest days

  •  Visa

  •  Entry fees of tourist sites

So, that's a brief overview of the ride for charity 2012.  If you're interested and would like to know more about the tour, please drop me a line at tbwall@hotmail.com  Once I receive confirmation from the charity I'll post that information immediately.  Once you've decided to take part in this tour and a deposit is taken, full details will be forwarded to you.

Safe riding, 1 year to go.

West to East 2012 cycle tour downunder.

Soon it will be time for another amazing adventure.  Camping, riding, eating, sleeping, more eating and less sleeping, rain, cold, extremely cold, wind, more head wind, sore ass, sore legs, spoon fed, what more can you ask for in a trip.  Next Monday I'll be releasing the dates and a brief overview of the trip.  Still waiting on the approval from a charity that we will be raising money for.  The charity is a registered charity in New South Wales Australia.  Don't worry about bringing your own with you, I have the charity that you will be proud to be related to, especially when you meet them as you ride to the steps of the magnificant

Sydney Opera House.

Riding across the Nullarbor is an amazing experience.  A wilderness like nothing else.  I did the trip in 1993 and I can't wait to do it again.  Unfortunately for me, I'll be driving one of the vehicles.  We will be camping very close to the cliffs depicted in the photo.  

For those people who don't know what Australia looks like. 

Letter of Appreciation from EDUCO AFRICA. Sometimes we do make a difference.

During the last couple of weeks of the tour I decided with the help of one the nicest people you could meet to try and collect donations from the tour cyclists and donate them to a charity in Capetown.  Well we all know I donated the silver bullet to Songo to help disadvantage youth in the Capetown Flats, but I didn't know where all the sleeping bags, tents, clothing, were going to go.  I received a nice letter from Viv & riding partner Peter Lamond of Capetown about the camping gear donation and I thought I should share it with you.

 

V H Lamond

106 Camp Ground Road

 Rondebosch

19^th July

Re. Donation of in-kind camping gear.

Dear Viv,

Many thanks for supporting Educo Africa with the generous donation of outdoor camping gear provided by Tour de Afrique.

This year has seen us full to capacity with our wilderness courses to vulnerable youth and workshops for those who work with them. Thus the equipment is used extensively and needs regular overhauling. We have also taken on three new trainee staff this year and will be recruiting more in the near future. They will also benefit from the use of your donation.

Our new Annual report will be out soon and we will make sure you can get a copy so you can read of young people with whom Educo Africa has had the privilege of working and whose life journeys have turned in a more positive direction in the last year. This is only possible with the support of the friends of Educo Africa like yourself.

Warm regards

Mark Gamble

Chief Executive Officer

West to East 2012 cycle tour downunder. Video.

The West to East downunder cycle tour 2012 will publish the dates of the tour on the 1st August 2011.  As the video indicates the tour will consume all of August next year, but still some dates need to confirmed. 

I invite those mad cyclists who want to be pampered along the way by a team of professionals, live in a tent, ride long kms each day to drop me a line at tbwall@hotmail.com  

On the 1st August I will outline the staff, ride days, rest days and the date the tour departs Perth and arrives in Sydney.

I wish you all safe riding and good health.

Day 35 of West to East downunder Tour 2012.

Well I thought I'd show you what day 35 of the tour will look like. 

In our case we'll be standing on the steps of the Sydney Opera House looking out over one of the most spectacular harbours in the world. 

Tomorrow I'm off to the Opera House to make a short video clip of what you will see as you ride the final metres to end your ride across our fantastic country.

The video clip will be published in a couple of days.

1st August dates will be released for the 2012, West to East Downunder Tour.

Come to the land downunder in 2012 and ride from West to East and see some of the most spectacular scenery in the world.  Numbers are limited.

The route is now complete and all will be revealed on the 1st August 2011.So keep pedalling and stay safe and get ready for the ride of your life.  I thought the video might help you decide on coming or staying at home.

4 weeks till the release of the dates of the Perth to Sydney 2012 cycle downunder.

Well, after a surprising number of enquiries about the Perth to Sydney 2012 cycle downunder ride, the itinerary is close to being published.  It's taken a mountain of work but I'm sure with the people that will be assembled to look after the cyclists and feed them and pamper them 4000kms to the footsteps of the Sydney Opera House, you will have the ride of your life.

Our bike technician @ sweep will be a former Olympic Road Race rider, and multiple medalist at World Championships on the track.  If you want professional coaching along the way this can be handled by this person during rest days.  I can't give away too much or I might spoil all the surprises.

Stay tuned and get ready for to be a part of the ulitmate cycle tour in Australia.