CONTENTS:

1. BEFORE AND AS YOU GO
   

2. BUT THERE’S SO MUCH TO MANAGE!
   

3. TEMPERATURE REGULATION
   

4. COMMUNICATIONS AND SAFETY
   

BEFORE AND AS YOU GO

Remember these essential pieces of advice and you won't go wrong... well you might, but it won't be far wrong, and you'll always make it back! Three things before we start - gaffa (duct) tape, wire, tarpaulin.

1. Know your equipment (its limits, weaknesses, repairability, cost!, weight and replaceability).

2. Plan everything meticulously (you'll still have problems, even disasters, but you'll be ready for them; don't forget about the most unlikely scenarios - e.g. attack, hail, mental illness).

3. Develop attitudes (positive, calculated, wary but trusting and adventurous ones).

4. Have a plan 'B' (for every single thing you carry and do, but try not to forget your plan B's like I did on occasions).

5. Keep a journal of your journey (as detailed as you like - you will have the time, and it will be a priceless possession in a few years time).

6. Ask for and listen to the advice of others (local knowledge will save you from problems and will open the path to unexpected wonders).

7. If you haven't touched it 1/3 of the way into the trek, ditch it (in a bin of course, and excepting tools and first aid materials for you and your bike).

8. You need water to live (when you find good water fill yourself to the brim and then do the same for your water bottles; carry an absolute minimum of 3L/day/person; boil and purify most wild water).

9. There is always a way through the predicaments you'll find yourself in. Always.

10. Believe you can make it, however long or difficult the journey, otherwise don't even bother starting.

BUT THERE’S SO MUCH TO MANAGE!

People asked me on many occasions how I could ride so far and manage the whole trek. My first answer was usually "When all you have to worry about is getting from A to B and staying alive, it's quite easy".

I also told them that "Before I left I knew how to : a) cook, b) ride a bike, c) camp, d) read a map, e) fix a bike". All I had to do was simply engage those skills together for 100 days.

So simple really, but it’s harder to see the planning and safety considerations that go into each individual element and the elements combined.

TEMPERATURE REGULATION

Some serious health conditions can creep up on a cyclist quickly, most being related to changes in body core temperature.

Layering is an important concept for cycling in changing weather conditions. If traveling in rolling mountains/hills or changing weather, a unzipperable layer or two keeps you on your bike and comfortable. 

Many athletic materials these days have wicking properties, taking moisture away from your skin which adds comfort, but does not always insulate well.  Trial and error and understanding your tolerance of temperature/wind/humidity variation will help you find preferred combination of layers.

Add water and/or wind and you will lose heat.  Both riding and standing still.  As soon as you stop and have to set up camp and pitch a tent and make a meal etc., your engines cool down and you can get cold very quickly.  Address any wet clothing/lack of insulation/head covering as soon as possible.  First thing is good. 

1. Hypothermia - Too much body heat loss.  If you start to cool and you can’t concentrate, start fumbling, are weaving/staggering, are slurring words, are shivering, or feel clammy, you need to act fast.  Restart your engines by jogging on the spot while getting changed into extra layers with insulation.  You priority is heat. A warm/hot drink will also help, but that comes second.
   

On the other end of the spectrum, add sun exposed skin, dry heat, long hard efforts and dehydration and you have too much heat.

1. Hyperthermia - Too much body heat.  Signs are very similar, but you need different things.  You need to stop moving, find shade, drink water, loosen clothing.  Your priority is to cool down, slowly.
   

For either physical state, monitor the weather conditions and your hydration, temperature and effort frequently.  Ask yourself the question: Am I behaving normally or is something askew?  Talk aloud to yourself and that will speed up your recognition of anything that’s wrong.

If you fail to recognise the signs of these two conditions, and act, and you are solo, then you are in trouble.  Go into heat or cold shock and your progress, troubles, trip, and life may be over.  What a sucky way to end it.

COMMUNICATIONS AND SAFETY

Get someone to monitor your progress and safety. This is the most important thing to do. Do not start unless this aspect is well organised. Check in with this person at every phone booth and update your agenda so they know when to expect you to next call. 

Give your monitor a plan of action should you be late in checking in (e.g. - 2 days late = ring closest town and see if locals have seen/heard about you; 4 days late = assume something has happened - notify police in the closest town to where you should be or the park rangers if in a NP; 6 days late = contact the State Emergency Service ...and panic, cry, pace the room, inform other relatives).

Arrange a 'person B' as a backup so that if you can't get through to the monitor they will still get the message. (This happened to me twice due to phone connection problems.)  Updating your status on the internet (blog, social networking) is an option as well, but you still need a delegated person to be checking it to an arranged schedule.

Inform the State Emergency Services of each state you are traveling through of the following:

1. general route and timeframe of your trip
   

2. your basic personal details/history
   

3. what you look like and how you are getting about
   

4. your contact person’s contact number
   

These few details may help you to be found faster, with or without a beacon.

Assume that your mobile will be out of range and that every second phone booth is unusable. Sad, but true. Have coins and a phone card with you.

Trust your gut feelings. If you feel you are in danger you probably are. Instinct is a life saver - it is preprogrammed in your head.  It does not lie.  Clear out of there ASAP. Just pack up and go. Believe me - adrenalin will help you. You'll be much happier where you end up once you've left.

Most importantly...

Take an emergency beacon (EPIRB).

Take an emergency beacon (EPIRB).

Take an emergency beacon (EPIRB).

ACTIVATE IT IF you are dying or have reached terminal velocity. Carry it on your person at all times - NOT in a bag on your bike. It can get uncomfortable... but take a moment now to compare discomfort to possible death.

Having it bulging in a pocket will also help remind you not to ride your bike like an immortal. This is most important if you are riding solo.  [See Week 4, Tuesday of journal for how I learned this lesson.]