• Home
  • Mission Statement
  • My Journey
  • Donate
  • Media
    • Photos
    • Official Letters
    • Press
  • Contact
  FIRE FIGHTER CYCLE

FIRE FIGHTER CYCLE

A Cycle Around the World For Cancer Charity

Please Donate here

Cycling Around the World: Townsville to MacKay

9/25/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
After 500 km I have reached Townsville. It has certainly been demanding. The sun is extremely powerful, burning right through my cycling jerseys. It is 42ºC and humid. Carrying up to 10 litres of water as there is nothing between towns. Seeing lots of wildlife —some nice, like birds, wallabies and kangaroos — some not so nice like snakes and mosquitoes.
Picture
Wild Kangaroos

Townsville is a city of about 200,000 on the tropical northeastern Queensland coast, adjacent to the barrier reef. It is about 1,400 km north of my first major rest stop in Brisbane. Townsville is an amazingly beautiful city, full of fantastic, supportive cyclists. They rode into town with me, took me to their favourite coffee shop in the morning prior to departure, and cycled a short ways along again. I even had a home host me with a bed and a great meal.

Below is an Australian road train. Trucks up to 50 metres long barrel down the highway, causing a turbulent wind current strong enough to suck you under or throw you off the road. Some give a metre or so room, some don’t.

Picture
In 2014, a truck tried to pass a group of cyclists in Townsville; unfortunately he struck them, killing one and injuring two others. Popular cyclist Sue Bell was killed. Bell’s death led to the introduction of new laws to protect cyclists, where motorists are now required to give at least a metre distance when passing cyclists, and a metre-and-a-half where the speed limit is higher than 60km/h. The driver was jailed for 3 1/2 years.
Picture
Sue Bell
Picture
Sue Bell’s Memorial Ghost Bike

I stop at all memorials and ghost bikes and say a few words, as I have been very close to being one several times. I think I would like it if people stopped.

Picture
Townsville

I wish so much I could stay in places like this. Being a scuba diver, the No. 1 dive site in the world, the Yongala, is just 30 minutes offshore from Ayr, just south of here.

Picture
Red bellied black snake. Alive and deadly.

My next major city will be Mackay, about 400 km south. The elevation gain is only 800 metres of that distance, which shouldn’t be too bad. The consistent strong headwinds out of the southeast are starting to become not only annoying, but draining physically and psychologically. But … it’s easier than dealing with cancer!

I am a firefighter and cancer survivor circumnavigating the globe for cancer research. I am currently crossing the Australian continent. The posted blogs are my personal opinion and thoughts.  Please visit  www.firefightercycle.com,  twitter @copsfire,  or RSS feed here.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    View my profile on LinkedIn
    Picture
    Picture

                   My Journey

    I am a fire captain and cancer survivor.
    ​ I have now cycled around  the earth  by bicycle for cancer charity, but my journey is not over. I followed the rules of Guinness global 0circumnavigation. Same bike, same direction, cross two antipodal points, the equator and cover at least 29,000 km.  My final legs were crossing Australia north to south and east to west across the deserts bringing the total countries crossed to fifteen and a distance of 29,000 km over 10 years. The journey now continues to the most desolate and highest points of the earth.  email:
    ​[email protected]


    Please Donate

    Current  Location

    In memory of the 
    343 Firefighters

    Picture
    Click to set custom HTML
    Click to set custom HTML
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Mission Statement
  • My Journey
  • Donate
  • Media
    • Photos
    • Official Letters
    • Press
  • Contact