The year 2005 was a good year for me, I discovered I could ride 1000m/1600k in 24hrs and I discovered I enjoyed every minute of it. I also decided I would tackle one of the biggest rides the IBA (Iron Butt Association) has on their list. It’s not for the faint hearted but obviously is doable with planning. It had been listed as an “extreme” category ride (since removed but still able to be certified) and it’s the 50CC Quest Gold. In our case here in Australia that is Brisbane to Fremantle under 50 hours or to those in the US it’s usually New York to San Francisco. It has never been certified with the IBA in Australia, meaning no one had done it. At the time of writing this only 39 had been certified with this ride in the US. A further point for readers from the US is our roads and speed limits. There are no multi lane interstates on this trip, it is all backroad single lane with an occasional double lane for overtaking. Our speed limits are strictly enforced, over the distance travelled approx 1,000k (600m) is speed limited to 100kph (60mph) and the remainder is 110kph (68mph)

How I got from 500k days to here is a story on its own, how I got to complete it is dedication to planning the ride and riding the plan plus the ability to alter that on the fly if needed if problems arose. Toss in a lifetime of positive thinking, determination and willpower. Willpower to succeed, I did this for me and no one else. I also write this for me, the fact many have asked that I put it into text makes me happy and humble. You can achieve any goal you set with enough determination and planning as long as you do it for yourself. It has to be “your” goal.

Brisbane, or more precisely the BP Truck Stop at Port Brisbane Lytton. It’s 3am the 13th of January 2006 and I am off on the longest road so far. I rode down to Brisbane and settled into the motel yesterday with my family who had followed in the car. We spent an afternoon and an evening together, why ? I needed things to be as normal as possible to “get my head right”. I went to bed at 8pm intending to sleep until 2am, get up and leave for the BP at 2.30am ready for a 3am kickoff. I tossed and turned eventually getting to sleep at 1.37am, I awoke at 2.27am and freaked. I had a rush to be away, not the best way to start this adventure with only 1 ½ hrs sleep at max and setting off on a straight 24hr run of 2464k to Ceduna SA before I would get some sleep.

I will not write this as a blow by blow travelogue. I did however have in my mind that if I could keep ahead of schedule for the first two stops (983k) I would have a real good shot at making Ceduna within 24hrs. That is what the IBA call a BBG1500 or 1500m under 24hrs. I did Moree in 4hrs 33mins, 505k… I was on my way. Only stand out from this section was a wide load of 8m, very wide indeed. The UHF was very handy here as I called and the escort told me to slide by carefully, they even had two police in the leading escort.

Two more things that pop their ugly heads up on this leg were. My Camelbak decided to split where I had been leaning back on my aux fuel tank and empty its 2 litres of Staminade (like Gatorade) all over my jeans and sheepskin seat cover. It took 20hrs for me to eventually feel dry, I sat in it all that time and that’s what created the real saddle sore. The other thing was that after 128,000k my speedo cable decided it was tired and quit working. (I found out on my arrival at Fremantle that it had broken at the wheel) This made everything very difficult, with no GPS at that stage I had almost no way of calculating my speed and averages. I did however have a CDMA mobile phone connected to an external aerial, I flattened the battery over the next 20hrs talking to my wife and daughter.

While on that let me thank my wife Wilhelmina and eldest daughter Kristy. They kept everyone updated on my progress via posts to my message board. I think they now understand the camaraderie amongst riders all over the world.

I am still on a southern heading, down past Narrabri, Coonabarabran and to Gilgandra at 10.45am where I start my run west into the sun. It’s 33C and I am riding into a hot arid area for the next 8hrs or so. Feeling good and enjoying the ride.

I left Lytton at 3am for many reasons as I also chose the exact date 7mths prior. The timing was for two reasons but one fundamental. We have Kangaroo’s plus many other roaming wildlife such as pigs etc. The Cobar to Broken Hill section and later on the Nullarbor should not be ridden at night as many had advised. I enjoy my life so see no need to take silly chances. By leaving at that hour I could cover both these sections in daylight. A point here although I may be getting ahead of myself is that I saw only a handful of Roo’s the whole trip and very little sign of anything likely to send me sliding down the tarmac. This again came down to timing and planning.

It’s getting hot, very hot 39C now. The leg from Nyngan to Broken Hill is 588k, I had planned to ride that straight through but two things changed that. At my rate of knots I was burning more fuel than usual plus the heat was rising, 41C as I came into Cobar. I read recently in the Ron Ayres book entitled "Against the Wind" that sometimes you need to stop to go further. Meaning that to fuel up myself with Gatorade and the bike was the best thing I could do right now to go harder into Broken Hill, that’s what I did. 1116k in 10hrs 29mins

Open road with straights that go on forever next. Almost no fencing so animals roam which is why I think I had been warned off this section at night. It’s getting hotter.

About 2.30pm I get a call from Kristy that Ron (a member of our GTR-AUS group) is going to ride up from Mildura to meet me at Broken Hill with a GPS and another Camelbak, that’s a 250k ride each way. Riders helping riders, never ceases to amaze me. I just hope I don’t get there before him as I am making excellent time even in this heat. It’s getting hotter 42.4C at Wilcannia so I get more Gatorade into me with a lightning stop, toss two down and head off.

Just after 5.20pm my time I get to Broken Hill 1574k in 14hrs 21mins (978m which is almost the SS1000 mark in under 14.5hrs) but I am (aussie term) rooted from the heat over this last section. For those unfamiliar with our lingo I am stuffed. I fuel up, chat with Ron and head for the shade under a tree. Grass is very comfortable. Ron talks and I sort of listen (no offence Ron) as I am still well into my zone. I take a long 40min break here, the first so far as I am 2hrs ahead of schedule. (the only one I take in this 24hr period apart from 7-10min fuel stops)

6pm I head off. Ron rides with me for a short way before peeling off to head home. It’s cooler now and I am heading southwest to Port Augusta.

I enjoy night riding, actually I prefer it. I run better, the bike runs better and there are fewer vehicles apart from trucks. This is a good leg, temps are going down.

Port Augusta comes into view, there are bends just before you get into PA from the Peterborough side and they are about the only ones I will see from now on.

Port Augusta, 1995k in 19hrs. Definitely BBG time (a Bun Burner Gold is 1500m or 2414k under 24hrs) so it looks like I have proved myself wrong and will get to Ceduna under 24hrs. In and out apart from taking 10mins longer to add some charge to my mobile phone, yeah I talk too much. It’s 10pm at home so my wife will get some sleep, hmm that’s a good idea.

I loved the section from Port Augusta to Ceduna (had a great run coming back that way also) and made good time here. Pulled into Ceduna at 2.21am Qld time, that’s 2464k in 23hrs 21mins by my fuel receipt and that’s a BBG1500 subject to certification. I am one very happy boy.

2464k (1531m) in 23hrs 21mins for IBA BBG1500

This has been day one of my two days across Australia from Brisbane to Fremantle, one goal achieved and onto the next. Click here to read about my IBA 50CC Gold - Brisbane to Fremantle

Some Pictures

* Message board updates - IBA 50CC Gold - Brisbane to Fremantle
* MTF board updates - Brisbane to Fremantle to Sydney
* Message board updates - Fremantle to Sydney