Day 12 to 15 "Everything is relative"

It's been a while since the last post and the creative juices aren't flowing quite like they should so apologies for this lazy update. We all got hammered with a strong southerly headwind today - so strong that we had to pedal downhill just to keep momentum. We are all battle weary and the injuries and fatigue are holding up a stop sign to our sense of humour.

It might be a good time to let you know what goes on in the life of a rider each day;

Wake at 5am. Try and locate head torch for 5mins. Pack up tent, sleeping bag and air mattress. Decide which shorts and top to wear. Each rider applies paw paw cream (or similar) to chamois of bike shorts to help aid prevention of saddle sores. Get dressed. Have breakfast. Join the queue for coffee made from the cafetiere. Watch the hairs on your chest grow a bit longer from the strength of the brew. Pack snap lock plastic bag of jelly babies, muesli bars and fruit bars for the days ride. Fill water bottles. Check tyre pressure - less for sandy conditions, more if the tracks are firmer. Weigh in*. Put all our bags at the trailer for the volunteers to pack. Apply copious amounts of sunscreen to all exposed areas of the body (not fun at this hour of the morning). Commence ride. Smash ourselves for 10 hours**. Dump bike anywhere. Flannel wash from bucket if no shower. Flannel wash for the second time to rid yourself of sunscreen and dirt you couldn't get off the first time. Shower if available. Clean chain and rear cassette of bike and re lube for next day. Put up tent and blow up air mattress and unroll sleeping bag. Dinner. Zzzzz.

*We get weighed twice per day. Once in the morning and once directly after each ride as weight loss is a good indicator of dehydration. Strangely, very few of the riders have lost more than a kilogram or two as we are eating and drinking so much.

**Spend the first hour trying to get comfortable in the seat as the saddle sores take effect again. We have 5min breaks after every hour or so. Top up on water, eat some savoury snacks and re-commence riding. Lunch ideally is somewhere shady and somewhere at least half way, usually two thirds from the finish. Spend first hour after lunch trying to get comfortable in the seat again. Watch as the km's tick over ever so slowly until the finish. Tell yourself that tomorrow has got to be a better day. It usually is.

The last few days has been the most rewarding as far as scenery is concerned as we entered the northern Flinders Ranges. The long flat stretches of nothingness were worth every moment as this most beautiful part of South Australia welcomed us all. We've been lucky enough to have had company as we ride; emus, kangaroos, dingos and sheeps (this is German for more than one sheep).

The hardest part about cycling through this area is that we've started each day with 30/40/50km of bitumen and then have to go off road for 30/40km and then it's back on the bitumen. Now that we've had a taste of the tarmac, it's hard putting yourself through the corrugations of the dirt again.

We've had a few days of 92 km and 72 km and we think of these days as short days. Compared to the 100km daily sojourns, maybe it is. Everything is relative and a 78/80km day seems to fly by.

We are now in Port Augusta where a number of the riders are from. What a great occasion it was for them to be able to ride into their home town and be welcomed by family and friends. And how hard it must be for them to continue to Adelaide as they ride away from home. The local television station was out to great us and George was on the radio again this morning (ABC again).

The Port Augusta auxiliary of the RFDS gave us a fantastic welcome and a few of us were lucky enough to be shown around the hanger, the aircraft and witness a take off at close quarters. Thanks to the staff and supporters for a great evening.

Three days to go, 300km to ride. It is unlikely that we'll be able to update the blog until we complete our ride into Adelaide so in the mean time, wish us luck and a safe journey and there will be photos and a final update after we enter the RFDS hanger at the Adelaide airport.