Grey nomads are being urged to keep an extra special eye out for cyclists on remote Outback roads as the Indian Pacific Wheel Ride – an unofficial ultra-distance bikepacking event from Fremantle to Sydney – gets underway again on March 15.
Cyclists ride alone without support along a set course of 5,471 kilometres that takes in the Coorong, Great Ocean Road, Victorian High Country and Snowy Mountains before finishing at the Opera House.
Last year, one competitor 62-year-old Chris Barker, was killed after being struck by a road train on the Eyre Highway near Madura in WA. A second male cyclist was also hit by a vehicle near WA’s Fraser Range, and suffered serious injuries.
Kevin is gearing up for his next big ride from Fremantle to Sydney
While neither of these incidents involved grey nomads, they do serve as a reminder of the need to take extreme caution around cyclists.
Kevin Paine (aka Pizza Rider), 58, will be aiming to finish his second Indian Pacific Wheel ride on what will be his sixth start. He plans to ride an average of 150-200 kilometres per day, and says the big appeal is being ‘part of the country, not passing it by’.
Cycling can make you feel like you are part of the country, rather than just passing through it.
“Travelling at a lower speed, you notice things you can easily miss when passing at 100km/h,” he said. “A valley view between a small gap in trees near Mt Baw Baw; sea shells littering the ground on the Roe Plain; getting within 10 metres of a huge wedge-tail eagle protecting its meal from a couple of scavenging ravens … you feel the wind, the sunshine, the rain; you smell the flowers, the smoke, the grass; you hear the birds, the wind, the insects.”
While most of the event’s riders – who will all have mirrors and/or rear-facing radars – will stop at roadhouses along the way, Kevin prefers to camp at rest areas or parks, or simply roll out a sleeping bag behind a tree.
He says long-distance cyclists constantly go through the full range of emotions.
“Some days you wonder why you’re doing this and other days you’re enjoying it so much you ride late into the night because you don’t want to stop,” he said. “It can be something small that spurs you to keep riding … the view from a small rise or through a gap in trees; passing a frill-neck lizard or thorny devil; a wave from an oncoming driver; or grey nomads that pull over to offer a drink.”
While there are many things Kevin loves about cycling, fearing for his own safety is not one of them.
He urges motorists to be hyper vigilant, and to allow at least 1 to 1.5 metres when passing a cyclist.
“Best practice is to do a complete lane change just as if passing a slower car, as this reduces the wash effect of wind when a large vehicle passes,” he said. “In every state you are allowed to cross double lines ‘if safe’ to pass a cyclist … if there is oncoming traffic you’re supposed to slow until it is safe to pass.”
And Kevin says, in remote areas where there is little traffic, a short beep on the horn from a few hundred metres back to let the rider know you’ve seen them is generally appreciated.
As a dedicated cyclist who decided a car was no longer necessary in 2023, Kevin intends to keep doing long rides each year until his retirement in 2034 … when the rides become permanent.
He says he will then become a grey nomad travelling Australia, and the world, on two wheels.
“Touring between the finish of one long distance event to the start of the next is the aim,” Kevin said. “Cairns to Perth via the Outback Way, the Gibb River Rd, Cape York to Wilson’s Promontory, and the ‘full lap’ are just a few of the trips on my bucket list!”
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How about some of these riders realise that when I’m driving into a sunset or a sunrise that you are hidden by an almighty glare… If you hear the trucks engine above your headphones kindly move to the left slightly and hopefully you will not be too affected by the draught from the trailers…. I have talked to many young people out there who started their journey not realising the distances between the scenic spots. Let alone know how to fix a flat tyre..
Every rider in this event is a very experienced long distance rider. All have mirrors, multiple lights, personal locator beacons and hi-viz. Some have reverse facing radars and many have UHF radios to communicate with truckies. 13 of the 28 starters are return riders. As far as I’m aware, there’s not single rider that hasn’t completed a 1,500km+ ride. I don’t even own a set of headphones. Mirrors are better as a strong headwind makes it harder to hear traffic from behind.
You keep driving when you can’t see where you’re going?
How about some of these drivers realise that driving too fast to stop within your field of vision is dangerous. If it takes you 60m to stop but you can’t see 60m ahead, you’re driving dangerously and should reduce speed. This advice from my driving instructor has saved me twice. Once with tree down across a road and once with black cattle on the road at night.
This event is just a good prompt to get the message out. You should expect to see bicycles at any time on any road and drive accordingly.