Why (and How) I’m Riding 1,000km in 3 Days

Felix has lined himself up for a big pedal, but he’s keen to divert the spotlight somewhere else.

 

As a 23-year-old, I spent most of my net worth on an entry-level, second-hand road bike. That’s not accounting for the £50,000 debt courtesy of the UK’s Student Loans Company, of course. Anyway, whilst I near-emptied my bank account for something seemingly trivial (whilst on the other side of the world here in Australia), I knew two things to be true:

1. It’d be the best money I’d ever spend
2. If I did struggle financially, my parents would catch me if I fell

It’s important to recognise the financial wiggle room afforded to me in that moment. It was my ticket into sports that changed my life forever.

After 12 months of high-octane hill bludgeoning, national park exploring, and mammoth solo missions, it was time to join a club. Joining a triathlon club in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney as a young, white, British male working in corporate Australia – oddly enough – wasn’t uncomfortable at all. Everyone looked pretty familiar; although, when you’re a beneficiary of privilege, it’s not an elephant in the room until it is.

The Power of Sports Clubs

Stepping into new groups, clubs, and communities, and developing a better understanding of the elite end of these sports, was where things started to click. My whole life I’ve had the perfect conditions to play near-every sport without truly appreciating it, but in cycling and triathlon, my advantage was something that I couldn’t ignore.

There’s a distinct lack of representation in these sports and there are very practical examples everywhere – certainly in cycling – of how that plays out. Whether it’s a lack of equipment or the only recent emergence of underrepresented athletes consistently winning at the highest level, it’s becoming very clear that the balance is wrong.

In Sydney, between a couple of friends, we conceived York Road Social, which is an inclusive social cycling club that’s grown exponentially over the last three years. Whilst founding the club was critical to my own personal development, stumbling upon TriMob was the more profound moment in my sporting journey.

TriMob pounding the pavement

1,000km in 3 Days

In the wake of Lachie Morton’s ride around Australia, I’ve been asking myself ‘why’ more than ever before. Why am I riding 1,000km? It’d be remiss of me not to say that I’m pursuing adventure, the experience of a lifetime, and mateship – they’re the essence of life for me now. But in doing so, I get to cycle across arguably the most beautiful land in the world.

Taking huge inspiration from Ambrose Killian’s Tour de Deadly, there’s also a deep spirit of respect and acknowledgement of First Nation’s peoples that I want to bring and talk about. Of course, I want to raise a lot of money for TriMob as well, which is where I hope you come in.

Raising $10,000 for TriMob – The Capitals and Countries Ride

This is a critical time for Australia. I’m not naive enough to think that we can change the moral tide with one bike ride. But if we can get even one non-indigenous person to think about how they can learn more about the oldest living culture in the world, then this ride is worth doing.

And with that, we needed a challenge – that truly sounded like a daft idea – to get people talking. 250km a day for some is a cycling holiday; 340km a day is a bit more sadistic. Cycling 300km is the kind of effort that might see you riding for more than 15 hours, burning up to 10,000 calories. Add in more than 5000 metres of elevation into that equation, then do it three times back to back, and you have some unforgiving riding ahead – to put it lightly!

To fuel such an effort, we’ll have a drink mix that’s high in carbohydrates and electrolytes, as well as fluid gels that are also high in carbohydrates with added caffeine (all supplied by PURE Sports Nutrition) as well as the trusty Clif Bars. That’s when we’re not scoffing meat-pies and tarts at any stop-off that’ll have us! It’d also be fair to assume that when we’re not cycling, we’ll be sleeping.

Beyond making sure that we are riding at least 250-300km a week in our preparation, there are obviously a hell of a lot of intricacies that we’ve had to meticulously plan.That’s all detailed on my YouTube channel! As for the rides and routes, as well as a Melbourne celebration, you can find those on the event page.

Byron, Felix, & Jake in a Cultural Learning Session with Nat

If you want to be a part of the journey, you absolutely can be. Simply RSVP via each of the respective events, and feel free to reach out to myself (Felix), Jake, or Byron directly with any questions. Your support means so much to us!