Planning to release this series weekly until they're all up, forgot to say anything catchy at the end so... HIT that sub button etc etc to catch the rest haha! :D (Only edited up to episode 3 so i've set myself some deadlines to work on :| )
Dude this is crazy. I started watching this video after it was suggested and instantly thought “huh, that bike looks familiar…” then I saw the little scuff marks around the head tube and realised that it’s my old Norco. I sold you this bike! Love to see it being used to its fullest. Looked like an epic journey 🤙
Haha holy shit, so glad it appeared in your recommendations, that's awesome! Must be a proud moment to see a past bike appear in your RUclips feed. Thanks for selling it to me! :D
Thanks mate! Yeah definitely go for it, I was and am not still to this day some sort of expert biker. I just kinda committed to doing this a couple months in advance as it had been on my mind for a long time. I believe really anyone can go bike packing / touring with the right amount of planning and determination.
Just last week 6 of us cycled the Rail Trails through Gippsland and East Gippsland, so we recognised sections of your route. Having all grown up around Wollongong and even having a brother who lived in Coledale, we understood where you were headed. Thanks for the video. Happy riding.
The rail trails through Gippsland were amazing. And yeah, we often go up to Coledale to visit family over summer, and last year I thought 'why not ride this time?'. I'm glad I did!
Haha thanks, I think showing some of this was inspired by videos i've watched where I agree, I like to see the person behind the camera (which is kind of hard to show). There's plenty of 4k Ultra HD movie quality packing videos out there. But videos like Ed Pratt's unicycling around the world series, Josh Reid's ride from China to England 'a bivvy, a phone and a drone: cycling home from china' & Hackisoutthere's 'Uk to Australia by bike' were hugely inspiring for me doing this.
Cheers, I'll go have a look. I've seen lots of polished stuff on RUclips but not a lot of people filming their first. It makes a great narrative. There's uncertainty and doubts and confidence growing and learning stuff etc. 'Guy behind the camera' is on a personal journey as well as a physical one. I can relate to it. It works really well. Loving it.
@@goldenstardust Haha thanks, not sure if it’s a style or just my lack of editing experience and just not taking myself too seriously 😅 I tried to be cool but am definitely terrified of hunstmans.
I thought this was a great video, even motivated me to get out for a hike today; awesome work! I was also able to find and follow you on Strava ; looking forward to the rest of the series!
Thanks for this video. I'm very interested in your route to Sydney. I would like to ride to Sydney on my gravel bike, which means AWAY from the main roads as much as possible. Look forward to the next episode.
Hey Ivan, no worries, thanks for watching! If you have a look in the description I’ve got the ridewithgps rides linked, you might even be able to look on my rwgps for a sneak peak of the routes of the next 7 days. I tried to avoid as much highway as possible, but also was a bit time pressed and so later in the trip you’ll see I do travel a couple large sections of the princess. With more time there are some alternative roads which I would have liked to travel if I had the time (and tyres). Hard to get any information on a lot of the alternative roads however. Good luck with your planning!
Good luck. Looking forward to seeing more videos. I am looking to ride the similar ride in reverse. How are you finding the campsites? Location I mean.
Hey Ian, firstly knowing I had 9 days to do it I wanted to evenly as possible break up the trip. Figured these first couple days I'd do a bit more distance on average so that the remainder I could travel a bit less than the average required. From there I'd essentially look on google maps for a suitable town/campsite along my rough route within 100-130km from my previous stay. Booked the 2nd & 3rd night before leaving, from there I would end up calling ahead at around lunchtime to book a site for the night (this left it open for if plans were to slightly change etc). Also tried to look up videos/blogs of routes that others had taken over sections of this ride when planning it. Give yourself 10-14 days if you can afford the extra time. Good luck!
Thanks Russel! Yeah definitely learnt a lot doing this. Will help me with planning my next trip (nothing in the works yet), with routing & perhaps choosing how far to go each day etc. I'd love to do my next trip at a more leisurely pace, having more time to stop along the way etc.
I really enjoyed that, I'll be sure to watch the rest. Would be cool if you talked a bit about what you brought with you, how you kept your devices charged, stuff like that, even if its just in a voice over or something. I just did my first bush poo made me laugh out loud, wasn't expecting it lol. also definitely recommend checking out some beau miles videos for inspo if you have a chance, he's another Aussie who does stuff like this, really great stuff. I've lived in South Australia my whole life, didn't realise you guys up there just get turtles crossing the road, thats awesome!
Hey, haha glad you enjoyed it! I have had a few requests for this, I might do something like that once I’ve finished editing the series. Gear list is in the description but yeah I could definitely make a short video of the setup one weekend. Thanks (:
Great journey to ride! I've ridden many 100k + days when younger. I looked at what you showed as your first night meal and your "flu like symptoms" were the result of going keto through not eating enough food. The pizza on the next night was more realistic. I'd recommend cycling shoes, cleats and the pedals to suit, they make a big difference in getting power to the back wheel.
@@LizDodd-my6wi Gday Liz, thanks for watching! :D The ‘flu like’ symptoms actually only really occurred on my test ride around the bay, I definitely over exerted myself doing that, didn’t eat right or drink enough. During this trip I was very cautious of over exerting and dehydrating and managed to avoid any further flu like responses luckily (had electrolyte tablets in one of my water bottles).Definitely had many times where I was out of energy (particularly more into nsw when I was climbing 1500+ a day). I have thought about cleats but never felt the urge to get them. I am open to try them in the future some day though, thanks again for your support and advice :)
Thanks man. Yeah this was honestly a great experience, and something I had been contemplating doing for quite some time. If you're thinking about it just bite the bullet and do it! :D
Hahah thanks :P honestly that was one of the hardest parts of the editing, going through the youtube library and finding something that kinda fits. The track at 3:05 is some random song of mine though that I never finished. If I had all the time in the world I could write my own epic score :O
@@Hugh23132 Thankyou, appreciate it! I was originally hoping to wild camp a bit, but ended up staying in designated camp spots the whole trip. The timing, coming up to Christmas, and the fact I wanted a shower made me call ahead most days to book a site. Left with no bookings past the first few days as I wanted to keep my options open.
Hey, I ended up staying in designated camp spots for the trip. Initially I was hoping to free camp a bit so I left the majority of the trip un-booked. But on the days that weren't booked I'd end up looking up a spot around lunch time and calling to book it as I was super keen for a shower. Also coming up to Christmas there was a lot of people about.
Hey, great video and massive effort. Did you film the clips of you riding (not handheld) yourself on the road and walk/cycle back? That must have been really time consuming and tiring.
Hey, thanks! Yeah I did, I’d normally put the bike down and run forward (or backward, depending) and then go back to get the clip. It was a bit time consuming but it also acted as a nice break for the legs and arse haha :) I would have got more clips like that if I gave myself more time each day, but didn’t want to get too sidetracked and end up arriving after dark.
great video Danny, well done. looking forward to the next episode. Interested to know how you planned your route (and stops) and as others have mentioned what you packed. (including what you should have brought and what you didn't need) 👍
G’Day Bruce. Essentially, knowing my destination and time constraints I routed on google maps, dragged some pins to route me along the coast and then tried to break it down into roughly even portions. Once I knew my start and finish location for each day I spent a lot of time scrolling over the route in satellite and choosing which roads I’d prefer to go down in rwgps. Going to have an equipment list in the description of the next video, I’ll also try to think of anything I didn’t need or wished I had. Thanks :D
Living in Croydon, enjoying a ride, and having stayed at that caravan park many times, this vid really hit the spot! Looking forward to the next instalment
Hey Rick, glad you enjoyed it :) I wish I got some more footage of the bikepaths closer to home, but the ride out of croydon following the Dandenong creek trail was a great way to start this trip . The whole way to Pakenham was about as cruisy as it gets.
Hi Danny. I cycled a recumbent trike Melbourne to Adelaide when I retired back in 2019. Much shorter distances each day to you though. But I didn't video then - just kept a blog. I keep looking for another trip - need inspiration - you may be it !! Good video.
@@antcullimore3550 Nice, would you recommend doing Melbourne to Adelaide? Something that’s been on the back of my mind as an option someday. Would love to try a recumbent someday, they look like a load of fun! Glad to inspire you, good luck on future adventures 😃
Hey man, lovely work, the flu symptoms freaked me out the first time too, a couple of other issues to watch out for….water and electrolyte intake when it’s cold, got caught out by this on a recent trip out to Charleville just because it’s cold doesn’t mean you don’t need to be getting the electrolytes in. And I get loss of appetite with the flu symptoms and once that happens you are toast so make sure you keep your appetite. Sugar is rocket fuel for me when doing these types of rides. Lots of sugar intake before feeling like I need it works. I’m no real sweet tooth but this works like magic. Esp in liquid form. Subscribed brother 🚲🚲
Appreciate the support. Yeah the practice trip around the bay really taught me not to over exert myself as that was quite un-bearable. Got a bit better throughout this trip at keeping up the fuel.
Great effort especially given thee were your first 100km per day rides. Living in Boronia and seeing Croydon in the title got my attention - and certainly glad it did. Trying to work out where you were when you died in the arse coming home from Torquey? Is it the footy oval just north of Wellington Rd on the Eastlink trail where your wife collected you?
@@andrewrose9707 Hey Andrew. Yeah it was, Mulgrave reserve I believe. Just got to a point where my legs could barely overcome gravity riding along a flat path lol.
@@dannydonehue haha - in your defence it is actually a very gradual climb as you head north along the path. Those couple of hills between FTG Rd and Burwood Hwy can hurt a bit too when your knackered
Excellent, mate! I'm from Melbourne, and have toured extensively overseas over the past few decades, usually solo, but never in Victoria; it's now on my list. I'm thinking up along the Murray River, or Melbs to Bairnsdale. I'm very curious to see how you go. Of note, I do see the "solo touring madness" has set in rather early at 10.05 on the vid timeline, Day 2. Hmm, interesting! 🙂 I wonder where we'll be with that by the time we get to Sydney? 🤪 Well done, Danny! Now to Episode 2....
Thankyou Mr. Gibbon! Melbourne to Bairnsdale was really lovely, although if I were you I'd continue that along the East Gippsland Rail Trail (you'll see that in the next episode ^^). I'd love to tour overseas, what's been you're favourite trip? I don't think 10:05 is so much me going crazy, more just getting comfortable with my idiocy, I've never 'vlogged' or anything before so it's a bit un-natural talking to a camera and filming yourself, it's hard to really be you when the cameras on I find.
@@juliewerner9592 OK, cheers, I'll check that out! (Ah, I'm just hoping this is not some wind-up, Julie, viz.; the yellow belly track, which is infested with yellow belly black snakes, and where the locals never go. But they do, however, enjoy sending people from Melbourne there... 🙂)
@@dannydonehue Overseas, I've done a lot, and it all tends to blur a bit. My favourite trip, if I had to pick, was across Cambodia in 1999. Cambo was a physical and social mess at the time. The roads and infrastructure were appalling. It was a challenge, but never a dull moment. However, I started touring back in 1988, and things the world over were different then; less touristed, less 'international', no internet and you really didn't know what was around the next bend half of the time. Many places had never seen a touring cyclist. I loved it. These days you need to get out onto the 'corners of the map' if you want real adventure. For the record, though, SE Asia is terrific, pretty much all over, although these days it's gotten rather tame. It is, however, a good choice for a first tour. India is chaotic, and not for the faint hearted. The Middle East is surprisingly easy, depending where you go. Ah, China, I found it kinda boring, but I only cycled some of the east coast. I cycled Botswana 15 years ago, and am now thinking of heading down the east coast of Africa later in the year. Africa remains a challenge. If you want a detailed discussion, message me on FB Messenger. You can find my name on the link off the greengibbon moniker, above.
Hey, I wish I had some numbers for ya but all I’ve got is that I looked noticeably skinnier when I arrived, mostly in the face and I suppose my snacky belly was smaller than normal haha.
Yeah, that's something I could do. Luckily I kept a google doc of most of the equipment, otherwise i'd have to go fishing through the garage haha. I'll remember to post something with episode 2 for ya.
G'day Danny, Loved the video, I can't believe you didn't go for an ebike, sure you'd have to plan it a lot more but I'd imagine it would just be a couple of extra stays at a powered campsite or maybe a mini solar charger or solar hooked up to a battery that you could then use to charge the main battery (Shame your solar powerbank couldn't do it, could you imagine, something so compact yet packing the power needed to charge the bike?) Gravel bikes aren't really my most liked bike, I'd say a mountain bike or a road bicycle, no need for an in-between. I decided to subscribe to your channel and I look forward to seeing the next video. (I am still wrapping my head around the shear effort required to complete the journey and all not done on a mountain bike or an ebike.)
@@LukeWarminger Hey Luke! Appreciate your support! I suppose part of the appeal that drew me to bikepacking is the fact it’s a form of self-powered travel and I found it quite rewarding to finish a day and think to myself “*holy f@$&, I’ve ridden how far*”. Would definitely consider packing up a mtb for certain trips, would be fun to load up my giant trance and go through some rougher terrain. Id probably only go an e-bike for say doing laps of a downhill track, or if I really needed the assistance.
Yeah totally agree. I think it would have been a bit un-wise for me to have made my first day of the trip my first century. Although doing the round the bay a fortnight beforehand was maybe cutting it a bit close, I am very glad to have done that overnighter in preparation.
Yeah I definitely think you could. Especially if you have time to add a couple more days to the trip. I ended up giving myself 9 days, but if I was able to lower the average km per day from 120 down to say 90km a day it would have made a big impact. I was initially unsure if I'd be able to do something like this, but I had recently watched Ed Pratts 'unicycling around the world', which really shows you that anything is possible if you're committed enough (if you don't want to watch the whole series, you could watch his Australia leg for instance - Perth to Sydney). Just take it at a pace you're comfortable with, stop often, eat lots and don't think you have to train for a year before, just do it.
Forgot to add, despite not having to train for a year to become superman prior.. do at-least an overnighter 2-4 weeks before, of roughly the same distance per day (or greater) than you'd plan to do on your main trip. It'll help you decide if you need to get new shorts, change your seat, fix this, replace that etc.
I’m 57 and bicycle commute to work every day with a cargo bike , it’s a 35km ride in and 35km back I can do it in an hour each way so you could breeze 100kms a day at 60.
@@splashpit that's bloody impressive! Used to work a bit closer to the city and for a time did one or two commutes by bike a week (~25km each way), can't imagine doing 70km every day! Nowadays I've got a pitiful 2km which i'm incredibly grateful for, but sometime miss the long commute.
Hey, glad you enjoyed the video and I apologise if anything I did was somewhat offensive. These videos are most certainly going to have me being an idiot scattered throughout, I definitely don’t mean anything in a negative way. Tried to google it to no conclusion, but what exactly is a subcontinental accent?? Still editing from episode 4 onwards to I’ll do my best. Thanks ✌️
@@gregpies1649 yeah definitely. Had my fair share of scares when on the princess but in general most people gave plenty of space. It only takes one though 😬one truck in particular passed on a narrow bridge so close that I received a massive speed boost from the wind.
![Yeat & Quavo - 5BRAZY [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4XxnTAwyxus/mqdefault.jpg)
![Lil Uzi Vert - Chill Bae [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/D7F42F_JM3U/mqdefault.jpg)
Planning to release this series weekly until they're all up, forgot to say anything catchy at the end so... HIT that sub button etc etc to catch the rest haha! :D
(Only edited up to episode 3 so i've set myself some deadlines to work on :| )
Dude this is crazy. I started watching this video after it was suggested and instantly thought “huh, that bike looks familiar…” then I saw the little scuff marks around the head tube and realised that it’s my old Norco. I sold you this bike! Love to see it being used to its fullest. Looked like an epic journey 🤙
Haha holy shit, so glad it appeared in your recommendations, that's awesome! Must be a proud moment to see a past bike appear in your RUclips feed. Thanks for selling it to me! :D
This is why we have the internet. This is so wholesome.
@@Shelmer75 i dont even care about bikes but this is so good haha i agree
Love your sense of humour. Looks like a fantastic trip. Im inspired to do something similar.
Look forward to your next episode
Thanks mate! Yeah definitely go for it, I was and am not still to this day some sort of expert biker. I just kinda committed to doing this a couple months in advance as it had been on my mind for a long time. I believe really anyone can go bike packing / touring with the right amount of planning and determination.
Nice one. Looking forward to watching the rest of the journey as it unfolds!
@@sammat1267 excited to get them out! Editing these videos has been a fun way to revisit the trip.
Legend, finding your video this evening has been the highlight of my Friday night viewing. Thanks for sharing, looking forward to the next instalment.
Haha that's awesome, I'm glad to hear it!
This is great mate!!!
Thanks man, appreciate it!! :D
Best advice i got for long tours, find the gear you want to be in....and then drop a gear. Great to see you giving it a crack!
That's some great advice, and easy to remember. Will definitely give that advice someday :D
Just last week 6 of us cycled the Rail Trails through Gippsland and East Gippsland, so we recognised sections of your route. Having all grown up around Wollongong and even having a brother who lived in Coledale, we understood where you were headed. Thanks for the video. Happy riding.
The rail trails through Gippsland were amazing. And yeah, we often go up to Coledale to visit family over summer, and last year I thought 'why not ride this time?'. I'm glad I did!
So proud of you! Can't believe you actually did it you BEAST x
Great 1st video! Will be watching the rest! Thanks for sharing w us!
@@Walt1119 thanks for watching Walt! Glad you enjoyed it :D
Enormous effort! 👍
Thanks Ling :D
I love the cute/silly/dumb.
It's cool seeing someone having a crack. You learn so much from your first ride.
I love it.
Haha thanks, I think showing some of this was inspired by videos i've watched where I agree, I like to see the person behind the camera (which is kind of hard to show). There's plenty of 4k Ultra HD movie quality packing videos out there. But videos like Ed Pratt's unicycling around the world series, Josh Reid's ride from China to England 'a bivvy, a phone and a drone: cycling home from china' & Hackisoutthere's 'Uk to Australia by bike' were hugely inspiring for me doing this.
Cheers, I'll go have a look.
I've seen lots of polished stuff on RUclips but not a lot of people filming their first. It makes a great narrative. There's uncertainty and doubts and confidence growing and learning stuff etc. 'Guy behind the camera' is on a personal journey as well as a physical one.
I can relate to it. It works really well. Loving it.
awesome work keep up the adventures
Thanks mate, definitely want to do something like this again sometime, not sure when or what yet though. Perhaps Tassie.
@@dannydonehue Yes Tassie is great to ride around some awesome locations
Very inspiring video. Great job!
Thanks Ollie, appreciate the support :)
Top stuff,enjoy the trip.
Thanks mate! It was awesome. ✌️
Now that's real a-rack-naphobia! 🕷 Like your quirky style of storytelling! 👍
@@goldenstardust Haha thanks, not sure if it’s a style or just my lack of editing experience and just not taking myself too seriously 😅 I tried to be cool but am definitely terrified of hunstmans.
You've uploaded two of my favourite things, cycling & Runescape
Bring a couple extra batteries and you'll get 90 hours of wc xp when doing this trip. Maybe next time haha
@@dannydonehuedoes Garmin come equipped with osrs launcher yet?
Dude this is awesome, I’m here for the journey ❤
I thought this was a great video, even motivated me to get out for a hike today; awesome work! I was also able to find and follow you on Strava ; looking forward to the rest of the series!
Awesome stuff, great to hear I’ve inspired anyone to go out for a hike or a ride! :)
Thanks for this video. I'm very interested in your route to Sydney. I would like to ride to Sydney on my gravel bike, which means AWAY from the main roads as much as possible. Look forward to the next episode.
Also very interested in the route details, any chance of linking them? Cheers
Hey Ivan, no worries, thanks for watching! If you have a look in the description I’ve got the ridewithgps rides linked, you might even be able to look on my rwgps for a sneak peak of the routes of the next 7 days. I tried to avoid as much highway as possible, but also was a bit time pressed and so later in the trip you’ll see I do travel a couple large sections of the princess. With more time there are some alternative roads which I would have liked to travel if I had the time (and tyres). Hard to get any information on a lot of the alternative roads however. Good luck with your planning!
Looking like a nice ride.
Yeah it was, can't wait to have the rest of the trip uploaded (:
Good luck. Looking forward to seeing more videos. I am looking to ride the similar ride in reverse. How are you finding the campsites? Location I mean.
Hey Ian, firstly knowing I had 9 days to do it I wanted to evenly as possible break up the trip. Figured these first couple days I'd do a bit more distance on average so that the remainder I could travel a bit less than the average required. From there I'd essentially look on google maps for a suitable town/campsite along my rough route within 100-130km from my previous stay. Booked the 2nd & 3rd night before leaving, from there I would end up calling ahead at around lunchtime to book a site for the night (this left it open for if plans were to slightly change etc). Also tried to look up videos/blogs of routes that others had taken over sections of this ride when planning it. Give yourself 10-14 days if you can afford the extra time. Good luck!
You will have learnt a lot from this trip, which should be great for your next adventure. Looking forward to the rest of the trip.
Thanks Russel! Yeah definitely learnt a lot doing this. Will help me with planning my next trip (nothing in the works yet), with routing & perhaps choosing how far to go each day etc. I'd love to do my next trip at a more leisurely pace, having more time to stop along the way etc.
I really enjoyed that, I'll be sure to watch the rest.
Would be cool if you talked a bit about what you brought with you, how you kept your devices charged, stuff like that, even if its just in a voice over or something.
I just did my first bush poo made me laugh out loud, wasn't expecting it lol.
also definitely recommend checking out some beau miles videos for inspo if you have a chance, he's another Aussie who does stuff like this, really great stuff.
I've lived in South Australia my whole life, didn't realise you guys up there just get turtles crossing the road, thats awesome!
Hey, haha glad you enjoyed it! I have had a few requests for this, I might do something like that once I’ve finished editing the series. Gear list is in the description but yeah I could definitely make a short video of the setup one weekend. Thanks (:
My bike is second hand, and the previous owner rode it from Wodonga to Bairnsdale. I thought that was a long way! Well done
Thanks mate :)
Good effort!! Rode from Albury to Sydney over Kosciuszko with a norco search in January. Good memories.
@@jamesk7777 That would have been epic. What was your worst elevation day doing that?? Any pictures you can share?
Great journey to ride! I've ridden many 100k + days when younger. I looked at what you showed as your first night meal and your "flu like symptoms" were the result of going keto through not eating enough food. The pizza on the next night was more realistic. I'd recommend cycling shoes, cleats and the pedals to suit, they make a big difference in getting power to the back wheel.
@@LizDodd-my6wi Gday Liz, thanks for watching! :D
The ‘flu like’ symptoms actually only really occurred on my test ride around the bay, I definitely over exerted myself doing that, didn’t eat right or drink enough. During this trip I was very cautious of over exerting and dehydrating and managed to avoid any further flu like responses luckily (had electrolyte tablets in one of my water bottles).Definitely had many times where I was out of energy (particularly more into nsw when I was climbing 1500+ a day).
I have thought about cleats but never felt the urge to get them. I am open to try them in the future some day though, thanks again for your support and advice :)
Cool video! Would love to try bikepacking sometime. Could link up some fire trails in the Mountains for sure!
Thanks man. Yeah this was honestly a great experience, and something I had been contemplating doing for quite some time. If you're thinking about it just bite the bullet and do it! :D
Good music choices 🔥
Hahah thanks :P honestly that was one of the hardest parts of the editing, going through the youtube library and finding something that kinda fits. The track at 3:05 is some random song of mine though that I never finished. If I had all the time in the world I could write my own epic score :O
@@dannydonehue My favourite is the country music and the bike packing song
@@magic.mitcho 🤠
Fantastic video! Did you only stay in designated camping grounds and caravan parks during your ride.? Or did you camp in the "wild" some nights?
@@Hugh23132 Thankyou, appreciate it! I was originally hoping to wild camp a bit, but ended up staying in designated camp spots the whole trip. The timing, coming up to Christmas, and the fact I wanted a shower made me call ahead most days to book a site. Left with no bookings past the first few days as I wanted to keep my options open.
Nice shot of stony creek trestle
Thanks (: sneak peak of next weeks episode haha 🤫
Did you wild camp or camp at proper campsites and caravan parks?
Hey, I ended up staying in designated camp spots for the trip. Initially I was hoping to free camp a bit so I left the majority of the trip un-booked. But on the days that weren't booked I'd end up looking up a spot around lunch time and calling to book it as I was super keen for a shower. Also coming up to Christmas there was a lot of people about.
Hey, great video and massive effort.
Did you film the clips of you riding (not handheld) yourself on the road and walk/cycle back? That must have been really time consuming and tiring.
Hey, thanks! Yeah I did, I’d normally put the bike down and run forward (or backward, depending) and then go back to get the clip. It was a bit time consuming but it also acted as a nice break for the legs and arse haha :) I would have got more clips like that if I gave myself more time each day, but didn’t want to get too sidetracked and end up arriving after dark.
great video Danny, well done. looking forward to the next episode. Interested to know how you planned your route (and stops) and as others have mentioned what you packed. (including what you should have brought and what you didn't need) 👍
G’Day Bruce. Essentially, knowing my destination and time constraints I routed on google maps, dragged some pins to route me along the coast and then tried to break it down into roughly even portions. Once I knew my start and finish location for each day I spent a lot of time scrolling over the route in satellite and choosing which roads I’d prefer to go down in rwgps. Going to have an equipment list in the description of the next video, I’ll also try to think of anything I didn’t need or wished I had. Thanks :D
Living in Croydon, enjoying a ride, and having stayed at that caravan park many times, this vid really hit the spot!
Looking forward to the next instalment
Hey Rick, glad you enjoyed it :) I wish I got some more footage of the bikepaths closer to home, but the ride out of croydon following the Dandenong creek trail was a great way to start this trip . The whole way to Pakenham was about as cruisy as it gets.
@@dannydonehue might have to start putting more miles into my legs and see how far I get.
Safe travels Danny
@@rickw1638 You should! thanks Rick, you too.
Hi Danny. I cycled a recumbent trike Melbourne to Adelaide when I retired back in 2019. Much shorter distances each day to you though. But I didn't video then - just kept a blog. I keep looking for another trip - need inspiration - you may be it !! Good video.
@@antcullimore3550 Nice, would you recommend doing Melbourne to Adelaide? Something that’s been on the back of my mind as an option someday. Would love to try a recumbent someday, they look like a load of fun! Glad to inspire you, good luck on future adventures 😃
Hey man, lovely work, the flu symptoms freaked me out the first time too, a couple of other issues to watch out for….water and electrolyte intake when it’s cold, got caught out by this on a recent trip out to Charleville just because it’s cold doesn’t mean you don’t need to be getting the electrolytes in.
And I get loss of appetite with the flu symptoms and once that happens you are toast so make sure you keep your appetite.
Sugar is rocket fuel for me when doing these types of rides. Lots of sugar intake before feeling like I need it works. I’m no real sweet tooth but this works like magic. Esp in liquid form.
Subscribed brother 🚲🚲
Appreciate the support. Yeah the practice trip around the bay really taught me not to over exert myself as that was quite un-bearable. Got a bit better throughout this trip at keeping up the fuel.
man voice cracked in the first 10 secs of the vid but doesnt gaf
Hahaha, it was the only thing making me contemplate re-taking the voice over but I really couldn't be stuffed, and it didn't bother me too much :P
Great effort especially given thee were your first 100km per day rides. Living in Boronia and seeing Croydon in the title got my attention - and certainly glad it did. Trying to work out where you were when you died in the arse coming home from Torquey? Is it the footy oval just north of Wellington Rd on the Eastlink trail where your wife collected you?
@@andrewrose9707 Hey Andrew. Yeah it was, Mulgrave reserve I believe. Just got to a point where my legs could barely overcome gravity riding along a flat path lol.
@@dannydonehue haha - in your defence it is actually a very gradual climb as you head north along the path. Those couple of hills between FTG Rd and Burwood Hwy can hurt a bit too when your knackered
Excellent, mate! I'm from Melbourne, and have toured extensively overseas over the past few decades, usually solo, but never in Victoria; it's now on my list. I'm thinking up along the Murray River, or Melbs to Bairnsdale. I'm very curious to see how you go. Of note, I do see the "solo touring madness" has set in rather early at 10.05 on the vid timeline, Day 2. Hmm, interesting! 🙂 I wonder where we'll be with that by the time we get to Sydney? 🤪
Well done, Danny! Now to Episode 2....
Thankyou Mr. Gibbon! Melbourne to Bairnsdale was really lovely, although if I were you I'd continue that along the East Gippsland Rail Trail (you'll see that in the next episode ^^). I'd love to tour overseas, what's been you're favourite trip? I don't think 10:05 is so much me going crazy, more just getting comfortable with my idiocy, I've never 'vlogged' or anything before so it's a bit un-natural talking to a camera and filming yourself, it's hard to really be you when the cameras on I find.
Try to include the yellow belly track in your travels 👏🏻 near Echuca
@@juliewerner9592 OK, cheers, I'll check that out!
(Ah, I'm just hoping this is not some wind-up, Julie, viz.; the yellow belly track, which is infested with yellow belly black snakes, and where the locals never go. But they do, however, enjoy sending people from Melbourne there... 🙂)
@@dannydonehue Overseas, I've done a lot, and it all tends to blur a bit. My favourite trip, if I had to pick, was across Cambodia in 1999. Cambo was a physical and social mess at the time. The roads and infrastructure were appalling. It was a challenge, but never a dull moment.
However, I started touring back in 1988, and things the world over were different then; less touristed, less 'international', no internet and you really didn't know what was around the next bend half of the time. Many places had never seen a touring cyclist. I loved it. These days you need to get out onto the 'corners of the map' if you want real adventure.
For the record, though, SE Asia is terrific, pretty much all over, although these days it's gotten rather tame. It is, however, a good choice for a first tour. India is chaotic, and not for the faint hearted. The Middle East is surprisingly easy, depending where you go. Ah, China, I found it kinda boring, but I only cycled some of the east coast.
I cycled Botswana 15 years ago, and am now thinking of heading down the east coast of Africa later in the year. Africa remains a challenge.
If you want a detailed discussion, message me on FB Messenger. You can find my name on the link off the greengibbon moniker, above.
Extraordinary! Just wondering how much weight did you lose when you reached Sydney?
Hey, I wish I had some numbers for ya but all I’ve got is that I looked noticeably skinnier when I arrived, mostly in the face and I suppose my snacky belly was smaller than normal haha.
awesome!
@@andrewford80 ✌️
Nice vid, can you post your gear list in next video?
Yeah, that's something I could do. Luckily I kept a google doc of most of the equipment, otherwise i'd have to go fishing through the garage haha. I'll remember to post something with episode 2 for ya.
@@dannydonehueim interested as well.
From Ballarat … familiar with some of your route and would appreciate a link to Strava, Komoot etc.
@@ianccrook8899 hey mate, thanks for watching :) Links to the ridewithgps files are in the description of each video
G'day Danny,
Loved the video, I can't believe you didn't go for an ebike, sure you'd have to plan it a lot more but I'd imagine it would just be a couple of extra stays at a powered campsite or maybe a mini solar charger or solar hooked up to a battery that you could then use to charge the main battery (Shame your solar powerbank couldn't do it, could you imagine, something so compact yet packing the power needed to charge the bike?)
Gravel bikes aren't really my most liked bike, I'd say a mountain bike or a road bicycle, no need for an in-between.
I decided to subscribe to your channel and I look forward to seeing the next video.
(I am still wrapping my head around the shear effort required to complete the journey and all not done on a mountain bike or an ebike.)
@@LukeWarminger Hey Luke! Appreciate your support!
I suppose part of the appeal that drew me to bikepacking is the fact it’s a form of self-powered travel and I found it quite rewarding to finish a day and think to myself “*holy f@$&, I’ve ridden how far*”. Would definitely consider packing up a mtb for certain trips, would be fun to load up my giant trance and go through some rougher terrain. Id probably only go an e-bike for say doing laps of a downhill track, or if I really needed the assistance.
Hi Dan loved your videos if you decide to do another ride please keep me in mind . Kind regards Peter
I appreciate the thought but I’d likely go solo if I was to do this again. Or maybe convince one of my mates to come along with me 🚲
At least the ride home will be downhill all the way.
Always good to do 100km training ard somewhere close to home.
Yeah totally agree. I think it would have been a bit un-wise for me to have made my first day of the trip my first century. Although doing the round the bay a fortnight beforehand was maybe cutting it a bit close, I am very glad to have done that overnighter in preparation.
3:06 - 3:08 best two seconds of the whole video (or was it the “rescue” 20km from home?): a wife who loves ya.
Awww haha, yeah for sure! Can never take having a supporting wife for granted, Love her!
Do you think a 60 year old in pretty good shape could do it?
Yeah I definitely think you could. Especially if you have time to add a couple more days to the trip. I ended up giving myself 9 days, but if I was able to lower the average km per day from 120 down to say 90km a day it would have made a big impact. I was initially unsure if I'd be able to do something like this, but I had recently watched Ed Pratts 'unicycling around the world', which really shows you that anything is possible if you're committed enough (if you don't want to watch the whole series, you could watch his Australia leg for instance - Perth to Sydney). Just take it at a pace you're comfortable with, stop often, eat lots and don't think you have to train for a year before, just do it.
Forgot to add, despite not having to train for a year to become superman prior.. do at-least an overnighter 2-4 weeks before, of roughly the same distance per day (or greater) than you'd plan to do on your main trip. It'll help you decide if you need to get new shorts, change your seat, fix this, replace that etc.
I’m 57 and bicycle commute to work every day with a cargo bike , it’s a 35km ride in and 35km back I can do it in an hour each way so you could breeze 100kms a day at 60.
@@splashpit that's bloody impressive! Used to work a bit closer to the city and for a time did one or two commutes by bike a week (~25km each way), can't imagine doing 70km every day! Nowadays I've got a pitiful 2km which i'm incredibly grateful for, but sometime miss the long commute.
Nice video. Looking forward to the rest. I could do without the bad subcontinental accent though...bit racist.
Hey, glad you enjoyed the video and I apologise if anything I did was somewhat offensive. These videos are most certainly going to have me being an idiot scattered throughout, I definitely don’t mean anything in a negative way. Tried to google it to no conclusion, but what exactly is a subcontinental accent?? Still editing from episode 4 onwards to I’ll do my best. Thanks ✌️
Biggest danger is the motorists.
@@gregpies1649 yeah definitely. Had my fair share of scares when on the princess but in general most people gave plenty of space. It only takes one though 😬one truck in particular passed on a narrow bridge so close that I received a massive speed boost from the wind.
Hi Dan loved your videos please if you decide to do another ride please keep me in mind . Kind regards Peter