Sydney to Brisbane in January, heat ?

[ipeat]

Hi I'm 20 and from the UK. I am currently living in Australia for a year. I am a keen cycle tourist and have done multiple tours now since the age of 16 mostly around the UK and a weekend or so in Spain. The longest tour I have done lasted a couple of weeks or so, and I did 1200km. I recently got back from a Tour de Tassie I did in 12 days and did around 900km-950km.

I have friends in Sydney and Brisbane. I was planning a tour from Sydney to Brisbane, my holiday is December and all of January and I would be cycling in the summer, due to where I am from I have never experienced serious heat for more than a week.

My question is, is it silly to cycle in the January heat and should I just completely dismiss the idea ? Also any tips on cycling in the heat ?

Many thanks happy cycling.

[baabaa]

Umm, to me not silly at all, you just need to work around travel/ ride times and get some good kms under the belt before the highs of temp for the day.
Getting up and out on the road early is the best way but the heat is only part of the issue and the other two are the holiday traffic and the increase in shocking drivers on the road (very hard to see those scary victorian number plates coming up behind you) and the second one is just finding somewhere to stay each night.
Picking a route inland will largely take away the accommodation issue and to me, it is a better ride than the coast anyway. (Have done both up inland down coast and up coast down inland a few times now*.) While the coastal towns are nice and the beaches fancy the coastal route is now quite hellish during peak times. The newish parts of the dual carriage way up the Pacific Highway make it easy for point to point riding but a day or two of that is enough. The inland will be hot but not so humid or wet and also humid, also lots of route options and free bush camping if you go inland.
* first time was also in Jan and my very early 20s, don't overthink it, pack light and just do it you and you will have fun!!

[Tim]

Riding in extreme heat doesn't worry me as long as I have plenty of water, sun protection and keep moving.
Evaporative cooling works. For touring in heat (35+) loose cotton clothing is the most comfy I find. Clinging cycling specific race type gear is horrible. Even loose fitting long sleeved merino up to around 30C is better than synthetic gear.
I feel the heat worst when I stop.
Dry heat no worries, high humidity no good.
Sometimes a headwind is a good thing. It cools better than riding at the same speed as a tailwind.
One technique I sometimes use is to momentarily stop for a coupe of minutes, let the sweat accumulate in my clothing then push off again. The wet clothes really do cool effectively as the sweat dries out.

[RonK]

It would be unlikely (but not impossible) that you would experience any "extreme" temperatures. The coastal route will be cooler than inland and there will be a sea breeze in the afternoons. It will become progressively more humid as you head north. If it is hot, then the last place you want to be is slogging along the Great Dividing Range. Besides, what is it they say about "mad dogs and Englishmen".

As it happens I'm thinking of doing this ride over Xmas if work commitments permit. I'm not overly concerned about the heat, more concerned about how busy the coastal towns will be.

If I do the ride I will base my route on the NSW Coastal Trail. The Cyclewayz app also covers this route. I also have an older route map in PDF format - a little outdated but still useful and I prefer some parts of the route it takes. PM me your email address if you want a copy.

If you are planning to camp, get the WikiCamps app.

[ipeat]

Hi Guys,

Thank you so much for your replies. Well that has settled my mind I will take all of your advice on board. I like the suggestion on clothing Tim, I also found on my last tour the lycra did nothing for me but become sticky and grotty.

I'm currently planning my route. I will go along the coast rather than inland as I am a bit of a sucker for beaches and the coast (perhaps it is my lack of beach where I'm from in the UK) but yes I would like to avoid the Highway as much as possible.

I know there are a few ferry crossings which would help me stay off the main highway?

I generally will camp but have recently been using warm showers so I will use that aswell I had a great experience in Tas and I look forward to meeting new hosts. Yes I use Wiki Camps love the app don't know where I would be without it. I've downloaded the cyclewayz app will have a look at it soon.

Again thanks for the help guys.

[Tim]

A gentle word of warning on cotton clothing.
If things turn cold cotton can be deadly.
For exactly the same reasons it's so good in heat, it stays wet and cold in wet and cold weather.
East coast summer can still bring all sorts of weather although north of Sydney it's unlikely to get too cold but very likely wet and windy.
Wind chill might be a factor so best be prepared with a waterproof shell and stinky synthetic or merino baselayer/s (as well as the cotton T shirts).
Good luck and keep us posted.
I envy you. I'm housebound for all but a few hours a day at the moment and dream of an extended tour. I love the coast, and the mountains, and the rivers, and the dessert (sort of), and anywhere else I can travel by bike.

[baabaa]

Yes, ferry options do help avoid the Pacific Highway like the one just out of Port Macquarie which lets you go up the coast to Crescent Head. Problem is you then need to pick a road the coast/ beach one which is a bit/ a lot rough and really a 4x4 track or the one just east of the river which is also gravel but a faster and hot and dull. The same for the coast road from Tea Gardens to Seal Rocks the coast road is good and poor in parts. Be prepared to ask the locals what roads are like in terms of wash outs, sand, sand and more sand and wheel size potholes. BUT the beaches in both these sections are well worth a look and you would never see them from the highway.
What sort of bike will you use?
Clothes, umm wouldn't worry that much about the type but something to keep the sun off from burning would be best, t shirts and shorts would work pretty well with sunscreen and just make sure you bring the Rid in an extra large bottle as the biting midges and sand flys are savage on some parts of the NSW coast.
also this
http://www.findacamp.com.au/