DAY 31

1 month has gone since they stood at the airport and wondered separately what they really were doing, while neither of them dared to say those words out loud. After a month on the bike they still think, what are they really doing?

The cycle more or less all the time, they eat, they drink water and tries to get some sleep. A normal day at the office is from 08:00 to 16:00. The office is at the side of a road with not to much traffic. Anders gets up at 06:30+ while Lasse gets out of the sleeping bag closer to 7:30 than 7:00.

All these hours at “the office” have led to them being less than 500 k’s away from Sydney. They have crossed two states and are getting closer to their second large target, Sydney. At the moment they lay comfortably at a “hotel” in Cooma, the capital of the Snowy Mountains area. Tomorrow it is a huge cycle tour nearby, with Chris Froome among the participants. A good thing they made it past the tour area so they wouldn’t be humiliated on the bike or stuck due to closed roads.

One month goes fast and it’s soon Christmas, but its awfully long left. With step by step, day by day method it goes quite smooth. It’s getting hotter and hotter and they will soon meet days hot like fire. Lasse set a new speed record of 67 kph. Anders thinks that it’s a bit too fast as they both know what a crash in that speed would mean. White coffin, red roses etc. Anders says “safety first”.

The hotel room they are staying at is of the primitively kind. No tv, no bathroom – just two single beds and a nightstand. “They tricked us” said Anders to Lasse as they walk in to the room. Lasse agrees. But it is beds, a clean shared bathroom and no cockroaches. Some of the restrooms the boys unfortunately have had to use at some caravan parks and roadhouse are probably from the 60’s. The boys handles this very well as long as they get some comfort every once in a while.

When Anders and Lasse left Bramear caravan park Friday morning they met a few interesting guys. One of them asked Anders where they come from and where they are going. Anders said they had crossed the mountain on The Happy Jacks Road and that they are heading to Cooma. “Did you meet any wild dogs?” he curiously asked. Anders looked weird at him and curiously asked “eh no don’t think so”. Anders was wondering if the man was joking but he did not. “They can be pretty aggressive you know. But if you are not alone you should be okay”. Anders stood there as a question mark thinking “are you telling me there is dangerous wild dogs on the mountain we just have spent two days crossing??”. Luckily they didn’t meet any.

The other guy asks Lasse if they are a part of the cycle tour. How anybody could asks these boys that question is still a riddle. 1) Lasse doesn’t look like a cyclist (no offense, Anders doesn’t neither). 2) with 30 kg’s of luggage it’s hard to get any decent speed on the bike. 3) would prepare for the race at a caravan park in a tent?

The caravan park owner continues “did you see many snakes?” “No should we?” The boys answer in regard to their trip. This mountain is obviously paradise for wild dogs and snakes. If they knew this in advance they wouldn’t have choose the same route, but probably ordered an Uber.

They are exhausted Friday night, but a
Spontaneous sponsor from Norway buys them dinner and wine. Either he did that as thank you for great entertainment or out of sympathies for the last 3 really hard days. A big thank you to an anonymous sponsor. It’s not like the boys has it though, when you look at all the misery in the world. They are privileged and they know it.

Lasse asks Anders if his muscles are sour after conquering the mountain. Trying to cool Anders replies “no, but I can feel that the body has been used”.

PS! Lasse leads 5-4 over Anders in the fly eating competition.

awesomestralia – a normal life is boring