The bus I will be driving for the Perth to Sydney ride is bigger than the average 'roadie' vehicle but it makes it possible to transport a greater proportion of the team when necessary. On the Nullarbor crossing we will be overnighting at roadhouses but before and after the Nullarbor we will use church halls and clubhouses for accommodation (where there is often only one toilet and no shower) and we bus the team to other venues for showers and meals. Additionally, the bus, being diesel and with manual transmission, can run very economically - even to as low as 8 litres per 100km on the Nullarbor (2006 crossing at bike speed). The 'verandah' on the front of the bus probably won't be used on this ride because we expect the riders will be on their bikes and not catching a ride in the bus and with their bike on the verandah!
We plan to use two other vehicles for rider support. They will be a Honda CRV and a Falcon station wagon. Both vehicles will be towing trailers. The Falcon will be used by the 'foodie' team and its trailer will carry food and food related equipment. The CRV will travel in front of the riders to alert oncoming traffic as to our presence on the road and its trailer will carry bikes and bike wheels and some of the team member's luggage. The bus will follow the riders, carry bulk food and drink supplies as well as the bulk of luggage.
Roadie vehicles are not permitted to drive on the carriageway in a way that inhibits the flow of the normal road-user. When other vehicles are approaching from behind, roadie vehicles must either drive on the shoulder or pull off the road altogether and stop. Roadies have the task of protecting the riders by making other drivers aware of the presence of the cyclists (by signage, flashing lights and the two-way radio) - NOT by placing themselves and their vehicles between the cyclists and the other road users as a kind of 'buffer' or 'breakwater'. To do this is not only illegal - it is highly dangerous and in the case of a collision, it creates additional danger for the cyclists that the roadie is meant to be protecting. Roadies also make the cyclists aware of approaching vehicles and the size of those vehicles by signaling with their horn.
The intention is to depart Sydney for Perth on August 8. We estimate it will take five or six days to get there. Once we arrive in Perth we must prepare for the trip back to Sydney with the cyclists – food and water to buy and load, vehicle to service, beacon lights and CB radios to install or check, signage to put into position, etc. The riders will have bikes to assemble and/or service etc.
