Something great happened out on the road yesterday. We decided that we were heading to Karijini National Park a place that everyone we had run into said “it’s a must see the most beautiful you will visit in WA maybe Australia.

Shelly is driving we are around125ks into our near 600 kilometer day that we started pretty late compared to other days, in fact we haven’t yet done this distance, it a holiday and not meant to be hard work, our plan has always been to be off the road early afternoon, anyway we come around a bend and down into one of the many flood zones this flood zone (a dip in the road or an dry river bed) was actually a dry creek bed and had a tree or two trees.

Trees are not common in WA but down in this little oasis we noticed a guy sitting down with a mountain bike between him and the road under the only shade for a long way as a car approached from the other direction and with the bike intruding into our space we slowed as the other car pulled to the side as it slowed. We continued on and I couldn’t get this out of my mind, what’s he doing out here by himself? Where has he been? Where is he headed? And the main question kept going around in my mind…

A few kilometers up the road I looked at Shell and said we have to go back “what all the way back” I said yeah I got some questions that I would love to ask him. Lucky for me my driver agreed, we turned back so I could get some answers.

We pulled in just short of the rider under his tree, Shelly stayed back and made lunch, I grabbed my phone to record the conversation and a camera to get a picture. As I approached he put his head up and gave me a smile, I said g’day as I crossed the road explaining we just passed him and had to come back for a chat.

I introduced myself and he told me his name was Mike. I had already hit the record button on my phone so I can record it and post the audio from my roadside meeting with the lone rider, I asked if he minded to which he had no problem.

Mike is from Melbourne and had rolled out of Melbourne mostly on bike tracks, then crossed the Nulabour to Norseman, down to Albany and along the Leeuwin bike track into Perth, I couldn’t help but be inspired by Mike and feel I was doing this the easy way in the comfort of our 4WD, the Rooftop Penthouse and a TV I could whip out when the Bombers are playing.

This lone rider who’s been out on the road for the past 12 months didn’t get up from his seated position with his back against the tree so I placed my phone down in front of him on the box of Vita Wheat biscuits sticking out of his bag to make sure I picked up his soft voice.

He talked about riding the track from Albany to Perth to which I shot off “you would have knocked off 150 to 200ks a day” Mike was quick to point out it’s a mountain bike track not a paved road and he did 50ks a day at best.

A story he shared about the trip from Albany to Perth was a good one, he met a Frenchman on the track, they struck up a friendship and decided to ride as one, where Mike was drinking many liters of water a day the Frenchman had a cask of red wine to sip on as they rode. Mike had a huge grin on his face telling the story, they would pull up by 2pm each day and the French would bring out bring out the wine and all the nibbles for a fine French feast each afternoon.

Before I asked the main question I had for him he told his intention was to get to Darwin before leaving our fine shores and continuing his ride all the way around the world, north of Australia up through Japan and let it lead him around, I wanted to rip my bike of the top of our car and join him, I was inspired by this tired man sitting on a rock between Exmouth and the Pilbra.

I must ask the obvious one Mike? “Oh yeah that’s easy, much of life is a waste, I worked in IT back in Melbourne for the past 30 years and it was a waste of time, so I left” “I come into towns now and notice everyone is moving so fast, talking so fast, I guess I was part of that“

Mike had just returned from Exmouth a town of 1800 people is not what you would call a fast moving town but when you ride from Melbourne to the North West at 50ks a day most things would seem fast, I couldn’t help but agree with him and admire him and his efforts even more.

We talked about the footy back in Melbourne and other things but I couldn’t help but wonder what had delivered him to this spot other than what he had told me, a marriage break down, a lost partner to that thing starting with C we all hate but touches us all in some way over the years? I didn’t ask the gentle but friendly cyclist. He did mention he had met a lady in Norseman that may change his plans, as much as he seemed keen to go back I hope he continues on for the trip of a lifetime around the world.

Mike followed me back to our car where I introduced him to Shelly and gave him a bottle of cold water from our esky, a bottle he was thankful to receive and excited to drink, he had plenty of water attached to his bike but none cold in the 40 degree heat. The bike was well decked out with a basket on the front and water bottles and water bags attached in the middle with a few packs hanging over the rear tyre holding his food, tent and sleeping gear.

After getting a picture with him we said goodbye to Mike who was also headed to Karijini National Park, (we will be long gone by the time he arrives) we headed up the road with another 400ks ahead of us.

The outback doesn’t offer much in the way of radio so we have podcasts going something I can usually listen to and follow well, today I had no hope, I couldn’t get Mike out of my mind. What a ripper, what an effort to be out here by himself with only what he can carry on his bike, I was inspired to the point I couldn’t think of much else for the rest of the day.

Around an hour after the meeting I decided to play the audio back that I had recorded, my phone had heated to the point it had shut down and had that iPhone notice with the yellow triangle about the temperature being to hot! Once it cooled I searched for the audio to realise that due to the heat it hadn’t saved my recording that was running when it shut down! I was so pissed off!

So the above was done from memory, I had hoped to bring you the recording Macca on Sunday morning style of this guy out in the wild who did treat the first part of our conversation as an interview and did all the talking to tell his story. Even though I was pissed off at missing out on the audio but I very much enjoyed talking to him and enjoyed the rest of the day thinking about his journey.