Perth-Albany-Perth

I first heard of Perth-Albany-Perth(PAP) during Paris-Brest-Paris(PBP) in 1995 from Oliver Portway. Somewhere between Mortagne Au Perche and Noget Le Roi Mike Aeling and I were riding together and came upon Oliver with a mechanical. He had broken a spoke and his wheel went out of true and out of round. It was dark in almost the middle of nowhere in the rural French country side. Oliver didn’t have a spoke wrench, but I did. He was able to get the wheel true enough to roll between the chain stays but not back in round so that it didn’t hit the front derailleur bracket. The tolerances on his frame were really tight. Mike had a chain tool so we broke his chain down and removed his front derailleur, and it provided enough room for the wheel to roll.

The three of us continued to ride together, slowly, since Oliver was limited to his front chain ring and I was beginning to have fatigue, sleep and bonk issues. You might expect to after

nearly completing PBP on only 2 hours sleep. Oliver told us about PAP and it became a goal of

mine to always think about doing the event.

The start for PAB was only about 2 kilometers from Chris’s house in South Perth. Just a short ride on the bike path to the Esplanade where the start was to be held. All riders started at 5:00 AM on Tuesday morning. I was surprised at how cool it was in Perth during the mornings. At 5:00 AM I wore tights and 2 layers on top. The first 60 kms were also on the Freeway bike path, we would also finish the last 60 kms on the same bike path. Not very scenic, but it was nice to have a safe traffic free way out of town at the start and finish. I tried to position myself near the front of the group at the start. With 85 riders I would have expected the tail of the pack to be like an accordion, near the front was safer and the pace was steady. It was a quick and comfortable ride to the first control in Mandurah.

Some of the views as we exited Mandurah were very good. We rode along some city streets and bike paths near the ocean. Waves were crashing and surfers were out in the ocean. I did find navigating the exit out of this town quite confusing and was off route several times. I lost a good 45 minutes before I hooked up with a couple others and we managed to get out of town. Navigating out in the country was much less confusing. After riding along the estuary for a bit we turned inland and shortly were at control placed at a Layby(rest stop) along the road. This was at the 127 kms mark.

The next control was at Banbury, 181 kms along the route. More very scenic views of the ocean. The control was at a restaurant, but I did not stop and eat. I wanted to try and make up time lost getting out of Mandurah. We also started to get some strong head winds. There were times when I was only managing 15 kms an hour. The winds would be with us the rest of the day. When we approached Brusselton and the next control more ocean views awaited and the longest pier I’d ever seen. It must have been about a mile, I took several pictures to help remind myself of it. We were now at 239 kms and about 200 more to go for the overnight. There were several times leaving Brusselton that the cue sheet was a bit confusing. I stopped and studied sighs and still felt I was on the verge of going off route again.

The next control would be Margaret River, and there really is a river, we crossed it as we entered into town. Shortly before arriving there another rider passed me and I noticed he was riding a single speed. I rode with him(Eamonn) a few minutes and found out it was a fixed gear bike. I asked what possessed him to attempt PAP on a fixie, he said he like to take up challenges he didn’t know if he could finish. But he was riding a good pace, so I expected to see him at the finish. It was just getting dusk at Margaret River so I put on night gear. Eamonn was also there and he suggested to ride together to Pemberton. He preferred to ride with someone at night.

I’m not sure if he slowed up intentionally but we rode together and caught another rider

a little before Alexander Bridge, the next control. I found out it was another American, his name was Wally and he was from Texas. He came into Alexander Bridge with Eamonn and I. We had a bit to eat and I noticed that sleeping cots were in the far end of the room. It wouldn’t have been very restful with riders coming and going. I was glad I opted to over night at Pemberton. The 3 of us left together and it was starting to get cold. I was wearing all the clothes I had, tights and the 2 layers on top, plus my wind jacket. I can also attest that it was pretty dark along those country roads. The stars were out in force and I asked Eamonn if he could point out the Southern Cross.

He said he didn’t have a bloody clue where it was. I thought that a bit odd, even I know where the Big and Little Dipper is in the Northern sky!!

Wally eventually dropped off our pace and Eamon and I pulled into Pemberton (425 kms) at 12:20. It would be a welcome sleep break. This over night was at a camp type setting. There were cabins with bunks on one or 2 rooms in each cabin. The cabin and room they placed us in had 2 bunk beds and a double bed. I got stuck with the upper bunk, and there wasn’t an easy way to get up or down from the bunk. They had a good spread of hot food and we both had a meal before a shower and a nap. I do not remember what it was anymore. I do remember breakfast in the morning was bacon and eggs fried on a big griddle, I have a picture.

And it was pretty cool the next morning. I had clean clothes except for my long sleeve jersey and long finger gloves. After a few turns we finally got a few longer stretches of road where you just had to ride for a bit and look at the scenery. We were riding through some of the Southern forest of Australia, and I can attest there were some mighty big trees. It was early on before coming to the next control that I saw a kangaroo. It was a Great Gray by the side of the road. I decided not to stop guessing that if I did it would just hop off before I got my camera out for a photo.

Riding was good on this day and I was making pretty good time. After a coupe sections of 66 kms I got to the last control before Albany in Denmark at about 3:00 in the afternoon. With just over 50 kms to go for the day I would finish in Albany well before dark. Just before getting to Albany I caught Peter, he was the lone German rider on PAP. We rode into town and predictably made a wrong turn a few block from the over night and got lost. It took us about a half hour to get directions to the collage where the control was. Most of the locals were not much help.

Sharon and Kris were supposed to meet me in Albany with my next 2 days of clothes. After a shower I went down to the lunch room in the college were we were staying and started to get supper. Since Sharon and Kris were not there I asked Nick Dale if he could contact Michelle

and have her call Kris for their whereabouts, I didn’t have Kris’s cell number and we left Michelle’s as the emergency contact with the PAP registration. About half way through eating Sharon and Kris walked in, they also got lost trying to find the college walking from their hotel.

The next morning was another cold start, but that wouldn’t last long. Nick had us climb

Mount Clarence almost right out the door. It’s not a long climb, but it was steep. My guess it was

about as steep and long as the old Killer Hill out of LaCrosse. It probably wouldn’t have been nearly as bad if we had done it after getting well warmed up, but we did not have the luxury. It turned out to be rather uncomfortable. There was a secret control at the top of Mount Clarence so we did not have the ability to skip the climb.

We were riding through the Sterling Range National Park. You could see a few mountains and it felt like we were going up more then down, but it certainly wasn’t like riding in real mountains. The next control was out in the middle of the bush in a campground off a dirt road. As you might expect I road past the dirt road, it had no special marking and according to my calculator I needed to go another KM or 2 before finding it. I met Peter again and we both road 4 kms down the road until we got to a turn and knew we missed the control. That meant a little extra time and energy wasted. I was a bit ticked off when I pulled into this control and rushed to take care of things to try to make up the lost time. I hurried out and when I hit the road this pent up emotion was evident. I was cruising past the other riders who had left the control a little before me.

This lasted until the next control at Gnowangerup, it’s a town named after the Aboriginal name of a local small bird, when I reached to hand in my brevet card it was missing. Apparently

I had left it at the last control. The support crew here had it, another of the crew brought it by car

and dropped it off. Without it I would have been DQed, they really saved my bacon. The best part of this control, out in the middle of the Outback in Australia, was the toilets. The men’s was signed Elvis and the women’s was Priscilla. The interior of the road house/convenience store also had other Elvis memorabilia. I took a picture of the toilet signs.

Katanning was the next town and control, it was in a fruit market in the center of town. I took a little more time then I normally would at a control and had an ice cream bar. It was a late in the afternoon and I had about 60 kms to the next control at Wagin. If I road well I could make it before dark and having to put lights on. The control in Wagin was in a park under a giant ram staute. Similar to the bison on I 94 by Jamestown, North Dakota or the dinosaurs by Wall Drug in South Dakota. And the crew had bangers on the Barbie!! I ate half of one, it was pretty good.

I left the control alone and after a bit found myself riding with another rider from the US. Vincent was from the Seattle area, but originally he was from an African country, I have forgotten where exactly, but Vincent liked riding in the cold. He said he had a few problems in the afternoon when it got warm, I thought it barely got warm that afternoon. Soon enough Eamonn and Danny caught us and we pretty much stayed together in this section. Somewhere in this stretch I dropped off and stopped just to look at the stars. There were lots and without them it was plenty dark. About 20 kms from Williams(the overnight control) the route turned onto a busy highway. At this turn I found Eamonn, Danny, and Vincent waiting for me. They thought it best to ride in a group on the busy road. I didn’t think it a terrible busy highway but I welcomed the company just the same. A few kms before getting to Williams another group caught the 4 of us and rather then ride single file they spread out across the lane. I decided to drop off and ride behind this group about 100 meters.

The control at Williams was in a Football Club. Sort of like a fitness center dedicated to Soccer, not American football. The sleeping arrangements were not ideal either. It was mats on the floor of a gymnasium, aka PBP style. I managed to get some sleep, but it was a somewhat restless night. I was up several times going to the toilet or kitchen to get something to eat or drink. It could tell it was going to be another cold morning, it was cold at night in the facility.

The last day was only 120 kms. It was most definitely cold starting out. I chose to not wear long fingered gloves and left them in the drop bag. I had on all the other clothes I was usually wearing in the mornings. The first control this day was supposed to be on the side of the road, but when I got there I found several other riders and some support person singing cards saying the person setting up the control was actually another couple kms down the road, and he had the official stamp. Since it was starting to get warm, I took the time to strip tights and long sleeves. The day was warming up nicely.

The last control before the finish in Pinjara had sandwiches and sodas, after eating I took off and shortly we were on the bike path that we road out of the city 4 days prior. I told Michelle and Sharon I would finish at 3:00 on Friday. I was riding well and finished at the Perth Bowling Club only 15 minutes later then my predicted finish time, I think I did a pretty good job of estimating. Sharon, Kris, Michelle and the kids were there to greet me and they even had a toilet paper finish line to ride through!! I laid my bike down and went inside to turn in my brevet card.

Before Nick completed signing my card Michelle came in and said my tire just went pop and went flat. I wasn’t worried about it at that point, I was looking forward to a couple cold beers and a warm shower.

- Martin Fahje