A great place

Tasmania is a land with great natural diversity. In a relatively small area there is wild coastline, verdant pastoral land, forest and mountain. There is much to see and do. For the cyclist it is quite hilly in places, but there is nothing insurmountable - you must simply expect to progress a little slower than in flatter landscapes.

There is a defined network of roads which are for the most part well-maintained, although occasionally narrow in places. With a population of only around 500,000, traffic is generally light outside the urban areas.

With few exceptions the motorists I encountered were patient and considerate - even the logging trucks generally gave me plenty of room, although there was the odd tight squeeze.

And most of all, I found the people friendly and helpful everywhere I went.

A good bike

Cranky Franky, the burly Surly Long Haul Trucker performed flawlessly for the entire trip. I had no punctures in my Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tyres. The Tektro V-brakes I fitted were powerful and silent with a little toe-in adjustment to the pads, and little pad wear was evident even after numerous quite steep descents where I had to modulate the brakes for kilometre after kilometre. The Paul Thumbie mounted shifters proved to be perfectly positioned for hilly terrain where frequent gear changes were required. My Brooks B17 saddle was remarkably comfortable under the circumstances (see below). And my full complement of Ortlieb panniers and bags keep my gear dry and well-organised. Nothing broke, rattled or fell off. What more could you ask?

A bad move

By mistake, on only the third day I put Bushmans, an insect repellant containing DEET on the chamois of my cycling shorts. I quickly realised my error and removed as much as possible, but the resulting irritation led to a serious saddle sore, causing me enormous discomfort and severely hindering my performance for the rest of the tour. I'll never make that mistake again.