OVERLAND CYCLING.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13225, 19 September 1908, Page 9

OVERLAND CYCLING.

A bicycle ride of 7700 miles was completed when Frank Birties rode past the Melbourne* General Post oSice at 3 o'clock on the aftcriicon of September Oth (says the "Argus.'') -'Birties left Sydney on his Royal Speedwell bicycle

on August 21st, 1907, and shaped his course through Brisbane to Port Darwin, back through Alice Springs, Ood- ■ nadatia, and Herbert Springs, to Ado- j iaido, and thence to Melbourne. He travelled with a kit weighing, on the average, GOlb.'and the machine weighs 271b. Birties met with many hardships ,- on the track, his most trying espcri- ; ences having been on the black coil ■ plains of the Northern Territory, where • the heavy rains had converted the, plains into vast- gluo-pcts. Through - 'these ho had to drag his machine and kit. There was no riding it. and it , was too heavy to carry. '1 wice he vrss j lai-1 up with fever aixl ague: once at! Brunei tc Station, Northern Territory, j and again at Port Darwin. When ho j left Port Darwin his weight was re- ; due.-d to Ost 31b, but he has since built i up to 10st- 81b. Coming southward J through the Territory. Mr Birties en- \ countered some bad riding country in ' tlie long stretches of flat sand, covered* with small clumps of stunted spinifes, but he made better progress there than, among the sand hills, ovor which ha h::d to drag his bicycle, a task so hard thai he rested every few yards.

Bit-ties'* rate of progress necessarily varied with th» country which ho was crossing, but ho reckons fifty miles a day a fair average for bush travelling.

Hi's longest day's ride was 103 miles —■ along n;«do roads—-and his shortest six miles. The hitter was part of a <>6milo stretch, which occupied twelvedays. For food he often fared badly, and.eked out his store of salt beef and damper with cot-katoos and other birds which he trapped. They were tough, but provided a welcome change. Hir-i water-bag carried li gallons, but occasionally ho found dry hobs where ho had expected to replenish it. and more than once went tho whole day without water.